Okay… so two and a half weeks have gone by since I got my second wind for the six pack abs.  If you have followed me over the last 8 months or so, you would know about my goal to get six pack abs, and the efforts I have taken to get there.

I am still working towards the six pack abs, and I am definitely as close as I’ve been since I was probably 15 or 16.

My last post on this mentioned that I’d be keeping you updated with everything I’m doing each day, but I figured most people wouldn’t be interested in exactly what I’m doing so I haven’t been posting each day.  But I will say this…

My diet is mostly healthy.  I throw in a No Carb day every few days just to keep my body guessing (and to burn off extra fat those days…).  I also try to eat as much green vegetables and chicken as I can.  They are in my opinion one of the main secrets of healthy living and getting six pack abs.  (French fries and other fried food, as well as simple carbohydrates are not going to help you or me get a six pack… unfortunately lol… cause I really do like all of those things ).

My workout varies a lot… I try to workout my abs three to four times a week.  I’m also trying to get in four aerobic workouts and four resistance workouts (like weight training) each week.  Sometimes I combine the workouts and make sure my heart rate is in the aerobic or fat burning zone during my weight lifting (thereby getting both workouts in at the same time), and sometimes I workout twice in a day.  It just depends.  I’m also not doing the traditional chest/tri, back/bi, legs workouts… Instead I’m switching it up completely and trying to keep my body guessing.  My thought for doing that is that I will get healthy and strong–even though I may not build as much muscle as I might be able to if it were more structured.

Being healthy, fit, and in shape are my goals (and of course getting six pack abs )

Here are photos I took two weeks ago right after I started working out again.  Remember that I try to flex as hard as I can to get the best picture possible, so I normally would not look like this if you saw me in person (unless I was trying to show you my six pack abs lol).  I’ll have updated photos hopefully later this week…

Okay, and just for kicks I took a photo with different lighting, to see if I could make it look like I had a good six pack.  I of course am close to getting one, but it is not really there yet.  But with the right lighting, you can create the illusion that you are much more in shape than you actually are… or at least than you can normally see in regular light…  enjoy.

Okay, so if you scroll down, you’ll notice that I don’t have any photos today.  You may also notice that it’s been over two months since the last time I blogged on this subject.

I took the last two months off.

If there’s one thing I’ve decided, taking a break from working out hard and eating super healthy is a good thing.  It lets me worry about other more important things in life, and it also allows my body to reset itself at it’s current spot.

For awhile I was hovering in the 185 lbs range.  I got as high as 189 at the end of last July which is when I decided I needed to start eating and acting healthy.  From August 09 through January 09 I was very dedicated to working out and eating healthy.  I think I lost about 20 to 25 pounds of fat and gained 10 to 15 pounds of muscle.  Which got me to 175 lbs at the end of January.

For the last two months I have hovered around 175.  I haven’t really worked out at all, and I’ve pretty much eaten whatever I wanted to eat (lots of junk).  I haven’t really gained weight, and my scale says that my body fat percentage is about the same (which means I haven’t really lost muscle or gained fat).

I think it’s healthy to allow your body to readjust – especially when you’ve been working really hard and made major strides.  That way it can reset itself and be ready for the next big push to change it.

That is where I’m at now.  I just got back from a trip to Utah where I ate so much junk I got disgusted with myself and the food.

Last night I made a 30 day workout plan that includes 5 resistance training workouts a week and 5 cardio workouts a week.  I am also supplementing my workouts with healthy eating, and I will be back on my “high carb, low carb, no carb” diet for four weeks (I start that on Sunday).

So…. what I did today:

This morning I did three sets of pullups and three sets of hanging leg raises.  This evening I went to the gym and did the elliptical for 30 minutes (heart rate around 130- 140) and then stretched for 10 minutes and then did crunches, planks, and side planks for 10 minutes.  Then I went to the row machine and did that for 20 minutes, after which I stretched again.

I will be keeping a daily blog of what I do for the next 30 days.

I am committed to finally getting all the way to the six pack so I can cross it off my list and spend my time focusing on more worthy pursuits. 

