Whole Life Challenge

Remember when you would step on a scale..notice your weight going up…buckle down and drop about 20 pounds in 15 days. Just by cutting back slightly and hitting the gym a little harder.  Well I think somewhere around 32 those days became a thing of the past for me.  It was further verified about three months back when I was having dinner with some friends of mine who were retired pro athletes.  They said in the offseason they would balloon up..and about a month before camp..drop all the weight.  Until one year…the weight didn’t come off so easily for them.

So I had to face reality…I can no longer maintain my girlish figure (as in my figure the girls like) without proper eating.  Furthermore…CrossFit has become my sport.  It’s a pretty good substitute for football.  It’s competitive and going hard is a way of life in “the box”.  Some of the CrossFit movements are just not made for 250 pounds of handsome like myself.  Although I am a lot over 250 at these days…250 USED to be the weight I liked to walk around at.  But if I want to be able to do MORE pull-up…MORE sit-ups…MORE burpees….I probably need to get down to 220.  So there it is.  220 is my goal.

How do I plan on getting there…well thanks to my friends at CrossFit Victorious…I am starting this 30 day whole life challenge.  Where you basically eat nothing that man has altered.  You would be surprised to discover how much sugar is in EVERY…MUTHAFUCKING..thing!!!!  Ketchup (or is it Catsup)!!!  KETCHUP HAS sugar.

The long and short of it is…no wheat, no dairy, no processed food, no sugar.  Just Meat, Veggies, and some fruit.  I also plan to workout 50 times in the month of April.  And I’ll share the workouts with all of you here.

Monday:  CrossFit WOD

Run 400M, 12 Pull-ups, and 21Kettle Bell Swings.  I used a 50 pound Kettle bell and a band with the most assistance as I was instructed to make sure I can do each rep scheme unbroken.  We did this for three rounds with 2 min rest between rounds.

Evening Workout was with my wife and Brandon.  We basically did our own version of Fight Gone Bad using P90x movements.  Standard Push ups for a minute, pull ups for a minute, military push-ups for a minute and then rest.  Then Wide Pull ups, chin-ups, and Lawnmowers..all for a minute each..with one minute rest afterward.    Same rep scheme for the following movements: Squats, Sit-ups, back flys, more pull ups (close grip).

Tuesday:  CrossFit WOD

21-15-9.  Box Jumps, KBS, and Push-ups.  I used a 53lb Kettle Bell and I did the majority of my box jumps using a technique called bounding on a 20″ box.

Evening Workout was 5 60 second sprints..at max effort.  With three minute rest between sprints.

Considering how much I currently weight..its a true testament to how powerful I am that I can do these things.  Imagine when I get down to 220.  SHIIIIIIIITTTTTT…I might go out for the Texans.  ORRRRR…just repsent strong next year in 14.1

So to review…my goal.. is to get down to 220…by the end of the summer. I also want to be able to do a muscle up in time for the 2014 CrossFit games.

Here are my meals the past couple of days.  So far..not so good according to my coach.

Monday:

Breakfast:

16 oz smoothie, ice, water,  Mango, Blueberries, Strawberries and Spirulina .

Lunch:

Spring Mix Salad with Walnuts, Dried Cranberries, 1 small mandarin Orange, and Balsamic vinaigrette Dressing (all natural, no sugar)

 Dinner:

5oz Salmon with roasted Parsnips

 Snacks

2 boiled Eggs

1 Cup Carrots

45 Grapes

Tuesday:

Breakfast:

16oz Smoothie and water. ingredients were strawberries, blueberries, and Spirulina.

Snack:

Carrots

Lunch

Homemade Spring Mix Salad.  With Walnuts, Dried Cranberries cut up orange and Balsamic vinaigrette (all Natureal No sugar)

(The Salad is mostly the Spring Mix).

Snack:

Mango Slices and Grapes

Dinner:

8oz White Meat All natural turkey patty (Applegate farms).  sautéed spinach (with Olive Oil and Salt).

That’s it for today.  Remember….Pain is temporary..quitting is forever….

Game On!!

So I have still been on my shit.  July 4th ran 4 miles.  Thursday and Friday did CrossFit Biloxi.  Thursday is where my wife did her personal best in the deadlift so that was awesome.  All while on Vacation.  Saturday and Sunday I ran 4 and 5.6 miles respectively.

But yesterday we got the most awesome news ever.  Our gym..CrossFit Victorious is hosting a couples challenge!!!  It starts July 14th..we do a WOD..and take measurements.  The challenge is based on amount of wegith loss, improvement in the WOD over the next 6 weeks.  We are extremely pumped.  We will keep you guys posted!!!

SmithFit

Part of my mission this time around is to get back into good eating habits. When I take off for my run of 13.1 miles in December, I’d like to weigh 220 pounds. Today I weighed in at 267.

We are also implementing a new family mantra called SmithFit.  We want to keep our kids active, reduce the McDonalds, and increase the fruits and vegetables.  AJ is pretty resistant to the eating healthy lifestyle, but I am pretty sure he won’t starve himself.

