So today being my last day of my independent study class i find my self looking back on my improvement throughout the school year, in and out of class. In the 4 years at Grafton High School i have never had such improvement through well being and fitness as my senior year. I went from working out for recreation to exercising and eating to benefit my self as a whole. I run more, i lift more, and i have noticeably ate much better too.

When i ate, i thought generously about how much i was eating and when i was doing so. I began eating more healthy plates, and when i did some research on diets i found that with the right diet and exercise for me was the paleo diet which i had attempted shortly as an underclassmen. The paleo diet is bassiacally only the things that people from the paleolithic periods would eat. So that means no dairy, no sugar, no processed foods, and all meat, meat, vegetables, and more meat. Along with nuts and fruit for snacks everyday my diet changed drastically. I got chronic headaches for a week, and fealt a constant lack of energy and focus, and then a week later i fealt better than i did before i started.

My main goal for the school year was to simply get in shape and get into healthy habits in life. I didn't want to get stronger or thinner, i just wanted to see where getting fit would take me. In total this year I've dropped 40lbs, and have gained much muscle mass. I broke previous held records of mine, and felt great doing so. I feel that i have had a pretty decent year, and i am really looking forward to my progress in the next few years as i continue to learn and grow while continuing to eat well and exercise everyday!

So last weekend i did a serious landscaping job at one of my dad's co-workers house. We had started the project two weeks ago and had to replace a broken iragation system with a new one, and then lay new top-soil over the hoses. There was lots of trench digging, shoveling, and heavy lifting all day. I got to learn how to drive a bobcat, when we had to move lots of dirt a long way. The job was pretty good, and i defeniteley learned alot of new stuff. Im looking forward to working with this guy again in the future.

I also did a lot of longboarding and fishing this weekend, i had a fun time. I went out for prob an hour on saturday and another hour yesterday on my longboard. I went fishing yesterday morning with my friends and then went to dinner over at my grandparents house.

Height: 73.75 in
Weight: 193.6 lbs

April Vacation

      Over April vacation i had a good time with all my friends. I did a nice hike at purgatory last monday. It was so hot; around 89 degrees that day. We went in the caves and hiked up and down the cliffs and stuff. It was fun. On wednesday i went on a run around the Rayburn Mountain Biking trails. I went in the morning with my friend. We probably ran for 2.5 miles, we were out there for a half an hour. I went out on my mountain bike on sunday and that was pretty fun too, i only went for like 25 min though.

       I did Back Squats in personal fitness the other day. We did 5 sets of 5 reps. The wieght i used for my sets was 95, 115, 135, 135, 145. on the last two sets i only got up to 4 reps though. It was a pretty solid workout and i feel like i tried pretty hard.

Height: 74in
Weight: 195lbs

5 x 10 Deadlifts

I worked out in personal fitness today, we did 5 sets of 10 Deadlifts. For weight for each set I did 115-185-235-255-275lbs. I feel I did a pretty good job on this workout, although I only finished 8 reps out of 10 sets. I'm proud of myself for doing this well but I feel as if I could have still tried a little bit harder.

Mile Run + Presidential Fitness Test

So my previous mile time of 8:24 was brought down to 7:50. I am very happy with drop in my mile time. this week we have the presidential fitness testing. I got 53 sit-ups in a minute, and 22 on the sit and reach that last time i did it. We have yet to do the shuttle tun so im looking to to sucseed in doing better than last time on that also.

I heard from a friend that we are doing push-press for a workout today. I am looking forward to some good weight lifting.

height: 74in
weight: 193.8lbs

Mountain Biking and Spring Sports

So my goal for this spring is to get back into mountain biking and spring tennis. I went out mountain biking  twice already and frankly I sucked hardcore. I went over to Rayburn, a trail network of single track mountain biking trails. It had changed a lot. There were fallen trails everywhere, and new trail loops all over. I struggled with climbs that i had mastered last summer. The drops and rock bridges that i once went out of my way to go over where now an absolute challenge. Although i had struggled with some stuff i also instinctively could do some of the other features that i mastered in previous seasons. There is this one trail with three or four old fallen trees, and instead of cutting them up and moving them from the trail, people had stacked up logs and rocks to make it able to trek right up and over the massive logs in the middle of the trail. I had fun. My dad i went out for around an hour or so. I'm gonna go out again on Saturday with my friend James.

The Boy's Tennis team at our school started a few days ago, and i still have to sign up, but i am looking forward to getting back into that too. I enjoy the awesome workouts and conditioning that we have to do to build strength up for matches. Im not very good at tennis but i can manage, so i hope to get better this season.

Dead Wrong

Dead Wrong is a true crossfit workout. Dead lifts, running, and burpees is about as crossfit as you can get really. This intense workout starts with a warm-up of one 400m run, 100 jump ropes, and 50 sit-ups, 3 times. Dead wrong is 3 rounds of 25 sit-ups, a 400m run, 10 dead lifts, and 25 burpees for time. It was very very intense. My time was 20:21 min. I feel very good about this time, yet i haven't been working out very much. I think with a little amount of time i can shorten this time down to 16-17 min no problem...I'm looking forward to achieving this goal.

