Day 45

And we are half way there!
No wi-fi for 2 days: feeling lost and was not able to blog...

Wow the new training is tough: I set the timer for 15mins, wait one minute and start skipping. I average 137 skips a minute so we are talking 1918 skips minus say 20/30 to account for the odd trip here and there... that's 1880 skips.. non stop!!!!!!!

Got into London saturday morning and so far managed to be 100% PCP compliant.. but the work week is starting and we will se if it is sustainable!

ciao to all

Week 7 picture

The new PCP training grounds!!

.. and, yes Patrick, there are ways of doing pull-ups everywhere!!!

Day 42

Early morning skipping: feel a 1,000,000 dollars...
Preparing mentally for the business trip challenge: London will be cold, dangerous and full of wolves... yuck!
First priority will be finding something to do my pull-ups on!

Ciao to all...

sometimes it's not all that fun PCPing.. check out what colleagues are eating under my nose!
as much as I know it's bad for them and should feel bad for them, I am a little envious...

Day 41

Work, home (always a little too late) and training... no big deal, actually FUN.
That is if you really don't have ANYTHING else to do. Which is fine once in a while, or even rather often.. but EVERY DAY??!!!@@#$%%^

Oh yea forgot: went for a fast drink with a client and had a lovely glass of crystal clear water: delicious!!

Anyway, will try and skip tomorrow morning as I am flying off to Europe tomorrow evening and it might be a good idea to consider packing before leaving! Funnily enough I am far more concerned about forgetting any of my training gear than anything else!!

Good night

PS god i hate them cycling things!

Day 40

4/9ths of the way there.. almost scary
Enjoying this trip so much that I am concerned about the arrival. I know, it's still 50 days away but at some point it is important to think of life after PCP...

Training was super late again: started at 21:00. The sessions are slowly but surely getting longer: 45mins tonight!
Happy about the skips: 1,450 with no interruption, not even a trip.. and added an extra 50 to account for possible counting errors.The floor jumps hurt but was surprised by how hard everything was: the push-ups were a struggle, the standing ovation painful...getting old?

Buona notte

Day 39

Very late training: got back from my usual Tuesday evening sailing seminar and got my exercises done.
Skipping on concrete might not be good for joints but easier than the soft playground.. did my 1,400 jumps with three or four trips in total.
The hunger is under control and i am realising that often food is a cure for boredom. Any suggestions on what to do instead? unfortunately cannot smoke cigars at work.. :-)
Timed my exercises and it is a total of 40ish minutes.
Would be great to find the strength to do them in the morning: I try but the sheets always pull me back!

going to bed: buona notte

Day 38

Slowly but surely the days are ticking away.
Thoroughly enjoying the trip but.. the suffering and deprivation are acceptable because I know they are going to end and because I see the results.
One big concern though is what happens after. It would be a pity to revert to pre PCP form but cannot envisage skipping 1,400 skips a day and apples for dinner for the rest of my life...

Hopefully there will be a miraculous solution to remain young and beautiful!

Good night

PS hate those bicycle things...

Day 37

RENEWED ENERGY!
Really enjoyed the training, unlike yesterday!
Still tripped a few times but all in all was a healthy struggle and was satisfied with the effort!
Did all exercises downstairs at playground and was missing push up handles so did them without. Once back in flat I did one rep with some help from Bolle:

Yesterday I had to cheat on the food: had my appel and egg for lunch and had a little chicken and vegetables for dinner and steered away from Carbs. Really hope I will not create havoc...
Had family around and we went out for dinner.. might have to repeat that next week when in London.

Not sure about  the pistol squat: Patrick i today's mail you say the heel has to stay on the floor. You mean the heel of the extended leg? because the heel of the bending leg is not touching the floor in the picture.
Repeated the reps at the end of the trainignas found them not so hard: mist be doing something wrong...

Have a great Sunday!

Day 36

Tough , tough, tough!
not much sleep: coughing wife doesn't help!
and struggled with the exercises: tripped so many times during my jumps and generally didn't enjoy the exercises!
the weather doesn't help

and 1 apple, you gotta be kidding!!
not far off the 3 strawberries and 1 grape I was talking about!

Bring it on: ready for you!


Merry weekend to all

Ps weekly picture and wifey training:

Wondering...

