Ready to coast?
Collin Neal's Tale of the Tape
Starting weight: 177.7 lbs.
Current weight: 162.2 lbs.
Starting body fat: 26.5%
Current body fat: 14.4%
What a crazy week. It’s hard to maintain a competition-level lifestyle of healthy eating and constant working out when life happens.
I got rather sick last week, went on a long weekend vacation and had a very busy work week when I returned! I didn’t work out once all week!
Sorry, Gabrielle Payne (my personal trainer at the City Centre Community Centre).
That being said, I didn’t eat much when I was sick and my vacation did involve some large hikes and lots of walking, so I wasn’t entirely the poorest performing contestant.
Speaking of contestants, my competitor in the News’ Fitness Challenge, Rob “The Mongoose” Akimow, has a mischievous and confident look on his face today. I think he has some tricks up his sleeve or that he may have actually lost more weight than me, for once. After all, his pants are looking pretty baggy today.
I think I should take this new-found cockiness from the Mongoose as the motivation I need to get back on the workout train. Actually, I won’t need to use any of this “mongoosing” as motivation.
Once Gabrielle reads this article, she will read me the riot act and that will be all the motivation I need to get back on my schedule!
As I write this, I’m dreading the next seven-day outline that she prepares for me. It’s probably going to be full of burpees, chin-ups and more of the dreaded interval sprints on the treadmill. Gabrielle will probably bring back the two-a-day workouts that started me of on this journey to weight loss. It’s going to be painful, but I think I deserve it after the past week of inaction; it’s going to help me win this competition.
There are only 11 days left until the final weigh-in. It’s time to step it up and close this out and leave The Mongoose in my dust.
After discussing my end game strategy with Richmond News reporter Alan Campbell, and the rest of the editorial team, they suggested the best strategy would be to stop working out, have a few beers, and to coast in to the finish line, while The Mongoose steps up his effort for his final push.
A futile final push I would suggest. Take that, Mongoose!
Staying the course
Rob Akimow's Tale of the Tape
Starting weight: 168.4 lbs.
Current weight: 161 lbs.
Starting body fat: 23 %
Current body fat: 17.25 %
Going into the recent Victoria Day long weekend, I was at a crossroads.
Do I throw eight weeks of workouts and good eating habits to the wind and devour the pizza, donuts, burgers, sausages and beers that would be front and centre at my friend Bruce’s long weekend BBQ extravaganza?
Or do I continue down the righteous path of clean eating and little drinking and eat the cucumber plate Bruce’s lovely wife, Karen, (a Quilchena elementary school teacher, shout out to the Cyclones) put out for me?
While tempting (particularly the donuts), the answer was clear. I stayed true to my eating habits, devoured two steaks and held back on the treats.
Conversely, I do know Collin “Après Ski” Neal was kicking back in Tofino on the long weekend, chowing down on Vancouver Island’s finest eats and apparently drinking enough to make even the lowliest sailor proud.
When I walked into the City Centre Community Centre for my unofficial weigh-in this Tuesday, I came in a solid four pounds lighter than the previous Thursday.
As you may have read in last week’s column, now, more than ever, is “go time” for #TeamMongoose if I stand a chance at winning this Fitness Challenge.
It appears as though my wife was right, in the end. No matter what, it will be one thing, and one thing above all, that will carry me to victory in this challenge — my ego.
Still, I must not get ahead of myself, June 6 is the official end date of the challenge and there is plenty of contest left and I must be vigilant in my quest to crush Collin.
I’ve also made the decision to continue with my trainer, A.J., after the challenge is complete.
I am enjoying the stronger, lighter me. I am not enjoying the “crow push-ups” and the “battle ropes” but truth is, they provide results.
A few weeks ago, I said lizard crawls are the hardest thing ever, but I was wrong. It’s definitely the crow push-ups.
Speaking of those, I now have a new-found hatred for crows.
This week, I found myself on the Canada Line getting irrationally angry thinking about how people say crows remember faces.
“Stupid crows, no wait, stupid people,” I thought to myself. “How do they know crows remember faces?”
Who comes up with that stuff? Are there crow scientists? If there are, then why?
Shouldn’t they be focusing on more important things other than crows remembering faces?
I digress.
On another note, my wife says my diet is affecting my behaviour and that sometimes I go on illogical tangents about things like ... well, crows.
I am not sure if I believe her.
Until next week, Richmond. #TeamMongoose.
