Stuck in the hotel doing 8 min abs!

Unfortunately all efforts today have been cancelled due to the Typhoon so I am stuck in the hotel room doing 8 minute abs twice already!!

Here are some video and photo's of yesterday for anyone interested.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63419767@N05/

Tsunami relief effort update

First let me say a hardy congratulations to all of those PCP'ers who have recently finished! You have helped and will continue to help me through inspiration. Well done and good luck!

On the Tsunami relief effort, we helped remove the remains of about 5 houses and countless boat parts from a grammar school grounds yesterday BY HAND! It was gruelling, tiring and emotional all at the same time but the results were amazing! It felt so good to be able to do it and to see the difference we made. The houses and boat parts were heavy and dangerous with all the sharp edges and nails but we had all the protective gear and made it through with no injuries thankfully!

I felt the exercise in the morning (that's right, I am still exercising!) helped warm me up and get my muscles ready for the days activities. I also noticed being able to lift incredibly heavy pieces with less effort than I can remember with something of similar weight in the past. Thank you PCP!

Today we don't know what we will be asked to do but I am sure it will be just as tough and I look forward to it.

I will post photo's when I get back home. Speak again soon!

Real Workout - Physical and Mental!

Hey all, I hope everyone is doing well and is ready for another new week of PCP!

I am off in the morning to take part in a small group of volunteers from my office to Ishinomaki Japan. This was one of, if not the, hardest hit areas of the earthquake and tsunami on March 11th. This is not a food distribution effort but a real physical and hands on effort to help clear debris, fix houses, remove mud, etc. We were warned it would be a lot of physical work and long days. I am sure it will be but equally, I am sure it is going to be a mental drain seeing all of the hardships and devastation first hand.

I will be staying true to the PCP the entire time. I have packed my rope and resistance bands and made all my food and packed it into a cooler for the next 4 days. Should be quite interesting but on top of everything else, I am looking forward to the physical aspect for more fat burning and muscle building. I don't mean that to sound rude but I am! I will try to blog and post as much as possible but may be limited due to the situation where I will be staying.

Wish me luck!

Day 37 - I'm Lovin it!

First let me say I am sorry for only posting a new blog every weekend. I get my new computer this week so I should be able to blog more frequently from then on.

I don't know about the rest of you but I am starting to love this. I love the reactions I get from people, the physical transition my body is going through as well as the mental transition. I love the energy I have, the knowledge I am gaining on a daily basis about the body, food and exercises. I am just loving it!

Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of work and takes a dedication that I really didn't know I had the ability to maintain but I am! I curse the workouts as I am doing them just like the rest of you I am sure. I limp around all day and have trouble lifting my arms (right now!) after a solid workout. But that is what it takes and I am really into it.

Quick note on my indulgence meal. I had a social dinner on Friday and decided that it would be my indulgence meal. We went to a Thai restaurant and I figured I would pig out on some delicious spicy food. What I found myself doing instead was ordering the stir fried vegetables, the non-fried shrimp spring rolls and stayed clear of almost all noodles and rice! I did have two small pieces of fried chicken but I didn't find myself enjoying it like I normally would have. I eat until I was about 60% full so I didn't feel bloated or fat which is unusual for me. On the alcohol front, I did have 3 drinks but instead of beer which goes so well with Thai food, I had 3 gin tonics instead. I normally would have gone out to Roppongi for the rest of the evening but instead went home at 10 pm and did 8 minute abs and a 6K walk on level 10 of hills on my treadmill!! Who is this person and what happened to the old Pat!?!

The point is exactly what Patrick says is the goal of this program I believe, to change your body, mind and life and that is what I feel I have accomplished so far and hope to continue.

Sorry for the long post but I am feeling very positive and wanted to share. My new pics are on Flickr now and I can see a difference as I scroll through them as I hope others can as well.

Almost half way through team Thor! Gambatte!!!

And lastly and just for some fun, my kids are really getting into my exercises and my progress so I thought I would give them a little "publicity" and show their progress as well. ;-)

Day 30 - 60 days to go and kicking it up a notch!

Well here we are at day 30. The exercises are getting harder and more intense, the diet is getting a bit more strict and restrictive but seeing the changes in my body and feeling the change in my energy are more then enough motivation to keep me on-track!

I must say it does get tough at dinner time. 1 apple, 1 banana and 2 egg whites while interesting, really is tough when the family is eating "normal" food! I just want to eat the yolks as well for some flavor. Anyway, small sacrifice for a short amount of time to get myself into Peak Condition!

I bought a new jump rope this week on recommendation from Brendon. It has an electronic counter in the handle and I feel it makes a world of a difference not having to count the jumps "manually". I know it's mental but not having to count the jumps just makes it seem easier!

I also find myself going up on the resistance bands at a record pace. I am almost maxing out on some exercises which feels really good. My muscles are ripping but that is the point.

Sorry for not posting more often guys but I am having computer issues at home and cannot access the blog from work so until my new computer is delivered I may only be able to blog once or twice a week. Trust me, I am with you all everyday and checking the blogs and email religiously. It goes without saying that I am ABSOLUTELY sticking to the program with you all as well.

Day 23 Update

Well Golden Week is almost over and I am proud to say that I kept with the program to the letter! I woke up at 6am everyday and did my workout without fail. I also stuck to my diet as well. I don't know what it is but I am committed to this which is nice. I would have cheated or given up on a self prescribed workout routine by now but I haven't and I feel great for it.

I have so much energy it is amazing. A lot of people mentioned increased aggression and I can understand that but since I am not in the office for the past week and have been home most of the time I suppose it is translating into energy instead of aggression. I will see what happens on Monday back in the office!! ;-)

Official weigh-in yesterday had me down 4 kilo's and 3.2% body fat! I feel great and actually like the soreness that I feel with the new exercises. I am sure they are going to get worse but for now, I am liking the pain level and the results.

Second round of golf yesterday since starting the PCP. I shot a worse score but my performance with the distance of my clubs and my stamina has definitely improved. My putting sucked and I hit too many in the water but that has nothing to do with the PCP!!  ;-)

New pictures for day 21 are posted. The pictures are definitely the worst part of the PCP so far!!

For those who have been asking what the diet is like on the PCP I included a couple of pictures of a lunch and a dinner I recently made for myself. I am a big fan of doing Stir Fry's as you can see in one photo and the other is some nice grilled maguro (Tuna) and some fresh veggies. As you can see, the meals are quite good contrary to popular belief!