Day Ninety: "Reflections of You"

This is the mirror of a C6 Corvette Racing Car as I went off to Racing School at Bondurant in Phoenix as my PCP completion reward. It takes me back a bit to my Day Three post: http://thepeakconditionproject-george.blogspot.com/2011/01/day-three-framing.html

A friend who saw this photo of the Day 90 Tokyo crew called it “Men II Boyz” and that is so right. If the cheesy Motown Philly group was about growing up into men, well, maybe for the first time since we’ve become men, we’ve learned how to make ourselves younger, healthier, and live a better life. Indeed, we have regained some youth through this journey.

I don’t want to spoil the Day 90 workout surprise for those PCPers who will come after us so will leave that alone. It was fantastic to be able to get out of work on a gorgeous Thursday to head down to Yokohama one more time to do the final workout with Rich, James and Brian. With that done and dusted, we walked across to the scenic shoreline of Yokohama to the Sakuragicho/Minatomirai area for a sushi lunch and a well-deserved beer. We went to Cold Stone Creamery as well for a small chocolate ice cream. The ice cream and beer killed me as I battled low energy, a dry mouth and a headache the rest of the day.

Here are some final photos. I may not have been the biggest guy to begin with, but the changes are certainly dramatic enough that my old clothes look ridiculous on me at the end.

Just call me “Scarecrow”

These are my trusty go-to cargo shorts that have accompanied me on two round-the-world trips and weathered the Sahara, the Amazon, the Galapagos, you name it. Sadly they won’t be counted upon anymore.

And now, some slightly more embarrassing photos of me doing the Muscle and Fitness poses Patrick showed us.

Talkin’ bout my Day 91 plans

Blue Steel?

Apparently I have long triceps. Apparently there is such a thing as triceps enhancement surgery? Really?

Now these below I am actually kind of proud of. Those pull-ups started to do some good at the end, I guess. I didn’t realize that stuff was going on that much on my back. Pretty happy with how that looks, though I do need to work on my posture in the day-to-day still.

Is that really me or a body double? Well, yes. See below

Compare this to my early photo. No muscle at all visible on my back. From wimpy back to dare I say, a-ok.

Finally, my usual weekly photo. This is paired side by side with my week 2 photo (week 2 was the first time I made it down to Yokohama).

My stats sheet. I gained back a little bit of fat in the final 5 days, but still, I’d say the results overall are pretty good. I was probably about 18% body fat to start and got down to 11.whatever percent. More importantly, the all-important visceral fat is down where my odds of living healthy into old age are that much better. Muscle mass has been added and my “body age” is down from 31 to 22 years old. I am 30.

Before I began this program I had wanted it to be a kick-start to getting fit again. I had gained weight to the most I had ever weighed and I felt lacking in the discipline to take control of my health and fitness again. The PCP was perfect for me in this regard. It took the guesswork out of the equation; it tested my willpower and discipline, which I found to be iron strong. I missed 3 workouts and just one jump-rope session during the entire 90 days, and that was only due to extraneous circumstances caused by a once-in-a-lifetime event. I can certainly live with that. And the results are evident. I may not be 100% at where my inspiration figure, Brandon Lee was—I could still use more filling in of the pecs and I can push a little bit more on the abs just to get that last bit of fat off and make the 8-pack a little more cut—but overall, I’d say I’m closer to that level than I am to where I was before I started.

Perhaps though, more than anything else, the PCP has helped my mental state. It has given me a great sense of accomplishment to get through these gruelling 90 days. I can only relate it to the feeling I had when I trained for 3 months before my first ever triathlon and completed that with a huge grin on my face. But this goes further than that. I’ve gained confidence—on a superficial level when I happen to see myself in a mirror in the bathroom and think—wow, that’s me and I can see my abs, but more importantly, on a deeper level that I know I can get through something like this, that the PCP has given me the tools to live a better, healthier life, and I know what my body and mind are capable of.  If I wanted happiness and wellness in my personal life, I’ve found it. That still leaves the question of work-life balance and all that and whether or not my chosen career even allows for balance, but what I am able to take care of outside that, my mood, etc., is much, much better. Moreover, the PCP really helped to keep me sane through the surreal post-quake crisis world in Japan. If ever I find myself in similar trying circumstances, I may revert to the structure of the PCP diet in order to get through the days. The old me would have probably not eaten well and slept even more poorly.

