Back in the Saddle Again

Hello again, I am back writing to you because I am back at the quest. I have started working out at our new local gym which is a Planet Fitness. I am pleased with it because it is open 24 hours and that the membership fee is only $10 per month. I weighed in on the 13th of July at a whopping 275 lbs. I will be posting my before picture taken on the same day. I have worked out 12 of the 16 days since that day and am enjoying it immensely.
I found an android app called Jefit that helps create and track exercise programs as well as body stats. On the 24th I again weighed on this time at 269lbs and then my scale does a body fat test and calculates me at 37% body fat which I did not like at all. I have started taking a GNC Amp Ripped Vitapak and I tried the same brand pre workout supplement and their Wheyabolic 60 protein power as an after workout supplement. I didn't see much of an improvement in my workouts but I did notice some increased toning of the muscles I was working. Due to cost I think I am going to try Musclepharm Assault and Recon which runs half the cost of the GNC supplements and my friend highly recommends them.
My current exercise program consists of Monday Wednesday Friday weight training and Tuesday Thursday and Saturday as Cardio and Abdominal training. As I refine my program to be more efficient with the facility that I am working out at I will post the exact routine. I also plan on regularly posting some of my body tracking stats so you can see my progress in text along with the pictures that I have will be posting. The initial stats were taken by my wife on the 24th.
The pictures below. Are as follows the initial on the 13th, which is a self portrait of and the other two that were taken on the 24th by my lovely wife.
Cheers and God bless

Purpose

I know that if you have read my lasts posts it looks like I started and gave up more than once. Yes it looks like I am I the habit of quitting before I really get started; however, it would only be quitting if I were to not come back to start again. A man who falls and stays down has quit, but the man who gets up is a winner who just has not arrived.
Purpose is the title of this post because I believe that we must have a purpose in order to successful in our adventures and our goals. A goal without a purpose or vision is just a well defined wish.
So what is my purpose? What is my drive? That is something that has been evolving in my life this year. I have been listening to the leaders in my life speak about destiny and every time my spirit stirred with passion for knowing my destiny. I have discovered that you can not know your full destiny at the beginning of your journey because if you do then you seek your own way to get to the end of the destination. We were not made to do it ourselves, by our own means, to our own satisfaction. We were made to work though our own seasons, relying on God to guide us and to change us to become the best person we can be. We were born for relationship with God and to be the best us that we can be in this time!
So what does this have to do with my weight loss goals? It is at the heart of my goals because without understanding it I would be seeking my own satisfaction. That means I would be sitting on my couch watching tv instead of improving, because my comfort zone is to not care and to just cruise through life. I fully understand that I was made for more than that and that to be the best me that I can be means I need to be healthy.
So what am I doing now? Still using my xbox to workout but I have changed when I am doing it. Before I was working out in the evenings as time permitted. This didn't work out because I was not intentional enough to do it. This morning I was up one hour before my normal time for the sole purpose of working out. I feel great and ready to conquer the day. I also have been tracking my caloric interest for about a week to get used to monitoring what I have been eating. Together these along with my daily time with God gives me an intentional purpose for weight loss. More to come.
God bless
Travis

Good Evening,
So after a week of shift change and coming down with something, I am back at my workouts. I tried something a little different on my Xbox game tonight. Instead of doing cardio-boxing, they have a work out or "class" that is called Boot Camp. I was expecting something pretty tough when I saw that it had 3 red bars for difficulty but I pressed start anyway. It was fun and it royally kicked my butt. It had me doing squats, double knee & double kick combos, running in place, what I would call hopping double knees (think of grabbing someone's head and delivering a jumping knee to the face). So I enjoyed it naturally. Then it had me do something I had not done in quite some while, push ups. This really put me back at to where I am physically. I need to work hard to get back into shape. I only could do at maximum half of the push ups that the work out was programmed for. This is not a bad thing because I am not taking it negatively. It is motivation! I will overcome, I will succeed, I will kick my butt back into shape. This motivation has got my brain working overtime on how to get things moving even faster. I have been given a bow-flex to work out with all I have to do is go and get it. This will add a great strength work out in between my cardio days on the Xbox. The other thing that I did tonight on the Xbox as a warm-up and cool down was something they label as Zen Energy, if you read the description it is a cross between Yoga and Tai Chi. It was great for getting my breathing started and it also allows you to work on your balance and focus.

New Year New Beginnings

So I am going to keep this short because I am tired and I need a shower. I am back on my quest for a better, healthier me. I don't know if 220lbs is still the goal but I am having fun with my work outs. My kids received an XBox 360 from their grandparents and since then I have purchased Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012. I have done 3 workouts 1 right after Christmas to test it out and then recently I have done 2 in the past week. I am really enjoying it and think that it is a great tool to used to get back in to shape.

Hey Y'all I am going to go now and get showered and go to sleep. I will try to be back soon to give you my updates and stories about my Quest.

bye bye
Travis

New Beginnings

Well it has been over a year since I have posted anything here. I have not attained my goal and I have not made any progress toward it. Does that mean that I gave up.......Yep at least for the past year I did. I still have a goal of getting my life healthier and I still want to lose that 60 pounds to get me to the 220 range. Much has happened since I last posted to include a career change that has me working harder on the job physically than my last one. I have a renewed drive about accomplishing more in my life. I have had other projects that I have delayed due to  self created busyness which is really an excuse for laziness. I am employing a new phrase into my life and that phrase is self discipline. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines it at ": correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement"
I titled this post New Beginnings for the purpose of defining the moment. I don't want it to be another chance or a do over. When we do over then we end up piling on excuses to give us the option of quitting again. My life will not be defined by compromises that allow me to take the easy way. I will conquer that lazy man and rid my life of him. 
I am ending this post with a statement from a man that I respect and love.

Live Intentionally!

Good Night

Travis

http://xusunera.t35.com/

--
Travis Miller

Back into the game

Well It has been a while but I have not given up on my goal. I had a small hiatus but that has now been resolved. I just got done swimming laps in the pool. Right now it is warm enough to be swimming after work in the evenings. Soon it will be warm enough to swim both before and after work.

Right now I think in the mornings I am going to start with core exercises using plank work outs. The plank position, of course, is where you are in a push up position but instead of being on your hands you are resting on your elbows, with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders. Just holding that position with your back straight is a work out. Then you work on balance and strengthening your core muscles by lifting different limbs individually or together as opposite foot/hand combinations.

I plan on swimming after work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I should be in the pool quite a bit with the kids on Saturday and Sunday. This should give me plenty of rest and plenty of exercise.

Well, I will keep updating this as much as I can. I look forward to showing progress and sharing my story. Tomorrow I might post a before picture and some basic starting stats to give me and you a beginning base line.

Good Day to all