Start of week two

Late yesterday I started to develop some slight cold symptoms.  Due to proper planning, I have Zycam and other cold medicine with me.  Then, this morning the cold was about the same, but I had a slight case of the chills.  Please don't freak out because the story has a happy ending.

After working in Nigeria, one of the things that I learned is that the beginning signs of Malaria is heavy cold symptoms and some people have a bad case of the chills.  When I was in Nigeria, I obviously talked to people that had Malaria about their symptoms and I was sure my symptoms were not nearly that bad.

However, to be on the safe side, I went to the clinic this morning for a Malaria test.  The results were negative, as I expected.  I was given some prescription medicine and sent on my way.  There was a CVS pharmacy about 4 blocks from the clinic, so I decided to walk.  It was a nice walk and another Ferrari drove past.  Total Ferrari sightings in Malibu are now at 3.

When I got back at the resort, it was time for class in the pool.  All of the classes in the pool have a different name, but some of the exercises overlap and I really can't tell the difference between the pool classes.  Other classes are self-explanitory like core training, or cardio intervals.  When it comes to the pool, I can't tell you what the difference is between total body H2O and H2O intervals.

Lunch was great.  It appears that the chef really likes soup for lunch.  Today was tortilla soup and was the best soup I've had here so far.  I'm going to get the recipe and make it back home.  Oh ya, the main dish was a turkey sandwich.

After lunch, the group classes on Monday are H2O intervals, circuit training, and core training.  Like I said, circuit training and core training are self-explanitory, but H2O intervals is vague.  I know we moved around a lot, but that happens at all of the pool classes.

The main difference between starting week two vs. starting week one is that I know what to expect.  Someone in my group indicated they have more confidence.  For me, I've always had confidence, but it just shifted around.  Last week I was confident that I didn't really know what to expect and how my body would react.  How would I do with the food and exercising all day?  There is a big difference starting week two because I know what to fully expect.

Also, there are lectures after dinner each night for those first week guests.  This means that I'll have a little more free time in the evenings.

Closing thought for the day:  What a difference a week makes.  Last week I was confident that I didn't fully know what to expect.  This week I am confident that I am excited about being here.  This morning I had to make a trip to the clinic and was upset that I had to skip the hike.  But, seeing a Ferrari on the road always puts me in a good mood.

Rest, reflection, and prep for next week

I've been here for one week and have posted something every day.  I want to thank everyone for their support during the journey.  It has kept me going at time, so thank you again.  I also like reading the comments, so please keep them coming.

The advice of the staff of the BLR is to rest on Sunday because the body takes a beating through the week and needs some time to recover.  Right now it is Sunday evening and they are exactly correct.  I feel great physically and am ready for the upcoming week.

I'd like to take a minute to talk about the system and overall schedule.  We eat three meals per day with two snacks.  All of the food is prepared by a chef, so we don't do any cooking.  The dining room has a complete staff that does the dishes as well, so all we do is show up, eat, and leave.

The housing area is treated like a hotel.  We have housekeeping that comes in every day to clean the room, make the bed, and replenish the towels.  The only work we have to do ourselves is laundry.

Today I finally took some pictures of the resort, and will post some today and the rest tomorrow.  Due to the placement of the trees, I couldn't get the entire lobby building in one shot, so I broke it up.

The big doors in the middle picture are the main entrance doors.  To the left side is the pro shop, and to the right is the spa area.  The spa area is shown in the third picture and takes up the first and second floors.  The top floor is the business center and offices for the staff.

In this building is also the dining room.  Here is a picture.

When you leave this main building and go around the corner, the first things that you see are the pool and hot tub.  Here are the pictures.

Since these pictures were taken early in the morning, you can see the staff member taking the cover off the pool.

Now, if you've read this far, we get to the good stuff.  Since Sunday is transition day, we have the option to get on the scale if we want to.  Today after breakfast I got on the scale and have lost 9.6 lbs this week!!!  By the way, I weight the same now as when I started the project in Nigeria.  To put it another way, all of the weight that I gained during the Nigeria project came off in one week.

