Week 6 & 7: The Good, The Bad, & The Boxer

I was too busy to update my progress last week. Week 6 was not so good, because when I weighed myself, I noticed I was roughly 200 lbs, which means I probably gained 1 lb. Also, I measured my waist in week 5, after my post on that day, and it turns out I was about 34.5 in. That didn't make me too happy.

Today (week 7), I am again below 200 lbs, just like week 5. However, the good news is that I tried on a pair of my older office pants that I had stopped using for about 6 months (because I stopped fitting in them), and they fit perfectly today! This is great, because now I know I am losing fat, even though it's not showing accurately on the weight scale. Therefore, I must be maintaining most of the muscle. I have to get my hands on skin calipers if I am ever going to accurately chart my fitness progress.

Also, on the weekend, I tried on some of my old shirts that stopped fitting properly, and once again, they were looking much better on me than they used to. My tummy is not protruding as much as it used to. I will give it a couple more months till I wear those shirts regularly once again.

A professional boxing trainer has begun classes at the gym, so now I must replace my alternate running days with strength training, since I will be getting most of my cardio during boxing training sessions three days a week. I still consider running very important, as I have noticed a considerable increase in my stamina and endurance since I started it. I will have to find time to run at least 2 - 3 days a week. I think I'll start running in the mornings from next Monday.

Motivation is still going strong, though I do have my ups and down days. One thing I've learned is to keep focused on my end goals, and not to think too much about what I will be doing at gym once I get there. Then, if I am demotivated one day, going to the gym will just be another habit, instead of a cumbersome task that I may think of skipping. I was feeling quite sick on Monday, yet I forced myself to the gym, since it was the first day of boxing training, and I ended up doing my strength training, as well as the boxing workout. I felt much better afterward, and my cold went away too.

Now I know there is no excuse not to go to the gym, except if I have a fever.