Day one

My name is Josh S. and I am the six week project. The folks at MBS have challenged me and all of their members to rededicate themselves to health and fitness after what was sure to be a decadent holiday season. They asked me to keep a blog following my workouts over the next six weeks, to chronicle my trials and tribulations, so here goes...

I am a thirty-three year-old fishmonger, and this is the first time in my life I am using a gym of any kind. My goal is to lose my holiday chub and reveal my inner-studmuffin by Valentines Day for my fiance, and also to just feel better and have more energy. I'll even be keeping a food diary which we may post from time to time.

Before this project began, my exercise regime included biking to work 3 to 4 days a week (I live about 1.5 miles from my job), walks with my fiance and our dog, and sporadic yoga and push-ups. I do feel I eat well, and eat fast food maybe once a week or so, but I also tend to eat a lot of bread products and not always whole grain versions. When I shop for groceries I try to always buy fresh and never processed foods.

With that out of the way, on with the show....

First workout 1.4.10

Tom ran me through a set of different exercises today: push-ups, pull-downs, bird dogs, squats w/ kettle bell, one-handed overhead dumb-bell presses (man a lot of these names are hyphenated), and this thing with a stability ball that totally worked my abs. I felt good the whole time, really energetic about the whole thing. My mental state was positive and I could really feel each muscle group waking up.

I'll be sore tomorrow, but not too much, as I was warned to keep from a big beginner mistake; overdoing it on the first day. I also got introduced to the rowing machine, and found out that I am 39 seconds slower than the average female. And that's only over 500 meters. I will definitely work to improve that. Look forward to my cardio training tomorrow, bike, elliptical, and more rowing.

- J