I will weight myself every week, but I haven't decided on posting the information each week.  Something inside me wants to save it for the end and make it a surprise.  I went ahead and posted this week's results because 9.6 lbs. in one week is just awesome.

Closing thought for the day:  I knew that last week's hard work would pay off, but 9.6 lbs exceeded my expectations.  Therefore I didn't feel guilty the rest of the day when I took a nap, continued reading on my iPad, and watched a movie and some television shows on my computer.  I'm ready for week two so bring it on.

Saturday night is all right

Ok, the disco reference in the title may be cheesy, but really I am in a great mood.  The schedule for Saturday is a scheduled hike in the morning, then the afternoon off, then graduation in the evening.

We had the option of which hike to sign up for and I chose the beach hike because I really like it.  This is the same hike that I did on Thursday and my goal was to make it further this time around.  Most of the hikes are "there and back," so when the clock reaches a certain time, we stop and come back.  Well, the goal was accomplished and I went further than before.

The scenery was the same including the dolphins and sea lions.  The part of the hike that is at the top of the cliff contains a lot of yellow flowers.  Please don't ask me what kind because I really don't know, but they looked good.  One of the guides indicated that there was actually two different kinds of flowers and one was the state flower of California.  Looking back on it now, I'm thinking I should have taken some pictures.  I'll note it for next time.  By the way, this beach hike is a popular hike, so all of the groups get to go once per week.

Saturday afternoon was off and most people take advantage of the spa and their huge menu of items.  However, I had an awesome treat - Michael and Krista came by!!  They knew that I was out here and have friends in this area so they made a trip.  It was great to see them and just what I needed.  No, I'm not homesick and actually have never been homesick in my travels, but after a full week of activity with all new people, it really was great to see them.

There wasn't a whole lot of time, so I gave them a tour of the place and we went shopping at Target.  I needed to get some items that don't travel well like laundry soap and mouth wash.  After that, we came back to the resort and chatted for a bit before they drove back to Phoenix.

After dinner was the graduation activities.  No, there wasn't a stage that we walked across to get a certificate of completion, so I think they need to change the name.  It was a time for reflection on the past week, tell funny stories of what happened (some were inside jokes), and say goodbye to those people departing.

Throughout the week, there is a person to takes pictures and videos of things that go on throughout the week and we watch the edited version at the beginning of the graduation ceremony.  Each person gets a copy of the DVD, so I'll have 8 of them by the time I leave.

Closing thought for the day:  Throughout my life I have not been a hiking person.  I think a lot of that has to do with growing up in Houston, where there's really no special scenery for hiking.  This week I have completed 6 hikes in 6 days.  The hike this morning was a repeat from two days ago and I went further on the hike this time.  Seeing Michael and Krista was a bonus to the day.  When you spend all day long with the same people, some bonds are going to form.  I know that I made some friends this week that I'll get to see after leaving the resort.  Therefore, Saturday night is all right.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, Stayin' alive. Stayin' alive.

I was deciding between the Bee Gee's song or the lyrics to Disco Inferno (burn, baby burn) for the title.  Both songs are good summaries for the day.  Today is Friday and that means that I survived the first week - i.e. stayin' alive.  However, I am still sore in the legs and am still moving slow - burn, baby burn.  More on the disco references later in the post, but first the hike.

Today was the first day that I think the trial and error regarding my feet has come to a close.  I have changed the shoes twice, taped up the top half of my feet, except the toes.  Yesterday I noticed that the outside of my big toes were rubbing against the shoe causing some discomfort.  Today, I taped up the outside of my big toes and didn't have any problem during the hike.

