Day 90 – 90 Days

Wow 90 days, that’s one quarter of a year and one third of one percent of my life. These ninety days have taught me more about myself, my physical limitations, inner strength, nutrition, social norms and values and the unique and complex relationship between, food, exercise and the new world of unreal food, than any other time in my life.

90 days is great because it is long enough to ensure habits form and yet not too long that I could not see the finish line. Really the PCP is genius in its elegant simplicity and I believe anyone can do it and finish off well.

These are some of the big things I will take away from the PCP:

• The fitness and nutrition industries are designed around people’s need to be healthier/look better but exist because it is difficult to get results and keep the weight off. To me, one key is to make the system as easy to accomplish as possible and then make the intensity difficult.
• You can exercise all you want, if your diet sucks then your weight goals will never be achieved.
• Make sure the food you’re eating is real.
• Make your workouts count – don’t go through the motions – short term pain – long term gain.
• Keep it simple – no need to get crazy with weights or elaborate workout equipment. Likewise with food, keep it simple and build up with natural flavors for a real taste.
• As Mark Twain said – “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.” I am an example to others and in being an example I find strength it that for myself to be better.
• With my children, while words often fail, actions are the best way to teach them what to do. While I know I succeeded in the PCP, it’s the fact that my children have learned so much good from this adventure that I know I’m successful.
• Read “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan.
• You need the support of others. Get as many people as possible to follow your progress. Use the PCP blog because it keeps your mind focused on the task. Where I missed workouts and dropped my nutrition plan was also when I missed my blog. Keep the dialogue going.
• Especially for men, you are not as fit, in as good shape or slim as you think you are.
• Life is too short not to be healthy(Although I had an argument with a very overweight man who said, life was too short to waste time eating all that healthy stuff – I tried to explain that my standard of living and condition plus lack of pain, sickness etc. was directly proportional to the time I spend keeping healthy. He didn’t buy it and went off to get a Big Mac…)
• My wife is starting to get active. Part of it is my example to her and I think more of it is that she thinks my newer/buffer body will bring on the women. This goes to what I said about role modeling but also, who doesn’t want a better body?
• Junk food makes me feel bad, good food makes me feel great!
• The right thing and the hard/tough thing are usually the same thing.
• Get a good coach who will encourage, support and give great wisdom everyday – Patrick is a great coach.
• Find inspiration wherever you can.

So here are my final critical stats:

BMI: 25.1
Fat Percentage: 15.2%
Height: 160cm
Weight: 91.4 kgs
Arm: 40 cm
Chest: 116cm
Waist: 92cm
Hips: 94cm
Thigh: 62.5cm
Resting Heart Rate: 53 bpm

Here is what my beginning critical stats looked like:

BMI: 27.2
Fat Percentage: 18.6
Height: 160cm
Weight: 102kgs
Arm: 36cm
Chest: 108cm
Waist: 101cm
Hips: 100cm
Thigh: 61cm
Resting Heart Rate: 62 bpm

So thats a BMI from overweight to normal, fat percentage drop of 3.4%, a drop in weight of 11.6kg or 25 lbs. , 4 cms on my arms, 8 cms on my chest, loss of 16cm on my waist and 7 cm on my hips, 1.5 cm on my legs and a loss of 9 bpm.

I am elated!

Here’s what I looked like 3 months ago:



Here’s what I look like today:




This one’s for my hero in the top logo



Here’s a few more for the fun of it:





This above all else was a great experience of discovery. I know more about myself then I would have ever dreamed possible. If you’re reading this and wondering if it’s the right thing to do, stop thinking and just do it. It’s the right thing.

Patrick has been great the whole time. He has thought of everything for the PCP and knows of what he speaks. Trust in him and his methods. Thanks Patrick for everything.

Tanya is a little firecracker! She always had a great blog and encouraging words for me. She worked extra hard on getting through some of the tougher exercises and even did pull ups! I only know three women who can do one pullup and one’s on the Canadian Olympic rowing team – awesome Tanya. If you ever need anything – let me know! I’m very proud of you for finishing so well.

I think that in this day and age we need to have a simpler lifestyle to a degree and that’s what the PCP does, it allows us to eat, be active and healthier, in a simple but very effective way. The best part about it is that the PCP teaches you what to do today and for the rest of your life.

So long and good luck to everyone on the PCP now an into the future!

Day 89 – ReTest

Like many things in my life, I need to measure my strength and condition for me to know how much I’ve improved. There is no doubt in my mind that the PCP has made me stronger, I can feel it but lets get a little more scientific about it:

If you would like to review, my original test methodology and results go to my day 44 here.

1. My resting heart rate is now 53 bests per minute, down from 57.
2. My 1-½ mile run time is now 10:47 minutes, down from 11:24.
3. My maximum pushups are now 94, up from 60.
4. My one-rep-max bench press is now 305lbs., up from 275 lbs.
5. My bent knee crunch maximum is 76, up from 63.
6. My sit and reach measurement is now 11cm, down from 16.

I am blown away by these results. I amazed myself with what I have accomplished and can say without hesitation that I am now in the peak condition of my life.

These tests are a way for me to gauge my progress but have been a source of motivation too. Each time I exercised, I wanted to work toward doing better on these tests and focused to failure when I had to.

I can now do 15 pull-ups consecutively, which amazes me to no end – I remember not long ago when completing two was a major chore.

So there you have it. Only one more day to go and I feel like superman. These test results have been a great motivator and a benchmark for me to get even better!

