And well done to all of you on completing PCP. Hope you feel as good as I do now. Doing the week 2 workout this am was an eye opener in terms of progress. Sorry I have not been that supportive over the last few weeks on the blogs etc is nice to be back on the blog and reflect on the experience. Will be back in touch with all of you after my sesshin.
Once again well done all...and thank you very much Patrick. You were right, and I am glad I let myself be persuaded to do PCP.
Sunday 29 May 2011
Loads of indulgences...BUT
So back from a week of bliss in the Maldives. I did consciously decided on the plane, that since is our last holiday without a screaming baby ever, and that the logistics of PCP diet compliance would be challenging I would play the diet by ear and indulgence BUT try at least to keep the excesses neutral from a calorie intake/consumption balance point of view. I somehow feel bad about this, but I decided that better to accept this from the beginning and try to build our holiday enjoyment around it. Getting the egg whites in a timely fashion and the weighed-in ingredients at regular intervals on a remote tropical island would not only have been the most expensive ongoing room service effort but also would have taken away from the enjoyment of a very special holiday. And not having missed a single workout or having breached the diet in the past during 82 days I know I can do it, so breaching it on day 83 or 91 I thought would be relatively immaterial. Wish I could have stuck to it but made the decision that would be best to proceed this way and that after the sesshin that starts today and runs for a week I will do 1 more week of high intensity PCP and then give joints and body a 1 week rest.
So the week of excesses (essentially 3 big meals a day, and an excessive intake of carbs) was not the end of the world, it was rob ably the only way to count act the punishing daily exercises regime. Not only did I do the PCP workouts religiously at super max intensity but the typical day also included 1 or 2 scuba dives, 1 hr of yoga, 1 hr of yogalatis, 1 hr aikido practice, plenty of stretching, additional core workout on Swiss ball and loads of
swimming and snorkelling. Sothe result despite not being good on the diet increased toning, strength and cardio condition. However the quality of definition and muscle separation would have undoubtedly increased if I had stuck to the diet. still I am amazed that I s able to keep this active...not so long ago I would have struggled to do 3mins of jumps let alone the rest of those activities. I can confidently say that being PCP fit makes holidays much more fun.
So I will now head off again, this time for sitting still for many hrs a day for 7 days in a row. I have however packed my bands and rope for the sesshin so during the 7 days I will keep active whenever I have a chance to escape sassy practice, and will aim upon my return to give PCP supersets week another and then take the "the finish line" picture.
So the week of excesses (essentially 3 big meals a day, and an excessive intake of carbs) was not the end of the world, it was rob ably the only way to count act the punishing daily exercises regime. Not only did I do the PCP workouts religiously at super max intensity but the typical day also included 1 or 2 scuba dives, 1 hr of yoga, 1 hr of yogalatis, 1 hr aikido practice, plenty of stretching, additional core workout on Swiss ball and loads of
swimming and snorkelling. Sothe result despite not being good on the diet increased toning, strength and cardio condition. However the quality of definition and muscle separation would have undoubtedly increased if I had stuck to the diet. still I am amazed that I s able to keep this active...not so long ago I would have struggled to do 3mins of jumps let alone the rest of those activities. I can confidently say that being PCP fit makes holidays much more fun.
So I will now head off again, this time for sitting still for many hrs a day for 7 days in a row. I have however packed my bands and rope for the sesshin so during the 7 days I will keep active whenever I have a chance to escape sassy practice, and will aim upon my return to give PCP supersets week another and then take the "the finish line" picture.
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Travel Again!
I hate any PCP disruptions, and travel . New surroundings, being on the move, losing access to my beloved blender and the egg whites, all a pain....so my last days of PCP will be challenging ib terms of diet consistency. On my way to London now, then 1 week in the Maldives and then 1 week long sesshin to look forward to. Not the end of the world, at least at will be very active on holiday, with plenty of time for PCP workouts and loads of additional exercise and loads of diving, and actually sesshin food is not the worst for you (actually the tenzos in my UK shamba d a great job in terms of balanced and tasty meals), but unlikely I will have access on demand to loads of eggs etc s think as last resort will pack some protein powder. Might not be too active at all on the blogging front either as access to Internet in either Indian Ocean islands or in remote parts of the UK where the sesshin will take place will challenging. All of you stay strong, the finish line looms near.
Sunday 15 May 2011
Tired Legs
Yesterday morning was the first time during all the programme that I felt mentally weak and physically tired to the point of being very close of cutting the rope jumps short. Tiredness has been building up on my legs to the point that feel rock solid upon waking up, way too tight to do any exercise. Guess is unsurprising given how little rest the legs are getting and the extra load of so much aikido practice over the las few weeks. At the end I did manage to complete the morning jumps and breakfast felt goooooood.... Evening workout felt really easy and fun in comparison. This morning I felt the same but knowing that yesterday I felt that completing the jumps was impossible and pointless and even so I did manage to do it, so this morning when I felt the same way I told myself, "if I could do it yesterday I can also do it today...
Thursday 5 May 2011
Bonus Post: PCP Reflections
Because , naughty me, I had not blogged for a while I have decided to chuck in this extra blog before I pass out in bed (been a long day and I have just done 2.5hrs of pretty intense aikido practice) so I am veeeeeeery tired.
MY LEGS: ok here is one of the big wonders of PCP intensity and approach. Maybe Patrick has mentioned before, but one of the things that really predisposes us to have the ability to grow one muscle or another particularly well is genetics (this is particularly true of muscles like calves, where no matter how much work you put into them, if you are not blessed with genetics, they just will not grow). So naturally some of your muscles will develop and show easily with a bit of work, whilst others will require a really cunning and infernal stimulus to even show some minute improvement. Ok this was the case for me with quadriceps. I have done loads of really really heavy squats in my younger days, blasted them with supersets of all sorts until I could not stand...yet hardly any effect...legs really lagged.