So what was the downside for the PCP? Well, on a superficial level, there are a few new aches and glitches in the body I need to keep an eye on. Shin-splints I am hopeful will go away after our mandated few days’ rest from the jump-rope. I think my legs are just a bit tight. And my hip has started grinding/clicking as a result of the V-sits and leg-ups.  A couple of sports massages a week with stretching should alleviate that over the coming days. I know the time constraints are difficult so the stretching is completely up to us to do during the program, but when you are going through the PCP, you ten d to get into a bit of a robot mode. Ie, do what you are told, don’t do things outside that. Without a prescribed stretching program, it’s hard to figure that out. But I also know that the practicalities are difficult. Maybe we could have a stretch day given to us on our “rest” days? Another downside, of course, is the constraints on one’s social life. There are quite a few friends I am sure who have given up calling me and inviting me out. Time to get some of that part of my life back. I am going to pick up the phone, call them, and invite them down to a beach BBQ where I can show them why I was radio silent for three months! That said, this is not a whinge. 90 days out of your life spent outside the bars, alcohol-free, focused on your health is nothing and yet, it is everything. Your friends will still be there afterwards. And, if they aren’t, well, they were just acquaintances then, weren’t they. So, like with anything in life, there are a few compromises or negatives involved, but I want the message to be that the positives far, far outweigh the negatives. What makes it work is Patrick and Chen’s hard work, Patrick’s dedication and personal touch for each of us, and everyone in our peer group’s encouragement. That social aspect really works as one of us is invariably up, motivated and rocking it when the rest of us aren’t—to quote Richard, we have a constant “giddy up!” feedback loop.

And so, it’s on to the post-PCP life. I’ve already found the first two days to be a challenge. Man, is it ever hard to find the healthier choices in food out there. The Japanese bento lunchbox used to be a very healthy thing. These days, it’s hard to argue on behalf of their merits—very few vegetables and a lot of unnecessary carbs and fried items are the norm. And that sandwich at the bakery yesterday hardly cuts it, either. White bread, too much butter, too much oil and salt—and I went with the healthier vegetarian choice. Indeed, I think the packed lunch of home-cooked food may certainly make a permanent reappearance when I get back to Tokyo in a week’s time. Breakfast is forever changed for me, and brown bread with avocado spread and plenty of veggies await me. Dinner and lunches out on weekends at good restaurants are where I can probably have a bit of freedom. I’ve found that most good restaurants are very accommodating to diet requests. I have just never made them in the past. But there is no reason I can’t ask for less salt, less sugar, less oil, and choose from the non-fried portion of the menu. I am empowered with the knowledge I have now to make the good choices while still enjoying good food. Occasionally I will slip, but if 90% of the time, I am striving to do my best, that is an overwhelming victory over the course of a lifetime.

And so, I take my first few steps as a new man. This is what it feels like. The PCP journey was but a beginning, and not a destination. Who knows what awaits me. There is some trepidation as it feels like those first moments when the training wheels come off and you don’t know if you are going to be able to ride that bicycle without falling. But we’ve been given the tools, the skills, and the mentality to succeed. Maybe I will miss the PCP life and you’ll see me back on the Six Week Chisel or the Kung Fu Body in the near future. Or perhaps I will find that I am okay on my own now with what I have learned and can mostly navigate the post PCP world just fine. I don’t know all the answers yet. But I do know how to ask all the right questions.

To Patrick, thank you for your positivity, your even keeled nature, your focus and dedication. To my peers, thank you for the laughs, the commiserations together, the good times, your colourful blog posts. Giddy up everyone and good luck on your journeys.  To my friends who gave me the push to do the PCP. Thanks for the push. Sorry for doubting you or getting annoyed at you always talking about the program when you were on it and I was not. To my girlfriend—thank you for understanding what this meant to me and for being there for me. To my mom-- thank you for your support and encouragement throughout. Hopefully you can see even at 30, I am not going down the steadily growing gut route that Dad did so you can stop bugging me about it. :) Congrats to all the PCPers who successfully completed the program, and good luck to the current and future particpants.

Peace and good health to all

George

Day Eighty-Nine: "End is Nigh, Feeling Fine"

I am going a bit paranoid while working out these days at night. I keep thinking the building is shaking from an aftershock, and it's not. Oh well, nearly time for my first vacation since November, and it starts on Day 91! For those following my blog, Guam was just a long weekend away and I missed no work so not counting that.

I got up early to jump-rope this morning and I couldn't do it. Mind was too distracted and I was just too tired. I left it for the evening after work instead, and of course that meant the floor jumps hurt more as they were right after skipping.

Girlfriend cooked some delicious snapper for me last night. The occasional nights off cooking dinner have been a godsend the past couple of weeks given the crazy times we're going through. So thank you!

