Back At It!!!

Well here I am again.. Its been awhile I know, the facebook page www.facebook.com/heavyagenda has been occupying time.  Today we will update you on progress and whats happening with Heavy Agenda.  First and foremost I (Andrew Farrar) have started on a new program drawn up by Paul of Pro Physique.  Paul has given me a new nutritional guideline to follow and a new training regimen.  I have implemented the training program 100%, the nutritional part will take a little time to adjust and prep properly for.  Over the next two weeks I will be fine tuning the foods included in my daily intake and the amounts to be as accurate as possible.  My current goals involve both a reduction in body fat and an increase in strength.  This feat is not impossible it does however require a great amount of attention to detail and Pauls keen eye to monitor progress through measurements, weight, intake numbers etc.  The training is a combination of Power and Hypertrophy spread out over six days and 6 weeks  that includes HIIT cardio and mild steady state.  The last two days were spent working on upper and lower body power exercises that involve a mixture of low rep and high rep and a variety of set counts.   The first week is spent around 55% of a 5 rep max.  As time progresses I will work up from there.  Stepping back into squats and stiff leg deadlifts was taxing even at reduced weight.  The biggest thing is to focus on my form and stretching out my legs getting them ready for the week ending hypertrophy workout and the following weeks increased weight.  Tomorrow morning will be a HIIT day, another fresh start on a new routine of cardio that will be interesting.  Anyhow I hope this weekend found you healthy and ready for a new week.  My deepest condolences to the families in CT and I hope time and love helps you find peace.

Thinking

As I sit comfortably on this flight to Burlington Vt looking out the window as  far as the eye can see is a soft cushion of clouds below and blue sky above.  I remember how it felt prior to May 2012 when these seats were not so comfortable, when I would sweat uncontrollably and when the people sitting next to me would squirm attempting to find arm room.  Although I haven't reached my goal weight, the thirty pounds lost has made my life so much better.  In the beginning of this post I referred to the blue sky above and the clouds below, it is a struggle to walk below the clouds and not know what life is like above the clouds , but once you get your head above those clouds its a whole new view.  It isn't easy to get above those clouds, there is effort involved, determination and maybe some sacrifice but it doesn't have to be impossible or expensive.   The height you achieve depends on how hard you are willing to push, the smallest jump toward the clouds can be enough momentum for the loss you require, it all depends on the burden you carry and how important this Heavy Agenda is to you. 

My Heavy Agenda

The first time I heard heavy agenda, it really struck a chord with me. I mean who doesn't have a heavy agenda? I've spent so many years saying "oh well, I'll start tomorrow"....or Monday....over and over and over. Eight months ago I separated from my spouse when I was seven months pregnant and with an almost two year old. It was a destructive and toxic relationship, one that I completely lost myself in along with my self confidence. So now I'm still dusting myself off and realize that I find myself faced with now or never. I have a time frame that no longer allows starting something later when later never comes.

When I was seven years old I remember watching Kiana Tom's Flex Appeal wanting so badly to be just like her, watching her host fitness competitions and being in awe of such disciplined women who were strong, smart, and beautiful. I was always the girl with an obsession for fitness making my friends "sweat to the oldies" with Richard Simmons at my twelve year old slumber parties (seriously..) and though I've always been in shape, I've never been FIT. I mean fit fit, cut fit. While I have always had a passion for fitness other things in my life would take priority and as I got older the priority rarely was me and this became clear in my last relationship.

Now I have an agenda, and my agenda means everything to me, to me it is a matter of now or never. Regain my life, regain my confidence and use this second chance to do what I want to do and be the role model I want and need to be for my kids. Going to the gym has once again given me the strength and perspective that I need and this again carries over into my personal/work/school life. I am beginning to feel confident enough to know that I can to be one of those women on stage showing the myself that I can be disciplined, I can stick with my goals, I can follow through with something I say I am going to, and most importantly I can feel confident enough in my own skin again to put myself out there and know that regardless of the outcome I can come out of it with my head held high.

