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What does a session at Ed’s Gym look like?

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

Some of you have asked “What does a session at Ed’s Gym look like?” So today, I’m sharing my workout schedule for this week.

Each workout begins with a warm-up period that looks something like this.

Warm-Up

5-10 minutes of self-myofascial release
50 Criss-Cross Jumping Jacks
Band Pull Aparts 25/25
Hip-Opener 30/30 seconds
Hindu Push-Ups X8
Shoulder Slides Against Wall X12
Fire Hydrants 10/10 each leg
Hip Thrusts w/ Reach 8/8
Ankle Mobility (Knee to Wall) 15/15
Knee Pull Ups To Chest 10/10
High Kicks 10/10

After the warm up, we move into the workout for the day. Here are some examples of what we’ve been doing this week. The difficulty of each exercise is crafted to the individual’s ability. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craziness, Fitness Tagged With: , , , ,
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4 Months of Craziness – Time for Another Update

May 8, 2012 By 3 Comments

I can’t believe that it has been 4 months of craziness since we started this thing. They say time flies when you’re having fun, and while not every minute has been fun, I can say that overall the experience has been a blast. A huge shout out and thanks to Ed from Ed’s Gym for all he has done to push me and keep me moving forward. Big thanks also to Julie and the kiddos for the motivation and support and for putting up with some of the not-so-stellar days. And to everyone reading the blog and engaging on Facebook and Twitter. So many of you have shared encouraging words and your own updates. It’s been great knowing that some of you are also taking on your own crazy ideas.

So, here’s the down and dirty. A report on the progress since Jan 8.  (You can also check out the 30 day and 60 day comparisons)

Waist at umbillicus: Day 1: 48.75, Day 120: 40.5, Difference -8.25 inches

Hips: Day 1: 42.5, Day 120: 41.5, Difference -1 inches

Chest: Day 1: 47, Day 120: 42.75, Difference -4.25 inches

Around Shoulders: Day 1: 54, Day 120: 48.5, Difference -5.5 inches

Mid Thigh: Day 1: 23.25, Day 120: 23, Difference -.25 inches

Bicep: Day 1: 15, Day 120: 13.5, Difference -1.5 inches

Neck: Day 1: 17.75, Day 120: 16.25, Difference -1.5 inch

That’s a grand total of 22 inches lost in 120 days.

When I stepped on the scales Day 1 I weighed in at 263.8 pounds, today I stepped on the scales and weighed in at 223.4. I’ve lost 40.4 pounds in 120 days.

I can’t believe how much better I’m feeling and how much more energy I have. As I mentioned last week in a post, I feel like I’ve hit a bit of a plateau with the weight loss. Time to keep my eyes on the long term goals and keep at it.

The rest of the post comes with the same warning as the previous updates. For those of you who haven’t eaten yet, or will be eating shortly, proceed with caution. I’ve included some before and after pics and I don’t have a shirt on. So if you want to continue, get out those sunglasses again because my tan-less, flabby body may cause irreparable eye and psychological damage. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Craziness, Fitness, Photos, Progress Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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The Craziness Continues – An Update on Jeff’s Crazy Idea

May 3, 2012 By 1 Comment

Hi everyone! Just a quick video update as we approach the four month marker for my crazy idea. Check out the video to find out about the 120 day update, our Paleo diet, my frustation with hitting a plateau, running adjustments, another Whole 30, and what to expect in the upcoming weeks.

Thanks for stopping by Jeff’s Crazy Idea today. I would love for you to share your thoughts and any updates on your crazy idea in the comments below.

Filed Under: Craziness, Fitness, Nutrition, Progress, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Paleo Breakfast Burritos

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

After my last post I got several questions about the sausage.

What in the world Julie do you use all of that sausage for?

Remember, thanks to Jeff’s Crazy Idea, we actually eat a hot breakfast everyday. No more cold cereal for the kids. No more bagels, toast or muffins.

Paleo breakfast burritos are one of my favorite meals to fix. Before being introduced to Ed’s Gym and eating paleo, we would make breakfast burritos on the weekends. Now we have them all the time breakfast or dinner, minus the flour tortillas

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Craziness, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , ,
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Food Revolution Day

April 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Just saw this video about the Food Revolution Day on May 19 and wanted to share it with you all.

As you know if you’ve been following this Crazy Idea, our food choices have been huge part of my progress. Our new diet combined with a regular exercise routine has produced some amazing resluts.

I know we haven’t posted here as much lately, but we are still moving forward and should be sending out some new posts about progress in the days to come.

What do you think about the video? I’d also recommend watching Food Inc if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s available on Netflix streaming.

