Skogg Challenge - Day 1:60 - Flow Workout

**Updated to document the rest of today...**

Well, today officially marks the START of the SKOGG 60-day challenge for me.

Nutrition Component
My eating thus far has been on schedule and clean.  Since I've had 2 weeks to 'test drive' the eating plan, I have identified where I have some personal shortcomings.  For me, preparation is going to be key to being successful. When I don't have my meals planned in advance, I tend to crave what I'm not supposed to be eating.  So, I'm realizing that preparation will be very instrumental to my success.  These are all basic things that I know, but there is always that 'a-ha' moment when you really understand what aspects of your own personal behavior are creating your success obstacles.  Lastly, journaling is also a motivator and a way to keep me on track. My Diet Snaps application has been great!  I still use it almost every day.  There's just something about logging your food and knowing that someone else will see it (or even just you will see it) to help keep you accountable.  I forgot to track my exact water consumption today, but I polished off about 3/4 of a gallon today.  I'll strive for the full gallon tomorrow. I got over a gallon of water in today.  I didn't measure each cup exactly, but I know made it through over a Gallon at home.  Today was pretty good.  Additionally, I also cooked the best dinner that I've made in a long time! I baked chicken in parchment paper with lemon juice, lime juice, Mrs. Dash, Paprika, pepper, garlic and a pinch of sea salt. I also roasted some grape tomatoes in parchment paper. I let the entire dinner bake while I did my cardio.  I finished it off with some crushed walnuts and about 2 cups of broccoli and carrots. YUMMY!!  I made enough chicken for tomorrow's lunch as well.

Exercise Component
Before my clients arrived, I did a Skogg Flow workout, and it felt great!  It was a good time to do it since I did Ladders on Saturday and Flow actually builds on Ladders.  Since it was my first time doing the workout, I used my 12kg bell on Level 1.  I definitely can increase next time, in both weight and duration.  This workout also did not include rests in between ladder rungs. It was continuous, and I loved it!  The workout was just long enough to get my heart rate accelerated, a good sweat going and then it was over just like that! I'll look forward to the next 3 days of Skogg this week. I will commit to moving up to level 2 now. Lastly, I want to comment that usually I'm a 45-60 minute workout person, and I didn't really think that shorter workouts would 'do it' for me. However, I find these shorter workouts to be quite refreshing. In addition, starting off with shorter workouts is also helping to protect my hands. I'll make my workouts longer over time, but I like the way that I've started off and trained for the past 2 weeks.  I am also fully aware and mentally prepared for intensity increases as the time duration increases.

Lesson Learned
    Slow workouts +  reasonable weights + focusing on basic movements = hand preservation (priceless) :-)

Anyway, I think that my experience with Skogg thus far has shown me that workouts don't have to be super long or push you to failure to be effective. Again - something that I've always known but never really "lived it" for myself.

Warmup - 3:00 (Divebomber & Hand Touch)

Flow Drill in Ladder Circuit @ 12kg
Performed Exercises 1-6 on the Left then 6-1 on the Right for the desired number of reps.
Max Rungs: 3
Rep Order:
   1, 2, 3
   3, 2, 1
Exercises: Skogg 6 (foundation moves)

Cool-Down

What's Next?
Later tonight, after I work with my clients, I do plan to get in some additional cardio.  It's really windy today, so riding my bike outside is out of the picture. I'll either do some treadmill or my elliptical. I'm focusing on finishing today strong and getting ready to do it again tomorrow! Oh, I also think that it's worth mentioning, that I am noticing some definition in my shoulders and arms.  I noticed when I put on my riding gear on Saturday that my arms appeared to be more firm and starting to get some shape.

ETA: I did 40 minutes of interval work on my ellliptical and finished up with 200 kettlebell swings. It was pretty tough cardio, and there were times when I wanted to give up. I am proud of myself for gutting it out and going through it.  My swings looked like this (all 2H):
20kg @ 40 reps
24kg @ 30 reps, 15 reps
20kg @ 20 reps
24kg @ 20 reps
20kg @ 20 reps
24kg @ 20 reps
20kg @ 20 reps
24kg @ 15 reps
200 swings in about 5 minutes

After my workout, I ate my dinner and took some supplements to help with inflammation (CLA, Sorenzyme, Omega 3's, & Green Tea Capsules).  I also continued to polish off some more water throughout the night.  I'll try to get to bed between 11:45PM and midnight.  I want to plan my menu for tomorrow before going to bed, reflect on today, and then get some rest.

In closing, let me add that on Monday nights, I am going to be all over WWE Tough Enough.  I thought it was great!!!

Cheers all.