Category: Fitness

Exactly one year ago I started working out. I went to the gym with no expectations what-so-ever. I didn’t have anything that I bought especially for working out – I went there with boxer shorts and one of my worn out T-shirts.

During this one year I did exactly 300 workouts. Well, actually 299 – today was workout 300. And today being New Year’s Eve makes it even more festive. I worked out 6 days every week, and only missed workouts when I was sick or when the gym was closed. Except for one time, when my mom was sick and I went over to her house to take her to the doctor. But that was worth missing practice for.

I also changed my diet completely. These days I eat deep-fried foods very rarely (once every 2 months, maybe), I don’t eat any sweets of any kind, no snacks, almost no white bread. And I used to love this stuff.

Today I look better than I did one year ago, I feel better than I did one year ago and I get many compliments, which is also great. I hope that I can go on like this and stay fit and healthy. Maybe some day I’ll be able to say about myself that I have made “the change”.

I wish you all a happy new year, with a lot of love and happiness.

I told you a little about John Stone in my first post and now I would like to tell you the story on how I got to his website.

You know those stupid emails you get at work? Usually there are images or movie clips in them, but sometimes there are links. Before I started working out I got one of those links. The message subject was “Look… this guy doesn’t change his underwear every day”. I knew it was stupid the moment I read the subject line, but I had to check out the link and see how they can tell. I only looked at it for a second, closed the browser’s window and deleted the email message.

However, the picture of the guy who has made the change got stuck in my mind, and when I started working out I also started to look for sources of motivation and inspiration. So naturally, I went to Google and looked for the guy who doesn’t change his shorts every day. And indeed I found John Stone’s FAQ, which is hilarious because it contains answers to all the questions from people who think John is fake. Unfortunately, since John is not updating pictures daily anymore, the answer to the boxer changing isn’t there either.

So that’s it. I’m thinking of emailing John with this story (and a huge thank you), but I’m not sure I’ll do that. Oh, and one more thing… the answer to “Why do you wear the same shorts two days in a row” was “Because sometimes I shower before I take my picture and sometimes after.” That simple, but I’m sure some people still don’t believe it.

Here’s my current weekly workout schedule:

Sunday: HIIT #1 on an elliptical; Pilates.
Monday: HIIT #1 on an elliptical + 20 minute run at 85% MHR; Yoga.
Tuesday: Muscles: chest, legs, triceps; Pilates.
Wednesday: HIIT #2 on an elliptical; Muscles: shoulders, biceps, upper-back.
Thursday: HIIT #2 on an elliptical + 20 minutes run at 85% MHR; Muscles: chest, legs, triceps.
Friday: Muscles: shoulders, biceps, upper-back; Yoga.
Saturday: Rest!

HIIT #1 is:
3 minutes warmup
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 70% effort
1 minute at 80% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 70% effort
1 minute at 80% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 70% effort
1 minute at 80% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 70% effort
1 minute at 80% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 70% effort
1 minute at 80% effort
1 minute at 100% effort
2 minutes cooldown
(total of 25 minutes)

HIIT #2 is:
3 minutes warmup
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 90% effort
1 minute at 60% effort
1 minute at 100% effort
2 minutes cooldown
(total of 25 minutes)