Today for the hike we went to Ronald Reagan's ranch.  Oh yes, being a conservative, it was cool to be on Reagan's ranch.  For you liberal readers, don't get too upset because it really was just land.  I wouldn't know it was Reagan's ranch if I wasn't told that.  At least where we were, there wasn't anything Reagan related - it was just land.  I believe that Reagan donated his ranch to California upon his death.

For most of the hikes, we take a short ride in a van to the start of the hike.  On the way back, we drove past some interesting places including:
1.  A bar where Ronald Reagan and Clint Eastwood would drink together during Reagan's Hollywood days.
2.  A house that was owned by Charlie Sheen.
3.  The house where they film the "reality" shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.  Yes, apparently they film both shows in the same house.

I didn't get any pictures of these three items because we were in a moving van.  Also, the Bachelor/Bachelorette house is covered well from the road and I really don't care about Charlie Sheen.

To be honest, hiking through Reagan's ranch was cool, but it looked like the hikes from Monday and Tuesday, so I didn't take any pictures.  However, I did take a couple of pictures of my room from the inside.  Note that I have been sore all week and sometimes moving is a chore, so I haven't taken pictures yet of the property.

As you can see, the room is pretty basic.  There's a queen size bed, night stand, dresser, and a desk.  The bathroom is on the right in the second picture.

Now, back to the disco references.  On Fridays, one of the group exercise classes in the afternoon is called Cardio Disco Jam, which is exactly what it sounds like - exercising to disco music.  The instructor dressed out in full disco clothing, complete with disco shirt, bell bottom pants, sunglasses from that era, hair styling, and a disco ball necklace.  That's right, a disco ball.

The class was fun and it was great for a Friday afternoon to not be so serious and intense, but let the disco moves set the intensity level.  I don't know if the moves we learned in the class were actually from the 70's, but now that I think about it, I'll ask.  It was a fun class at the right moment in the week and I can't wait to do it again next week.  For sure, I'll take a picture of the instructor next week.

Closing thought for the day:  The lyrics to a couple of disco era songs summed up the day.  I stayed alive by surviving the first week.  I now know what to expect for next week, so I will pick up the intensity next week.  For me, the legs get worked out much harder than upper body, so my legs are sore and sometimes this week it has been difficult to walk.  This is the burn, baby burn reference.  However, the greatest and most fun class of the week was Cardio Disco Jam.  If my gym back home offered this class, I would attend every time.  Maybe I can learn enough during my time here so that I can ask my gym at home to let me start a Cardio Disco Jam class.

Treading

The word for the day is treading.  I'll explain what that is a little later because I want to start off with the hike update.  I know that I've posted a lot about the hikes, but it is probably the biggest adjustment for me because we don't have hills like this in Houston.

Today's hike was at the beach.  Actually, it started off at the beach, then we went up the hills.  It was the best hike so far.  The new shoes work great and the spending time on the flat surface of the beach really helped my feet.  As we were walking down the length of the beach, most of us spent a lot of time looking at the water.  We could see dolphins jumping out of the water pretty close to shore.  I tried to capture a picture, but just didn't get any dolphins.  I was slightly disappointed because it was an awesome site.

Here are some of the first pictures from the beach.

Since this is Malibu, there was a steep hill just to the right of the above pictures that were lined with houses.  Can you imagine living in one of those houses with a view of the ocean and dolphins?

Alright, here is a picture of one of the houses.

At the end of the beach, we hiked up the hill, so here is a picture of the entire beach.  We started at the other end and walked along the entire beach.  The beach appears shorter in length in the picture than what it actually was.

From the top of the cliff, we looked left and could see a couple of rocks with animals.  The hiking guide said they were sea lions.  Here is the picture.

We continued hiking away from the beach, and shortly came across a sign posted by the Sate of California that said this is a lookout point for humpback whales between February and May.  Since I am off on Sundays, I will definitely come back here for whale watching.

At this same point we could see another section of a beach and in the distance to the right we could see the LA area, mostly Santa Monica.  All we could see over the LA area was smog.  Here are the pictures.