Well here is the amazing news...using only my body weight (about only one third of the plates weight I used to load on the barbell for squats) my quads have grown and toned up much more in 70 days than in my peak 10yrs of weight training. Amazing.....still how? I mean, cannot be intensity as done loads of supersets before...cannot the stimulus as I used to use more weight...cannot be the nutrition as used to have a lot more protein in the context of a lean low carb diet...maybe is the type of exercises and the added bonus of rope jumps every day...
the flip sid eof that is my legs feel seriously tired most of the time...but so be it..
CORE: starting to noticed how strong my core has got!!. In the V sits or yoga boat posture...core stability is a breeze and I execute well balanced and effortless and even the 90min planks that I thought would be undoable now are reasonably ok...!
MY LEGS: ok here is one of the big wonders of PCP intensity and approach. Maybe Patrick has mentioned before, but one of the things that really predisposes us to have the ability to grow one muscle or another particularly well is genetics (this is particularly true of muscles like calves, where no matter how much work you put into them, if you are not blessed with genetics, they just will not grow). So naturally some of your muscles will develop and show easily with a bit of work, whilst others will require a really cunning and infernal stimulus to even show some minute improvement. Ok this was the case for me with quadriceps. I have done loads of really really heavy squats in my younger days, blasted them with supersets of all sorts until I could not stand...yet hardly any effect...legs really lagged.
Well here is the amazing news...using only my body weight (about only one third of the plates weight I used to load on the barbell for squats) my quads have grown and toned up much more in 70 days than in my peak 10yrs of weight training. Amazing.....still how? I mean, cannot be intensity as done loads of supersets before...cannot the stimulus as I used to use more weight...cannot be the nutrition as used to have a lot more protein in the context of a lean low carb diet...maybe is the type of exercises and the added bonus of rope jumps every day...
the flip sid eof that is my legs feel seriously tired most of the time...but so be it..
CORE: starting to noticed how strong my core has got!!. In the V sits or yoga boat posture...core stability is a breeze and I execute well balanced and effortless and even the 90min planks that I thought would be undoable now are reasonably ok...!
Been Rubbish at Blogging
Sorry all about the lack of blogging. Writing this before I feel Patrick is about to rightfully tell me off. particularly as we move towards the latter part of the programme I am learning more and more things about paradoxically that big stranger to me: my body. It is funny but for something we live 24hrs a day with, how little time, respect and listening we pay to our bodies.
Anyways, humbly learning loads and slowly but steadily enjoying the benefits of my new more functional leaner body. One that works for me and my daily activities and chosen spiritual development paths, rather that one that has me working for it, that becomes a burden and other than looking strong becomes a hindrance. It is an immensely ego liberating transformation. From the physique of my 20s which was all about impressing others, looking strong and serving the body, now the PCP body helps me pursue a path of freedom, rather than becoming enslaved to it. Yes, despite all the time devoted to preparing meals, and exercising it does not feel like a narcissistic enslaving effort, but one of simply nurturing that most important of possessions that we have. Is funny how some people will criticise or frown upon the time that PCPing consumes, yet they see the endless hours and money spent in looking after their cars as time well spent... The same ones who would not dare put normal gas in their Porsches but the special super expensive alternative pump that is super turbo high blah blah special super duper gas, will not think twice in what they put in their most essential means of locomotion: their bodies.
Either way too much of a random rant. Still going strong. Really enjoying these workouts but my legs are getting increasingly tired during the rope jumps in the morning. probably because they have not had a single day of rest and all the aikido workouts on top of PCP maybe becoming a bit too much. But I am really enjoying the added stability, coordination, and lightness that PCP is bringing, so is very difficult to resist the temptation of putting it all to work in extra aikido training. Still the much needed better physical condition brought over by PCP is allowing me to do 2 classes in a row without being too tired!!! and that is on top of the jumps and the PCP workout.
Still as I was saying legs feeling now really tight during the jumps and I am not doing anywhere near the same amount of jumps as I was doing when we were aiming for jumps not time, and in less time with about the same number of pauses&trips. So before I was doing like over 2,000 in 12 mins and now in 15 I am barely doing 1,000 and I am feeling a lot more tired throughout.
The only exercise I have found to be my absolute nemesis during PCP is surprisingly the bycicle...really struggling with that...everything else seems to be fine...
Anyways, humbly learning loads and slowly but steadily enjoying the benefits of my new more functional leaner body. One that works for me and my daily activities and chosen spiritual development paths, rather that one that has me working for it, that becomes a burden and other than looking strong becomes a hindrance. It is an immensely ego liberating transformation. From the physique of my 20s which was all about impressing others, looking strong and serving the body, now the PCP body helps me pursue a path of freedom, rather than becoming enslaved to it. Yes, despite all the time devoted to preparing meals, and exercising it does not feel like a narcissistic enslaving effort, but one of simply nurturing that most important of possessions that we have. Is funny how some people will criticise or frown upon the time that PCPing consumes, yet they see the endless hours and money spent in looking after their cars as time well spent... The same ones who would not dare put normal gas in their Porsches but the special super expensive alternative pump that is super turbo high blah blah special super duper gas, will not think twice in what they put in their most essential means of locomotion: their bodies.
Either way too much of a random rant. Still going strong. Really enjoying these workouts but my legs are getting increasingly tired during the rope jumps in the morning. probably because they have not had a single day of rest and all the aikido workouts on top of PCP maybe becoming a bit too much. But I am really enjoying the added stability, coordination, and lightness that PCP is bringing, so is very difficult to resist the temptation of putting it all to work in extra aikido training. Still the much needed better physical condition brought over by PCP is allowing me to do 2 classes in a row without being too tired!!! and that is on top of the jumps and the PCP workout.
Still as I was saying legs feeling now really tight during the jumps and I am not doing anywhere near the same amount of jumps as I was doing when we were aiming for jumps not time, and in less time with about the same number of pauses&trips. So before I was doing like over 2,000 in 12 mins and now in 15 I am barely doing 1,000 and I am feeling a lot more tired throughout.
