IN SEARCH OF MY SIX PACK

YOU WIN, WHEN YOU AREN'T AFRAID TO LOSE

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:18:42 GMT

The difference between great and average is how often you take risks.
Accept risk as a normal part of living.
View risk as a part of the process of exploring your world.
Make note of the lessons you learn
with each chance you take and move on.

Forget about the consequences of taking chances.
Risk opens you to only a temporary change in direction
that can set you straight for your next success.

If you're brave enough to risk,
to temporarily live outside of your comfort zone,
for a short period of time, you're big enough to win.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:37:36 GMT

I am going to business convention this weekend, so I'll continue next week with a lot of new posts...

Sauna...I Am Legend

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:25:02 GMT

After a great leg workout went to sauna with Vitaliy. Both of us were expecting a relaxing time in the hot sauna. We were severely disappointed. Something went wrong with the sauna and temperature never rose above 150F. We tried to do everything we knew, but to no avail. So we just spent a lot of time talking about different things, mainly about the movie I Am Legend.

Will Smith is delivering an awesome artistic performance and is really in shape in this movie, six pack and all...
I Am Inspired!

Visit the Official I Am Legend Website

SUCCESS IS CONNECTED TO CONTINUOUS ACTION

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:23:09 GMT

It's largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
You're not finished when you're defeated,
you're only finished when you quit.

The most important quality essential to success is perseverance.
It overcomes almost everything, even nature.

You can have a fresh start any time you choose,
for "failure" is not in the falling down, but in the staying down.
It's not over until it's over.

If you've got the courage to stick it out, you'll attain your goal.
Winning isn't everything.
Wanting to win is everything.

Eating for six pack - Part 1

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:21:11 GMT

Today I want to talk about eating for six pack.
It is said - "We are what we eat!" Who can argue with that? It is as obvious as sun getting up every morning.
However I want to add this to the equation: we are how often we eat...
it's pure logic to see that it is true. Have you ever had this happen to you? You buy something in bulk and can't use it all right away. So you find a place to store the rest. So happened that there is no place close by, so you take it to the garage or even worse - the attic. When you run out of the items that you kept close by, what is the next step? Of course, back to the store to buy more : ) , you get the drill. The only time you can actually find them again is if you are cleaning or moving! That is why in America garages are full of junk and expensive cars are out on the driveway.

Well, sorda the same is happening with your body. If you gobble up a really huge meal, let's say at a buffet or a party you went to, your stomach can't send all the nutrients to the muscles or other vital places in the body right away. So it is converting everything it can into FAT and stores it in the "love hundles", in my case. Then, few hours later, instead of using what is stored my stomach asks for more. We call it hunger, but it is not. Most of us have no clue how real hunger feels. We are just trained to eat a little in the morning, flush it with coffee, then junk food for lunch with large coke and then big greasy dinner right before we crush...

More tomorrow...

YOU CANNOT FAIL WITH A PLAN

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:58:49 GMT

Wanting success isn't sufficient enough to get it.

You have to ask yourself,
"What am I going to do to get the things I want?"

Your problem is how to bridge the gap which exists
between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach.

You cannot fail with a definite step by step plan,
because each step carries you along to the next step, like a track.
All you need is the plan, the road map,
and the courage to press on to your destination.

You cannot get lost on a straight road.

Am I really committed?

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:33:23 GMT

By now I came to grip with the idea of working really hard on my six pack. I have to tell you that I thought it would be easier this time. When I was in my early twenties it took some effort, but it was nothing like I am going through right now.

I was told by many older guys that when I will hit thirty it will be harder to stay in shape. I did not believe them then. Now it is a reality!

After two months and a half I am still far away from my destination. I am so glad that I gave myself extra time to reach the goal. But there is only 48 days left before my 33rd birthday.

Today I did not make it to the gym at all. I worked on the house with my friend Brad till 3 pm. Around noon his wife brought pizzas and Coke and I was determined enough to say no.