Last day of the Paleo Diet

Today is the last day of my paleo diet. I have had a tough time keeping up with it in the beginning but more recently it has been fun with trying to come up with new ideas of things to eat. All in all i think it went fairly successful. I enjoyed it a lot. The diet was a complete success, i lost around 10lbs just from eating differently and healthier in the month of February alone. I thought it was a neat idea, and i would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a change of diet or wanting to be just simply healthier.

My knee has been feeling much better, in fact i was going to participate in gym today but i forgot my gym shorts so i couldn't. I am still going to try and stay off of it while working out for a while longer. I think i will probably do a set of 5x5 pushpress.
The Paleo diet is going well and i have started bringing food to school with me, i brought two apples and had a banana. I am having an easier time trying to find the right amount of food to hold me off until lunch time which alway starts from 11:20 to 12:20. I have to eat a few pieces of fruit and a glass or two of water to hold my self until lunch starts. All in all i have been doing a lot better with managing my intake and how much  i am eating.

So my quest with attempting the paleo diet in the month of February is going fairly successful. I have been making lots of steak and egg's to get the protien i need and lots of fruit and nuts for carbs and energy. I think i need to start thinking about ways to incorporate more foods together at once instead of eating tons of small meals all day long. I am going to definately look up some actual paleo recipies, and other ways i can eat more creative things.

I haven't really made salad as much of a part of my diet as i thought i would. I am going to try making a salad with hardboiled eggs, chicken, and some cranberries for sweetness over spinach and iceberg lettuce. Another thing i want to start trying is soups but i don't know the first thing about making soup so i will definately have to look up some recipies for that.

Height: 73 1/2in
Weight: 195.0 lbs

So for breakfast this morning i had a hardboiled egg chopped up and put it in a lettuce wrap with steack and guac. It was pretty good. I had some walnuts during school before lunch and then i had a sandwich without  the bread haha. I have been doing a lot better with my choices of food and portions too. My knee has been feeling better today and i can actually walk without a limp so thats good. I haven't done any exercise in a week which is a weird feeling and i am getting ready to do some upper body exercises. I really hope my knee heels up fast so i can start working on my lowerbody and then i can ski again too.

I have been doing pretty good with my little experiment of going through the whole month of February attempting the Paleo diet. I have had problems remembering to eat the right thing but in the past couple of days i have had to focus more on quantity instead of what i have been eating. I need to eat more, I'm frequently hungry. I started making a lot more creative things too. I made lettuce  wraps with eggs and guacamole and I'm gonna try making those with salsa too. I need to eat more meets and fruits. I just need to take the initiative to go and cook my own food.

I have to exercise more, except my legs started hurting a lot this morning. I think its hurting from walking a ton yesterday at the mall. I think if its still sore by the end of the week i am definitely going to talk to my doctor about maybe getting an X-ray on my knee. I hope it really stops hurting for good.
weight: 205.2lbs
height: 74 3/4in

My paleo diet has been going faily well. I have been hungry allot more than normal. I find myself eating regular portions of food, but i keep forgetting that there is no limit to the amount of food you can eat. I have been eating lots of eggs, hardboiled and scrambled. I have been eating lots of steak and chicken. Wheat is a big part of my diet, i eat alot of cereal, bread, and going without all of it is really hard. I have been getting lots of small short little headaches which Mr. Contois tells me is common to have them when first starting the paleo diet.
I wen't to Red Robin's last night with my dad and sister. I was pretty tempted by all the food they had there, i got a sald with grilled chicken on it, it was very good. I have been trying to eat more vegetables in my diet but i really don't like them so i guess that gives me just one more reason to eat large amounts of red meet...ha ha ha.

Paleo Diet

It's my second day taking part in the paleo diet. I feel like i have allot less energy off the bat, but i think i incorporate more carbohydrates into my diet i will have that extra energy throughout my day. For breakfast i have been eating eggs with some sort of meet mixed in. For lunch i have been eating salad with roast beef or turkey and no dressing.

I am going to try and do some more cross fit exercises and explosive workouts. I was reading that when doing the paleo diet it helps if your workouts resemble explosive exercises that a paleolithic person would encounter on a day to day basis. Things like sprinting and weightlifting with smaller amounts of weights and more repetitions are what I'm am trying to do with my workouts now. I think if i incorporate all these factors into my everyday life i will become noticeably more mentally and physically fit. I am excited to see my progress throughout the month of February.

So in the upcoming month of February i am doing an experimental diet plan called the Paleo Diet. The Paleo diet consists of only eating food that the paleolithic people would have eaten. That means no processed foods like bread, dairy, or other sweets with sugar. The main focus of the diet is on red meats, vegetables, fruits, and tree nuts. I am very excited to see how my body reacts to the paleo diet because i eat allot of processed foods with grains and dairy. I am eager to start my diet plan.