I hope you all follow on my journey of health and happiness and join in changing attitudes and putting you and your health first. We all have a heavy agenda and what I've learned when it gets really heavy....squat....if nothing else you'll get a really nice booty out of it :)

Amanda

WHY?

An Unknown source stated that: “Everything in life is temporary because everything changes! That's why it takes great courage to love, knowing it might end anytime... But having the faith, it will last forever!" This has been my Mantra in this never ending journey: the fit life. Being an ordinary human in pursuit of greatness and personal satisfaction, I found one of my passions.

Growing up, I would say I was privileged enough to have health conscious parents in regards to nutrition. I was healthy but never fit. What I would call skinny-fat. It was not until I reunited with my cousin Anny* an year ago, that I got catapulted into this awesome world. The amazing results that one could acquire from the fusion of weight training, calisthenics, HIT cardio and clean eating just blew my mind. Immediately, the passion sparked and I chose to pursue it.

Been a newbie at this I made countless mistakes. From doing too much cardio, to having the wrong form when training, to poor nutrition, to following programs meant for other people. All this I would say made me see no progress at all. It was not until I was 3 months into it that I decided to slow down and be coach-able. The enthusiasm that had taken over made me think that all this was a one man show and that I could do it all by myself. Throughout this process, I have learnt that it’s all about team work, sharing, accountability and having a great support system. I therefore humbled myself, asked for help where I didn't know and by the sharing I actually learnt a lot of things. I am not guru but I believe that the knowledge I have acquired is much more than what I knew an year ago. My inner-most desire, what I call my WHY, despite wanting that awesome physique, is to learn more everyday so as to enrich myself and share the little I know with whoever is out there that needs that spark, motivation, push or information to venture into or to continue in infinite journey of the Fit Life.

*- Name used for the sake of the blog

May the Fit Life Prevail
~Imani~

Reasons

Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do day in and day out.  We go to school to prepare ourselves for the future.  We work to earn the money necessary to pay our bills and purchase the necessities. We go through the motions that for some means exercise and eating healthy, for others its fast food and the couch.
Many played sports and learned the benefits of constant exercise at an early age, as they grow older they continue with this mentality staying healthy and staying happy.  Unfortunately individuals like myself never got into these habits at a younger age, now in our thirties we find our ever expanding waist lines and clothing getting in the way of feeling better and our lives.  The t.v. threatens us with both time wasting activities and new age programs focused more on taking your money than thinning your waist. Now don't get me wrong, much can be said about P90x and other programs for all the weight loss they have contributed to around the world.  For any program to be successful you have to find and focus on your goal and the reason for that goal, here are some suggestions:

1)Quality-Your quality of life can only be better with healthier habits and weight!

2) Family- They need you to be happy healthy and a functioning part of their lives as long as possible. Think toward the future and the years of grandchildren, or focus on the now and all the great things you can do with the people in your life currently.

3)Mental-There is nothing more uplifting than pulling on a pair of pants that used to be tight and now they fall off.  Having someone you haven't seen for months tell you how great you look can turn a bad week into a fantastic one.

4)Avoid- Avoid the embarrassment of being refused from that amusement ride for your weight. Avoid the long uncomfortable flights squished in between two people.

5)Enjoy- Enjoy the time we have left both during the healthy eating, exercising and outside of it.

The best advice I can give to anyone preparing to begin an exciting and new routine of exercise and healthy eating is to start small, avoid overwhelming yourself with too many changes at once or too much exercise when your not ready.   If you have not read the early blogs posts on here, I started with  healthier eating and more water, slowly removed alcohol and quit smoking and then added exercise using p90x.  It did not take long to lose 30 lbs, but the massive amount of intensity in the programs was a little much for a beginner and I should have started slower with the treadmill or some weight training.    Avoid going overboard with your diet until you understand the basics of protein and carbs intake, unless asked to do so by a doctor.   Removing the junk food and soda from your daily regiment will have a dramatic impact on your success, you will find you can replace many sweets and drinks with healthy alternatives that satisfy your taste buds.

