http://blogs.fitconnect.com FitConnect.com -- It's OK To Brag! Copyright 2007-2008 FitConnect LLC plucky on 6/3/2008 (8 comments)

It's been awhile since my last blog - I've been travelling and didn't have much time to check in.  I did manage to keep a steady workout while I was gone, but let me tell you...  Running in Singapore is much different than running in California.  The humidity is a killer and I ended up being happy with half of my normal run (and one time I even lost 5 lbs in water weight from one 5k run!).  I also kept up with the weights and bodyweight circuit, but I took about a week off wh...]]> Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:49:03 GMT plucky on 5/2/2008 (5 comments)

Thanks runningbear for inspiring me to jot this down ;)

Anyone that is serious about fitness and has been going at it for more than a few months has experience with plateaus.  What is a plateau?  In any fitness activity - such as running, rowing, weightlifting, stretching, you name it - there will come a point where you get stuck at a number, and you can't seem to break through it.  In running, you might hit a certain distance and can't go further, or you can't get fa...]]> Fri, 02 May 2008 18:11:51 GMT plucky on 5/1/2008 (15 comments)

Anything is possible with enough effort and discipline...  Here's a workout plan to get you ready for your first 10K in 4 weeks.  Obviously, depending on the starting fitness level, this can be either very easy or very hard.  I won't lie: if the starting fitness level is couch potato, then the person is going to be an 'ouch potato' during this process.  But it's definitely do-able.

The goal here is to finish the race.  That's it - just finish,...]]> Thu, 01 May 2008 16:33:22 GMT plucky on 4/9/2008 (8 comments)

What is your body telling you? Have you listened lately? Or is it only a one-way communication, e.g. mind-to-body: do this do that, keep going, hurry up, ...? (kind of like parent-to-teenager, but that's another story ;)

Allow me to introduce the two of you: Your mind, meet your body. Your body, meet your mind. Now the two of you go talk amongst yourselves, and hopefully get to know one another. It's a part of fitness that is often overlooked, the mind/body connection. Many p...]]> Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:33:12 GMT plucky on 4/5/2008 (11 comments)

I just finished a recertification for adult CPR/AED and got more out of the class than I bargained for. During the class, I realized that about this time last year, I made some drastic changes to my lifestyle - as a direct result of the CPR class last year.

Now most of my life I have been a little more fanatical about exercising than the average joe, being involved in martial arts at an early age and especially since weight training started for high school sports. Running, lifting...]]> Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:40:57 GMT plucky on 3/28/2008 (5 comments)

The funny thing is, I wasn't even planning on hitting the gym today; I was going to take it easy and give myself a rare break, since I've been feeling a little rundown lately. I rolled out of bed this morning and thought - what the heck, I'll do a quick workout and get this Friday over with and onto the weekend...

Friday is normally a day that I run, so I wanted to do something cardio in lieu of a lunchtime run. I walked into the gym around 6:30 am and the place was empty, not eve...]]> Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:29:42 GMT plucky on 3/24/2008 (14 comments)

143
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The number of muscles you send into fat-torching mode when you have sex

30
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Percentage by which your immunity improves if you have intercourse once or twice a week

50
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Percentage by which your risk of dying of heart disease dips if you have at least two orgasms a week

118
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Calories burned by a 180-pound man during 1 hour of foreplay

11
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Percentage dec...]]> Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:53:58 GMT plucky on 3/19/2008 (5 comments)

There is beauty in that phrase - a simple statement of three words that efficiently and elegantly describes balance through conflict. Ok, I'll get off my philosophical soap box now and get to the point. I think this concept applies to life in general, but I'll keep it in the context of fitness here, and the point is: if your goal is to be fit for life, then you have to embrace change.

I was talking to another guy my age in the locker room the other day. He is a very athletic pers...]]> Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:18:09 GMT plucky on 3/11/2008 (4 comments)

I've been thinking about creating a group for traditional martial artists, but I'll see how the response to this blog goes first.

So, you're wondering what's up with the title "Mixed (Up) Martial Arts"? I'll get to that in just a sec... First, let me introduce myself in the context of this post. I've been involved with the "traditional" martial arts for over 20 years (yeah, yeah I started young ;) When I was a kid, I took a rec center self-defense class and found then that it wa...]]> Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:54:57 GMT plucky on 3/10/2008 (0 comments)

Well, the truth is I hate Mondays... Coming down off the weekend, getting back into the grind of work, ugh. Especially with the weather we had this weekend: sunny, blue skies, 70 deg F. Hangin' out in the backyard under a shady tree with a Corona in hand - does it get any better?

It's a good thing I went for a run early in the morning on Sunday (1 hour earlier than usual due to daylight savings), otherwise the transition to Monday would be even harder. Not only getting back to w...]]> Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:07:15 GMT plucky on 3/6/2008 (8 comments)

Someday soon, I'm going to start that workout journal... Today, however, I'm just going to rant.


Ok, I'm usually not one to whine; I normally am pretty easy going and go with the flow. Not once, but twice today while at the gym I received comments that rubbed me the wrong way and basically implied that my purpose for going to the gym was to show off.

First, I was in a group conditioning class and as we were nearing the end I was pushing pretty hard (like I norm...]]> Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:04:42 GMT plucky on 3/5/2008 (11 comments)

I couldn't decide whether to make this a tip or a blog entry. It gets a little personal with taste in music and I've been wanting to start a blog, so here goes...

I am definitely a music lover and although MP3 players haven't been around that long (relatively speaking), it's hard for me to imagine working out without my iPod attached to me. How did I ever get along without it all those years? When I first got it, I tried running with it and the earbuds kept falling out. I was th...]]> Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:13:05 GMT