HULK SMASSHHHH!

Wow, has it really been a year since I've posted here? Where has the time gone? Where has my motivation to work out gone? LOL. Yep, it's hard to keep motivated all of the time. I got to a good holding weight for me, and then just kind of did my workouts and kept drinking my water to just MAINTAIN. Sure, I've gotten a bit stronger, but I've also let some fat creep back on to my body. Add to that the fact that I've been dealing with a back injury again for the past two months, and I'm just not feeling as "fit" as I was a year, or even two years ago.

The above pic was taken on a recent birthday ( 44! )  trip to Israel, and I'm obviously covered with mud in it. From the Dead Sea. Looking at it, I guess I haven't let myself go TOO much. It won't be fun, but I should be able to knock off some fat percentage when I get back in the gym ( hopefully next week ).

 I'll keep you posted...

Dr. Ellington Darden

My trainer, Dr. Ellington Darden, whom I've mentioned many times on here, is creating an all new website. So, he had me draw this cartoon version of him for it. He's 66 now, so I had to draw an older, but still very buff guy for this (like he is). Hope you like it.

Cousins...

I've mentioned my cousins, Phil and Amy Parham, on here before. Contestants on last year's "The Biggest Loser" on TV, they've both continued their fitness lifestyle and are helping other people lose weight and change their lives. They're also finishing up their first book with Harvest House Publishing, soon to be in stores everywhere. I'm so proud of them! I'll be hanging out with them some next week when I go to see our extended family up in the old hometown, Greenville , SC. Should be a fun time!

Quick Update...

Just a quick update. After upping my calories a few weeks ago ( 2100 per day) , I have indeed noticed some progress. Been having my best workouts since I started HIT: more weight, higher reps, quicker recovery. Also, I SEEM to have reversed the fat gain trend, and in fact have dropped a couple of percentage points. This past Friday I was down to 12% again. 10-12% is probably best for my age and genetics, Darden and I have decided. And my weight is about 175. I'm no math whiz, and don't have the time to figure it out, but I think it's pretty clear that I've put on more muscle than fat now. Adding some creatine back in to my regimen this week... will keep you posted.

"Eat More Calories !"

Yep, not often you hear a trainer say that. But that is indeed what my trainer, Dr. Ellington Darden, told me today.

Ya see, I don't want to go into detail and get too personal, but life has been kind of hectic around my house lately. My wife's parents aren't doing well, and that's meant she's gone a lot. Which leaves me trying to pick up the slack. "Mr. Mom", they call me. LOL Doing a lot of "school runs" with the girls, homework help, keeping the business going, and getting less sleep than I'd like. So, Ellington's guess is that my system is stressed and in a bit of "Survival mode" right now. ( Hey, I READILY admit, I've got it easy, next to my poor wife... I wouldn't trade positions with her for anything!)

Our bodies don't like stress. So, they tend to shut down fat burning, and hold onto the fat. For me, that means right around the mid section. This is real life, not a Hollywood movie... we go through stuff, and it affects our bodies. Weight loss... or "getting into shape", as I refer to it, isn't a straight line. There will be ups and downs. So, I'm UP to 171 lbs and right about 14% bodyfat now... the most I've been in six months or so. Yikes! Glad we took the caliper readings today. That's important to do regularly, for just this reason.

So, Ellington's remedy for this is for me to "de-stress" my body... get more sleep, relax ( ha! I'll try), and eat more calories. 300 more per day, actually. That'll put me at 2100. Also, eat some steak every once in awhile, I believe were his exact instructions.

Gotta love training advice like that! Everything else he's said has worked like a charm, so I'm sure this will too. I'll keep you posted!

...Keelan

HIS temple

1 Corinthians 6:19 NRSV) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?...


...I've been thinking a lot about this over these past nine months, since I started training the right way ( i.e. HIT training). It has seemed that the better shape I get in, the better I eat ( and yes, that often means the LESS I eat), the closer I feel to God. Seriously, I have had a spiritual awakening this year as I've had a physical rejuvenation.

It makes me think to the old "Muscular Christianity" adherents back in the 1890s or so. Right about the time the pentecostal churches started, and the spiritual awakening here in the U.S. and Wales. ( Charles Fox PARHAM, btw, a distant cousin I guess, was called "The Father of Pentecost".) Do I see a connection between the "physical culturists" movement and the spiritual awakening? My guess is yes. First the physical, then the spiritual, it seems. Which makes sense, since we are in a physical body ( or "earth suit", as I like to say). Now does this mean out of shape people aren't or can't be close to God? Of course not. I'd never presume to say that. However, it seems to me that taking care of our bodies is a God given responsibility. ( One that I haven't always done well on myself... so no stones are being thrown here! Glass houses, you know!)

Just something to think about...



The way we treat our body is one measure of our attitude to God Himself. It surely doesn't honor Got if we allow His temple to becaome a polluted, poisoned, owheezing, over-weight and out- of -condition hulk of flab... ( "Healing Anointing", by Colin Dye).

Genetics, Part 1: Chicken Legs

Whatcha gonna do? Maybe it's not as bad as the illustration above, LOL, but I learned about six months ago that I am stuck, genetically speaking, with what I call "chicken legs". Thanks, Mom and Dad!

When I first started working out with Dr. Darden, he did a "visual evaluation" of me. To see what my weak points and strong points are.
It seems that God gave me "high" calf muscles. Hopefully this quick sketch shows how this refers to the length of the muscle, the muscle belly, and the insertion points. In layman's terms, no matter how "big" or strong my calves get, they will always be "high" with a lot of distance between the bottom of the muscle and my ankle. As opposed to this:
This sketch shows longer calf muscles. Built up properly, this leg will look pretty big. Mine, not so much. Unless I go in for calf implants.... and I'm not gonna EVER do that... I will be stuck with "chicken legs". Oh well. Chicken legs are tasty. I'll just make them the best chicken legs I can!

You live long enough, you hopefully stop worrying about the things you can't change. The lesson about genetics? Make the most of what you have, and don't fret about what you don't have. Identify your strong points ( I was told that for me it's chest and arms), and your weak points ( for me, calves and lack of abs). Work on both of them, maximizing your potential. That's important... YOUR potential.

Be the best YOU that you can be.