Memorial Day and #TransformationTuesday

Good Tuesday-that-feels-like-Monday afternoon, to you!

Aren't you proud that I'm actually writing a new post like I promised I would? With less than 3 weeks of the originally planned experiment time-frame remaining, I'm going to really make it a priority to convey as much content as I can.

I do hope that you all enjoyed the Memorial Day holiday weekend. I certainly did! I started off Saturday morning with a red potato and mixed vegetables hash with a side of fresh fruit. The hash was as simple as it could be, but the magic came from the limited edition jalapeño ketchup from Heinz. Like most store-bought ketchups, it could certainly be a bit healthier since it contains a fair amount of added sugar, which is a bit of a paleo no-no, but it's so delicious that when used in moderation, it won't derail any overall progress. That afternoon, after a group lunch at EarthFare, I went thrift shopping with some friends (found a Clemson hoodie for $4!). Then we enjoyed a game night at the home of Kaeli and April, complete with a big bowl of watermelon sangria that I made...and a late night trip to Waffle House where we all gorged ourselves on hashbrowns.

Hash, fruit, and ketchup of the gods

"Bottle of white, bottle of red..." throw in some brandy and you've got some dangerous fruit

On Sunday, I met two of my favorite people in the world, Jonathan and Becca, for lunch at Miso Teriyaki House in Johnson City. They live in Raleigh, NC now, so I hardly ever get to see them. I had a seaweed salad and some mixed grilled vegetables, both of which likely contained soy sauce and/or tamari. Along with their friend Bo, the 4 of us also shared a couple bottles of sake. Was my meal vegan? Yes. But was my meal paleo? No. But was I sharing an awesome afternoon with people that I love and cherish dearly and don't get to see nearly enough? Yes. Your argument is invalid.

After lunch, we walked over to Kroger and picked up a couple of six packs of cider (one Strongbow and one Angry Orchard Apple Ginger) then went back to Becca's mother's house where we played cards out in the back yard with Becca's sister, Hannah (who is a castmate in both of my shows this summer) and the dogs, Patti and Gilbert.

Me and the gang enjoying the Spring weather

I didn't win any hands, but at least the beverages and company were good!

Memorial Day Monday started out as a pretty lazy day, then I went to my parents' house for our Memorial Day dinner. The grill hadn't been cleaned and prepared for the season, so we didn't do a cookout, but we ate pretty well all the same. My family had beans and cornbread with some roasted potatoes. I made some sauteed marinated eggplant and zucchini, sweet potato fries (I'd been eating too many regular potatoes recently, so I opted for the sweet potato instead), and an awesome Asian-inspired coleslaw that I improvised.

Asian-inspired slaw along with my eggplant, fresh purple onion, zucchini, and sweet potato fries

The slaw consisted of shredded cabbage, some "broccoli slaw" (shredded broccoli and carrot), red onion, cucumber, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries. The dressing was made from balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sunflower butter, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and another new ingredient, coconut aminos!

I mentioned last week that I'd made a stir fry using this product, Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Aminos, which is used as a substitute for soy sauce. There are other liquid amino products out there that serve as an awesome savory seasoning that is lower in sodium than soy sauce and gluten free. But, most of these products still contain soy. This product, however, is made from only organic raw coconut sap and sun-dried sea salt, so it is gluten free, soy free, organic, and vegan! And while it's made from coconut, it doesn't have a "coconuty" flavor. The major downside to this product is that it's quite expensive. The bottle I purchased from EarthFare was, I believe, around $9!

A bit pricey, but definitely worth it!

