Going Barefoot

So, if you will ignore my hairy man legs in these pictures, you will see one of my favorite pieces of exercise 'equipment' ever.











Vibram FiveFingers. These things are amazing. They are the closest thing to being barefoot without actually being barefoot.

I love being barefoot. I hate shoes! lol I find them to be very uncomfortable. For this reason, I try to go barefoot as much as possible. If I have to wear footwear, I always pick either flip flops or Sanuks.

The problem with both of those above? Not good workout shoes..not at all. That is where my FiveFingers come in. As much as I love to be barefoot, I don't want to go running around in areas with possible broken glass or other hazards completely barefoot. And, for some reason, I lack the courage to hike barefoot. Vibrams offer good protection while still allowing my feet to be flexible, free, and build strength in the bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments that inhabbit your feet.

Why go barefoot? Aren't these cushioned shoes with tons of support supposed to be good for us? I'm afraid not. These modern shoes are like putting our feet in a cast. Wearing shoes with cushion and support all the time; to work, exercising, around the house, around the town, etc; contributes to weakend feet, fallen arches, shortened tendons and calf muscles, causes your hamstrings and quadriceps to develop imbalances, effects posture, and can create chronic pain.

After a lifetime of wearing protective shoes, your body will need some time to adjust, to strengthen your feet. So start small, and work your way up. In time, your feet will feel amazing without shoes.

Tuesday, strength day

Did my first workout of this 'adventure' today. And mt first real workout in a while. It was only a simple 5x5 (five sets of five) with military press, bent-over row, front squat, and swing; using kettlebells. I need to work on planning things out a little better, not figuring out what I'm doing that morning lol

Ugh

So, today was kind of a failure for launch. Woke up feeling queasy and nauseated. By the time I felt better for my sprints, it was 90 degrees out. I did take the dog for a walk and went for a little swim. Glad I didn't sprint though. I think I hurt my foot/ankle a little sparring with my buddy last night. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Going to bed now, a little later than originally planned, but eh.

I did get a couple of fishes today. A dalmation molly and a male betta. The Molly is named Freckles. The betta is still unnamed..any ideas anyone?
They now reside on top of my bookself along with Miss Noel.
Well, until tomorrow friends I like to believe are reading these lol.

Nutrition

This is just a basic run down. For more detailed info, go to marksdailyapple.com or read Mark Sisson's book, The Primal Blueprint.

It is a high-fat, moderate-high protein, and low-carbohydrate 'diet'.

Foods Allowed
- Meats, fowl, seafood, eggs, and organ meats. All day, everyday.
- Vegetables, cover your plate. Non-starchy veggies (potatoes). Sweet potatoes are allowed in moderation.
- Fruits/berries, eat til your hearts content.
- Oils (olive, coconut, palm) and saturated fats, ie butter.
- Nuts/seeds. Minus peanuts and cashews (which are technically a legume [bean])
- Dairy (minus butter) in moderation.
- In moderation, wild rice, chocolate, and alcohol.

Foods Not Allowed
- Grains, including corn.
- Legumes or beans.
- All processed foods.
- Soy.
- Trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup.

Some of this may not make any sense to those who haven't read the above listed blog or book. I will eventually, over the course of time, through multiple, single-subject posts, cover all this. But I highly recommend everyone reads Mark Sisson's work.

All I will drink is water. And alcohol on occasion (I drink on very rare occasions anyways).

I also believe in intermittent fasting. Most days, I wont eat til noonish. I don't like eating in the AM as it is. Some days I will fast most the day. Or all day. At the end of the week, I will make my calorie needs for that week (which studies have shown is the important thing, and that six meals a day does not have a significant effect on metabolism, overall calories matters more).

Exercise Regiment

The exercise regiment to be followed is quite simple in my opinion.

Monday - Sprinting. Swimming, running, or biking.
Tuesday - Strength training. Body weight, sandbags, kettlebells, and barbells.
Wednesday - 'Off'. If needed, a rest day. But take advantage of the day to play, practice sports, hiking, etc.
Thursday - High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Various forms of interval training or complexes will be used here to kick my ass.
Friday - See Wednesday.
Saturday - See Tuesday.
Sunday - See Friday.

Some general points:
- No workout will last longer than 45 minutes, most will be under 30, including rest time. This doesn't mean I can sit on the couch in front of the tv the rest of the day. Take the dog for a walk, go swimming, play tennis, dance, do anything to remain active, even if it seems small.

- Nothing is carved in stone. If I get the offer to go on a hike with someone or something, my workouts can be pushed til later, or just not done that day. Fun and community are more important than lifting weights. As long as the offer keeps me active, my workouts can take a back seat for the day. If they get done, they get done. If not, not.

- Do workouts outside! Do them early in the morning, before it's hot, but when the sun is out and I can bask in the sunlight.

- Workouts are short, and there are only four actual workouts a week...work hard. Go intense. Make myself want to cry at the end haha. It'll be over in just a few minutes, with long lasting benefits.

The First Pictures

These are the first set of pictures of me shirtless. This is embarrassing haha but it's my fault for letting myself get this way. I do not know how often update pictures will be taken, but there will be updates.

I really need to take these with better posture...I look way worse than normal in these.

My Stats

These are my stats as of Sunday, June 27th, 2010.

Weight - 270 pounds
Body Fat - 32.5% according to online calculator with sloppy measuring
Neck - 18"
Chest - 47"
Bicep - 17.75"
Forearm - 13.75"
Waist - 47"
Thigh - 28.5"
Calf - 19"

What's the Point?

Who the Hell am I?
My name is Brandon. But that’s just a name. That’s not important, not in this situation. What is important is my current situation and where I want to be.

So, what is this situation? Well, I’m overweight. Fuck that, I’m fat. I weigh 270 pounds. I’m not as strong or fast as I would like to be. My endurance is horrible. I have let my body go to hell.

That’s the physical level. I feel like I’m suffering on my mental, spiritual, emotional, and social levels as well. I’m not leading the life that I want to have. I’m not really sure how else to say it. I’m not happy. I need to make serious improvements in my life.

What is the Purpose of this Blog?
The purpose of this blog is to document my life in the realm of my self-improvements.

How Will this be Done?
I will post mostly daily on this blog. I will post opinions, summarizations of articles, links to other blogs with relevant information, recipes and daily menus, pictures, videos, routines, book reviews, mental exercises (gratitude journals, etc), and whatever else strikes my fancy.

When Will this Start?
Today!

I’ll be posting current measurements and pictures of me today. Than either today or tomorrow, I will post a short blog on what I am going to be doing as far as exercise and nutrition. Than on Monday, I will post details of my first workout in this adventure.