Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I love doing cardio! After all, the treadmill helped me lose most of my weight. I've been trying to cut down on cardio but this week has really been different. I did not use the treadmill for a whole week. I don't want to keep losing weight... I'm so active that it seems like by using the treadmill, I would keep losing weight.

I still get my steps in. According to my pedometer, I do get well over 10,000 steps each day. So what do I need to use the treadmill for when I'm already active enough? I'm focusing on my muscle and I think the results are getting more noticeable each day. Also, I did run for 5 minutes yesterday around a track as a warmup.

I'm really getting into strength training. I have decided that I no longer need the treadmill. I still will do my walking and get my steps in, but I don't need to lose more weight.

During the past few months, I was using the treadmill for about 5 to 10 minutes for 5 days a week. It's not too much, but the weight tends to fall off me so easily now. I want my body to build muscle and using the treadmill might confuse my goals... my body might still think it needs to lose weight. A trainer was talking to me about cardio today, that it could actually hurt my efforts. I don't want it to get in the way of my goals!

I was overweight for most of my adult life... actually I should say morbidly obese. I never dreamed that I could lose weight and maintain the weight loss for about two and a half years so far. After losing the weight, I've come to this conclusion: losing weight is the easy part!

This is just my opinion, of course, everyone is different. I have a much easier time shedding the weight than bulking up. The muscles are developing and my abs are tightening further, but still, muscle seems to come a lot easier to others.

I struggle with getting myself into shape.  For quite sometime I have been "A SHAPE", primarily round. I lack the discipline to eat well and exercise. Excuses come easy, negative thinking drags me down and finances always seem to paint a picture of the easier "more affordable" options to eating being made up of .88 cent boxes of Ronzoni shells in butter versus eating whole foods.  Well take a look at these guys...

Simply put.  If these guys can do it at their ages.  Then I (we) have NO EXCUSES to get going. Here is a library I am forming of some really old people who are in much better shape than I am, and I'm half their age!

Here's part 2 of the interview with Philip McCluskey, the former CT resident that has become well known nationally after losing over 200 pounds and becoming a vegan. Click here to check out part 1, if you haven't already done so.

Philip offers some insight on protein and how he thinks it's a myth that more protein is better. I now there's a lot of conflicting information out there as to how much to have, so check out Philip's view on the subject.