See you tomorrow!

Day 87 – A four letter word for Hypothalamus

I was listening to an interview with a pharmacologist who was looking at the hypothalamus. The interview reminded me that along with other functions, the hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, and circadian cycles.

This doctor wants to find ways of playing with the hypothalamus so that a person would not have to exercise, wouldn’t have to worry about what they ate or drank and so forth. This is what the learned do, this is what technology is all about but what will happen years from now when we realize that playing god with our bodies when we don’t really know that much relatively about them and that the things we are doing to them today is or can be harmful.

One thing the PCP has taught me is that in many cases, simpler is better exercise is good for you and 80% of getting in shape is what we eat. There are no short cuts and in a world where instant gratification is the norm, I need to work even harder to be in the best condition I can.

Just a few more days. Tomorrow I am doing my final physical tests and in the next few days I’ll post some pics of me and give you my final stats.

See you soon.

Day 86 – The Great White North

I was planting carrots today and thought about living in a northern climate where much of the food we eat must be shipped in from other parts of the world. These foods cost more and then there is the environmental impact causing me to question whether people living north of a certain latitude are actually bad for the environment.

With winters longer than 7-8 months, much energy is spent keeping things and people warm, infrastructure from decaying, and the shipping in of foods, fuels, and all manner of items necessary to survive(live well). Wouldn’t it be better, all political and socioeconomic conditions aside, for us to be living in a more hospitable place? Time may tell. 75% of Canadians live within 161 miles of the U.S. right now.

I also thought about the distances that we in North America must travel to get places. Neighborhood pubs are almost non-existent, we need to drive to the grocery store in most cases and friends live hours away. This has had an impact on our health as we venture further out to get what we want, we drive more, take public transit, etc. but walk, and bike less. My wife and I both agreed to walk to the corner store more for small items – It helps the little guy out in this economy and helps our health too.

Great superset workout today! I love the extra level of difficulty that these final exercises have. Jumping rope for over 10 minutes is not something I ever thought I’d do but I did it and I feel the benefits!

See you soon.

Day 85 – Recon Part Deux

A few weeks back I was able to visit a gym that I could work out in and found the experience less than pleasant.

This weekend, I was guest at my friend’s club and again felt awkward in the presence of so many people who were either too focused on themselves or too focused on making an impression on others.

I explained to my friend Mike that I would work out with him but that I was also doing some reconnaissance. By the end of the session, he was eager to hear what I had to say.

I explained that I was used to working out at home with very little equipment and he was doubtful that anyone could get a great workout from bands, body weight and skipping rope. I then let him have it – most of the people doing exercises didn’t have a clue what they were doing and I felt that this is when people get hurt, I also questioned the patron’s reasons for coming since many seemed to make it a social time to talk. I also mentioned that with so many machines there can be a disconnect to how the body actually moves and muscles may not get isolated, plus you want to develop balance and synergy with your body. He asked if I thought the cardio equipment was great. I had to say that I’d rather get out on the road with my running shoes or jump rope rather than sitting on a bike or treadmill reading a magazine or watching TV.

Once I realized he wanted to hear more about the PCP, I let him have it all, the great program and the challenges. So I may have a convert and I don’t think I’ll visit a gym again, at least one like this very soon.

Last few days of the PCP and I am locked in!

See you soon.

Day 84 – Race Day

I regularly compete in trail running events where the terrain is varied and off road. I enjoy the change from road racing and the challenge of tree braches in your face, rocks on the paths and steep hills both up and down. I also like that the races usually involve kids with a short pre-race for them.

Today was the first one in the season for me and I wanted to compare it to how I did last year. I felt that I wouldn’t do quite as well since I haven’t been training much outside the PCP and it was not a physical or emotional focus for me.

I was surprised that I held my own on the course and the hills did not pose much of a problem due to the strength I gained in my upper legs and gluts from PCP. On the last hill, I felt quite winded but recovered quickly to finish the race strong.

I compared my time to the last year and found I beat the previous by two minutes even though in this event they increase the distance by about ½ kilometer. So, without as much running training, the PCP got me into really good shape for this race.

I am sure that my weight being down by twenty odd pounds, muscle condition and strength at my best level since university and a sense of euphoric self pride all helped to get me to the finish line faster.

After the race, I was famished and had a quarter whole-wheat bagel, a banana and some oranges. For the last few weeks, I haven’t been eating much fruit and have been seriously craving sweets. When I had the orange It satisfied a craving and I will have some this week when the need arises. For the last few days I’ve been craving pop, candies, almost anything sweet and for the most part I’ve been good but I’ve got to get back to fruit!

So there you have it, the PCP will likely help you finish a short race faster and you don’t even have to spend much time training for it.

I even did my rope jumps and training today, which really got me in the mood to race and I felt that there was no impact on my time because of this.

See you soon.

Day 80 – Speed PCP

Holy Toledo! I Did a power workout today that saw no rests between strength training exercises and cardio. It was tough but I had a choice as to cut it short or blaze through it.

It was amazing how it felt like a cardio workout the entire way through and I sweat like no other time - I think I made a breakthrough since I really didn’t believe I could do it when I started.

I also felt like I was pushing myself harder than ever before which I needed to do to get stronger. Even with a great program like this, that is constantly changing, I got complacent and this mixed things up a bit for me.

I’m going to do my regular workout tomorrow but I’ll come back to this speed session again before the end of the PCP for me.

See you soon.