It has been an honor and a privilege to stand by Rob's side during his weight loss. To be honest, before his transformation, I was a little concerned for his health. Rob is an amazing person and there are many reasons why he is such a success, none of them being luck, fate, genetics, or a mistake.
Rob's first step toward his goal was understanding that he had to lose weight. He knew that it wasn't going to happen over night or even within a month. As soon as he decided to commit his energy to the long haul, he was ready to rock. Rob's decision to use Weight Watchers as a tool for guidance was very wise.
The "points" system of calorie counting is brilliant and still remains simple. However, rather than abusing the points system and just eating a big slice of chocolate cake for his entire daily caloric intake, Rob ate healthy! Every morning, he ate an egg white sandwich on whole wheat bread with buffalo!
His restaurant of choice is The Pump, a local health food restaurant chain that remains calorically conscious. Rob also did a wonderful job of eating frequent small meals which always contained protein and complex carbohydrates. This correct ratio of healthy nutrients allowed him to build healthy lean body mass. More lean body mass results in a faster metabolism. When he went out to dinner for a bigger meal, he ate a little less during the day. When it was a holiday, he would cut the points down gradually during the preceding days. He also just didn't eat a lot of unhealthy food when presented in front of him (trust me, there were some dinners we had where I walked out more proud of his eating than him!).
Now that he had a nutritionally strong foundation for weight loss, he was ready to build his routine for working out. Rob works a lot, he has a wonderful girlfriend, great friends (if I don't say so myself!), and a close family... Even with his busy life, he still made the time to go to the gym (even it requires waking up at 4:45 am to go to the gym before work!!). His consistent workout sessions frequenting around 3-4 times per week were plenty.
Rob says "In terms of my workouts, they consist of a great balance of aerobic and anaerobic activity. Some days I lift, others are focused around
plyometrics, but the thing that stays consistent is the level of activity. During my workouts I dont rest very much. My heart rate stays consistent at a fat burning rate throughout my workouts (aside from when I run to the gym and when I am jumping rope) and I think that has been a real key in my workouts.
I mentioned the jumprope earlier, and that has been my crutch for working out since last March. I look forward to jumping everytime I work out, and
at this point, according to my trainer, I am the best in the gym. It is fun, a great workout, and you can say the sky is the limit in terms of how good I
can be."
Rob's "Jump Rope" can be your "Jumping Jack" or "Push Up". Working out can be really enjoyable when you find an exercise to look forward to. There's
nothing wrong with a little competition to maintain motivation. I even loved mountain climbers for a while!
The last link to Rob's puzzle was, and still is, the most important. It represents Rob as a person and as a role model. Rob has surrounded himself with people who love and support him. It's a true test of character to look at the people who play key factors in your life. It's vital to incorporate the people that care about you into your life and what ever goals or challenges that may consist of it. Rob has an extremely supportive girlfriend- What's up Alissa!, a magnificent mother, excelent father, and really cool sisters! He even had a couple of good buddies that he reported his progress to (the updates rocked!)....Not every week was perfect though. There were some weeks where Rob even gained weight... But he never gave up.
If you are in the same situation as Rob was, or feel like you're in a rut, now may be a good time to not only analyze your workouts, but how you have been incorporating fitness into your life. Are you eating right? working out correctly? Do you have the right support? Are you willing to accept other people's support? Enough of this "I'm on the road solo" stuff. Find a system that works for you, and then allow the people who support you to stand by your side.
Rob back then Rob now!
No comments:
Post a Comment