I didn't do much this weekend. I was supposed to go skiing on Sunday but i stayed home and built two twin bed frames. I went to a motorcycle show in boston on Saturday, it was really cool to see some of the custom bikes. I haven't exercised since last week so I am looking forward to doing some great workouts this week.

height: 73 3/4in.
weight: 201.4lbs

In the past week i haven't done really that much physical activity. During my gym final exam i got in a good workout of hang-power cleans. I haven't really done any exercise since then. I am looking forward to skiing later and get a good lower body and core exercise done becasue i havent done anything for my legs or core in a while. I think in independent study tommorow i will work on my upper body. I'm gonna do 5 sets of 10 reps of push-press and push-ups. My shoulder has realy been bugging me for the past two weeks, but its not that bad.

Height: 73 3/4
Weight: 201.6lbs

So I had a pretty uneventful weekend, i didn't do much of anything. I had to do allot of work around the house, and i had to help one of my dad's friends move into his new apartment. I hope to do some good weight training today because i have had a nice long rest for all of my muscles. I am definitely going to make my way to Wachusset Mountain this week too, especially since we got 4 inches of fresh snow last night.

Height: 73 3/4in.
Weight: 198.6lbs

Winter Sport Exercise

        So winter is pretty much my favorite time of the year for one reason. Skiing. I love everything about it, the cold, the challenge, and the fun that i have with my friends. I like the thought of taking my hobby of skiing to the next level by training to increase my skill and form through cardio and strength training. I have been researching a few plans of things i could do to improve my endurance and strength on the mountain. I found a plan of what i could do for a exercise on a web page.

1st. Core Training
Train your core muscles 2-3 times per week (both pre-season and during the winter), trying at least one balancing exercise per session. Rest for one day between core workouts to allow those muscles to recover and repair. Strengthen your core and improve your balance with any one of these "snow" workouts.
2nd. Strength training
One technique that may help skiers and snowboarders build the both strength and endurance in these muscle groups: Use lighter to medium resistance and a higher number of repetitions to help train your muscles for strength and endurance that these sports require. But "high reps" doesn't mean 50-100 repetitions with three pounds of weight. You should still pick a weight that is challenging enough to fatigue your muscles within 10-15 reps. To help build greater strength and endurance, drop the weight by 20%, for example, after you've reached failure and try to squeeze out a few more reps. Or you could try supersets, which means trying two to three different exercises for the same muscle group in a row (without resting), such as squats followed by lunges followed by a leg press. Strength train these specific muscle groups 2-3 times per week (both pre-season and during the winter).
3rd. Flexibility Training
 Being flexible can directly help you in your fitness endeavors—it improves body awareness, enhances recovery, and may even help you improve your overall form and performance. The most important muscles for skiers and snowboarders to stretch regularly include the hamstrings, quads, hips, calves, IT band, and lower back. In addition, the upper back, chest and shoulders should also get attention—especially by skiers. Stretch at least 3-4 times per week (both pre-season and during the winter) after your muscles are warmed up.
4th. Cardio Training 
There's tons of fun activities that can build aerobic endurance—running, swimming, jumping rope, aerobics, sports like soccer, climbing stairs, cycling, kickboxing, and more—and it's a good idea to select a variety of these things for best results. Try a combination of steady-state exercise (where you maintain a constant heart rate during your workout) and intervals (where you alternate between high-intensity bursts like sprints and lower intensity recovery periods). Do cardio 4-6 times per week for 30-60 minutes per session. Long sessions (over 30 minutes) are vital for helping you build the endurance you need for skiing and snowboarding. If you're a beginner, start with fewer days and less time and gradually work your way up.
5th. Practice
Then get out on the mountain and put it all together...

So i think if i just try to stick by this workout then i should have alot more endurance and strength while skiing down the mountain.

Weekend and School Exercise

So i had a pretty awesome weekend. I started Friday after school by going to Wachusset Mountain and skiing from 3 to 9. It was very intense, my legs were on fire after the first hour and it just got progressively worse but i didn't care because i was having a blast. Saturday i did allot of walking to my friends house and we had a campfire because of the nice temperatures. And yesterday i went to Wachusset again. I went with my buddy James, we skied from 4 to 9 and that was some of the funnest skiing i have ever done in my life, i just flew down the mountain as fast as possible every run, it was such and awesome feeling.

Today at school i did over head squats in my personal fitness class. An over head squat is when you start in a put the bar on your back like a back squat and boost it up over your head and then squat it. Here is a video to show the proper form:

Weight: 200.8 lbs

Height: 73 3/4 in.

For the past few weeks i haven't been feeling to good. But last Monday i felt really awsome and decided to ride my bike to school because my car was broken. That was really  the only exercise I've had in the past week or two...although i did go skiing for 4 days straight, and that took a toll on my quads.
I have been eating very good for the holiday season. For dinner i have been eating lean red meat with salad and another vegetable. For breakfast i have been making a mini bagel and putting whipped cream cheese on it with a glass of milk. I feel like i have lost a lot of weight.

Height: 73in
Weight: 199.2

I found this cool video of these snowboarders at Whistler Blackbomb its pretty insane powder skiing!