So as you can see, during today's hike I kinda acted like a tourist.  Overall it was a great hike and I can't wait to go back and watch some whales.  Maybe in future hikes I'll get some pictures of dolphins.

Now on to treading.  Treading is the name of one of the group classes, and it turns out that I had it as the first of three classes.  Here's how it goes and note that anyone can try this.  The purpose is to get the body into the anaerobic zone, which involves getting the heart rate as high as possible.  Pick a cardio machine, any machine you like.  After a good warm up, go all out 100% intensity for 5 minutes straight. Push the body to the limit with speed, incline, or resistance on the machine.  After 5 minutes, take a 5 minute break, but keep moving during this recovery time.  If you need to get off the machine and walk around, do so.

Then, repeat the all out intensity for 4 minutes, 4 minute break, repeat for 3 minutes, then 2 minutes, then 1 minute.  You can repeat the 1 minute level as many times as you want.  Oh my goodness, what a class it was.  Afterwords I'm surprised that I didn't throw up.  Yes, it was that intense.

This also set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.  The second class was in the pool, and I barely had enough energy to complete the last class.  I will get more detail on the group classes later.

One more note about treading.  I mentioned yesterday that I'm using trial and error to determine how much intensity I need to push myself that day to find the balance between getting a good workout and being able to survive 8 weeks out here.  In the treading class, I went all out 100% intensity.

Closing through for the day:  Sometimes, life is about stopping to smell the roses.  I did that today a few times during the hike.  Even though the hike itself was at a slightly slower pace, the treading class made up for it.

All hiking shoes are not created equal

To continue from yesterday's post about the shoes, I can tell you that the sneakers did help and were better than my hiking shoes.  However, I asked the hiking guide for a recommendation on shoes, and he said that he went through 13 pairs of shoes before he found the right ones for hiking.  It turns out that most other hiking guides have the same brand and the shoes are sold on site in the store.  Therefore, I purchased a pair.

Right now I have 5 pairs of shoes total, and I use most of them every day.  Not only do we change clothes a few times per day, but we also change shoes.  I don't think that I have 5 pairs of shoes back home in my closet.

So, tomorrow I will use the new hiking shoes on the hike and report how they did.  After yesterday's hike, I requested to be on hikes that were a little more flat than yesterday's hike.  None of the hikes are totally flat, but some have steeper inclines that others.

Today's hike was the best so far.  The other hikes were alright, but the trails were narrow and had rocks sometimes.  The hike today was just perfect in my opinion.  There was enough incline and decline to get a good workout, and it was flat in parts.  The trail was wide and there weren't any rocks.  Oh ya, and then there was the scenery.  We were in the hills overlooking the ocean at some parts.  When we could't see the ocean, we were in a meadow part that was flat.  I'm kinda disappointed in the pictures because the sun created a glare.  Note that on the pictures below, replace the glare with the Pacific Ocean.

The rest of the day was all about intensity balance.  By that I mean that I've been asking the question of how hard should I push the intensity today in order to get a good workout, but also have some energy left in the tank to survive 8 weeks total?  If I was here for one week, it would be easy to give 110% all the time and not be able to move from soreness and tiredness at the end of the week.

Yes, we are off Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, but is that enough rest to recover from the week?  I suppose the answer will come from trial and error.  By the way, I was about 80% intensity all day, if I had to estimate.

There is a big verity of group classes in the afternoon, and the schedule for the classes is the same each week.  Therefore, I know what to expect schedule wise in future weeks.  Right now I am feeling good.  My feet are not as bad as yesterday and some of the soreness is starting to wear off just a little.  I am thinking about keeping the intensity the same at 80% for the rest of the week and then re-evaluate Monday morning.  Note that during the Cardio Disco class on Friday, I will be giving it 100%.  If I knew about this class in advance, I would have brought proper disco attire.  Oh wait, that means another pair of shoes, so maybe not.