Later we went to Andrey's birthday party. There were more pizzas and sodas to tempt me. My favorites from Papa Murphy's...Chicken Garlic and the other one had just about everything on it. I pacified my consciousness with Neways PreMeal Tablet and dived into all the delicacies Sveta prepared. Chocolate candies were superb too. By now you've noticed that chocolate is one of my favorites.

So I am stumbling, but going forward...

Did you ever stumble on the way to your goal? Leave your stories in the comments.

Weekly Video Post: My Leg Press

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:16:44 GMT

I mentioned before several times that not just cardio, but building of muscles is the best way to burn unwanted fat. Here is I pumping almost 400 lbs.

My personal special recipe...

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:51:01 GMT

I am tired. I did not feel well all day. My nose is stuffed and I feel drowsy too. So I decided to skip gym today and get some rest. I don't even know why I got ill, maybe because it's spring and temperature changes all day long...up and down. Or maybe because I'm on low carb diet this week. Today I got a protein drink and an apple in the morning and just four boiled eggs during the day. Dinner consisted of fish salad, some veggies and again a protein drink.

Today I'll share with you my personal formula for getting well fast!...

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your wife or husband may not approve it, in fact my wife hates this recipe with vengeance...

Here it comes: I developed this many years ago, so long ago that I don't even remember when. But as long as I can remember it never failed me even once. I took half of an onion, 4 cloves of garlic, one avocado ( this is a new addition, because when I lived in Russia I did not even know that avocados exist) and three pieces of whole wheat bread. Usually I eat it all with milk, but, because of my diet, today I drank water instead. I filled my bath tub with hottest water and got in. Eating everything in the bath tub is kinda weird, so you can do it before you get in it. Then I spent about an hour and half soaking in the hot water. Also I added aromatherapy to the mix, I put some of the NEWAYS Healthy Blend Oil on my throat and temples. I'll try to get a little more sleep tonight too. I know that tomorrow I will feel like a million dollars, as I mentioned, this recipe never failed me.

Do you have any special way you take care of yourself when you don't feel good or when you are sick?

Emotionally hard ...

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:02:33 GMT

One of the challenges I have, like most other guys that lift weights, is to deal with the feeling of "smallness." On my journey to the land of six pack I have to go through the valley of shedding useless pounds of body fat. One of my friends jokes when someone suggests that he needs to get in shape, - " Round is a shape!" : )

So my shape includes bones, muscles and fat all together. As I am losing fat, I am also losing some of my size. Intellectually I understand that it is not so, that my muscles actually are bigger now. However, emotionally I see myself smaller and I feel smaller too. The other day I met a guy in the gym where I work out and we started talking about dieting and about my search for six pack. He is a strong and big guy, but a lot of his size is fat. He said to me that if he loses more that ten pounds he looks and feels like a twig! Hardly so...but if he feels like that, that is true for him. I had a similar conversation with another guy in the gym just two days ago. He said that I look smaller! Than he asked me - "Is it worth it?" I answered: "We will see." I know that he will be impressed when he will see my results, but for now I have to go through this in my head and in the gym.

So that's what I was fighting in the last week or so.

Have you ever felt like that? How did you deal with it?

A day of rest...

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:36:58 GMT

As usual I keep Sunday as a day of rest. After church we stopped by a bagel place and got roast beef and salmon sandwiches. They did not have whole wheat bagels, so we got regular ones. I liked the salmon one a lot, but roast beef was not bad neither. Then we went to Cold Stone to get ice cream - Mocha, Cake batter and Mint flavors. Yum, yum, yum...
How was your Sunday? Did you get any rest?

Whatever it takes...

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:43:58 GMT

It amazes me how my life changed just because I decided to find my six pack. I do believe that it's not so much the goal of getting what I desire that is important, but what I become in the process of reaching the goal.

I can see and feel how my lifestyle and character is changing little by little as I am moving forward.