90 days PCP or 90 days sailing solo around the world: which one is tougher?

Day 35

Last night the exercises were not to hard and actually welcome after a day at work.
The floor jumps OMG: the pain was excruciating, having visions painful!

Been constantly hungry over the last 2 days and today at lunch was tough: they ordered pizza,lebanese adn dim sums in the office. It was a sight difficult to handle: a food orgy while I was sticking to my pasta toamto and shrimps (which was yes good but not as satisfying as the other food looked).

Was watching a movie last night with a couple of  overweight chaps in it, felt sorry for them and thought about sending them the web link to the PCP site.. :-)

Finally got round to timing my skipping: funny how people are impressed to hear you are going to jump 1,400 times but hardly surprised if you tell them you are going to skip for 10 minutes 35 seconds!

Calves are a little sore and dreading tomorrow's mail: wondering what Patrick is going to take away! We might be having 3 strawberries and 1 grape for dinner...

Good night and buon weekend!

Day 33

Did all my exercise last night after work: it's a routine now and don't mind it at all! As long as there are no pull-ups!
Amazing how absorbing this PCP is: it influences a big chunk of my life and it is constantly on my mind.
Today I am wearing a shirt that my darling wife bought me a while ago: it's a nice shirt but she had got a size too small. Amazing how women can preview the future: she mist have known I would shrink at some stage in order to enjoy it!

Have a great day

Day 32

PCPers life is not always an easy one!
Got back late and the weather is awful: strong cold wind and howling wolfs out there!
Still did all my PCP exercises, the skipping and leg stuff downstairs in the parking lot and the rest at home.
Floor jumps are tough, skipping is ok, pull-ups of course a nightmare!
But doing them at home is a little easier to cheat: the first 9 were perfect, the rest I didn't stretch arms 100%, yes I plead guilty.

Starting to understand what Patrick said about putting to shame my kickboxing: it's not the intensity (kickboxing with a personal trainer was really rough sometimes) but it is the continuity that gets to you... hope to make it to the end, was faltering a little today.... and that horrible plank, by the third repetition I was dearly hating it!

On a positive note dinner was yummy: I microwave the fruit for 3 mins and then mix it with the egg white cooked with half the milk: it's amazingly sweet and tastes like a dessert. And it's filling...

Good night

Day 31

Ouch Aaarghh!! those cruel floor jumps...
Guess I got them right: the pain was extreme!
Got the 1,300 jumps done in a row without a single interruption, not even a trip!! :-)

Last night I had a piece (very small one indeed) of caramel slice.
It was GORGEOUS: felt a little heavy after it but thoroughly enjoyed it...

Buona notte

Day 30

One third gone... 2 months to go: guess we will be dining on water and lunching on condensed air by the end!
Exercises done, feel good and didn't suffer too much today.

Thought I would wake up starving and wanting to bite the wife but feeling less hungry than most mornings: weird!


Great Sunday to all

PS just put on a long sleeve polo, funny how last time i wore it I had a belly sticking out!

29 bis

Two pictures that say a lot about the life of PCPers:
It's the darling wife at a restaurant counting rigorously our protein/carb/veggie intake...

 and please note that it is the grilled sole that makes its way to the plate, not the yummy saucy meat :-(

Day 29

Checked my mail on the iphone while still in bed: shell shocked.. could not get out of bed! Is it the first of April? Patrick playing with our minds?
One apple and one banana: you gotta be kidding! really!

If this is the path to redemption I started with the first step this morning early: 8:15 and all exercises under my belt. Feels good!
Struggled with sit-ups. Rather surprising as i was ok until now.
2 perfect sets of 8 pull ups, then 6 good ones 2 yucky, then 5 and 1 yucky.. getting there. Although each time i get closer the post moves further.

No room for cheating: even with a personal trainer you can cheat a little but when it's agaist yourself, no cheating allowed!

off for a gentle walk/hike with the boys...

Here is the weekly picture:

Still work to be done!

Day 28

Day off from work so, after dropping boys at bus, did the 1,300: done and dusted!!
Really nice to exercise in the mornign.