Okay, so this post is a little late, but not as late as you’re probably thinking.  I have previously been taking my six pack abs photos on Wednesday mornings, but that was too stressful in the morning before I headed out to work.  So instead, I switched my six pack abs photos day to Saturday.  That’s when I’ll be taking them from now on.

Let’s review the 4 rules I set for myself for getting six pack abs:

1. Workout 5 days a week – Check!  This one is probably the easiest of the four.  I guess sometimes I only workout four days, but pretty consistently I do a five day a week workout schedule.  It helps to have someone to work out with who will push me when we’re working out, who wants to work out as much or more than me.

2. Eat healthy 6 days a week – Check!  When I started this, I thought this one would be the hardest.  I loved to eat food, and especially bad food (like sugar, fast food, and simple carbohydrates like chips ).  I figured it would be hard to change eating habits I’d accumulated over many years.  But, after a month or two of healthy eating, this one has become second nature.  I can’t help question what I’m eating.  And most of the sugary stuff and fast food makes me sick to my stomach, which makes it easy to avoid .

3. Sleep at least 7-8 hours every night – Hmmmmm…  Well, this one is harder to do than I thought it would be-though I am relatively successful at it (at least 70%).  I did recently learn that sleeping lowers your cortisol levels, which helps to get rid of extra fat in the abdominal area.  I actually just read here about the effects of elevated cortisol levels… very interesting read.  I have been trying to get more sleep so my body has time to rejuvenate, my muscles have time to rebuild, and my cortisol levels have time to lower.

4. Be in bed by midnight Sunday through Thursday – FAIL!  This one is by far the hardest of all of my four rules.  I probably have a 20% completion rate on this one.  This rule was set up partly to insure the success of rule #3, but also because I think being in bed by midnight is healthy, and will help my body to reach it’s full potential.  I haven’t read anywhere that says this same thing, it’s just something I feel.  Also, in my Church they suggest “early to bed, early to rise”.  Now I don’t feel like I do either of those very well, but being in bed by midnight to me is early.  I will continue to work on this one…

Anyway, here are my current six pack abs photos.  Because I take these every week, sometimes I feel like I look exactly the same.  If you disagree and can see progress, I would love to know .

Six Pack Abs Photos Update 14 Photo 1

Six Pack Abs Photos Update 14 Photo 2

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Trying to lose fat to reveal six pack abs can be frustrating, especially if you aren’t keeping really good track of your progress.  Since my focus is on developing six pack abs, that’s what I’ve been looking at.  And because my focus has been mostly there, I’ve been getting pretty down since the six pack abs haven’t appeared yet.

However, I know I’ve lost fat and gained muscle.  I don’t know how much of either, but I do know I’ve lost in total about 5 pounds.  How many total fat pounds I’ve lost and how many muscle pounds I’ve gained isn’t something I’ve been able to track.

I have been measuring myself around my waist and hips, and I have seen slight changes.  Also, I read something last night that reminded me to check how my clothes fit.  So, I decided to try on some jeans that I hadn’t worn for a long time and was pleasantly surprised when they fit much better than they ever had before.

So, I am getting there… it is taking awhile, but my hope is that once I’m there I will be able to stay there.

Anyway, here are this week’s photos.  I took them yesterday morning.

Six Pack Abs Photos Update 13 Photo 1

Six Pack Abs Photos Update 13 Photo 2

Sorry I missed last week… lately I have been so busy with writing new music for my new album and working out for my six pack abs, that I have had little spare time.

Trying to get six pack abs is hard. I don’t come by them naturally. The last two weeks have really tried my patience. I want to get six pack abs but I can’t figure out how to do it…

What I mean by that is that I am doing what I think I should be doing, but I am not seeing the results I want to see. I definitely have made progress, but I want to see more progress and faster.

But I guess this is one of the main reasons I am doing this: teaching myself patience and perseverance to achieve a difficult task.

Last Monday I was just about ready to give up. I was at my friend’s house and we were working on legs (which I hate doing) and I was just not very into it. I started to get down emotionally and just stopped working out. I lay there for like half an hour just thinking about what I’m doing and why I’m doing this and whether or not it’s worth all the trouble.