My summary of today's Day 89 workout: I HATE YOU PATRICK! ;)

In terms of ab workouts, I like using props. For example, using a large exercise ball to do crunches on. With an unstable base, I find I wind up using lots of smaller stabilizer muscles on the sides as well so it makes for a more thorough ab workout. You can do the alternating sides, regular crunches, or grab a weighted medicine ball and stretch/roll out your spine all the way as you do a much longer crunch. If you have a partner, you can even play catch. Sit on the exercise ball, have your hands out above you. Have your partner toss you the ball, catch it and let the moemntum take you back over the exercise ball for a good stretch, then curl all the way back up and toss the ball back in one motion, then do it again.

I'm going to be an annoying show-off and post a few photos below. Heck, we're near the end, I've earned it. Can clearly see my lats in the photos and the abs look solid though I could lose a bit more fat at the bottom of the gut just to get a touch more definition. In person in front of the mirror, my pecs look more full, but they never seem to show themselves in the photos. Oh well, they aren't big but they are there. Superficial rant over. Am exhausted as heck, feel good, but tired, and I await Day 90 and what's in store. I have a hunch, but won't write it here for the sake of others who are still only part-way through the program. Just in case I am right.

Day Eighty-Seven: "Spring arrives"

Spring arrived in Japan as it always does. In this country you can feel spring more than in most others. The warmer air, the birds, the yellow-green of fresh leaves, and above all else, the spray-brush pink of the cherry blossoms. This year, for hundreds of thousands of displaced people, spring must have seemed an eternity away. A month ago to the day today. And for tens of thousands of others, it never did arrive. May they rest in peace. And still today, strong aftershocks killed still more people.

Multiple large quakes again in the last few days. We're getting used to Magnitude 7 quakes. Surreal times. Tonight I was doing side crunches until failure when one of the somewhat stronger quakes hit. I thought the blood was rushing to my head and the room was spinning. Nope. The room was in fact spinning. I cannot even imagine how the homeless in Tohoku have coped mentally with this disaster. It is depressing enough to look out on a city that I love turned dark at night, rain pouring down tonight as the room around me pitches and rolls. I am warm, dry, safe and lucky. It may seem superficial and silly, but if I can't appreciate what I have and can't feel motivated to finish the PCP strong amid all this, there's something wrong with me.

On to discussing the past week in PCP land. As we had switched Days 85 and 86 for the purposes of working out at Patrick's studio, some of us wound up doing shoulder exercises two days in a row. The burn was very much prevalent as a result, especially on the shoulder raise/Da Vinci super set.

The other day I noticed a little something in the mirror that was nice to see. It happened while I was applying deodorant, actually. I noticed I had a bit of muscle at the back below my armpits. Lats? Never had them before.

So, homework. I go to the gym every week so this one was relatively easy. The absolute worst are the middle aged ladies who are at the gym to socialize and chit-chat incessantly on the stretching mats in their tutus. The next worst are the giant gorilla types. You know, the muscle beach types. These guys are clearly taking a bunch of artificial muscle builders and are as thick as tree trunks. They are throwing weights on the floor and grunting and growling. And they don't look good at all. They have classic "big-itis." Just getting bigger and bigger in the upper body and looking silly. Then there are the guys who train for 2 hours. Again, makes little sense. And then there I am, chomping at the bit, wanting to always keep my breaks short, even when I am on weights. Always been that way.

What else went on this week. Trained with James and Rich and Patrick. James and Rich looking good. James with the bulk up in pecs and arms and Rich looking very trim. Impressive.

Had a birthday dinner to attend on each of Saturday and Sunday. Wasn't perfect PCP as I had to skip carbs with no good source of it other than buttered/salted bread and the grilled chicken I got was a bit oily, but for the most part it went ok.

Some meals from the past week:

Veggie omelette

Pile of mixed veggies

Girlfriend's bruschetta (no salt of course). Why didn't I think of this before?

Lunch at the office

Week 12 photos up. 63.6kg (71.4kg), 11.1% body fat (18.5%) A few more days to go.

My Day 91 is going to be a challenge for sure...

Day Eighty-One: "Nine lives"

Nine squared is eighty-one, nine days left, nine lives left.
I cannot believe the end is so near. I will miss my Grim Enthusiasm Monster, although I am tired of him staring back at me in the mirror each day I get home, taunting me, egging me on to drag my butt down to the gym to jump rope for twenty-one minutes.