Today’s workout was killer at CrossFit.  We did 3 Rounds of the following

Overhead Lunge step (Holding a 45 pound plate straight over your head you do lunges) for 100 feet.

50 Double Unders

25 Burpees

It took me 16:47 to do that cycle three times.  And it sucks.  Tonight we are doing CrossFit endurance to help prep for our half-marathon.  So yep..today is two workouts.

Obamacare Sucks

Sorry to disappoint you, but this is actually a new series documenting another 31 day challenge I am doing for my workout.  Yesterday, July 1st..I just did a 30 minute run.  Nothing special.  Technically I haven’t taken a break from working out since Saturday June 23rd.  But it officially started yesterday.

I’ll have some pictures posted as well.  Currently my wife and I are training for a half marathon.  I am excited.  Today I went to CrossFit and did what’s called a Baseline.  It’s a general test of your CrossFitness.  It consists of a 500 meter row, 40 Squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 push ups and 10 pull-ups.  I completed all of the above in 5:15.  The highlight was completing the 500M row in under 1:40 seconds.  After CrossFit I did a 3 mile run.  I am kind of bummed because I didn’t get credit for my last 5 runs on my Nike+ running app.  Cest La vie.

And FINE.  I’ll chime in.  While this is one form of welfare that I don’t mind..it will still do more harm and good.  What people (mostly democrats) fail to realize, that the more you raise taxes on the rich and increase corporation costs..the more the very people they are trying to help.  Let me splain something to ya’ll…an increase in corporate taxes..is an increase in everybody’s taxes.  That is, if you raise the cost of insurance for healthcare providers..then they will raise their premiums..which in turn will cause companies to not contribute as much.  So all of those people who work for a living will pay higher premiums to pay for Obamacare.  And the top 1% will just find ways to avoid paying the taxes thus creating more debt.  One day politicians will learn that raising taxes on a single group of people is not the answer.  My only question is when?  It’s like they are in a circular room looking for a corner to sit in.  One day they will realize that there are no corners in circular rooms…and step out of the circle and think like smart people.

What About The Ugly?

Let me start this post by saying in the purist sense of the word I am probably a fascist. I believe  to the victor goes the spoils. What makes me different is that I also believe that people are capable of just about anything they put their mind to. The PROBLEM (and this is just my opinion) is people tend to quit if it gets too hard. OR they quit if they see somebody else having an EASIER road to success.

Verily I say unto you it is this belief which makes me look at socialism/communism (cause it’s the same) square in the face and give them my middle finger. Granted there are exceptions to every rule. I do believe things like education and healthcare should be available to all. However, I also believe that the best healthcare and educations should go to those that earn it.

But back to my point..because I am sure by now some of you are already pissed. I agree the playing field is not equal,  but my stance to the day I die will be “suck it up”. History is filled with examples of people who have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve greatness. I mean damn..if Hellen Keller could learn to read and write..then I think you can find your way out of the hood. Dr. Ben Carson, Ursula Burns, and Oprah Winfrey breathe the EXACT same air that you and I do. The only tool you need is resolve.  Reslove that you will embrace each failure along the way..learn from it..and USE it.  If somebody loses their arms in an accident..they learn to write with their feet.

BUT nooooooooo…these commie socialist democrats want to hand everybody everything. Just give it to them for free. Don’t make them earn shit. Oh..and by the way..they wanna do it by taking money from those of us who DID resolve to overcome the odds. To be clear..I have no trouble with assisting those people who have shown willingness to work to rise out of their situation. But that’s another blog post for another day.

My question to Democrats is what about the ugly? I concede the playing field isn’t fair. The difference between me and most socialist/democrats is I believe in the human spirit.

I think we should focus our attentions on those who TRULY have no ability to change their situation. The Ugly. I know some of you are laughing..or very angry (probably my ugly readers..you know who you are).

There have been studies proving uglier people (or less attractive) have a harder time getting a job than their Ian-like counter-parts. And by Ian-like I mean handsome. It’s my blog..so i can call it what I want.

If you don’t believe me take a look around where you work.  If it’s a white-collar environment I am willing to bet that generally speaking your co-workers are more attractive than the people who are career burger flippers.  I wish I was making this up.  Especially in areas of service, sales, lawyers, doctors, and yes..accountants are generally more attractive.

So i ask you Democratic, Socialist, Communist… shouldn’t your focus be on helping those poor unattractive souls who can not help themselves.  Always losing out to the slightly worse, but better looking candidate for the job?  Maybe we can take away some of the attractiveness of others and give it to the ugly?  Maybe you can enact a law that says..all attractive people can only where jeans and a t-shirt to their job interviews.  Since leveling the playing field seems to be your focus.

I for one appreciate the playing field not be level.  It gives me something to brag about.  Without struggle there is no progress.  But since you are so dedicated to removing the struggle..lets start with the ugly.  They have the hardest struggle of all.  Just a suggestion.

