Ultimate Reset Days 6 & 7: No Treat No Surrender

Days 6 & 7: No Treat No Surrender

Let me start by saying that I really want a peanut butter banana sandwich with honey

Our first weekend on Ultimate Reset was a difficult one.  Saturday morning we met up with my family and some friends at the Walk on the Wild Side fundraiser at the Detroit Zoo to support the Clinton River Watershed Council.  Of course they decided it would be a wonderful idea to supply COFFEE, BAGELS, Timbits, breakfast bars, & BANANAS for all the participants.  How dare they try to do something nice for their supporters!  How dare people actually eat that stuff in front of us!  \

Later, when it was snack time, we busted out some almonds & fruit.  Thank goodness this event took place early in the morning before the snack booths opened.  One of us was ready to break into the Dippin' Dots stand, and I'm pretty sure the smell of fried "elephant ears" would have been the end of at least 1 person's Reset.  Midday my stomach decided to have a jumping contest with a kangaroo.  Even though the kangaroo topped a 27 foot jump, my stomach made an impressive showing with a 7 foot jump.

Wow, that dude must be really hungry!  Did you see how far he jumped?

The experience helped the four of us bond together.  Surviving temptation as a group was vital to our continued commitment to this 21 day ordeal.  We celebrated our success by eating dinner together, then throwing ourselves into another hotbed of temptation by going to the movie theater.  So many smells!  I felt like a Beagle at a squirrel farm, my noise was kicked into overdrive.  Good thing we ate right before the movie.  Smart.  Do squirrel farms even exist?

As if Saturday wasn't difficult enough Carol & I decided to place ourselves in a dangerous situation on Sunday.  Few things strengthen a marriage like surviving the temptation to eat like a warrior together.  We weren't suppose to exercise, so we went light.  We walked or did a light jog through most of this race.  As veteran warriors, we survived (the race) with ease.

Then it hit us...the temptations.  OMG, let me count the ways...

1. FREE Monster Energy Drink

2. FREE Bear Naked Granola

3. Giant Turkey Legs

4. Grilled Corn

5. Pulled Pork Sandwich

6. Chicken Sandwich

At this point I stopped counting and cuddled close to my wife eating our almonds and popcorn (yes this is on the list).  Even though I had a larger serving than I was suppose to, I feel I earned it since I burned off so many calories resisting temptation.

Real Warriors do not pull a 180 on their commitment.  My warrior spirit shall help see me through to the end.  While I didn't get to eat all that food, I actually felt great all weekend and am very pleased with the results of the Ultimate Reset thus far.  

Plus, I've never seen my stomach jump that far before...

Ultimate Reset Days 4 & 5: Warning Content Not Suitable for Blog Post

Days 4 & 5: Content Not Suitable for Blog Post

Due to the sensitivity of the comments and the explicit language that has been spewing from mouths during the Reset, I had to take a break from a detailed post for a couple of days.  Hopefully by tomorrow, we can scale back the hostility and return this blog to its normal content for your reading pleasure.

Oh wait...there is one non explicit quote:

"Just Mangoes (dried mangoes) are not allowed.  Fresh organic fruit!" (

Perhaps I shall take this intermission time to discuss an interesting aspect of Ultimate Reset.  Only light exercise (walking, yoga, etc.) is allowed.  This is no doubt due to the drastic fluctuation in calories and energy, plus the nasty caffeine & alcohol withdrawal for some.  Unfortunately, this is the one rule I have broken.  I am still engaging in my Focus T25 workout program.  I feel great and have not had a problem adjusting.  This is not the case for anyone else who has done Reset that I personally talked to.  

The most difficult exercise adjustment for me has been my pregame soccer snack before Friday games.  I previously had a banana peanut butter sandwich with honey on whole grain bread.  Since I am not going to eat a banana peanut butter sandwich with honey on whole grain bread, I opted for a Shakeology, which worked out great!  I had plenty of energy & did not feel weighted down by the food.  If you have not tried Shakeology yet, I highly recommend this.  It is a staple in my diet now.  I rarely go a day without drinking one!

Ultimate Reset Day 3: The Ultimate Battle Begins

Day 3: The Ultimate Battle Begins

Day 3 was not for the faint of 'stomach', let me start with this video to get you in the right mindset of what it will take to endure this 'Ultimate' Reset...

At the 0:55 mark of the video, you will get a taste of what some of us were feeling when the food cravings hit.  ah ah ah ah!  This made for some great interactions and quotes with each other.  Which I dare not post due to my desire to keep this blog at a PG-13 rating.

Many people that have completed Reset state that days 3 & 5 are the roughest days in the whole program.  I would like to personally thank all the influences throughout my day that contributed to making this difficult...