Ran into a rare gym user in my apartment complex gym today. I've seen him before and he is quite fit. He told me about a little-known, tiny boxing gym around the corner from where I live that is owned by a former world champ whose ego is not too big that he won't hold the pads for you to instruct you personally. I used to do kick-boxing once a week last year, but maybe doing a bit of boxing for maintenance would be an idea. Plenty of cardio, and jump rope to boot. Anyway, this isn't the answer to the homework question this week. I go to Gold's in Omotesando once a week and there are plenty of cats to talk about there. That day is tomorrow so I will do that assignment after a fresh look-see there.

Back on the veggie series, I present "Portugal"
Flower broccoli, red bell peppers, carrots, cucumber
The sardines in a little bit of olive oil is also a very Portuguese item.

Other observations:
I hate 90-second planks.
I hate 90-second planks even more after leg raises done properly, deeply and slowly.
I hate floor jumps. It's a good thing we had creeps today instead.
My shin splints are getting a bit better, but my calves are tight now instead when I jump rope. Still, I'd take that over a brisk walk.
The last little bit of fat on my lower abs refuses to let go. It's like they are the last vestiges of the old me, and they don't want to go away. I will make them go away.
The shoulder presses are getting harder for some reason. Maybe because we had Da Vincis first? I ended up whipping myself across the back pretty badly on the last set of presses.
Da Vinci was definitely the inventor of the F-bomb as well.
Quinoa tastes better than it looks.
The amount of fat and grease in my steamer catch-tray when I steam chicken scares me. I am using organic, free-range chicken. What the heck was I doing before?
I am eating one egg plus 3 egg-whites a day. I am okay for now, but if I were to keep this up, I may need a 20km exclusion zone for the radiation around me. Thankfully CNN has not taken a geiger counter to me yet.
Speaking of CNN, Anderson Cooper and his sensationalism can bite me.
Am I really going through a carton of milk a day?
For all the healthy eating and working out I am doing, I am still not a morning person. I tell myself each night before I go to bed that I will get up for my jump rope. Each morning I hit snooze and roll over in my warm, snug bed.
Are we all going to have a big case of withdrawal around Day 100? I think as much as we think we'll fret about Day 91, we'll all feel okay about a few days' rest. But after a week, the silence will be deafening.


Good night, fellow PCPers. Dream happy thoughts of muscle building while you sleep.

Day Eighty: "Around the World"

At times, it has sure felt like a never-ending journey-- an impossibility, but we are at Day Eighty. Jules Verne would approve. Ten days left.

There is something about working out down in Yokohama at the studio that gives you just enough energy to go on through the next week. Went on Sunday with Brian and it was good. You just push yourself a little bit harder and it is well worth it, though my legs feel like jelly today.

On the way back, had dinner at my girfriend's parents' house. Her mom was kind enough to make PCP food for us all. It was delicious and so very nice to not have to cook my own dinner on a Sunday.

The appetizer was chicken and asparagus wrapped with spring cabbage or lettuce, with a few drops of balsamic vinegar.

The main was barbecued swordfish with dill and crab (real) on top, with grilled assorted vegetables.

Then blackberries, strawberries, and grapes for dessert. Mmm. delicious. Thanks, Mrs. K.

It's interesting. I certainly can't wait for Day 91 still, where I won't have to weigh my food or work out on that day (and I will talk about what I am doing for Day 91 soon), but at the same time eighty days of PCP has also made me think extensively about my life and how I have been living it. I keep telling myself I've been miserable at work for the past three years. Maybe--and I know this sounds obvious and dumb for me to be stuck on this--there is another way. Maybe 5am wakeups, 9pm taxis back home, midnight phone calls from NY--maybe this isn't a good way of life, maybe it's low quality. Maybe I am sacficing my health, both physical and mental, and no amount of money they pay me can be enough for me to justify doing that for another ten years. I don't know. No rash decisions here, but PCP does make me think--why isn't my life a little better? Why don't I have the time each day to be eating right, working out and still having time left over then for a little personal time? If I plan my day very well, I can work, work out, prep food, eat food...and that's it. Midnight to bed, only to get up at 5am again. That doesn't sound right, does it. Food for thought as we approach the end.

Week 11 photo

Day 77-ish: "Efforts"

The title of this photo is called "Efforts" and a copy of it is hanging in the guest bathroom of one of my best family friends' home in Vancouver. I always thought it was great, and I spent many a time in that house, especially in the weeks after my father passed away and I was depressed. I needed to get away from home at times in order to be able to concentrate and study, and it was my second home. Whenever I go back to Vancouver, I go back and I feel "at home" again.

