So I am now sitting prettily on my ass after working and working-out. I feel a little sleepy now but I am forcing myself not to sleep, not yet anyway, because I am disciplining myself. As far as I am concerned, sleep is something I don't take for granted, just like exercising or running or taking vitamins. The last few months was horrendous for me. I'd go home from work, tired, and directly lie on bed and surf the internet, the next thing I know I've slept 2 hours already. Then I get up to eat dinner and then try to sleep again. This time, it won't come until wee hours in the morning. I always end up sleep-deprived the following day.
The problem in my life, really, is limited and undisciplined free time. I fail to make my free time useful. I haven't read my PT books, I haven't picked up any computer language book, I haven't really done anything as good as the novels and short stories and articles I used to write. I have not written a single book review since I came to where I reside now, I spend a lot of time in brainless surfing or blogging. And sleeping irregularly. I don't want my sleep to be chopped into blocks. I hate it.
To make my time productive, I should be reading a book, doing a school homework(if I were in school and I'd be in school soon), writing an article like what I am writing now with some facts and data that could be useful to me both professionally and personally. And at an exact time, I should leave all things behind and sleep.
I know running takes a bulk of my precious free time and I need to address that soon before it's too late. I am trying to be consistent with my work-outs and running. If I don't run then I need to go to the gym. If I have extra time, I'd like to listen to a novel or write about something that could be useful for me and everybody in the future. The way it stands now, I really need a life's overhaul. This piece has been in my computer for the last few days, it's not finding its way into my regular web site. I am trying to give life to it by doing this but it's getting boring now.
Don't think I am slacking in my work-outs. I've been back to long runs consistently, I've increased my gym visits and had asked for more days-off at my work places. I am dividing my exercise efforts between running and weight lifting. I also have met new people, sort of new friends (not really the high caliber types but friends nonetheless -- so am I) but one thing I am learning as I add more years into my life is that I begin to appreciate everyone God sends my way. It's good to have acquaintances who tell me they are interested in joining me in my runs, and that's all that matters.
I am hoping to occasionally join Mario again in Fort Lauderdale for quick dinners and tete-a-tete and yeah, keep myself updated with the latest in my world. I am thinking of a better piece tonight, about health and other stuff but I can't think of anything. I'm sure something will come out while typing this.
I am an advocate of rest, rest is just as necessary as exercise itself. Some people think, wrongly, that building up muscles is through increased pumps and increased weights, well, that's true but it's only half of the story. The actual time when the muscle circumference increases is when it is resting after the work-out. That's the time the blood rushes into the muscle, providing it nutrition and repairing.
This is my current body structure
When I lift weights, I do no more than three sets of 10-12 reps with at least a minute of rest in between sets. I alternate light weights (weights that can still make me maintain a calm face) and heavy weights (weights that lead to near muscle failure - it's that condition when the muscle can no longer sustain the weight which makes me grimace and as the case of other weight lifters do, make that groaning noise). Depending on how I feel I either make it a light or heavy work-out. I spend no more than 45 minutes in weight training and no more that three times per week. Then I run in non-weight training days. Throw in some swimming there too.
At my age of 45, I am finding that daily work-outs, whether weight training or cardiovascular can take a lot from me. So I provide a rest day as I need it. On resting days, I either do nothing but read or watch TV or do an elevated walk on treadmill (this walk can be tough as well) or do stretching. Stretching is increasingly becoming an integral part of my routine. I need it because it takes away the tightness of joints and as other physiologists would claim, it takes ways the lactic and other toxins lingering in your body after a heavy exercise. I am now contemplating on joining a light yoga class.
This is my goal body structure, at this point...
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