After some self-evaluation I wrote the following: “I am the master of my own fate. Wallowing in self-pity will get me nowhere.” Then I started to think about my personal beliefs about the power of the individual and why I was doing this: “To prove to myself that just because something’s difficult doesn’t mean I can’t do it.” Then I looked at my situation… lying there while I could’ve been working on achieving my goal. Wanting to give up because it was hard. Looking at myself and seeing how weak I wanted to be… and wanting to give in… that’s when I wrote this: “I was here and didn’t want to do it. I figured that’s exactly the reason why I should.”

So, I got up and worked out. My friend had already finished his workout but I just kept going until I had completed mine.

It’s amazing how the choices we make determine the kind of person we will be. I could decide that I’m going to stop working on getting six pack abs. If I do that, I will never get them. Or I could decide to keep on struggling. If I keep on, there is a chance I will make it. And I will get stronger, healthier, and show myself how determined and dedicated I can be. And if I can do that when it comes to six pack abs, then I can do it for anything.

Anyway… I decided to include some of my personal struggles with this goal so that you can see more clearly why it is so important to me. It is so much more than just looking good (which will be a positive by-product lol).

Anyway, now on to the current six pack abs photos. The first two are from last week on Wednesday, and the second two are from today.

Six Pack Abs Photos: update 11 photo 1

Six Pack Abs Photos: update 11 photo 2

Six Pack Abs Photos: update 12 photo 1

Six Pack Abs Photos: update 12 photo 2

This week was another good week, though I’m starting to get worried I’m not gonna make it.  I’ve been working out like crazy and eating healthy all the time, but I still feel like I’m not seeing much progress when it comes to getting rid of fat.  I did start the process weighing 189 and am now somewhere around 185, so I must have lost some fat.  Plus, I’ve been working out a lot and people are starting to say I look bigger and more defined, so I must be gaining some muscle–which also means I must have lost some fat.  Hopefully it will all work out and I’ll have my six pack abs by January 1.

I had sort of a crisis this week as I was reading some other sources on how to lose fat.  Weight loss is almost as bad as religion when it comes to the number of people that have the right answer.  Everyone seems to know the way that works, yet they all have different philosophies.  Some of them are probably right, but some must be wrong.  It’s just hard to sort them out and choose the right plan.

Oh well.

I’ve decided to do the things that logically make sense to me.  We’ll see if it works.

Here are the current six pack abs photos.  I took them while I was staying at the Las Vegas Hilton this week:

Six Pack Abs Photos update 10 photo 1... in my hotel room in Las Vegas

Six Pack Abs Photos update 10 photo 2... in the bathroom in the Las Vegas Hilton

Another week has passed and six pack abs photos have been taken.  This week was very hard;  just yesterday I felt like giving up.  Staying focused and motivated is very difficult for me.  I tend to get bored with things quickly and want to move on to something new.  Getting six pack abs is testing my resolve and dedication.

That’s exactly why I’m trying to get six pack abs… to teach myself how to be stronger and more dedicated.  (Plus I’ll look good )

As a recap, I set a goal to get six pack abs by January 1st, 2010.  It’s been a little over two months since I set the goal and the four rules I would keep to ensure I got the six pack.  The four rules are (1) workout 5 days a week (2) eat healthy 6 days a week (3) sleep 7-8 hours every night (4) be in bed by midnight Sunday thru Thursday.

So far, I have been very good at rules number 1 and 2, and pretty bad at 3 and 4.  I have been working out 5-6 days each week–at least four strength training workouts, and normally two to three aerobic workouts.  I eat healthy six days a week and have one day where I can eat whatever I want (I normally get sick that day lol).

Sleeping, however, is very difficult.  I like to be up, and I like to hang out with friends, read, and many other things that cannot be accomplished while sleeping.  So, I tend to stay up later than I should.  I am working on these rules and hopefully I will be able to recommit and follow through.

If you feel like you have a hard time following through on personal goals you set (like I do), I suggest you find something relatively simple and somewhat difficult.  Then set your goal and completely dedicate yourself to it.  It might be good for it to be a relatively short goal.  It might help you realize that you really can do things you put your mind to.