Today is Wednesday and a lot of people made reference to hump day.  I have never thought of Wednesday at hump day, but alright.  I am looking forward to tomorrow's hike because I get to try out the new shoes.

So far, one of my accomplishments every day has been the soup.  They pretty much take a vegetable, boil it, add spices, then use the boat motor to puree it.  Monday was carrot soup, Tuesday was parnsnip soup, today was beet soup.

Closing thought for the day:  Even thought I did a lot of research before coming here, and I brought a lot of items with me, sometimes adjustments are needed on the fly.  My adjustment for today was new hiking shoes.  I will be constantly adjusting the intensity for the rest of the week so that I get a good workout and still have enough left in the tank to go the distance.

State of the Union

In light of the president having the State of the Union speech tonight, I thought I'd have my own State of the Union speech, but shorter and without the BS and applause from those in attendance.

The state of the union is all about sore feet.  The reason for the sore feet is all about the hikes.  The way the system works here at the BLR, is that the mornings are filled with a hike through the hills, and then group classes in the afternoon.  I will talk about the group classes later, but today's post will be about the hikes.

We leave the resort at 8am to hike for between 2 - 2.5 hours.  Then we come back in time for a group exercise class before lunch.  The main purpose of the hikes are to keep moving for the entire time.  The terrain varies from hike to hike, but they are up hill and down hill the whole time.

For me, the hardest part is the uneven terrain.  I can walk on a flat surface for a long time and it is no problem, but hiking on the uneven terrain is completely different and very tiring by the end of the hike.  Everyone is tried to be with a group of similar ability, so the entire group can keep close together - in theory.  In practice, everyone goes at their own pace and at the end of the hike, those at the front of the group will hike more distance than those at the back of the pack.

We have three hiking guides with us and they are pretty cool people.  One in the front leads the hike, one in the back, the one in the middle.  Today's hike was brutal on my feet.  Even thought I still took the precautions to prevent blisters, my feet started to really hurt less than halfway through the hike.  I didn't feel any new blisters, but just had lots of redness in the front half of my feet.  I had to keep the purpose of the hike in mind and go at my own pace.  One of the stay-over guests gave some good advice the first day, and he said to keep moving.  Try to take a few steps, and once you're through those steps, take a few more.

This advice helped me to make it through the rest of the hike without stopping.  By the way, a stay-over guest is any guest that is staying for multiple weeks.  At dinner on Sunday, all of the stay-over guests give a little advice to the first timers.

One of the great things about the hikes are the hydration backpacks that we wear.  It is a backpack that holds 2 liters of water and has a hose that comes out of it where you drink from.  The model backpack that I have has a place to hold other things, like a sweat rag, iPhone, asthma inhaler, first aid kit, etc.

I know that I promised more pictures, and to be honest, today my only goal on the hike was to complete it without stopping.  I only took three pictures at the beginning of the hike, so you can see the hills where we get to hike.  I don't think any of the trails are visible in the pictures.

Towards the end of the hike, one of the guides indicated the problem might be my shoes.  Anything is a possibility, but these are hiking shoes.  One would think that shoes classified as hiking shoes would be great on hikes.  Anyway, tomorrow I'm going to use my sneakers instead and see if things get better.

Also, one last note on this morning's hike.  At the end, one of the guides indicated this morning's hike was the toughest one she has been on.  If this is true, then it is all downhill from here - no pun intended.

The main accomplishment for the day is obvious - making it through the hike.  Right now my body is not as tired and sore as yesterday and the Neosporin ointment I applied on my feet earlier today is working.

Closing thought for the day:  I've heard a quote many times that says something like life is not about the destination, but about the journey.  This is true in the morning hikes and I will keep this in mind because if I can get my feet situation resolved, then the hikes will be more enjoyable, which means that I'll be able to really enjoy the journey, as well as burn a lot of calories.

