Reaching the Plateau

As I ploddingly drag my abused body toward the summit of that Burpee plateau, I am left with a feeling of both triumph and relief.

Pictured: Triump and Relief

Yes, I know it's only been one month. Yes, I know I still have roughly 240 more days of Burpees ahead of me. And yes, I used the word ploddingly. Look it up.

But I've passed the first test I set out for in this experiment and did so while constantly pushing myself to work harder every day. That, to me, is something to be proud of.

With that being said, here are my final workout results from the first month:

Date	Workout	Sets	Total Time	Beak Time Per Set	Total Burpees
1/23/2012	Ladder	14	20 min 32 sec	70 sec	105
1/24/2012	Ladder	14	20 min 38 sec	70 sec	105
1/25/2012	Ladder	14	20 min 36 sec	70 sec	105
1/26/2012	REST
1/27/2012	Ladder	14	20 min 29 sec	70 sec	105
1/28/2012	Ladder	15	22 min 43 sec	70 sec	120
1/29/2012	REST

Now that I've reached the plateau of 120 burpees in a day, I figure it's time to post my monthly picture update:

As you can see, not a lot has changed in terms of my physical appearance, but I can easily tell my cardiovascular endurance has improved substantially since the start. I also understand the physical results will take time, but I know they'll come if I continue to stay the course.

This next month brings about a new round of Burpees, and with it a renewed sense of pressure on myself to perform without fail.

But as our beloved 2011 Heisman winner, Robert Griffin III, said in his victory speech:

"No pressure, no diamonds."

L&R,
Drew

Vanquishing the Beast

Week three has been thoroughly vanquished, and already in my journey I've gained awareness on quite a few things I thought I'd share with all of you.

First off, slowly but surely things are getting easier. As my body is getting used to the burpees, I've noticed my soreness recovery time getting shorter and shorter. Second, to a very small degree, I now understand what it feels like for a chain smoker to quit cigarette's cold turkey. Since giving up on fast food, beer, and snack food, I've found myself craving them at all different times of the day. I even had a vivid dream recently involving the infamous red solo cup and peanut butter cookies...Explain that one.

But one thing I've also noticed, is that my drive to work harder has increased over these past three weeks. Not only have I been more motivated in my workouts. I've also been more active in both my work, and around the house (my wife thoroughly appreciates this).

However, this doesn't mean that I'm not fatigued and worn out from these workouts. And I'm not going to lie. After the first week, I was seriously questioning whether or not I was crazy for starting this experiment in the first place.

But since then, I've had a couple changes in my overall attitude. I came into this experiment excited and a little nervous. After the first week, I felt miserable at how ridiculously tired and sore I was. Now, after three weeks of burpees, I can say that I'm happily exhausted. For any of you that work out on a regular basis, you may not enjoy your workouts, but one thing I feel we can all agree on is that afterward we feel a sense of accomplishment.

With that being said, the results of this weeks' 'accomplishment' are posted below:

Date Workout Sets Total Time Beak Time Per Set Total Burpees 1/16/2012 Ladder 12 13 min 41 sec 50 sec 78 1/17/2012 Ladder 13 17 min 25 sec 60 sec 91 1/18/2012 Ladder 13 16 min 53 sec 60 sec 91 1/19/2012 REST 1/20/2012 Ladder 13 16 min 50 sec 60 sec 91 1/21/2012 Ladder 13 16 min 46 sec 60 sec 91 1/22/2012 REST

Whether it be the endorphin coursing through my body or a trick my mind's playing on me, I'm actually starting to look forward to these workouts every day. Winston Churchill said it best when he stated:

"Attitude is a little thing, that makes a big difference."

L&R,
Drew

Reservation for Burpee, Party of One

One question that's been posed to me a few times since the start of this experiment is, "Since you've put so many restrictions in place for your diet, what is it that you CAN eat?"

Now I'm not going to take up an entire blog post discussing all of the foods I can and can't eat, but I will be throwing in "shout outs" over the coming months, spotlighting different healthy products that I've deemed worthy of consuming.

One healthy snack alternative I thought deserved a shout out, is a cookie I've recently been made aware of, produced by a brand called WhoNu?. This cookie manufacturer boasts that their products are an excellent source of Calcium, Iron, Vitamins A, B12, C, D, and E, while also having as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal. Now, I have to say at first I was a little skeptical of any kind of "health" cookie that's supposed to rival the juggernaut that IS Oreo, but I must say, after trying them I actually found them to be quite tasty.