It is so useful though to have friends that are cheering me on and not beating my wings down. Thanks to my friend Brad I am one step closer to finding my six pack. Working with him on Koinonea homes helps me to burn extra calories every day and to learn valuable skills in the process. I am always game for being able to kill two birds with one stone ; ) Creativity is an asset we can't underestimate!

What kind of creative ways did you come up with so you can reach your goals?

NO MORE FAT ; )

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:09:11 GMT

Looks like everyone is all about "fat FREE"

Fat free this, fat free that...milk, candies, cheese, soup and on and on it goes...well, let me tell you what I found out: NOT all FAT is so BAD!
In fact some of the fat is not only good, but it's essential for my body to function, it's even called that, essential fats. That's why I make sure I get my omega 3 and omega 6 every day, especially when I am dieting. What made me lose my six pack is not so much fat, but it is carbohydrates, and a lot of them, I confess. So I am cutting out on carbs and milk for that matter so I can get to my goal on time.

What's your take on that? Let me know...

In the morning...

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:53:28 GMT

Usually when I get up in the morning, first thing I do is drink two glasses of water and than one table spoon of Neways Maximol Solutions to get me going. This morning was no different. Looks like I will have great day...

How about you, how do you start your day? Do you do something every morning or is it always different?

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:42:41 GMT

One of the key elements in finding my six pack is getting rid of fat! The best way to do that is to increase use if calories and reduce caloric intake. Well my business is all on the phone and internet and though I was working out regularly, I could see it's not enough.

McCall was awesome!

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:50:02 GMT

We left this morning very early and drove through the snow about half of the way. Every one is still sore from all the skiing, so after church we all took a family nap. I'm taking Neways Recovery Plus to deal with soreness.

My road map to getting my six pack is very simple:

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:30:10 GMT

1.Heavy lifting to increase muscle mass.
2.Cardio exercises.
3.Proper nutrition and supplementation.
4.Daily blog posts.
5.Weekly picture taking. Waist measurement and weight checks.

Considering that I’ve tried to do it many times and failed most of the times, it’s important for me to get your input. So how do you do it, if you already reached your goal or what do you consider to be a stumbling block that stopped you from getting there. Feel free to leave your comments.

Working on my six pack...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:00:09 GMT

Вот это жесть!/ Smoking is bad for anyone!

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:00:11 GMT

Some people are of the opinion that smoking helps them keep fat off, well, maybe it does, but it kills you in many other ways as well. I don't smoke for more than 15 years by now and helped a lot of people to kick the habit as well. Yesterday after church went to to downtown Y to get some swimming in and spent about half an hour in Jacuzzi with Liliya. This morning did some cardio and worked on my abs. I feel so much better today...

Отдыхаем с друзьями/ Having fun with friends

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 06:00:12 GMT

Vitaliy and I decided to try 8th ball pool, the rules are different from regular pool we played back in former USSR. It was a lot of FUN...

Rest is very important!!
I know from the past experience that overtraining will kill my chances for success even more than lack of exercise. From what I read it looks like overtraining causes body to release more Cortisol, the hormone that will make my love handles even bigger. Plus it suppresses testosterone which is responsible for muscle growth. So, I'll make sure this time around to take adequate rest...

THE LAST SUPPER!

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:00:10 GMT

This is my last BIG meal for now, at least till May 3rd...

White Russian Christmas

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:41:18 GMT

I was so thrilled to see so much snow today!

I love Idaho, I love Treasure Valley, that's a place for me!

Had good cardio workout for an hour, while reading some stuff on business, did not even noticed time, it went so fast. I'll need to do more of it in the next 3 months.

Took pictures of me, let you see it tomorrow...

My wife is on my side...

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 02:36:16 GMT

Liliya is on my side 100% and helping me with the right diet, check it out:

Also I'm taking natural supplements like Durian Fusion and Maximol, but more on that later, I'm tired after workout...

Guests are coming soon...

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:44:24 GMT

Can't write a lot. Vitaliy and Natasha, Andrey and Zhanna are coming soon! We need to prepare everything for the sushi night. I hope they are going to like it. More later...