Okay, my day is about to start, hope everyone finds their path or is already on one, hopefully this blog can inspire a couple people to enjoy what I have enjoyed for the last few months and others have enjoyed their whole life.  It is never too late to change, you just have to make the first step!!

The beginning!

How Heavy Agenda came to be

We haven't had our introductions, we have had a few early morning play by plays.  You know my name but I haven't had the luxury of hearing yours.  Heavy Agenda came to be on a long drive home from work one evening.  You see, I spent a great portion of my life heavy and lacking the motivation to push forward in a positive manner.  On a trip home from work after losing thirty pounds I was thinking about my journey and what it had taken to get there.  Reflecting on how hard I had worked and how much was accomplished the reality of my Heavy Agenda hit me.  Immediately I went to work looking up business names, websites anything that had the heavy agenda name.  nothing.....  Wow, either this is a really stupid name or for once something was going to be fresh.  Heavy Agenda to me has many meanings.  Our day to day lives are hectic and scheduled to the max, this constant rushing around many times makes us feel like there is no time to be healthy.

P28 Flatbread , homemade sweet potato chips

Agenda # 1-  Make it simple 

Gluten free pasta

Eating healthy, losing weight and exercising, it all seems so overwhelming.  It doesn't have to be such a  struggle.  Write down all the things you normally eat in a day.  Keep track of how much time you spend sitting, driving and being sedentary.  Subtract from the diet a couple things that you know are bad and replace them with two healthy things like fruit or vegetables.  Add in half an hour of doing something active in the morning or evening or afternoon.  A walk, a fitness video, basketball. It doesnt matter just add some activity.

Agenda # 2-   Don't let the number scare you

The second meaning of Heavy Agenda is the amount of weight we carry that we want to lose.  Many times this number can seem so scary we never work toward losing it.  We lay on the couch eating rice cakes watching fitness commercials for p90x saying "I want to look like that".  Don't let the number fool you.  Everyday someone accomplishes their goal of weight loss.  They may have lost enough weight to equal your total weight.  Avoid feeling pressured, just make some changes to get the process started.  Your health and quality of life depend on it. 

Agenda #3-    Lifting weights to see greater changes

We all see images of giant bodybuilders and power lifters and think oh they must do steroids.  The truth is it doesn't matter what they do, you need to focus on you.  As your body changes and you lose weight the muscles and frame underneath really start to emerge. By adding weights and bodybuilding to your weight loss routine and lifestyle these changes become more apparent.  Adding in exercises like deadlift, squats, benchpress can really boost the bodies natural production of hormones. So my third and final Heavy Agenda is building my body through heavier weights and monster exercises that elicit the biggest change in my growth with out supplementing with synthetics.

Anyway, I wanted to give you all a little background into heavy agenda and how I look at things.  Hope you have a fantastic weekend and get that Agenda on.

The weekend!!!!!

The Weekend is Here!!

Whoot whoot,I should be ecstatic about the weekend, right?  Generally the excitement of the weekend is having enough time to get in great workouts, fire up the grill and prep the weeks food.  Today I feel ok and ready to start my day.  My typical Saturdays start with a great breakfast, downing a liter of water and warming up for a Chest workout.  Prior to the last two weeks I would consume a pre-workout drink like Muscleprime (Allmax) and get my AminoCore (Allmax) BCAA (branch chain amino acids) and Carbohydrate (Vitargo) sources mixed up and ready for the session. I had mentioned in earlier posts that supplements have been stopped temporarily to allow my body to level off without the constant pressure of breaking down synthetic ingredients. The most unexpected surprise for me was the 2 lbs that were lost over my normal fluctuations. Now I cant tell you why the weight came off, it may have been water retention or the saltwater flush, but my weight was two pounds lower than weeks prior after two weeks with no supplements. 

Anyway, back to today's routine.  My weekend breakfast consists of one P28 bagel toasted with no butter, 1 cup egg whites scrambled, 2 cups coffee, 1 liter of water, 1/2 cup oatmeal with cinnamon and half banana.

