Hardmatch's blog

It’s a big day for any of you that are still following and subjecting you to my blogs. This is the last one from me before I head out of town for six weeks.

I have worked out each weekday since January 5. I’ve increased the amount of cardio and slightly increased the weights. I’m looking better in the mirror and the clothes are fitting better. I haven’t gotten the camera out recently but I might try and do that while I’m away.

I can’t say there’s been a huge shift in weight or body fat % but the cardio has really improved and I am feeling stronger. I just need opponents to test this all out!

Weight: 174.5 lbs
Body Fat %: 29.5

My next to last update before I head on vacation (and give any of you that are actually still reading any of these a break). Nothing earth shattering to announce. I possibly did a little more training from Monday to Thursday. Friday was a busy day of running around and, though I didn't get any gym time in, my iPhone says I made 10,529 steps over the course of the day so I wasn't a total sloth.

Weight: 175.0 lbs
Body Fat %: 30.2

This is my third last posting before I head away for a vacation that, hopefully, won't undo any of the good I've been doing so far.

This past week was much of the same for me, though I was bumping things up slightly. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are more weight days. I concentrate on the cardio more on Tuesdays and Thursdays, though I do the treadmill and spinner every weekday and there's not a huge drop in the cardio I do when it's my weight day. I lifted a bit heavier this past week on the Nautilus. I won't tell you what I increased the weights to because I don't want any of the powerhouses reading this to roll their eyes in disgust. Suffice to say that I did increase the weights.

One machine that seems to really "kill me" is the elliptical machine. I know so many people who say they love the elliptical and can easily do 30+ minutes at a time. I can go forever on the treadmill or spinner but the elliptical is a monster for me. When I first started this, I was lucky to do 5 or 6 minutes on it. This past week saw me up to 20 minutes so things must be going in the right direction. Mind you, I was drenched in sweat and I'm sure people wandering in might have worried I was having a heart attack. There is one woman that I see using the elliptical every couple of mornings and she tries to burn anywhere from 1,000-1,500 calories on it in a session! I was quite proud of my 121 calories on it Thursday, thank you very much.

When I started this blog, I said I would weigh myself every Monday morning. Today's readings were 176.0 lbs and 31.5% body fat. The weight is down 2 lbs but the body fat % was up 1.5% points. I do weigh myself during the week, immediately after a workout, and my body fat % has been as low as 28.5% during this past week. I would then do something stupid afterwards like eat or drink so I'm sure that 28.5% would go up. You should admire my honesty that I continue to give you readings after the weekend and a couple of days of relative inactivity. 😉

It's Monday morning and time for my weekly update. I was dedicated last week and went to the gym each weekday. I have to do it in the morning as I worry that I will make excuses not to do it the longer the day goes on. I do have a leisurely coffee ☕️ first though.

I slightly increased the amounts of weights I do (free weights and Nautilus) last week. I don't think I'm going to put the fear into any Olympians but I've been told and agree it's better to start lighter and work my way up. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are weight days. I do cardio every day, though I drop the elliptical on my weight days. For some reason, that machine kills me. I do the treadmill and spinner every weekday though.

I've already rambled more than I thought I would when I started this so let's get to today's readings:

Weight: 178.0 lbs (same as last week)
Body Fat: 30.0% (down from 32.7% last week)

I'm not bothered by the weight as I am trying to improve my upper body strength and I did increase the weights slightly last week. I am happy that the body fat % moved in the right direction this week. Again, I don't totally trust my scale's measurements (and have been told that they can vary wildly from scale to scale) when it comes to body fat % but I was happy with the downward movement.

Time for my weekly update. I will spare you another long winded blog. I hit the gym each weekday last week and introduced more weight training (Nautilus and free weights) into the routine. I was usually in the gym for a little over an hour each time. I'm still waiting for the extra energy to kick in for me. I think my body is in shock.

Despite all of this work last week, my numbers actually went in the wrong direction on today's weigh in.
Weight: 178.0 lbs
Body Fat: 32.7%

I can't think of any dietary changes I made this past week so hopefully this is just a blip and things will move in the right direction next week.