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Focus T25 Ab Intervals – Day 4

Focus T25 Ab Intervals – This morning I woke up to 11in of snow in NYC and while the city was in panic, I was doing some Focus T25 Ab Intervals in my hotel room. Total calories burned, 289 and this is a great core workout! I highly suggest if you need to build your core, get Focus T25 even if you just do this workout three times a week.

On a side note, I ran two miles at the hotel last night on the treadmill and my left knee is still bothering me. It’s frustrating to say the least because I enjoy running I need to investigate this further with a doctor.

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Focus T25 Day 3 – Total Body Circuit

I’m in New York City this week and I just wrapped up Focus T25 Total Body Circuit in my hotel room. Total calories burned 352, I might need to add some other training into the mix until Beta and Gamma cycles, but we’ll see.

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Getting Fit in 2014 – Part 2

Size 44 pants, 98 pounds lost

Size 44 pants, 98 pounds lost

I recently blogged about getting fit and the three tips I felt were important when deciding to take a journey and become a better you. I want to add some additional thoughts to my original blog entry.

Getting fit – First things first

  • Motivation
  • Fitbit flex or nike fuel band
  • Myfitnesspal either on a smartphone or via their website
  • Workout program or walking/running program

I’m suggesting these tools as a gateway to begin.

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Get Fit – Taking the Steps

Taking the right steps to get fit are easy, if you look in the right places and get creative. It’s as easy as 1-2-3. When my friends or colleagues see me and it’s been a few months or I meet someone new, I share my story and I always get the question “what is your trick” or “how did you do it” or “did you have surgery”.

The answer is simple and I’ll break it down into three categories that I feel are important. If you find that you are struggling in the first or second category you will struggle, this journey takes serious motivation and self will power. BUT, it in the long run its worth it.

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Focus T25 – Day One Video Blog

Today my wife and I kicked off Focus T25 – Alpha Cardio. I think I’m going to like this program, I recently completed Insanity and the long 45-60 minute workouts were INTENSE and I loved them but it’s really interesting to see what can be packed into 30 minutes. I intend to video blog this journey and here is day 1. I recorded this on my iPad so I apologize for the size.

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1 year weight loss transformation

110lb weight loss picture

Twelve months ago I made a decision to loose weight and improve my life, today I’m 110 pounds lighter and feeling great! It’s amazing to see this weight loss transformation when you put the pictures side by side.

A little more perspective on my twelve month journey.

  • Old Pant size 46, new pant size 32
  • Old shirt size XXL, new shirt size large
  • Old shoe size 12, new shoe size 10.5 or 11 (yes your feet can shrink)

I’m really thankful that I worked out with weights throughout the last 12 months specifically weight training with Les Mills Pump and p90X because I didn’t end up with all the extra skin since I was adding muscle while I was loosing fat. That was a huge key for me during this journey.

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Insanity wraps up, Focus T25 starts

Insanity wraps up, Focus T25 starts.

Insanity wraps up, Focus T25 starts.

As I wrap up Insanity this week, I’ll be starting the alpha, beta and gamma programs that make up Focus T25. It will be interesting to see how I feel about the 30 minute workouts, I have a feeling I’ll be adding in some additional weights and running to hit my personal workout goals during the period, but we will see.

Over the course of 2013, I’ve completed Les Mills Pump, P90X and Insanity has been one of the best programs I’ve done to date. For me Les Mills Pump and P90X built the foundation (from nothing) to allow Insanity to help make my core stronger and more defined.

During the past 60 days of doing Insanity so far I’ve lost 7 pounds and  2% body fat.

Pictures to come..

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Hoka One One Bondi B 2 Review

Taking the Hoka One One Bondi B 2 shoes for a run.

My initial review of the Hoka One One Bondi B 2 running shoes.

This past weekend I picked up a pair of Hoka One One Bondi B 2 shoes at the local Front Runner store in Columbus Ohio.

Why a new pair of shoes?. Here is a little background,  the initial pain after running over 4 miles is really intense for around 15 minutes in my left knee, it’s a common case of “runners knee”.  This lead me to do some research into knee and joint pain in runners and I became intrigued with the Hoka One One product line. The additional cushion and support they provide was appealing and could possible aid my knees and joints during those longer runs. During the past year I’ve been running in a more minimal style shoe and I’ve really enjoyed it. However, it’s time to start looking at some alternatives for 2014 to see if my knee pain can be reduced.

A Short 2 mile run with my Hoka One Bondi B 2 shoes

I went for a short 2 mile run today wearing the new Hoka One One Bondi B 2 shoes despite the fact that my legs were sore from my run yesterday. I also had a one hour Insanity Max Plyo workout ahead of me.

The initial run in these shoes were amazing, they provided a good amount of cushion and were very comfortable. The Bondi B 2’s toe box isn’t as roomy as the Brooks shoes I’ve been running in which is fine because in the Brooks my toes seem to flop around creating blisters depending on the pair of socks I am wearing.

I’ve read a few blogs and people were mentioning they issues with the Hoka shoes because the sole is much thicker than a normal pair of running shoes and it was causing them to trip, stumble and have balance issues. I didn’t have these or any balance issues when running in the shoes.

After my run I had a very minimal amount of pain in my knee which was a great feeling. I’ll take them for a 4+ mile run later this week and test them further. However, here is my initial pro’s and con’s:

Hoka One One Bondi B 2 Pro’s:

  • Comfortable snug fit
  • The quality build of the shoe was impressive, the sole and upper fabric were very comfortable
  • Was able to run normal despite the “higher” feeling from the extra cushion

Hoka One One Bondi B 2 Con’s:

  • The shoe laces were a little short, I can deal with it.
  • I’m not sure if this is a con of the shoe or my legs were shot, but I ran about 15 seconds slower than my normal pace. I’ll test this again later in the week when my legs aren’t shot.

I’ll continue to update this review as I put more miles on the Bondi B’s. However, my initial run was nothing short of amazing in these shoes and I hope they continue to be “the” shoe for me.

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First 2014 run on the books!

Today I went out for my first 2014 run today. I haven’t run since November 9th, 2013. I’ve been doing Insanity for the past 60 days and I currently have one week of insanity left.

However, today I decided to take a run. (I signed for for a half marathon on February 23rd, 2014) The weather was overcast, windy and 33 degrees. I’m happy with the time considering I ran against the wind for 2 miles, it was cold and I haven’t run in 2 months.