Normally the chosen workout is chest and biceps, it was the routine settled on the first trip to a new gym and it stuck. We rotate through random exercises on any given muscle group, never staying stagnant always attempting to add weight weekly or bi-weekly.  The only staple exercise is dumbbell presses, with my chest and shoulders being my weakest area using dumbbells has given excellent results and alleviated soreness i used to get from the olympic bar. We rotate between barbell inclines or seated machine presses, cable exercises, dumbbell flies or the pec dec. Push ups will vary from suspended using straps and elevated feet to standard on the floor.  My workout partner has much greater strength at dips than myself but I always try and keep up, using a band to assist while he uses plates to hold himself down. This combination and variation has led to me adding two inches to my lacking chest and building my muscles without shoulder pain and problems. 

What is your favorite chest exercise?

Have you encountered any pain from improper form or new uncomfortable movements?

Bad Habits

Friday, the best day of the week as far as I am concerned.   Last night was a hectic one, tried to get to the gym in fact should have made time.  Starting this new venture with Heavy Agenda and tying up loose ends to get it rolling.  As it progresses and everything comes together I will share more of this exciting news!!!!  As for this morning, no gym time for me,  ate late, ate poorly and it did my stomach no good.  After eating healthy since April I am finding that any quick drop in the oven meals react in a violent manner with my body as a whole. So that slice of frozen pizza your about to put in your mouth, i wouldn't.   I kick myself every time I slip, those innocent bites of processed foods that taste so good but do so much damage.  Cheat meals or off days are one thing, unfortunately if that big ole cheese wheel gains momentum its hard to stop it.  The biggest battle and threat to my health personally is beer, nice ice cold and bubbly, it kills my growth, kills my motivation and no doubt is a complete waste of time.   So why do we continue to battle the same demons that may or may not have put us in the situation we are working at?  If the 30 lbs of fat I shed was all from beer and I lost it after putting the beer aside why do I now drink some and justify it all over again?

What is your hardest habit to break?

What do you do to stop it?

Have you had a battle with alcohol or tobacco?

Thursday

    Well, its Thursday morning the day after Halloween, thousands of parents are shaking off a rough nights sleep and thousands of children have rings of chocolate on their faces.  Myself, well its 5:15 am and I slept ok, my stomach wasn't happy with a salmon pasta salad I attempted to invent last night.  Not sure if it was the chopped up pickle, dill weed or horseradish that did me in.  It is also possible that the gluten free rice pasta that finally got its chance at a dinner plate appearance created some fossil fuels when consumed by this ravenously hungry individual.
     Enough about dinner, its a new day, its approaching 5:30 am and between the dimmed light of my laptop screen I type to you my days ideas, activity and agenda or just whats rattling around in this brain. The alarm clock is being deceptively nice, no beeping, no screaming just bright red numerals reminding me every minute in a slow dance around that it is time to make the donuts...err ... go to the gym. The generous thing about time is it can be manipulated right up until the point we have none left, at which point it becomes a mad  dash for the door attempting to carry the days wares of food,phone, coffee, computer, clothing and what ever else you desire for the day.
    This morning has started like no other with the look at the clock and "its that time again". Back and Biceps beckon today.  My chest could use the activity to release some of this acidic pain and tension from Monday.  I slipped a little on water intake yesterday, and will surely pay for it today.  My workout will be a little slower paced and lower weight, with a mass consumption of water this morning being a little to late. When I'm dehydrated even the slightest my joints tend to creak and there is definitely a difference in the workout progression.
   Damn, see you were warned about time being manipulated...Its 5:50, this creativity burned up the better part of 45 minutes and I need some gym time.  Hope you all have a great day, and to all those affected by Hurricane Sandy hopefully all is well and everyone is safe. You will really have a Heavy Agenda removing all the sand and debris. For myself it is time to attack my heavy agenda and get some sweat on.

Early morning workout!