The person who decided to have a birthday during my Reset and try to share the celebration:

The saboteur that thinks chewy chocolate chip cookies make the perfect workplace snack:

In fact, everywhere I went it seemed like people were passing out snacks.  "Hey let's be unhealthy together!"  If you eat one too, then it makes it more acceptable for me!  Yay!"

As if it isn't bad enough that we are all battling the Reset Monster AND food cravings, we also are facing our emotional demons that have attached themselves to eating habits.  Of course we decided to take this out in the form of other battles vs each other. that we later regretted...

Carol vs Sarah
Sarah vs Vince
Carol vs Vince
Sarah vs Reset
Carol vs Reset
Brian vs Caffeine Withdrawal
Vince vs Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich Withdrawal (hey, don't judge me!)

Day 3 was by far the toughest.  Let's hope we regain our group composure and lean on each other to battle through this program.

Day 3 Quotes:
"I think I was having caffeine withdrawal last night pretty bad"

"Mouthwash to work instead of mints & gum, I hope nobody thinks it's alcohol"

"%$#@^ Ultimate Reset...I'm done with this shit"

Ultimate Reset Day 2: Still motivated, "you ain't so bad"

Day 2: Still Motivated

Woke up feeling refreshed and thought "you ain't so bad" Mr. Ultimate Reset.  Oatmeal, blueberries, and organic yogurt for breakfast was filling and tasted great.  Sarah made a slightly different version with blackberries and oatmeal.  I especially enjoy the special perimeter design for the berry placement :)

Sarah's lunch with quinoa salad looks amazing.  I just hope that is not the same leftover salad from camping 3 weeks ago!

...and then trouble begins.  Carol accidentally left her Reset bag with all her supplements at home, forcing her to look up the "what the %$^#& should I do now" section of the Reset manual.  Unfortunately no such section exists.  She decided to take an abbreviated version, while the rest of us were forced to drink this... yum...er...not!

Fave quotes from Day 2

"Looks like Cody is trying to Reset too!" - after the dog tried chewing his way into Carol's Reset bag

"It tastes like I swallowed a mouth full of murky lakewater" - when taking alkalinize packet

Ultimate Reset Day 1: Starting out on the Right Foot...or was it the left?

Day 1

All 4 of us were excited and committed as evident by Sarah's picture of breakfast sent via group chat around 7:30 am.  Two scrambled eggs, whole grain toast, and steamed Kale with pine nuts.  Nice start to the first day...

Lunch & snack were great and very filling as well; however mass confusion surrounded the supplement schedule due to one of us taking a very late lunch.  While Ultimate Reset excels at laying out the supplement plan for people, they need to add a "what should I do when the world $#%@'s with my Reset schedule?" section to the guide.

Dinner might just have been one of the best meals I've ever made.  Fresh sockeye salmon from Whole Foods made with baby potatoes & steamed asparagus.  The recipe called for a mix of spices that sent my taste buds dancing like a penguin at a fish eating bonanza, slimy yet satisfying...or wait, was that a warthog at a bug eating contest?  Either way, you get the point!

The only part of the day that was unpleasant was having to take the shot of green grass drink labeled "Alkalinize".  Although it did lead to some great quotes from the group:

"Is that what will make us poop?"

"Maybe this will make me shit at night then! lol" - response to taking the supplement late in the day.

America's Crisis - Ultimate Reset: Ground Zero

Convinced?  Truth is I am a bit skeptical as well, but the results are impressive.  Only one way to confirm this...

Welcome to Vintensity's

What fun is it to embark on a reset journey without dragging some peeps along for the ride?  To complete this journey I enrolled the help of my beautiful wife Carol and two of our friends.  

The four of us had a pre-reset binge consisting of pizza & a trip to a local Mexican restaurant, La Casita.  We indulged in foods that we will have to go without for 21 days.  I capped off my final day of ground zero with a banana and peanut butter sandwich, savoring every bite; while Carol enjoyed a large glass of crystal light and a couple of chocolate covered smores candies from Trader Joe's.

Our weekend consisted of more than just pumping our bodies full of toxins to clean out.  We planned our meals, created grocery lists, and went shopping at Trader Joe's & Whole Foods for our supplies.   We ended the day by cooking a few meals and wondering what the #$@% did we get ourselves into!

 

Focus T25 - Alpha: Day 4...Um, Barely Nailed It?

Total Body grrr...  

Shaun T is at it again, and this time he is getting his fill in only 25 minutes!  Total Body Circuit kicked my butt, leaving me sore going into Day 4.  It was nice to take a break and just punish my abs for a change.  Actually this proved to be a perfect workout, just difficult enough that I had to push to finish.  Abs felt great the next day at my soccer double header...ugh...lol.  Looking forward to the weekend.

