quick update with some really good news and some other not so good news.

I've been taking care of my diet and have been slowly incremmenting my exercise. So far comparing myself from my latest judo competition i'm at 170 now which is pretty cool. all body fat too, i've been keeping a blog about it somewhere else to see my progress.

I've started wearing leg weights to work so as to continue to burn more calories throughout the day. I'm usually on my feet all day so i'm pretty beat by the end of an 8 hour shift. Each leg is strapped with 10 lbs. i also have wrist weights but it's hard to conceal them and i don't want to look like a fool with blue wrist weights... although i'm starting to reconsider.

As for the not os good news. i ran into a customer who had an almost identical situation to mine with regards to my back. The doctor told her the same thing about her back(work it out it'll heal itself). However for her it got worse and when she finally did get the MRI she requested she ended up having a herniated disc. She says some acupuncture has helped her out a lot in terms of pain management and she gave me the guy's card. So while i scramble to get insurance for myself, i might as well pay the acupuntcuist a visit. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Hope it's not herniated discs. Everyone that I know that has had that problem ended up needing surgery for it.

I'm feeling real optimistic in regards towards my training. i'm now working out at least an hour everyday.

Bad news, I have a bit of a setback in terms of weight loss. I'm noticing that i'm starting to plateau a bit. So i need to recount my calorie intake and reanalyze my workout schedule.

So far i've added a full 30 min cardio during my non-martial arts days. I have a 30 min core workout session added as well. Been wearing my 10lb weight to work which has added to my calorie loss. Hoping to buy a black jacket so i can wear my wrist weights. Couple of months after that, i hope i can wear the weighted vest to work without looking too ridiculous.

In terms of food i've been more or less playing it lax just making sure that i don't go hungry but at the same time eat light. Trying to include more vegetables into my diet but i have to cook them and i haven't had the time to do so. I'm taking a break from the fat burners and see how my body adjusts to that. Hopefully it doesn't gain the weight that i have lost.

My back still hurts but it's not a hindrance towards my workouts. i'm still waiting to have insurance so i can get an MRI and see if there's any long term damage. My only concern in regards to what might affect my back is: high straining during Judo or a regular Tae Kwon Do workout. I haven't practiced TKD in a while but hopefully i can slowly add it back in my workout without any harm to my back. In terms of Judo i just have to make sure i'm warmed up so my back doesn't hurt. Next paycheck i plan to go see the chiropractor again and hopefully see an acupuncturist.

Even with these worries i'm really glad i've been putting the effort to go back to my old routine i used to have briefly. Hopefully i can one day workout again 3 hours everyday like before.

Be careful about over-training, bro. Older you get, the easier it is to over-do it, and the longer it takes to heal. To quote Kanye, "Drive slow, homie".

You can't hear Kanye man. Stop frontin', lol.

i don't get it.

oh and how do i get a fancy title under my screen name?

Attended Nikkei Games on Sunday the 17th. I ended up placing 3rd which was awesome. i won my first two matches and lost the other 2. Must've done less than 15 minutes worth of Judo but i was really sore the next day anyway. . Here are the links: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=41005919

and the 2nd match

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=41089621

Tell me what you guys think. I've only been doing Judo for a year and the head sensei said he'd promote me to brown if i win 2 matches... which i did. I see a bunch of mistakes here though from reviewing the video footage; like missed opportunities for uchi-mata or osoto-gari and tae-otoshi.