Filed Under: Nutrition
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Grocery Shopping Has Changed Since Going Paleo

April 21, 2012 By 5 Comments

People ask us all the time what has been the biggest change since Jeff got all crazy back in January. Honestly? Everything.

But one thing specifically that I didn’t notice overnight, that has become a major shift for our family is how we do grocery shopping. Prior to Jeff’s Crazy Idea, I shopped regularly at Wal-Mart (don’t hate, it was fast and economical).

I still shop at Wal-Mart for household items, but rarely if ever for food. Here’s why—almost everything we eat is organic, fresh and goes bad in about a week. So we shop at Costo. Every week. This week Jeff was even offered the Executive Membership because we are there so much. Yay for rewards programs!!

Here is just a sample of some of the consistent items we pick up on a regular weekly grocery shopping trip to feed our family of 5 (Jeff, Julie, our 14 year old son, 12 year old daughter, and Grandma Freda who is 89): [Read more...]

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Running with Gadgets (I left the Scissors in the drawer)

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If you know me at all, you know I love my tech gadgets. And as I started to run a couple weeks ago I started looking around for things that would make my runs a little more enjoyable and also help me keep track of distance and times. I didn’t have to look far to find some great tech solutions. Here are a few of my finds so you too can start running with gadgets.

Nike+ GPS

I have an iPhone 4s and my first tech option was to look for some apps that I could just download and that would be easy to use. I found the Nike+ GPS app on iTunes and after a quick review and some Twitter confirmations, I decided it was just what I needed. After creating a profile, it allows me to track my miles, time splits and will keep track of where I run with the GPS mapping option. It syncs with the Nike+ website and even allows me to create goals, set up a training program for anything from a beginning runner (me) to training for a marathon (I’ll get there eventually). I can even connect and compete against my friends.  The app works great and even integrates with iTunes to allow me to listen to a playlist when I run and create power songs to help motivate me when the running gets tough. One of the best features – it works on a treadmill. The GPS function doesn’t do much, but the app does a pretty good job at calculating how far you’ve run, even inside. And if the numbers are a little off (which I’ve found them to be by  a few tenths of a mile), it let’s you calibrate by entering the information manually from the treadmill readings. The interface is pretty easy to use and the information easy to retrieve. [Read more...]

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Where Did My Allergies Go?

April 14, 2012 By 5 Comments

We are right in the middle of spring allergy season and after three months of eating a pretty exclusive paleo diet and one thing is missing for me…

The sneezing.

I have been plagued with terrible seasonal and environmental allergies—My.Whole.Life. My childhood was filled with allergy shots, skin prick tests, doctor visits and Kleenex.

I started to notice a major change one week into the Whole 30.

I could breathe.

Eliminating dairy, gluten and highly processed foods from my diet has also eliminated my allergies. What took Jeff so long to get crazy? Who knew that his crazy idea would make me feel so much better as well?

I am still cautiously optimistic heading into grass season—my biggest allergen. We will see. But I told you I would keep you posted.

I know so many folks that battle with the sniffing, sneezing, and dripping of allergies. Seriously, try eating Paleo for 30 days . You can always go back to how you were eating before. But the energy explosion and health benefits you get from an allergy free life will make it hard to go back.

I promise.

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , , ,
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Finding the Right Running Shoe

April 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Getting Fit for the Right Running Shoe

As I was preparing to start running I talked to several people and stopped by The Colorado Running Company to find out about what I needed to do to find the right running shoe. In the past I would have headed to one of the sporting goods chain stores and found a pair of shoes that fit and been done with it. But Ed wanted me to look at minimalist shoes, and back in January I had met John from the Colorado Running Company when I stopped in to pick up my 26.2 sticker. He suggested that when I was ready to run, I should come back for a fitting. Perfect. So last week I stopped by the store and the search for the right running shoe began. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I was a little intimidated. Running was new to me and the staff had a lot of experience, but my hesitation was for naught. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Their goal wasn’t to just get me out the door with the gear I needed, but to take the opportunity to teach me about the gear, how I run and share from their experience. It was fantastic and I learned a lot.

I asked Peter from the store to share a bit about what someone coming in for a shoe fitting should expect. Below is his guide for finding the right running shoe. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fitness, Videos
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April 1 Update: Ready to Run – Really, It’s not a Joke

April 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Believe it or not, I’m ready to run.

Here’s a quick update on the status of my Crazy Idea from April 1. (I waited until today to post since there wasn’t an April Fools joke in the video).

I’d love to hear about your crazy idea for 2012 and how it’s progressing. Share your story with us in the comments.

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