And now for this weeks update on my six pack abs photos…

Six Pack Abs Photos 1 update 9

Six Pack Abs Photos 2 update 9

And here’s a bonus pic just for fun… It’s got slightly different lighting, which makes me look slightly bigger   That’s how they do it in Hollywood…

Six Pack Abs Photos 3 update 9

This update is a few days late… but the pictures were still taken last Wednesday on the right day.  I’ve just been super busy with Halloween, work, working out, and the new Robert Jordan book (with Brandon Sanderson) that just came out.  I wish I had more time for everything!

Anyway, the trend I’ve noticed is that I’m good with my diet, good with working out, and not so good with the sleep and bedtime… I will work on this more.

I know I’m getting in better shape, but I don’t feel like I’m losing the layers of fat that I want to lose.  I am considering adding a run every morning to get some extra calorie burning each day.  I will let you know if I actually implement the run.

And now for the current photos…

Six Pack Abs photo 1 update 8

Six Pack Abs Photo 2 Update 8

It’s been 7 weeks since I took my first photos…

I wish I had taken photos when I first began to work toward the six pack abs.  I know I was eating healthy at the beginning of August when my family went on vacation.  I must’ve started right around that time.  I know I weighed about 187-188 when I first changed my diet, and now I weigh about 184-185.  It’s not a huge difference in weight, but I know I have gained muscle and lost fat.

As for my four goals, the two that continue to be the hardest for me are the sleeping for 7-8 hours a night and getting to bed by midnight Sunday-Thursday.  If I could only get to bed on time, the 7-8 hours would be easy

For my photos this week I’m including a couple extras.  I’ve been working out and playing volleyball a lot with my friend Ty, so I decided I’d show a picture of us in his room where we often work out.  It does not have all of the equipment that I would normally use, but I do find extra motivation having someone to work out with.  It is easier to get really good workouts with him at his house than it is by myself at the gym.

The other extra image is the one with the flash.  I figured I’d show you where I set the camera when I take the pictures.  Also, you should know that I angle it slightly down.  I think it gets a better shot, plus I can get my whole torso that way.  All of the pictures from my house are taken from the same height–I try to keep them as uniform as possible.

Six Pack Abs photo 1 update 7

Six Pack Abs photo 2 update 7

Six Pack Abs photo 3 update 7

Working Out at Ty's

Okay, so you may have noticed that I have not been updating my six pack abs status on my blog.   I’m just too busy working out!  Seriously, getting six pack abs is hard work, and I have been working

My four goals have now become a part of my everyday routine (well mostly lol).  The first one, working out 5 days a week, is the easiest to accomplish.  I play volleyball two days a week (2 hours on Tuesday and 3-4 hours on Thursday).  I also have a new workout partner (Ty) that pushes me beyond what I could do on my own.  For example, on Sunday (a day I normally would never work out) he convinced me to do pullups with him.  About 50 pullups later I bowed out… and my back is still sore.  That’s okay though, since it’s the muscle building that burns calories.  I pretty much work out everyday of the week except Sunday, and I normally get in at least four weight training workouts.

Eating healthy six days a week has become an obsession… It’s also the most important part of my plan.  From what I’ve read (in multiple places from sources I trust), the only way to really burn off the fat is to change my diet.  I have basically eliminated all simple carbohydrates from my diet and eat mostly lean meats, eggs, veggies, corn, and limited amounts of whole grain.  I also make sure and take my protein drinks.  I need to have at least a gram of protein per pound of body weight every day.  That’s a lot of protein!

Sleeping still seems to be the hardest thing for me.  I like to stay up late, even though I work in the morning.  So, I’ve been working hard on getting to bed on time, and have been pretty successful this last week, though the few weeks before I wasn’t doing so good.

All in all I feel like I’m on track to meet my six pack abs target date of January 1st.

And now for the photos.  These are my six pack abs update photos that I took this morning:

Six Pack Abs photo 1 update 456

Six Pack Abs photo 2 update 456