The only exercise I have found to be my absolute nemesis during PCP is surprisingly the bycicle...really struggling with that...everything else seems to be fine...
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Too much of a (not so good) thing
So a bit late with the posts... New glorious pics to follow soon and an updated post but feel that an indulgence update is in order...
Went for a selection of small modern tapas extravaganza at a Madrid restaurant run by a Ferra Adria disciple. Amazing stuff, yet it all tasted overpoweringly rich and oily, particularly the cod fritters. At the end the excitement of the indulgence gave way to a severely upset stomach and abdominal cramps as the meal just went straight through my system. My body was quite relieved to go back to the PCP dietary routine....
Went for a selection of small modern tapas extravaganza at a Madrid restaurant run by a Ferra Adria disciple. Amazing stuff, yet it all tasted overpoweringly rich and oily, particularly the cod fritters. At the end the excitement of the indulgence gave way to a severely upset stomach and abdominal cramps as the meal just went straight through my system. My body was quite relieved to go back to the PCP dietary routine....
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Indulgence
So new indulgence is due and the news is I am not too bothered about it! In fact my wife is far more excited than I am, as this would be a chance for her to drag me out to one of our favourite restaurants for a meal.
Thing is there are 2 things that lead me away from indulging...
1) Paradox of choice: the weight of choice, the slavery of freedom in the capitalist world of endless choices. With so much to choose from, the actual decision process can be a stressful experience that takes away from the spontaneous enjoyment of the chosen treat. Let's put it this way, one of my favourite things of PCP is the evening milkshake...easy egg whites, milk and apple with cinnamon ( or sometimes cardamom powd or ginger powder) and crushed iced all into the blender, EASY! No thinking about dinner, no effort, no trying to be clever or fancy with the meal and yet (possibly as is the post strength workout meal) the most satisfying of the meals of the day ( even though into the other ones a decent level of creative cuisine goes into them)
2) Subconsciouss Guilt: with so much effort into the diet thus far, and the well being high of
good nutrition, the taste of greasy foods and loading the body with refined sugars feels somehow like a step backwards...
On the other hand the freedom to be able to join a friend in some impromptu tapas or a glass wine is an appealing factor. I have realised that what I really crave is the "social spontaneity" factor and the convenience of ot trying to concoct a PCP compliant meal from the cornucopia of oily and salty foods and highly caloric wines to be found in Spanish menus.
That is one thing about miserable and rainy London..the ease with which to find reasonably PCP adaptable choices in restaurant menus and takeaway food outlets.
So indulgence no.2 is still work in progress...but I am surprised by my complete lack of interest or excitement about it.
Still I can see Patricks point of it as an experiment to contrast old eating habits with newer sensations, and to see food attachments for what they really are, rather than experience them as idealised concepts of joy, as memories of happiness and pleasure that do not necessarily stand the test of our new PCP refined palates.
More soon on this, once I have selected my indulgence...
Thing is there are 2 things that lead me away from indulging...
1) Paradox of choice: the weight of choice, the slavery of freedom in the capitalist world of endless choices. With so much to choose from, the actual decision process can be a stressful experience that takes away from the spontaneous enjoyment of the chosen treat. Let's put it this way, one of my favourite things of PCP is the evening milkshake...easy egg whites, milk and apple with cinnamon ( or sometimes cardamom powd or ginger powder) and crushed iced all into the blender, EASY! No thinking about dinner, no effort, no trying to be clever or fancy with the meal and yet (possibly as is the post strength workout meal) the most satisfying of the meals of the day ( even though into the other ones a decent level of creative cuisine goes into them)
2) Subconsciouss Guilt: with so much effort into the diet thus far, and the well being high of
good nutrition, the taste of greasy foods and loading the body with refined sugars feels somehow like a step backwards...
On the other hand the freedom to be able to join a friend in some impromptu tapas or a glass wine is an appealing factor. I have realised that what I really crave is the "social spontaneity" factor and the convenience of ot trying to concoct a PCP compliant meal from the cornucopia of oily and salty foods and highly caloric wines to be found in Spanish menus.
That is one thing about miserable and rainy London..the ease with which to find reasonably PCP adaptable choices in restaurant menus and takeaway food outlets.
So indulgence no.2 is still work in progress...but I am surprised by my complete lack of interest or excitement about it.
Still I can see Patricks point of it as an experiment to contrast old eating habits with newer sensations, and to see food attachments for what they really are, rather than experience them as idealised concepts of joy, as memories of happiness and pleasure that do not necessarily stand the test of our new PCP refined palates.
More soon on this, once I have selected my indulgence...
Monday 18 April 2011
Fading Away
My back is feeling a lot better so have gone mental on my rest day. After my morning jumps I had a long aikido session then after lunch again 2 other sessions of aikido. Have spent most of the day covered in sweat yet with good levels of sustained energy and my coordination and mindfulness the best they have been in a long while. But just wondering if overdoing it on the "extracurricular activities". Just weighed myself...79kgs. Not sure how much of that is water loss, but that is a good 15-16kgs lighter than pre-PCP!!!! Starting to show in terms of vascularity in arms and lower abs area yet somehow the muscles are still looking flat and the abs covered by a stubborn layer of wrinkly skin. Maybe for that extra abs definition need to crack into 8 minutes abs, but so far with lower back injury was way too painful to add any extra abs to those included in the regular curriculum.
My aim for this wek is to start including 8 mins abs daily. As their name fully indicates there is no excuse not to do I guess as is only 8 mins right? Everyone can spare 8mins, right?
My aim for this wek is to start including 8 mins abs daily. As their name fully indicates there is no excuse not to do I guess as is only 8 mins right? Everyone can spare 8mins, right?