Scale inching lower
Old clothes starting to fit
A lot of positive comments
A few potential PCP adepts out there as colleagues see the transformation

One concern: both my wife and I aren having problems sleeping.
I wake up often and roll in the bed without managing to fall asleep: is this PCP effect?
Could it be that our metabolism is ticking away faster and thus we are uanble to rest?

Anybody else faces a similar sleep-related issues?

Buona giornata

Day 27

Met up with James at the playground for our training.

Training went well, nice to train with somebody else, easier to count the reps!!

If we had a soundtrack it should have been for sure the one below!!

Parents, when James and Vitto are training at the playground take the kids away!!

Who let the dogs out? Hu! Hu!

On a serious note feeling hungry throughout the day and not sleeping to well... but still enjoying it!

Ciao

Day 26 bis

Feel the pace of workout pick up.
Today skipping and creeping were ok but the pull-ups I do not enjoy: 2 good sets of 8 and 2 rather shabby ones...
Found the shoulder press rather intense.

Loving home made food: really!
Today managed to fit into trousers I had not worn for years: fortunately I am stingy and don't throw away much!

Buona notte

Day 26

Just had my yummy lunch: I am loving home made food instead of the usual unhealthy take out!
Buy whole exercise programme still looming ahead.
Here is a picture of my skipping queen: that was at 7:00 am, wife, you are AMAZING!

Day 25

Nothing much to report.
Usual training in the evening: becoming a routine I don't mind. Those V-things are a bit nasty!
Wondering if i should also do some cardio exercises to complement the PCP...
Would love to have the will power (and the time) to get exercise done in the morning!

Buona notte!

Day 24

Despite the motivating Rocky video I just could not face getting out of bed at 5:40 am.
So, as usual, it was exercise after work.
The skipping feels like a routine and it feels good.
The pull-ups are the biggest hurdle.
Enjoy the burning knowing it is good for me.

Buona notte!

Rocky 2 - Training

This should help with early morning motivation!!

Day 23

What started like a gentle stroll up a hill is starting to look like a intense hike, almost intense.
Feels as if it will end looking like a rock climb... OUCH!

But at least it's Sunday and all exercises are done and dusted!

Sayonara

Day 22 bis

It's evening, we are sitting in front of the TV and the boys are having Pizza Takeaway.... I had to open the box and serve the slices: Torture!!
The smell of the Pizza and of the accompanying garlic bread got me drooling, sigh!
The more profound question is if I will be able to enjoy Pizza i front of a movie once the PCP is over, or will that mean back on the road to perdition?

Our dinner was really not exciting: difficult to see the carbs disappear.
Feeling a little miserable and a bit hungry: contemplating the possibility of biting my kids, it's proteins after all!!!

Day 22

Morning shocker: could not believe the email.. no respite on the jumping rope!
And what happened to the evening carbs? surely  typo :-(

Early start: at 8:00 83.333% of the family was on the tennis court (Mika, number 4, stayed at home).
We took it in turns to play with the kids so that me and the wife managed to get the skips sorted: my calves are in AGONY!
Got home and finished off the programme: HATE the pull-ups. Only managed 7-7-5-5(ish)
But now it's over: bright day ahead!


And of course here is the weekly picture:

Week 4

Ciao

Day 21

Took the morning off: it is New Year after all! but will have to pop into office later on today..
Mornings are great when not working: did my 1,000 skips (possibly 1,100 as i might have counted wrong!!) then shower, playground for a little while and then breakfast with the wife. Nice to have the whole day ahead and no damocles sword of exercises to have to be done!!

Dinner last night was all in all good: no alcohol, maybe a little too much food (and a little too much condiment) but was righteous!
Had one spoonful, literally, of dessert.. god it tasted good, more of that in 70 days!!

Day 19

Starting almost to feel like a routine: back from work, skip, exercise, dinner...
If only I could do it in the morning!! but it is the only time i see the little ones...
First dinner out this evening at frinds place: we'll see how hard it is going to be, best intentions though!

Struggling on the pull-ups, but almost there!

Ciao

Day 18

Getting rather hungry and it is a struggle to resist until snack/meal time
My boys were eating salami and toast under my nose: not easy, AT ALL
Feeling alittle tired but wondering if it is due to the heavy w.e or it's PCP

But really enjoying PCP and finding Patrick's mails very inforamtive!