Sure, they aren't Oreos, but if you're looking for a healthy cookie replacement, I say look no further!

Who knew??

Now on to the nitty gritty! My workout results for the week are posted below:

Date Workout Sets Total Time Beak Time Per Set Total Burpees 1/9/2012 Ladder 11 10 min 41 sec 40 sec 66 1/10/2012 Ladder 11 10 min 17 sec 40 sec 66 1/11/2012 Ladder 12 13 min 21 sec 50 sec 78 1/12/2012 REST 1/13/2012 Ladder 12 13 min 36 sec 50 sec 78 1/14/2012 Ladder 12 13 min 26 sec 50 sec 78 1/15/2012 REST

As I continue to move up the ladder (pun intended), my never ending search for motivation trudges on. This week I leave you with the insightful words of the influential author and gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin:

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are."

L&R,

Drew

Hell Week

And so it begins...As the first of many brutal weeks comes to a close, I believe one word best summarizes my experience thus far.

                                                 "Ouch."

To say every muscle in my body is 'sore' would be an understatement. But that's the price you have to pay when you start down that winding road toward sedentary liberation. I knew what I was getting into when I first came up with this experiment. Now just comes the follow-through. Below, I've listed my official workout and results from the first week:

Date Workout Sets Total Time Break Time Per Set Total Burpees 1/2/2012 Ladder 10 8 min 43 sec 30 sec 55 1/3/2012 Ladder 10 8 min 16 sec 30 sec 55 1/4/2012 Ladder 10 8 min 34 sec 30 sec 55 1/5/2012 REST 1/6/2012 Ladder 11 10 min 54 sec   40 sec 66 1/7/2012 Ladder 11 10 min 35 sec   40 sec 66 1/8/2012 REST

As you can see, I decided to start at 10 ladder burpees and painstakingly work my way up over the next few weeks. This means that for the first week or two, my workouts will most likely be under the 15 minute mark that I set out as a requirement for this experiment. However, over the next month I plan on moving up until I reach 15 ladders. Once I reach this plateau, I will begin to vary up my workouts over the coming months, while also increasing the number of reps I do on the days I perform ladders. This will obviously increase the time of my workouts, helping me to maintain my "goal" range of 15 to 30 minutes every day.

(Side note: For any of you that don't know what a 'ladder burpee' is, it's when you start with a certain number of burpees and work your way down each set until you get to zero {i.e. 10, 9, 8, 7, etc...})

I have also decided to make a slight tweak to my weekly workout routine per the direction of my Burpee Advisor (my wife Rae). We decided that due to risk of injury, it would be better to work out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, while spreading out my rest days to both Thursday and Sunday. This will give my muscles more time to recover throughout the week. 

Although my muscles and joints may be aching after only the first week, I know it will continue to improve as my body gets used to the workouts. I'm using the inspirational words from one of the greatest marines that ever lived, General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, as guidance:

"Pain is just weakness leaving the body!"

L&R,
Drew

The Definition of Experiment

Recently, it was brought to my attention by an acquaintance, that in order to perform an experiment, you need to have one variable and one/multiple constants. They argued that because I am not only doing Burpees, but also cutting out bad-for-you foods, that I am introducing two variables which would negate the experiment. Now I'm always appreciative of any and all feedback/criticism. In fact, I welcome it. But I just wanted to set the record straight before starting this "experiment". I am no scientist, nor do I claim to be one, and I'm not looking for any statistical significance here.

The dictionary describes an experiment as a method of testing with the goal of explaining the nature of reality. My objective is to do just that, in the most general sense. I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say it's common knowledge that eating less fast food and drinking less soda will lead to a healthier life style.

Enter stage left: The Burpee

Without this squat thrusting beast of a workout, this "experiment" would end up being just another stupid diet fad. And we all know what happens to stupid diet fads. After Oprah gives up on them, they end up becoming a memory we'd all like to forget, much like many of the "one-hit wonders" of the 80's...Rick Astley anyone???

With all that being said, I will begin my "experiment" in exactly 4 days. Just enough time to enjoy one last hurrah before the New Year.

I'll leave you with the ever inspirational words of the great fluctuator, Ms. Oprah Winfrey:

"Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right."