Learning to Love Planks
Planks were becoming my nemesis and virtually the only exercise I would fail to complete withintheestavlished rep/time range. However after reading Patricks comment on breathing and planks it all changed. What a difference breathing makes,ansisso ethnic that we do not pay enough attention to. Is an integral part of my aikido and zen practice, yet I still fail to extend it to so many areas in my life! And then with the planks, going from fighting the posture and the tension in the abs, to blending with the posture, becoming one with it breathing into it, slowly and steadily transformed the plank agony into a really enjoyable focused exercise listening to the body and scanning mindfully the body for tension, trying to maintain a state of tensed relaxation or relaxed tension whichever way you may want to look at it....Now planks are my newest friend.
Sunday 17 April 2011
LOADS OF HURDLES, BUT PCP ON TRACK
Sorry folks. Has been a while since I last posted and I promise loads of updates shortly as this time off posting, has been a combination of hectic and frustrating, but in all the turmoil and introspection I have found loads of thoughts regarding the "PCP path" and have found that PCP has given me much needed balance, discipline and grounding at times when I have had to navigate through quite a few significant life changes.
So what is new?
To start with PCP, really moving ahead nicely and smoothly. Finding the flow and the rhythm and starting to see the changes happening at a faster pace, which is very rewarding and helps strengthen the commitment and dedication to the program.
Visceral fat starting to melt away at a fairly good pace, energy levels are steady during the day, an improved general sense of well-being and the most amazing thing...I am sticking to PCP food with rarely any cravings and despite the low carbs intake I don't feel hunger and my energy levels are very good (maybe because I have stuck closely to "brown carbs" given the steady release of glucose that they provide as Patrick highlights in his most rte cent email?).
But as PCP was feeling a smooth enjoyable ride, there is always that has to come along the way to thwart smooth progress..And guess what? I realised that for a "chilled out zen dude" I am terrible at dealing with frustration.
About 2 weeks ago, as a result of a series of bad falls in aikido practice which bruised a bit part of my back, or maybe as a result of some other sort of strain I cannot point at. I could hardly move when I try to get up in the morning. My whole back was in agony, with pain shooting down all the way to the back of my spine. Still I found the determination to do my morning jumps, yet every landing felt as if all my vertebrae conspired to produce the most amount of pain as they compressed every time my feet touched the floor again.
Just as I was seeing the PCP progress unfold in front of my bathroom mirror, and as I was gloating on with how relative ease this substantial transformation was taking place...BOOM here came this back pain to derail things. Still having the perspective of being in an amazing path of physical and mental transformation and sheer stubbornness to achieve the goals I had set at the beginning of the program helped me carry on.
Despite a good massage session with my physiotherapist, and having to reluctantly give my aikido practice a rest (turning my hips or bending my back produce such pain that even I tried to do one of my usual 2-class sessions, after the end of the first one I had to retire to the showers in agony) my back showed few signs of progress.
Still I resolved to carry on no matter what with my PCP commitment and in order to do so, lay off any other activities or distractions to at least trey to keep with the PCP routine...
Any leg exercise was endless suffering, particularly the pistol squats (which were on e of my favourite exercises until then!), the jumps felt like were going to make things worse given the impact on the back (still silly me decided not to substitute them for any other aerobic exercise as feeling that they burn fat like no other thing I have ever done!), other body parts in turn were a relief. Any isolation (rather than compound exercise) felt like heaven as did not involve any strain in the lower back. V sits were the only thing I did not even dare attempt given the strain in the lower back, so have to admit defeat there (instead I substituted them for regular sit-ups where the pain was bearable)
But hey, I did it. I am now enjoying my egg whites, apple and cinnamon smoothie, after having done my workout and having gone for a swim, after an active day of pool cleaning (getting ready for the summer heat here in Madrid) and brisk walking with my brother who was over visiting for the weekend. So my back now feels 95% fine, I am very energised and full of motivation. Even this Saturday morning had a full really good aikido session so think from Monday onwards I will be back in full force, ready to work even harder and add some mor eactivities on top of PCP.
Ahh and the best thing is (on of those examples of how to find joy and purpose out of distress) now I will be blessed with that rare and precious commodity in the highly developed western world: TIME.
Yes one of the things that was stressing me out and making my injury predicament even worse is that at the same time I was going through a critical decision making process regarding the business that I had set up. I had reached a dead end in terms of agreeing a strategic long term growth plan for the business with my business partners and was caught in a very akward position in the middle negotiations with another hedge fund to merge the business and gain critical mass (something to which my partners ended up not being so keen on). So I took the difficult but honest decision to close the business, leave Spain later in the year after my first child is born, and reclaim so time for myself, my wife and this epractices and little things that give meaning to my life.
I am a man of doing things well or not doing them at all. Given the significant sacrifices that the business entailed, and considering that the conditions that I thought needed to be in place to maximise the chances of success were not being met, the right thing to do was to close that chapter, and start LIVING, something I had forgotten about and of which the recent untimely death fo my friend Andy should be a polite reminder...life cannot be taken for granted.
More frequent posts to follow...now that I am almost pain free and starting to have more time. Just need to put my thoughts on order...
Good PCPing to all of you.
Stay strong!
So what is new?
To start with PCP, really moving ahead nicely and smoothly. Finding the flow and the rhythm and starting to see the changes happening at a faster pace, which is very rewarding and helps strengthen the commitment and dedication to the program.
Visceral fat starting to melt away at a fairly good pace, energy levels are steady during the day, an improved general sense of well-being and the most amazing thing...I am sticking to PCP food with rarely any cravings and despite the low carbs intake I don't feel hunger and my energy levels are very good (maybe because I have stuck closely to "brown carbs" given the steady release of glucose that they provide as Patrick highlights in his most rte cent email?).
But as PCP was feeling a smooth enjoyable ride, there is always that has to come along the way to thwart smooth progress..And guess what? I realised that for a "chilled out zen dude" I am terrible at dealing with frustration.