Focus T25 - Alpha: Day 11...Nailed It

Today was a perfect day for Focus T 25:
 
 I woke up late and failed to squeeze in the workout at 5:04 am like I have been.  After being stuck in rush hour construction traffic, I finally arrived home with only 45 minutes to feed & walk the dogs, shower, and workout before meeting my mom for dinner.  25 minutes was perfect!  Previous occasions like this,  I would've pumped out a few push-ups & called it a day.  Thanks Shaun T!

The workout program itself is very perplexing.  After writing about how ridiculously easy T25 was in week 1, I am finding week 2 to be a bit more challenging.  How in the world can this program continue to get MORE difficult.  Well, the answer is that Shaun T is a tricky fish...

While I was bragging about how easy the program is and laughing that I wasn't even winded after a 'Cardio" DVD, Shaun T was busy working my muscles into a state of oblivion. 

Even though I "nailed" the workout, I found that my muscles were extremely sore as I attempted to keep up with the T Crew.

I imagine tomorrow's double workout of "Ab Intervals" & "Lower Focus" (aka, "Death to Smoochy") will prove quite difficult.

This workout program is growing on me and I am beginning to see why I should've trusted Shaun T from the beginning.

Focus T25 - Alpha: Day 5...Nailed It...er, nevermind

I was just about to brag how I focused enough to push myself through the entire long 25 minute session of lower body "burnout", then realized that the calendar calls for 2 workouts on day 5...ugh!

Well Shaun T, my bad.  If it's cardio your asking for, it's cardio you are going to get. 
Workout #2 in T minus 25...

Focus T25 - Alpha: Day 3...Barely made it!

 

OMG...NEVER EVER DOUBT SHAUN T!!!

After being bored and nailing the 1st two workouts I was having my doubts about this program, until... Shaun T caught me off guard...again

The workout started to pick up with some unique progression drills that I were a blast!  Only problem was that my body wasn't moving the way I wanted it to.  How did I make it 2 days without realizing how sore and how much Shaun T was kicking my ass!  Sneaky!  What a tricky fish!  Reminded me of when we hid moldy potatoes in the trunk of cars.  Even though the mold was present, it went unnoticed until one day....

P-O-W 

Focus T25 - Alpha: Day 2...Nailed It!

Come on T...I expected more out of this. Fast, slow, fast, slow, work, stretch, work, stretch...

I completed a set of dirty dozen push-ups later that same evening just to feel some burn.

Focus T25 - Alpha: Day 1...Nailed it!

Focus T25 - Alpha: Day 1 Cardio...Nailed It!

Shaun T must be CrAy-Z if he thinks I am going to get a solid workout in only 25 minutes.  I've endured some intense experiences: survived 2 bouts of Insanity, clawed through a Tough Mudder course, taught kindergarten for 5 years, and now Shaun T thinks a merely 25 minutes per day will be enough.  Ha!  I laugh in the face of danger!  This will be a nice break from my grueling 50 minute sessions.  Ugh...If I've learned anything over the course of my BeachBody career it's "the only thing worse than doubting Shaun T is taunting him".

1:00  - This is cardio?  We are going too slow...
2:00  - Ridiculous, I can't believe this workout is this slow
3:00  - Picked up pace, but muscles are already tired from all that slow muscle movement
4:00  - Can't believe I complained...NEVER TAUNT T!!!!
5:00  - Holy crap, I have 20 more minutes of this?
6:00  - eh?  No water break?  Stretching break?  Towel break?  Standing break?
7:00  - Refocus, go hard or go home...oh wait, I am home...
8:00  - My dog enters the room laughs and walks away
9:00  - Need a :10 towel break to drain the sweat pool in my room
10:00 - Refocused & picked up the vintensity level
15:00 - Maybe I shouldn't have jumped right to Alpha level...wait, what?  This IS the beginner level?
20:00 - Tough it out.  Tania just had a baby and she is smiling while working out, you can smile too.
23:00 - Drag your ass to the finish line.  Only 2 more minutes!!!!
24:00 - Still no stretching break?  Ah, push it! Push it real good
25:00 - Whew!  Nailed It!

Bonus 3 minutes of stretching.

The workout was intense, but short.  I felt great the rest of the day.  Despite the difficulty, I am still skeptical that the program will keep up its toughness level after a week or two.  I know, I know..."Come on Vince, don't you ever learn?  NEVER TAUNT "T""!

Anyone else up for the challenge?  Improve your fitness...25 minutes a day!