Every Tuesday, social media sites are filled with collections of images, usually before-and-afters, accompanied with the hashtag #TransformationTuesday. These images are shared to show a transformation of some kind, usually the progress of the poster in terms of weight loss, workout progression, etc. Over the weekend I hit a bit of a personal milestone. I stepped on the scale on Saturday morning (before my huge breakfast of course) and saw a number that I wasn't sure I'd ever see: 185. 185 has always been this sort of theoretical weight that I figured would be the lowest I could ever reasonably be, especially considering that I'd always been on the heavier side. I was expecting to see this number sometime off in the future, way beyond the conclusion of this experiment, and only after significant increases in my physical activity. Seeing this number now was such a motivator and an eye-opener. It helped me see that the only true limits to our success are the ones we place upon ourselves. It helped me to reevaluate my goals and to truly appreciate the progress I've made. The number 185 meant that I've lost 70 pounds from the time after I graduated from Clemson when I was at my heaviest!

So, in honor of this achievement, and since today is the appropriate day, here is my own #TransformationTuesday photo from Instagram (follow me on Instagram @jmluttrell).

#TransformationTuesday Officially a 70 pound difference over nearly the last 5 years. Note the whale on the shirt on the left and the puma on the shirt today; quite appropriate.

Since I hit this milestone earlier than I'd anticipated, it also means that there's no better time to step up my workout routine. I didn't have any workout equipment at home, and because of my living situation (apartment with neighbors on both sides and below), it's hard to do much cardio/plyo at home without upsetting the neighbors. So, last week I purchase a pair of Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells. They allow me to replace a whole rack of weights with only two that I can adjust the weight of anywhere from 5 to 52.5 pounds each! (God bless the UPS driver who delivered them) I'll still be going to the Y for my cardio workouts such as my spin class and to use their equipment like ellipticals and AMTs, but I also needed an option to be able to get in a workout at home since my schedule doesn't always allow for trips to the gym. Starting today, I'll be implementing the following 4-week exercise plan from Men's Health which is designed to send your resting metabolism way up so that you continue to burn fat even while not working out (I'll be subbing dumbbells for barbell whenever possible, and incorporate different substitutions for the exercises when that isn't possible): 

The Weight Workout

Alternate between weight workout A and weight workout B, 3 days a week, resting at least a day between sessions. Perform each pair of exercises as alternating sets. That is, do one set of the first exercise, rest for the prescribed amount of time, then do one set of the second exercise, and rest again. Repeat until you've performed all the recommended sets. Note that the sets, repetitions, and amount you rest between sets change from week to week.

Workout A
1. Split squat + barbell row
2. Romanian deadlift + standing dumbbell press
3. Dumbbell bench press + chinup
Workout B
1. Front squat + close-grip chinup
2. Dumbbell stepup + barbell bench press
3. Standing barbell shoulder press + dumbbell face pull

Week	Sets	Reps	Rest
1	2	15	75
2	2	15	60
3	3	12	75
4	3	12	60

The Interval Workout

Alternate between interval workout A and interval workout B, 2 days a week, on the days between your weight workouts. To perform the intervals, run or cycle at the fastest pace you can maintain for the duration of the sprint time. Then slow down to a pace that's about 30 percent of your full effort for the "recovery time." Repeat until you've completed all the prescribed intervals for each workout.

Workout A

Week	Intervals	Sprint Time	Recovery Time
1-2	4	30 seconds	90 seconds
3-4	6	30 seconds	90 seconds

Workout B

Week	Intervals	Sprint Time	Recovery Time
1-2	3	60 seconds	180 seconds
3-4	5	60 seconds	180 seconds

This will carry me through the run of my first show this summer, Urinetown, and give me a good start into the rest of the rehearsal process for Les Misérables. I'll be doing this Tuesdays through Saturdays, with Sunday and Mondays being my rest days, although some impromptu extra runs may happen here and there since I've got a few 5Ks and such in the coming months.

Once again, thank you all so much for the support and words of encouragement you've shared. I'm hoping to post again later this week to fill you in a bit more on all these shows I keep talking about being involved with. Until then, enjoy the spring weather, and be sure to thank a veteran or active service member for their work in preserving our freedom as we pass Memorial Day and move toward the 4th of July. See you soon!

Much love to you all,

Jon