About 2 weeks ago, as a result of a series of bad falls in aikido practice which bruised a bit part of my back, or maybe as a result of some other sort of strain I cannot point at. I could hardly move when I try to get up in the morning. My whole back was in agony, with pain shooting down all the way to the back of my spine. Still I found the determination to do my morning jumps, yet every landing felt as if all my vertebrae conspired to produce the most amount of pain as they compressed every time my feet touched the floor again.
Just as I was seeing the PCP progress unfold in front of my bathroom mirror, and as I was gloating on with how relative ease this substantial transformation was taking place...BOOM here came this back pain to derail things. Still having the perspective of being in an amazing path of physical and mental transformation and sheer stubbornness to achieve the goals I had set at the beginning of the program helped me carry on.
Despite a good massage session with my physiotherapist, and having to reluctantly give my aikido practice a rest (turning my hips or bending my back produce such pain that even I tried to do one of my usual 2-class sessions, after the end of the first one I had to retire to the showers in agony) my back showed few signs of progress.
Still I resolved to carry on no matter what with my PCP commitment and in order to do so, lay off any other activities or distractions to at least trey to keep with the PCP routine...
Any leg exercise was endless suffering, particularly the pistol squats (which were on e of my favourite exercises until then!), the jumps felt like were going to make things worse given the impact on the back (still silly me decided not to substitute them for any other aerobic exercise as feeling that they burn fat like no other thing I have ever done!), other body parts in turn were a relief. Any isolation (rather than compound exercise) felt like heaven as did not involve any strain in the lower back. V sits were the only thing I did not even dare attempt given the strain in the lower back, so have to admit defeat there (instead I substituted them for regular sit-ups where the pain was bearable)
But hey, I did it. I am now enjoying my egg whites, apple and cinnamon smoothie, after having done my workout and having gone for a swim, after an active day of pool cleaning (getting ready for the summer heat here in Madrid) and brisk walking with my brother who was over visiting for the weekend. So my back now feels 95% fine, I am very energised and full of motivation. Even this Saturday morning had a full really good aikido session so think from Monday onwards I will be back in full force, ready to work even harder and add some mor eactivities on top of PCP.
Ahh and the best thing is (on of those examples of how to find joy and purpose out of distress) now I will be blessed with that rare and precious commodity in the highly developed western world: TIME.
Yes one of the things that was stressing me out and making my injury predicament even worse is that at the same time I was going through a critical decision making process regarding the business that I had set up. I had reached a dead end in terms of agreeing a strategic long term growth plan for the business with my business partners and was caught in a very akward position in the middle negotiations with another hedge fund to merge the business and gain critical mass (something to which my partners ended up not being so keen on). So I took the difficult but honest decision to close the business, leave Spain later in the year after my first child is born, and reclaim so time for myself, my wife and this epractices and little things that give meaning to my life.
I am a man of doing things well or not doing them at all. Given the significant sacrifices that the business entailed, and considering that the conditions that I thought needed to be in place to maximise the chances of success were not being met, the right thing to do was to close that chapter, and start LIVING, something I had forgotten about and of which the recent untimely death fo my friend Andy should be a polite reminder...life cannot be taken for granted.
More frequent posts to follow...now that I am almost pain free and starting to have more time. Just need to put my thoughts on order...
Good PCPing to all of you.
Stay strong!
Monday 4 April 2011
Bye bye
Dear bananas, the milkshake will miss you dearly...Dinner won't be the same without you. And as most of fellow PCPers I had been organised and purchased 7 bananas in advance to last me the whole week...
Sunday 3 April 2011
PROGRESS ASSESSMENT
Guess with now over 1/3 of PCP underway is good to reflect of what has been achieved so far, and also, why not, on what either has not been achieved or would like to achieve before completion of the program.
PCP Achievements:
- lost 9 kgs of excess weight thus far. Not that I am particularly bothered about weight, and much of this loss is probably body water. Having been quite fit with big overall body weight, have learnt not to be too focused on a particular weight, but is a quantifiable measure of progress I guess...
- muscle tone has increased somehow, and I can now start to see the shape of my serratus and oblique muscles and a hint of my abs that had been buried in so many layers of fat
- cardio has improved substantially, and now whenever i split the routine I do the jumps twice, on empty stomach in the morn and then with the evening workout
- my overall physical feeling during the day and stamina has also improved substantially
What is left to do:
- level of fat around the waist is still substantial, I sense getting rid of the last bits of visceral fat will be a slow and painful process
- despite the substantially much better tone, my muscles feel sometimes a bit flat, probably the result of low calorie intake and reduced amount of carbohydrates (in my past experience when after carbing down, you load up on carbs again muscles regain a much fuller tone pretty fast
PCP Achievements:
- lost 9 kgs of excess weight thus far. Not that I am particularly bothered about weight, and much of this loss is probably body water. Having been quite fit with big overall body weight, have learnt not to be too focused on a particular weight, but is a quantifiable measure of progress I guess...
- muscle tone has increased somehow, and I can now start to see the shape of my serratus and oblique muscles and a hint of my abs that had been buried in so many layers of fat
- cardio has improved substantially, and now whenever i split the routine I do the jumps twice, on empty stomach in the morn and then with the evening workout
- my overall physical feeling during the day and stamina has also improved substantially
What is left to do:
- level of fat around the waist is still substantial, I sense getting rid of the last bits of visceral fat will be a slow and painful process
- despite the substantially much better tone, my muscles feel sometimes a bit flat, probably the result of low calorie intake and reduced amount of carbohydrates (in my past experience when after carbing down, you load up on carbs again muscles regain a much fuller tone pretty fast
INDULGENCE NUMBER 1
So finally back in Madrid, which for the time being I call home, and it is very nice to be back. London marked my first indulgence, which consisted of not one particular item but just little nibbles at several dishes at one of my old favourite London restaurants: Yauatcha, a very fancy fusion Asian, with modern twists on dim-sum and traditional Chinese dishes. The format, loads of dishes in the centre to share really suited my PCP intentions of not over-indulging and not making too noticeable my restraint (not something that would have characterized my previous visits to the restaurant. The crispy duck did not taste too much better than my PCP version of Galician zorza (paprika and garlic marinated grilled pork skewers, for PCP I substituted the pork for diced turkey and did not use oil in the marinade), the mini venison-filled buns tasted way too rich, but the biggest disappointment came with the alcohol, sipped about two thirds of a passion fruit martini (did not enjoy the taste of alcohol and would have much more enjoyed just the juice) and the wine (a gerwutztraminer, normally one of my favourites of which i could have easily had a bottle on my own, I found to not even taste good, and only managed one single sip, leaving my glass virtually untouched. I went into the restaurant fearing that my culinary desires would be unbridled and that I would not be able to restrain my normally large appetite when faced with some of my old favourites. quite the contrary I managed to eat fairly little, just a very small taste of each course more than saturated, and in some cases overwhelmed the palate (by excessive oiliness, or too much salt), alcohol did not even taste good, and I plainly refused even the temptation of a dessert (quite an accomplishment as that place does some of the best cakes I have seen outside the department stores of Nihon-bashi or Ginza, or any of the Pierre Hermés bakeries....