So many mornings I wake up with every intention of going to the gym only to pull the blanket over my head and fall back asleep,  it is mornings like today when I simply woke up and decide I'm going.  These mornings always make me feel so much better and lead to productive workouts. Today I really didn't have a plan, just motivation.  Arriving at the gym at 4:50am only to find one lone soldier battling away in the corner, the empty weight racks loomed over me, the cardio machines screamed and  my relaxed and rested muscles taunted me like a school yard bully.  "where have you been?", "whats your excuse this time?" they cried.  Today there are no excuses, only time to punish those rested muscles.  Being that its been a while since I trained my chest it became the chosen victim. So a quick warm up on the elliptical got my heart pumping and my shoulders warm from the repetitions.  A big problem I have always had in the gym is weight envy...watching that other individual rep out with a weight I'm not ready for.  After a couple weeks of rest, warm ups and stretching the opportunity arises to give heavier weights a shot.  This morning was no exception, my current goal is 100lbs each arm for dumbbell presses, for the last two months I have been pushing toward that goal, paying close attention to my back and shoulder workouts in conjunction with my chest training.  My typical training partner for chest is my neighbor Chad and he is gifted in the upper body training area.  Unfortunately our schedules don't always work together and we taunt each other constantly about going to the gym. Chad is great at pushing me to be better and his knowledge and strength is a great inspiration to me on our typical Saturday morning routines. We had made gains but the last weeks found me run down and sore.  Today was my chance to jump up a few pounds and push out some reps for that mental picture.  My weapons were chosen and I proceeded to finish a great set with 15lbs more than I would normally do.  It was a fantastic feeling knowing that I am only a fraction away from my initial goal.  The rest of my workout went very similar, deciding to just focus on chest today and not spend too much time wearing my body down again.  My two muscle group workouts have been stretching into the hour and half area and its time to get that closer to fourty five minutes to an hour. It was unusual not using my typical pre workout of Muscle prime or my BCAA from allmax aminocore as I'm attempting to clean out my body over the next few weeks with lots of water, natural cleanse and high quality and nutritious foods, but if I feel this good without my typical supplementing its going to be awesome when we reunite.  Have a great day everyone!!! get that workout in and lets work together toward our Heavy Agenda.

4:45am

4:45 am and my wife just left for work, I've got 3 hours until I leave for work.  The last few weeks have been a little challenging for gym time.   Can't let that stop me or bring me down.    It isn't about how many days you miss, its about how many to go.  Our food and water intake is the most important ingredient in the recipe for health. Even when I don't work out, keeping a solid balanced diet makes me feel better.  For purposes of a permanent change the word diet has been forced from my daily vocabulary and replaced with "life style change".  Seems so simple, but so effective in making it a permanent part of your life.  Let's face it, if the goal is to get healthy and feel better why would we want to stop doing what works? We may lighten the physical load or modify our diet, if everything is fresh fun and works with your schedule don't ever stop.  When life gets in the way and you miss a few days just jump back on and go again.  Hope this stormy week leaves everyone happy, healthy and dry.  Tell hurricane sandy to go away and let's get crackin on a great healthy lifestyle.  We will face this Heavy Agenda together, everyones goals may vary but its all for similar reasons.  

The flush.....

Started my day with a sea salt flush..  Two teaspoons to one liter of filtered water...  Laid on my right side for half an hour around 6:30am and let it work..    It works........  It only took about fourty five minutes for the effects.  Let me tell you, don't do this without minimum an hour and half time before you have to leave.  From research I have done and forums I have read they highly suggest not doing this for more than a week.  I do not know if I could do it for more than a few days..  Spent the day feeling awesome no ill effects.  normal breakfast and dinner today since my wife was home.  Just a little disclaimer, everyones response to a salt water flush is different.  A consultation with a physician and a complete physical is highly recommended.  Some people cannot process the salt water properly. The point of the salt is to duplicate your bodies sodium balance, your intestines don't absorb the sodium and water instead passing it through.  If the standard balance doesn't work for some their body can absorb it and have a dramatic shift in electrolyte levels, blood pressure and kidney function.  Be very careful with this, and I don't recommend doing it without professional guidance.  It seems easy and natural until you try. If your bodies first response is rejecting the water or gagging, it may very well be a natural response telling you no. 