The first real day

Wow, what a day.  Right now it is 7pm local time and after I finish this post, I am going to bed.  Yes, I am that tired.  Last night the main focus was on taking care of our feet on the hikes so we won't get blisters.  It was recommended that we put duct tape on our heels and wear two socks, or special anti-blister socks called Wright Socks.  

I put duct tape on my heels, and had Wright Socks on, so I thought there would't be a problem.  I was wrong, after close to 3 hours of hiking this morning, guess who developed a small blister on his right foot? That's right, this guy (with two thumbs pointing at myself).   Aside from this, the hiking went well.  I was amazed at how fast 3 hours goes by.  The hills around Malibu are incredible.  I forgot my camera today, so tomorrow I'll take pictures.

For those who watch the Biggest Loser show, do you remember Sam from Season 9?  Well, it turns out that he works here now as a trainer.  He looks the same as he did when he left the show.  I was having a conversation with him and like most people, he asked how long I was going to be here.  My response was 8 weeks and he said this is great because we'll get to know each other well.  This was the surprise of the day.  For those that don't know Sam, I'd recommend that you google the Biggest Loser Season 9 and look for Sam.

Lunch was a bean burrito and carrot soup.  I did have my iPhone with me for lunch because I needed the calculator app for a class after lunch, so I took a picture of the carrot soup.

It really didn't taste that bad and was alright after it cooled down.  I finished the entire soup.  Don't believe me, then here is the after photo.

The afternoon was group classes - today was core training, water aerobics, and circuit training.  When I hear the word water aerobics, I think of a boring class consisting of old people with hair caps like swimmers wear and a nose clamp so they won't get water in their nose.  Today's class was nothing like that.

Overall, it was great to get through the first day.  I now know what to expect on the hikes and I know that I have enough energy to make it through the day.  If I can prevent blisters, I think I'll enjoy the hikes.  Today addressed most of my concerns and I know that I can make it through the 8 weeks.  Seeing Sam was a surprise and it is encouraging to be with someone that I saw on television go through the same thing I am going through.  

Closing thoughts for the day: One of the trainers had a good quote today - "Although no one can go back and create a brand new start, anyone can start now and create a brand new end."  For me, my closing thought isn't as articulate - To be here 8 weeks is a big commitment and I had several concerns about my ability to complete the program.  Today the concerns were laid to rest and I am looking forward to the next 55 days.

Day 1 - Travel and orientation

Well, I made it to the BLR in Malibu, California.  The day started off by being upgraded on the flight out here.  I had the window seat on the left side of the plane and when we pulled onto the runway, I noticed there was another plane on the runway to our left that was taking off at the same time.  When we got in the air, the other plane turned left, and we turned right.  It was pretty cool.

On the ride from the airport, the shuttle took the highway by the ocean.  It was a beautiful day and lots of people were out.  Car sightings for the day include two Ferraris and a Bentley.  

Arrival at the BLR was expected.  The rooms are modular houses, but nice inside.  I never thought I'd be in a double-wide with a flat screen television.  The rest of the day was a few orientation sessions and then dinner.  

There are people here from all over the USA and some even traveled from other countries.  Actually, on the van ride from the airport, I met a lady that lives in Katy.  It turns out that we were on the same flight.

As a rough estimate, there's probably 25 people who arrived today, and maybe another 45 people staying another week, for a total guest list of about 80 people this week.

I know that someone probably wants to know about the weather, so let's get to it.  The highs all week are in the 70's, lows in the 50's.  The weather report is now done.

Alright, that's it for the day.  I am going to finish unpacking, then get to bed because the program starts at 6 am tomorrow.  

That about sums up the first day

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my blog.  The purpose of this blog will be to document my progress and hopefully life-changing events during the next 8 weeks that I spend at Fitness Ridge, also known as The Biggest Loser Resort.

I will try to post something every day including pictures, so please check back every day.  I encourage everyone to participate by posting your own comments.