So looks like Patrick was right, every now and then some foods come to mind as very desirable (serrano ham is somewhat stuck in my mind at the moment) but is good to face this desires, and see with these indulgences that not only the cravings might be plain overrated, but also that they do not feel healthy once you have eaten them and that do not compare favourably with the quality of sustainable energy, and overall good feeling achieved with the PCP diet routine. In fact might have been psychosomatic, but when I woke up did not feel too good and even had a bad headache.
So looks like Patrick was right, every now and then some foods come to mind as very desirable (serrano ham is somewhat stuck in my mind at the moment) but is good to face this desires, and see with these indulgences that not only the cravings might be plain overrated, but also that they do not feel healthy once you have eaten them and that do not compare favourably with the quality of sustainable energy, and overall good feeling achieved with the PCP diet routine. In fact might have been psychosomatic, but when I woke up did not feel too good and even had a bad headache.
Thursday 31 March 2011
Travel
Travel sucks even more when PCPing...I can already see the whole meal plan for today falling into complete disarray. So far have managed to stick to the diet and routine to the last gram, I know tonight will b a struggle so keeping my treat joker up my sleeve as I know I will be calling on indulgence no.1. not sure if in the form of 2 glasses of wine (Patrick did not specify how full or big the glass was to be, teehee) or something savoury. Truth is I don't crave anything that much, but will be a big social occasion for me with loads ofpeople I have not seen for ages and to commemorate Andy's life (my recently deceased friend) so dealing with emotions and peer pressure will be a bigger issue than any repressed food cravings. Looks like time to catch the plane soon. Will stock up on a couple of apples from the lounge to take on board the plane. And I always wondered who is the idiot who eats the apples and plain salad in the business lounge when you can have the curry, croissants or ice-cream!
Monday 28 March 2011
Treats
Still keeping the ace up my sleeve. Truth is as oddly as it sounds, that I do not desperately crave any particular food, more so the spontaneity of the here and now, having the flexibility to go meet soem friends and have a taps nibble with a glass of wine: Guess Spanish rosquillas (essentially a type of donuts) dunk in milk is one of the things I miss the most, but when I think about how it feels after eating a few of them, then much of eating them disappears. Either way as I am due in London later in the week for my friends´ funeral and some business meetings that I have tagged along I deliberately have left my treat allowance to use when there. There will be undoubtedly a lot of food and drink-based mourning, as is socially customary in this cases, and I would like to part take in some of it without imposing too much in terms of constraints when out for dinner etc. I have to say that I am not particularly looking forward to all the disruptions that travel and social gatherings bring about in terms of breaking my well scheduled routine. PCP is so much easier in a well controlled and regimented routine, with little in terms of temptations or disruptions to eating hours etc. But I guess is a bit like enlightenment...anyone can achieve "special" states of mindfulness being a hermit away from distractions and external influence, but what is the point if do not make you functional amidst the realities and turmoil of "real life". I guess this is the same, int eh sense that you cannot live forever in a PCP world, the human being is a social animal, and in order to extend the PCP benefits beyond the 90 days of the programme, we need to make the PCP principles work in a social context that involves overating, overdrinking as part of our somewhat disfunctional social interactions...even so, I wish i did not have to travel to London, as PCP on the road is always so much more difficult, and also will have to miss on one of the highlights of Heathrow terminal 5: loading up on the creamy chicken found in the BA lounge as I wait for my flight to depart....
I guess a little bit of a catch up in workout progress is due...
1) Resistance Bands. THE GOOD: I had found that the max strangth bank in the set of 3 that I bought was not strong enough. Luckily I have figured out that you can hook 2 together, adding to extra resistance and this combined with virtually no rest between sets, and extra focus on the negative part of the movements (releasing the tension ever so slowly in a controlled fashion rather than simply letting go of the band after the point of maximum stretch has been reached) works fantastically well giving me a decent muscle burn
THE BAD: have already snapped or broken 2 bands...at this rate this could be a very expensive PCP
2) Workouts: lunges are the biggest killers, but all in all thus far not as tough as I expected
3) Diet. So far surprisingly much easier than I thought. PCP discipline is exactly what I needed as on my own I would not have had enough motivation or will power to sustain teh diet required to reach the dramatic physical changes into peak condition given the horrible physical state that I managed to get myself into. How many months of living in denial and lying to myself that "I am not that fat", or " I can start tomorrow and get really serious about working out and eating well, but for today, given all the stress of work I am entitled an extra indulgence..."
4) Time: this is the most difficult variable. Many concessions have had to be made at many levels. Taken zazen time, reading time, etc away from me. pretty much what I do at the moment is work and PCP, not room for much else in my life, which is hard to accept. But I do sense that it will all be for a good reason as the physical and mental improvement that will follow PCP completion will carry on to all areas of my life. is just hard to accept that there is not much more at the moment to life than work and PCP, just feels quite shallow and single dimensional. I even feel most importantly that the time and though that I allocate to my loved ones (and most importantly my wife) has gone down substantially and that this has become a bit of an egotistic quest. A thought that I find somehow troubling and at odds with my inner moral convictions.
