Cardio, chicken and vikings are working out nicely.
I started doing cardio at level three on an elipse machine for 20 minutes. Today I knocked out 30 minutes at level five and it didn’t get very challenging until the end. Before this is over, I’ll need tougher cardio — I’ve been eyeballing the StairMaster Stepmill.
What’s driving progress? Danny might say my cardiovascular system is improving and I’m becoming better conditioned. Personally, I think it’s the discovery of Viking Metal that I’ve loaded into my iPod (Amon Amarth albums: “With Oden On Our Side” and “Fate of Norns”). Who knew that listening to some bearded guy shriek about ancient battles and piles of bodies could get me that pumped and take my mind off a slow burn? It’s sort of like watching Gladiator at the gym, but slightly less violent.
Meanwhile, on the diet front, I’ve been counting calories and I took Danny’s advice. I’m now simmering up a sort of chicken stew in a crock pot. I toss in one bag of chicken breasts, a couple bags of frozen vegetables, and I know that the finished product has a total of 1,400 calories and 210 grams of protein. I’m eating a pot’s worth in quarters — so I know each serving has about 350 calories and a little over 50 grams of protein.
What’s more, this stuff is pretty good for me. We’re talking about a steaming pile of chicken and veggies — it has a lot more vitamins and good stuff than most processed foods. And since all I did was dump it in a pot and leave it over night, it took about 45 seconds to cook. It’s very easy to cook, even if you don’t have any time.
Bryan