The agenda continues..

After the trials and tribulations of p90x and a couple months in the gym, I find myself at the doorway of my weightloss goal, but the hallway is much longer than I expected.  I haven't been as precise in my food preparations, work has been extremely stressful leading to a few beers being consumed and after being so stress free for six months the tension is returning.  Wednesday of this week I made the decision to stop all supplements and do a flush/ cleanse to just start a detox of everything bad in my system.  If only there was something for my brain and nerves... After working so hard it is a comfort that my weight continues to drop due to a much more balanced diet and still exercising.   It was fairly easy over the last half a year to find the time, the one thing I didn't factor in enough of is rest. With eleven hour days five days a week and attempting to work on a few car projects at my own shop I think my body finally gave me the middle finger. So for the last few weeks I have gone to the gym less, ate less and slept more, all in an attempt to replenish energy and try to reduce this knotlike tension. 

My heavy agenda ...

In April of 2012 while sitting in a dentist chair I was doing a Google search of the Dental office to see if I could leave a review.   During that search I found out my dentist was involved in the NPC Fitness Model competitions.  After talking with her for several minutes regarding her workouts and the competing I went home to do some research.  I became enthralled with the whole community of Physique, Fitness and Bikini Models.  They are all inspirational individuals like Christopher Villa that work hard both at their careers and preparing for competition.  Reflecting on my own situation, the ring of embarrassing fat around my middle, high blood pressure, skyrocketing weight and lack of energy....  Deeply disturbed by my so often used excuse "lack of time" immediately I went to work to find out what could be done to correct this situation.  You see, that excuse was no longer relevant, my dentist runs her own office, is involved with several charitable programs and travels around the U.S. competing, all while maintaining a fantastic level of fitness.   My first stop on this train ride was with a friend Jason Patterson.  Jason is a team BeachBody coach and a successful graduate of P90x, Insanity and other programs. He changed his life and health dramatically and is an unbelievable motivator.  I purchased the P90x program and consulted with him and others, building my goals, home gym and nutritional guidelines around the p90x program.  The first month I spent eating cleaner, quit smoking, quit drinking beer and drinking more water. Once my confidence and dedication was in place it was time to start the program.  In May of 2012 the real work began and the first p90x DVD went in.  It was sweat, pain and complete respect for what others had accomplished before me.  After the first month I had dropped from 245 to 230.  My energy level was way beyond what I expected, my cigarette and beer cravings were zero. I was sleeping through the night with no crazy dreams.  My days were spent working hard and eating healthy, my nights sweating for an hour or more, eating a healthy dinner and bedtime.  After the second month I was down another 10 lbs. Phase three began and I was getting to be a little run down and sore.  The recovery days and weeks were helping but my body was still not used to the major punishment that BeachBody fully warns you about.  After the second week I was at my limit, but proud of my accomplishment I weighed 215 lbs, eating clean everyday and ready for a completely new lifestyle.  My blood pressure had settled at a healthy level, my cholesterol was in a healthy area for the first time in 4 years.  My new favorite part of any given day is when someone who hasn't seen me for months says "you are disappearing" it makes my day..  There is still a lot of work left, my initial goals have been met, but now the new ones have been set.  For the last month building muscle and adding more clean calories has been a priority, this program will continue until November when my calories will be lowered and cardio will be a primary focus.  The Heavy Agenda I had in the beginning has been conquered and transformed into an Agenda to build and shape this body into something always desired.  Hopefully my Heavy Agenda can inspire you to be healthy and give it a try.  There is no acceptable excuse for being heavy, something can be changed, you just need to find the right motivation. The successful stories from all over the world are constantly shared on the Internet, but you need to look within yourself and at those you love for true inspiration.  Being around for many more years and finding the happiness associated with health and wellness will certainly motivate you in the right direction!!!