I guess a little bit of a catch up in workout progress is due...
1) Resistance Bands. THE GOOD: I had found that the max strangth bank in the set of 3 that I bought was not strong enough. Luckily I have figured out that you can hook 2 together, adding to extra resistance and this combined with virtually no rest between sets, and extra focus on the negative part of the movements (releasing the tension ever so slowly in a controlled fashion rather than simply letting go of the band after the point of maximum stretch has been reached) works fantastically well giving me a decent muscle burn
THE BAD: have already snapped or broken 2 bands...at this rate this could be a very expensive PCP
2) Workouts: lunges are the biggest killers, but all in all thus far not as tough as I expected
3) Diet. So far surprisingly much easier than I thought. PCP discipline is exactly what I needed as on my own I would not have had enough motivation or will power to sustain teh diet required to reach the dramatic physical changes into peak condition given the horrible physical state that I managed to get myself into. How many months of living in denial and lying to myself that "I am not that fat", or " I can start tomorrow and get really serious about working out and eating well, but for today, given all the stress of work I am entitled an extra indulgence..."
4) Time: this is the most difficult variable. Many concessions have had to be made at many levels. Taken zazen time, reading time, etc away from me. pretty much what I do at the moment is work and PCP, not room for much else in my life, which is hard to accept. But I do sense that it will all be for a good reason as the physical and mental improvement that will follow PCP completion will carry on to all areas of my life. is just hard to accept that there is not much more at the moment to life than work and PCP, just feels quite shallow and single dimensional. I even feel most importantly that the time and though that I allocate to my loved ones (and most importantly my wife) has gone down substantially and that this has become a bit of an egotistic quest. A thought that I find somehow troubling and at odds with my inner moral convictions.
Impermanence and motivation
I was reading Patrick's post this am, where he mentions the hurdles and obstacles that some other people might throw into our PCP path. Last weekend an old friend died unexpectedly. One of those untimely deaths that makes good the old rhetoric question of "why does it always have to happen to the good guys?" ring full of meaning. And truth is,could not have happened to a nicer fella. Furthermore, he was very fit guy, ran half marathons once a month, played soccer every week with his team...he passed away after just crossing the finish line in a half a marathon run, heart failure induced by asthma attack apparently....and of all the people I know, many of which treat their bodies with utter contempt, if not sheer recklessness, had to be good old Andy to die. He s only 39 and leaves behind 3 kids ages, 10, 6, 3. This got me thinking a lot about the Buddhist conceptwa of impermanence and whether there is a purpouse in doing much at all. I know well that this nihilistic approach is not the essence of what the Buddha preached, but wonder how many of our efforts are misguided and futile. What part of PCPing is a healthy attempt at establishing a mindful awareness of our bodies and making them more functional for a "healthy" understanding of life and a genuinely richer experience, but how much of it is a boost to the ego based on preconceived ideas of how I should look in order to get social or sexual admiration. Despite all these nihilistic reflections on the futility of our efforts in the transient "world of form", have to say that I am starting to feel a good number of positive PCP effects. Although less consistent (as have had to give up some of the morning time pre-work to PCP workouts and meal preparations) my zazen has got so much better. I know that zazen is one of those things that you are not suppose to label, as good/bad, successful/unsuccessful, pleasant/unpleasant, zazen just is....But I have to say that my lotus posture has felt the strongest it has been in a while and all teh sittings have been unusually comfortable, more comfortable that just lying on the sofa!! i guess that I am also following religiously Patrick´s own recommendations (there is a great video by him on youTube on getting your full lotus better) and been incorporating wide angle forward bends after all my PCP workout. For all of you interested in zen, yoga or just being more flexible/functional this video is a must...here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USAeDzIbM5M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USAeDzIbM5M
Sunday 20 March 2011
LOVE SUNDAYS
Jumps done...lost count and ended up doing 970...breakfasts felt well deserved after finding the energy to get out of bed despite the cold. Actually the small card induced by jumping seems to have helped clear the sinuses, now back to bed!! God I do love Sundays!! Still lunges to do this eve though...
SICK
Not enough sleep for recovery, stress, and extra activity on top of PCP workouts seems to have taken it's toll so managed to develope a prett bad ass cold, which has aggravated my somewhat worn out state. Had some early warning symptoms on Tuesday after a very active aikido session. My activity levels seem to have gone up quite a bit thIs week, and even the toll of little things like filling in a back pack with kilos of fresh fruit and walking from a distant supermarket instead of ordering online or a little bit of swimming after the workouts to relax the muscles and add some card might have well been too much for my vody. The flip side of all that is that despite the tiredness and ultimately being ill, I have managed to stick to PCP 100%. and the results already starting to come through helps on the motivational side of things. Noticeable weight loss, some vascularity and definition returning to some areas of the body are all encouraging, and for just a couple of weeks the changes feel remarkable. Fair to say that the muscles although leaner feel flat and a bit devoid of life, but guess that is normal with the low carbs intake, which is working miracles anyways, so guess will not give it much thought. Im not sure how to play things out now. Have cheated somehow yesterday amid sneezes, sore throat and weakness, and to the fruit snacks I added a 4 oranges home squeezed which I offset by adjusting slightly down the weight intake of the last snack, yet still technically exceeding my allowance by a fair amount. Anyways I am typing this in bed wondering how to approach the day from a PCP perspective. Luckily falling ill over the weekend allows one to exert more control over rests, food and workout times. So will plan to stay as much of the day needed slacking around watching films or in bad until I find the energy for the workout. And damn, it had to be lunges day today!!!!
Monday 14 March 2011
IT IS ALL RELATIVE....