These days, I must admit, the workouts require serious effort. I am not sure what is going on, but the motivation level is now low. I drag myself to the gym to do the exercises, whether it's jumprope or the workouts, and I don't feel energized from doing them. I find myself looking forward to the end. I run out of energy much earlier in my workouts (for example, the shoulder presses after chicken wings, I can barely get 12 out, let along 20 in the latter sets). Day 91 can't come soon enough. I think I am just tired. March felt like it would never end, and the fatigue is still there in my body. On the other hand, I do want to continue a healthy, active lifestyle after this is done. So it is a paradox, I suppose, but I do feel tired.

I also feel a bit of frustration. My legs look skinnier than before to me, especially my calves. I always had skinny legs, but I look in the mirror when I am jumping rope and I feel like a chicken. My pecs still aren't really coming in though I've always wanted them to. And though I can see a bit more definition at the top of my abs, the lower part is still hidden behind an inch-thick layer of fat that I can pinch. Darn, was hoping to be able to get through there, but with only a few days left, it looks like it's not going to happen. I have to stop myself from going down the path Patrick warns about in terms of seeing yourself differently from how you are, like the body-builders with "big-itis."

At work, the comments have gone from complimentary to a bit derogatory. "Eat a cheeseburger, dude." "Stop dieting or you are going to disappear." "You look like a cancer patient." "Dude, are you ok? You are dropping too much weight."

Had my indulgence with Brian and some friends on Friday night at our fave Indian spot here in Tokyo. Had a very nice meal. Some things were too salty, but overall the food was delicious though everything was a bit salty. Was glad to discover a beer still tastes like a beer. Had just one and went home and slept.


Some other PCP dishes from the past week:

Argentine veggie stew: pumpkin, tomatoes, bell peppers, chili to spice it up, corn, peas. Stewed it for a good couple of hours, stirring the whole time. Absolutely delicious and pure PCP-friendly. I recommend it. The pumpkin adds a great texture. Add a bit of water from time-to-time to keep things from burning.

Had it with some lean, roast lamb fillet. Gravy for everyone else, none for me.

I don't know what to call this one, but my girlfriend made it and it was good. Diced cucumber, tomato, bell peppers, etc., with fresh lemon juice and homemade salt and pine-nut-free pesto.

Day Mid-Seventies: "PCPizza"

This past weekend I decided to borrow an idea from PCP grad Jason B. and attempt a homemade PCPizza. Bear in mind that I have never made a pizza at home before of any kind other than pizza toast and that I pride myself on being a decent cook thanks to nine-plus years of solo living, but I am not one to bake. Odd that my perfectionist tendencies don't turn up in the kitchen but precise measurements required for baking bore me. A pinch of this, a punch of that is how I operate.

Anyway, gave it a go. Made one large pizza for myself with no cheese and three smaller ones with cheese for my girlfriend and her parents to try out. Although every whole wheat pizza dough recipe I found online called for a partial mix of whole wheat flour and white flour, I went with 100% whole wheat. I used less than 1/3 of a teaspoon of salt (the entire recipe only called for one teaspoon vs. 3 cups of flour anyway, which I thought was pretty impressive) and about that of sugar (some is necessary to help make the yeast rise.

Here is the PCPizza d'oh!

Next, the marinara sauce. Lots of chopped tomatoes, oregano, garlic, parsley, and some of my homemade salt substitute (which is a whole mix of nothing but healthy herbs)

And voila, my PCPizza (marinara with chicken, eggplant, green peppers, assorted mushrooms, onions)

I forgot to take pictures of the ones with cheese but they were a hit with my girlfriend's family. I think I might do it again some time and invite you all over to give it a try.


Some quick thoughts on the exercises. Though work remains tough and the hours insanely long and the lack of sleep shows through and through, I've been keeping strong on all the exercises and all the food since returning from Guam. If I am not too harsh on myself, even during those horrible initial days after the earthquake, I did only miss a total of 3 exercise sessions and one jump-rope session and that is all I have missed the entire time. It is what it is, I am open about it, I am not beating myself up over it. If anything I should be proud of myself for sticking with it through trying times. As I wrote a couple of posts ago, the PCP also helped to keep me sane and in some sort of rhythm through those tough days. At least on the eating front, it really helped.

I am starting to get shin splints every time I jump-rope, however. And it starts right off the bat. I am now jumping on a thin yoga mat on the hardwood floor of my gym to save my legs, but there is some constant discomfort. Anybody else feeling a little wear and tear like that? I decided to count just for fun how many jump-rope I am getting done in one six minute session. I was right around 1,100. So I guess I am doing well over 3,000 now per day vs. the 5 x 50 we started with that seemed so difficult. It really is amazing what the human body can get used to given time.

See you next time, gang! ;)