L&R,

Drew

Fitness Test Results

As I alluded to in an earlier post, I decided on "The President's Challenge" for my official fitness test to be performed before the New Year. Listed below are my results:

Personal Information
State: Texas

Gender: Male
Age: 27

Aerobic Fitness
1.5 Mile Run Time: 12 minutes 08 seconds
Heart Rate: 180 bpm (beats per minute)

Muscular Strength

Half Sit-ups (in one minute): 60

Push-ups (in one minute): 56

Flexibility

Sit and Reach: 12 inches from knees (pretty terrible...)

Body Composition

Height: 5 feet 10 inches

Weight: 156 lbs.

Waist Measurement: 32 inches

BMI/Body Mass Index: 22.4

Along with these results I have taken a few pre-game pictures of myself for both your enjoyment and my records:

Picture taken 12/21/2011 @ 3:00 p.m. CST

Hopefully we'll see some physical changes over the next year that make this experiment a success. In the the meantime, I hope everyone has a fat and happy Christmas!

And in the spirit of the season, I'll leave you with a totally irrelevant yet hilarious quote from one of my favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan:

"Ever wonder what people got Jesus for Christmas? It's like, 'Oh great, socks.You know I'm dying for your sins right? Yea, but thanks for the socks! They'll go great with my sandals. What am I German?'"

L&R
Drew

The Ever-Awkward Physical (and results!)

After submitting my body for the ever-awkward yearly physical, I have listed below the results of both the physical check-up as well as my blood work.

Physical Results (December 14th, 2011):

• Height: 5'10"
• Weight: 156 lbs.
• Body Mass Index (BMI): 22.4 (in the normal range of 18.5-25)
• Temperature: 98.6 F
• Blood Pressure: 122/78
• Pulse: 66 beats per minute (bpm)

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel:

Glucose: 109 (expected range 65 - 100)

BUN: 17 (8 - 25)

Creatinine: 1.0 (0.8 - 1.4)

eGFR: 90 (>60)

BUN/Creat: 17 (6 - 28)

Sodium: 137 (133 - 146)

Potassium: 3.7 (3.5 - 5.3)

Chloride: 102 (97 - 100)

Carbon Dioxide: 29 (18 - 30)

Calcium: 9.5 (8.5 - 10.5)

Protein: 7.3 (6.0 - 8.4)

Albumin: 4.8 (2.9 - 5.0)

Globulin: 2.5 (2.0 - 3.8)

A/G Ratio: 1.9 (0.9 - 2.5)

Bilirubin: 0.6 (0.1 - 1.3)

Alkaline Phosphatase: 76 (30 - 132)

SGOT (AST): 19 (5 - 35)

SGPT (ALT): 25 (7 - 56)

CBC W/ Auto Diff:

White Bood Count: 4.9 (expected range 4.0 - 11.0)

Red Blood Count: 5.46 (4.10 - 5.70)

Hemoglobin: 15.1 (13.0 - 17.0)

Hematocrit: 46.2 (37.0 - 49.0)

Mean Corpuscular Volume: 84.6 (80.0 - 100.0)

Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin: 27.7 (27.0 - 34.0)

Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration: 32.7 (32.0 - 35.5)

Red Cell Distribution Width: 14.0 (11.0 - 15.0)

Platelet Count: 273 (130 - 400)

Lipid Panel:

Cholesterol: 174 (120 - 200)

Triglycerides: 72 (30 - 200)

HDL Cholesterol: 61 (30 - 70)

LDL Cholesterol: 99 (0-129)

As you can see by all of these numbers (half of which I haven't a clue, but plan on learning about), it appears that I'm already in fairly good condition going into this experiment. Nevertheless, I felt it was crucial to have this documented in order to compare the results after an entire year of eating healthier and doing nothing but Burpees. I will also be taking pictures of myself for documentation in the next post regarding the Physical Fitness Test results.

Along with the next post, I plan on continuing to take pictures every month for the entire year to document any changes in my physical/muscular appearance. My hope is that by the end of next year, I will not only see a change in my physical appearance, but also experience a dramatic change in my flexibility, core strength, cardiovascular endurance and even a small change in my overall attitude. All while doing nothing but Burpees.

I'll leave you with a somewhat relevant quote from Thomas Jefferson:

"Exercise and application produce order in our affairs, health of body, cheerfulness of mind, and these make us precious to our friends."

L&R,

Drew