Today is the first difficult day I have encountered thus far. And is not about the workout routine (so far, lunges aside, all deceptively easy), or the diet which I am actually quite enjoying and somehow is giving me a more steady supply of energy instead of intermittent short-lived sugar rushes that had grown accustomed to of late. It is about the difficulty of balancing a particularly difficult and critical time at work, and lack of time with many of the anal demands of the program. Is bad enough having little time for oneself and to relax from work, but have had to give up some of the zazen time in the morning, and some leisure and pure relaxation after the particularly high levels of stress of the job at the moment to prepare meals, weigh items, take pictures, write this blog...it is a concession that I am struggling to accept. I can sense the benefits in the not so distant future when I finally see some progress in my physical condition, but at the moment is all hard to accept. As personal admin piles up, repairs and DIY around the house builds up into a soon to be insurmountable backlog, and domestic chores loom more threatening in the absence of my wife I am finding harder to accept the commitment and compromise. Only the thought, image and feeling of a fitter me seems to bring some of the needed motivation, but feels too distant in time. On the other hand, the thought of the difficulties, fear, emotional stress, and loss sustained by those affected one way or another by the Japan earthquake and tsunami makes me ashamed of the pettiness of my complaints. It is all relative after all, and whenever we think we have it bad, there is someone who is in a worse predicament and who finds a way to sustain adversity. My thoughts are right now with those of you who are in Japan. Is hard enough to accept the sad tragedy of recent events, and seeing your lives disrupted at so many levels, to find the motivation and will to complete PCP. There is a lesson in seeing the most basic comforts and security that we have grown accustomed to take for granted in our developed world, and in the ephemeral and transient nature of life, and yet must be a hard task to reconcile some of these lofty thoughts with completing PCP. Yet i suppose that some of the same spirit of sacrifice and determination in pursuit of a future goal is what will help Japan bounce back from this as ti did from the horrific aftermath of WWII, and in creating these will and stamina, the PCP discipline can help in establishing the foundations. I somehow finish this post feeling that I have it really easy, and that PCP should be a breeze....Yes all is relative after all.
P.S. Patrick, thanks for your dedication and keeping PCP running despite all the potential constraints and set backs: I really appreciate the double effort that will go into your posts and updates in the next few weeks.
Monday 7 March 2011
THIS TIME IS FOR REAL...
The first week has been quite good, energy levels are up from regular activity and I have developed a "healthy addiction" to skipping...I had tried many forms of physical exercise in the morning after my usual zazen session, but I found all of them either inconvenient or too harsh on my still half asleep body. I had never been an early bird in terms of exercising at the peak of my fitness levels many moons ago when still a student, even less now with less hours of rest. Recently I had tried swimming as a form of gentle morning exercise, and even though there is a pool in my building was hard to give it continuity, and ended up taking way too much time. Skipping (which unlike most people I had never done before even as a kid) is convenient, you can do it just about anywhere, and takes no preparations...What a brilliant idea!!...I had started pre-skipping ahead of the official beginning of PCP (at the recommendation of my PCP-veteran wife Louise) and I can already feel some of the benefits...I went snowboarding with some friends 2 weekends ago, and I already enjoyed more stamina and to some degree more coordination. Also skipping seems to have accelerated my weight loss already, also helped by being more mindful about what I eat. Now that the real thing starts I kind of regret not having gone with half of my normal food for this week. I have to confess that I "cheated somehow" and preferred to transition to "healthier" diet propositions like more veggies, complex carbs instead of sugars etc. I guess that comes from my "all or nothing" personality, so I either eat junk or I eat none. Find the "middle-way" somewhat difficult I guess, so much for a practicing buddhist!! But somehow with the whole beginning of PCP on my mind there was no room or appetite for greasy or oversugary foods... Have to say that I feel a lot better, but somehow I sense that I will regret this unnecessary "strictness", as the "real diet" begins, so might have to treat myself to half a cheesy pizza tonight...Bye bye donuts...my dear friends I will be missing you. I am excited to begin the whole thing "for real" , yet at the same time I probably could not have chosen a worse week, which will involve some critical meetings for my business (some of which will undoubtedly involve copious meals and a very alcoholic night out to seal a potentially very important deal) and also travelling to London for a weekend, thus testing the portability of the workouts whilst staying in hotel rooms, and the ability to concoct PCP compliant meals whilst on-the-go.
Thursday 3 March 2011
DAY 3
As I woke up this morning still tired from a fairly intense aikido session on Tuesday night, getting out of bed felt like a hard thing to do. But oddly not so much from current tirenedness, or as a result of the temptation to skip my 30mins morning zazen in order to get a bit of extra rest ahead of the morning PCP workout, but from fast forwarding and thinking, how will I cope with this 1 month down the line, when the workout is not a "Mickey Mouse" one and when the diet becomes more restrictive? I dont want to compromise my morning zen practice, which gives structure to the day, but I know I will feel increasingly tired. In my days of serious and gruelling gym workouts I used to give myself the benefit of 10hrs of sleep to avoid overtraining and help muscles recover and "grow", but then I was at university, living the careless life of a student with no commitments in my life. Now, with 6 or 7 hours of sleep if I am lucky, this is going to be tougher. As longer workouts, extra meal planning/cooking time, and increased need for rest loom ahead I feel I need to start replanning around the little available spare time that I have...It will be hard alone giving up bad food and other "unhealthy" habits to also reduce the amount of zazen, aikido, sleep or more importantly quality time with my wife; all of the things that make long and hard work hours more bearable...
Monday 28 February 2011
PCP Begins
So I just typed a lengthy first post ( yes I know Patrick you said just a few lines) and I managed to lose it all. Guess is an appropiate taster of many frustrations that I will be dealing with. I have been the route of gruelling training regimes and severely restrictive sports diets, but all in the context of a less punishing life schedule and with plenty of muscle-nourishing rest time. How will I manage to do the same with a very busy business schedule, little sleeping time, and the dual pressures of moving into self employment to start a risky new business from the scratch and first time parenthood looming in 6 months time?
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