Letters To The Church and State

I decided to post my first NON-FITNESS related blog entry.  I have loads of topics I’d like to write about, but this one has kind of written itself for me. 

First let me start off by saying the basis for the letters is the fact (to my knowledge) watching people of another faith pray does not automatically convert one to said faith.  Similarly, and I admit I could be wrong, wishing a Jew or a Muslim a “Merry Christmas” does not automatically convert them to Christianity.  See where am I going?  Having a Bible or the copy of the 10 commandments in the front of a court house does not put out Christian voo doo vibes that infect young muslim children.

Furthermore, I am a strong believer in freedom of relgion.  So a Mosque at ground zero doesn’t hurt anybody.  There were innocent muslims on those planes and those buildings too.   Christians getting together at the start of the school day and saying a prayer..doesn’t hurt anybody.  If you are offended by seeing somebody else pray..then my position is quite simply… fuck you.   And oh yea..Atheism by definition is a religion too. 

Now that you have a foundation I will explain the premise of this blog post.  This birth control mandate.  If you are unfamiliar with this let me explain it briefly.  Obama wants to make religious hospitals and high schools provide insurance for free birth control pills for its employees.  You already know who the biggest opponent of this is.  The Catholics.  Which I say to them..how about your get your Priests to stop raping little boys before you get involved in this issue.  I am sure some of my readers will have an issue with that but the truth hurts.  But again, this issue just triggered the post.  I have bigger fish to fry with these letters.

Dear Church,

And by Church I mean all religions and circle of faiths.  Chrsitans, Jews, Muslims, et al.  Can you stop being so damn lazy.  Can you get out there and do your job.  Minister to your congregations.  Stop asking the government to do your damn job!!!  Pisses me off the amount of apathy you guys have these days.  Beat the pavement…don’t ask the governemnt to make drugs illegal…get off your asses and take matters into your own hands.  Are you dumb enough to think by making birth control less accesible people are going to stop having sex.  That’ just stupid.

It is not the governments job to legislate peopls morals. If a person (or group of people) isn’t being robbed, shot, hurt, killed, raped, then the government should pretty much keep to themselves.  So Catholics..if you don’t want people to take birth control..then get your ass out and minister to the people. 

Prayer its the one thing that transcends all faiths.  So how is it offensive if each group is allowed 10 minutes to pray at school in the morning?  I will say this again…if somebody praying to their respective deity in your presence offends you..then you need to get a grip.  Tune them out..leave the room..or better yet..get on your knees and pray to your own God. 

So to review.  Church..stop being lazy. 

Sincerely Yours in Christ ,

G. Ian Smith III CPA, MBA

Dear “State”

What you need to do is stop letting these group of people punk you.  When the ACLU comes talking about its offensive for a Bible to displayed in a courthouse…tell them to kiss your ass.  Religious FREEDOM means everybody is allowed to excercise their OWN freedoms.  It just so happens that the country was mostly Christian during the years of formation.  And that’s fine.  Athiest don’t have to spend the money if they are so offended by the words “In God We Trust”.  I am pretty sure there are plenty of people who will take the money if they are so offended because it has the word “God” on it. 

You don’t have to allow prayer in school.  But at the same time you don’t have to DISALLOW it either.  Don’t let these religious fanatics sway your decision making.  It should just be a non-issue. It to muslims want to get up and pray to the East then they should be allowed to do so.  It should be a non-issue.  Lord knows that some of these bad ass kids could stand to hear some prayers being said to SOMEBODY.

 And what the FUCK is wrong with two people of the same sex getting married.  Let’s say for arguments sake…that gay marriage “tears down the family” (as I roll my eyes).  So what?    But as a husband and father I assure you two gay people getting married won’t tear down my family.  And any family that allows thier family to be torn down by gay marriage deserves it.

But I think you get the point.  Unless somebody can provide a study or data that says contrary..then I think you should pass on giving in to the whims of what I call hoassedness.   Next time somebody cries to you about a Bible being displayed in a government run building…ask them “How and why does it offend you”?  If there answer isn’t “it causes me bodily harm in some way..” then fuck em.  Especially the atheist.

Sincerely,

G. Ian Smith CPA III

A Week and 2 Days Later

So since I started eatiing right and working out harder I have dropped about 7 pounds. My current weight is 270.6. Down from 277 on my last blog entry.

I ain’t even gonna lie..my body is tired. I took Sunday off and naturally I hit the ground running on Monday. Tuesday I increased the distance I covered in 20 minutes to 2.02 miles. But it takes everything out of me. i used could do more. I am sure when I get to my goal weight of 220..it will be a lot easier and a lot better.

I can not tell you how beneficial crossfit is. I posted on my twitter account that I LAUGH every time I see a Zumba commercial.  Every Crossfit workout has you feeling like your soul is on fire.  Even if you try to half ass it..the combination of the moves kick your ass.  it’s why I love it though.  I embrass the pain..and quite frankly it makes me better than you.  Unless you are also doing CrossFit. 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.