Fitness Reviews
Over the past 15 or so years I have tested many ways to GET and ideally STAY fit with varying levels of success integrating them into a demanding career and busy social life. I have become a bit of a grassroots expert on what’s out there from The Testosterone Advantage Plan (Published in 2002) to the first Bowflex I bought for my apartment in New York (2002) -Or- the three months I spent on Nutrisystem, challenging for a foodie. I’ve graduated from Men’sHealth- ‘Testosterone Advantage Plan” to “The Abs Diet” as well as the later published “Four Hour Body” by Tim Ferris. I launched P90X in December of 2009 with high-hopes and had great initial success in addition to puking in my garage for the first time. I’ve tried a lot of things some of which were extremely helpful with quick, motivating results: others left much to be desired. Below is a review of some of the things that I’ve tried to date, the highlights, lowlights as well as a breakdown of what I’m doing right now to get and stay fit.
On the Welcome page I mentioned I got hit hard by the Freshman 15 in college, well it got me good and it was more like 20 for me, although I don’t have much weight data available from back then. I didn’t starting keeping my weight data until April 2007 (yes I have a decade of my weight and BMI data). Anyway, who knew cafeteria food including, but not limited to a plate of fries and a bowl of ranch dressing for lunch would be detrimental to my weight? I didn’t drink alcohol as a freshman (long story), but that didn’t stop the LBS from piling-on I went from roughly a doughy 185 to a plump 205 in the 12 months after High School graduation! I’ll look for some pitchers soon just to toucher I mean motivate myself.
As a result, the first time I took a real hard interest in my fitness or at the time fatness was summer of after my freshman year at WVWC. Many of my friends had dodged the weight gain and when not under the cover of West VA winter cold to hide my mass I looked like I had been stung by a swarm of Africanized bees! The summer-reunion parties of beer and bushels crabs started to depress me. Much to my dismay crush after crush of mine from the last-year in high school were now looking to date the fitter bucks and BEFRIEND the fatter. AND SO! My love hate relationship with fitness began as an 19 year-old sophomore in college in WV (for the record I’m 47 and fighting the fight as a single dad and WV was the least healthy sate in the U.S.). Immediately signing up for Racquet-Ball and other fit-forward activities once back on campus in August 1990, I was determined to win the battle of the bulge, the challenge, now complicated by the addition of beer and with even a pathetic fake ID liquor, I plotted to recast myself anew. Joining the Lacrosse Club and taking a fitness class (Anatomy Physiology for non-Majors) was the start of a logic driven approach to arguably America’s most emotional crisis: obesity. My crisis was I had broken up with my girlfriend who had cheated on me and was in female attention starvation! As all great super hero stories begin? Right?
After two season of Lacrosse club with two workouts a day, practice plus weight lifting (unsustainable) I was a SOLID 184… What did the narrator in Fight Club say? Oh yeah, I was “carved out of wood.” The compliments flowed like mana-from-heaven and I was hooked on being fit, or so I thought. Did you know you don’t have to be HOT or FIT to be a bartender and you can still get girls? Truer words were never spoken! And managing a “cool” restaurant as a Senior in college (No longer in WV) is a quick way to find those pounds you lost. Make no mistake it takes strong people to do service industry jobs and stay fit/trim. That’s why I prefer the patron side of the bar after my time in the trenches.
Back to the drawing board I suppose… I managed to get back to OK in the gym and on my road bike after leaving the restaurant industry at age 25, bullet dodged? Right, well maybe or maybe not! The 5 years to thirty were tolerable as fitness goes and I managed to remain Hight-Weight-Proportionate despite the worlds pushes and pulls probably due to the aforementioned trials and tribulations and armed with the knowledge that my body “wants” to be on the chubby side unfortunately. As well as only living in walking cities and making the conscious choice to walk, walk, walk whenever the safe option. Richmond, Baltimore, Chicago and New York are often their own best treadmill. Until I was on the other side of 30, when even the 4.5 miles a day I logged walking as an average New Yorker was yielding to the NYC happy hours, late nights at the office and urge to become the foodie I am today. The weight was coming on and steps needed to be taken.
That brings us relatively up to why I’m starting this site and gets us to my first Big fitness investment a Bowflex XTL (with legs extension). I have pretty much always had a gym membership since college. I think depending on the cost benefit (can you go? Do you go?) it is a good investment in yourself. New York in 2002 was a different story for me the small gym in my office closed at 8:30pm not late enough for a NYC ad executive to work and workout. Not to mention, and I hear this often from other folks, I don’t like working out around coworkers, those fools are half the reason I needed to hit the heavy bag! At the time I could’t find a convenient gym between work and home in Brooklyn that wasn’t $1,000 to join and $200 a month on top of that, I’m sure there was something, but I could’t find it. I was in the enviable position of having more living space than money so I bought a Bowflex Home Gym as the thriftier option and the informal journey begins at age 32 to be able to enjoy life’s finer things, look they way I want and not have a heart attack from job stress. Jump 10 hectic years into the future and add a kid to the mix (the reason to live well longer) and we are in the same boat!
Here are some of the programs/devices I have tried in Chronological order (I think):
- BowFlex XTL- This was the gym alternative I needed to Drop 10 LBs fast for my Friends wedding.
- Adonis Golden Ratio – this is the community/Fitness-program that I am currently launching (really relaunching actually). For the fitness program I use free weights coupled with a Bowflex
- The Four Hour Body
- Nutrisystem for Men
- Reboot with Joe- I have mentioned this in other areas
- Well Fed – Paleo (whole 30)
- Atkins
- The Abs Diet – Men’sHealth
- The Bowflex – New York gym alternative!
- The Testosterone Advantage Plan – Men’sHealth
