Now it’s all about the final shred as week after week another layer is peeled away revealing what lies beneath. Pretty sure my 59 year old guns are going to show up!

“Once in a while someone amazing comes along…….and here I am!”

~ Tigger

Officially entered! I need to schedule my polygraph and my spray tan sessions. Just ordered my posing trunks, 30 inch waist, unbelievable that I began this journey wearing 42 inch trousers. I lost 14 lb in 2015, 15 lb in 2016, 12 lb in 2017 and 16 lb thus far in 2018.

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”

~ Peter Pan

It’s amazing how downward movement on the scale is so motivating, under 164 for the first time in 35 years! By contest time this will have been a three year journey. Looking good enough at 59 to go shirtless on the beach and to not embarrass myself on stage but I’m chasing a trophy thus the next month will be intense!

“It’s better to die than to never really have lived.”

~ William Wallace

I think I’ve figured out why I’m not sleeping well and it was self-induced. Normally I don’t use a pre-workout but about three weeks ago I started downing a dozen dark chocolate coffee beans before training and on most days that’s around 3:00 PM, duh! We’ll see how I sleep tonight sans coffee beans. Once again, my clothes are fitting very loose but I’m going to hold off on buying new clothes for a few weeks. On an unrelated note, I’ve started writing a book or to be a little more precise I’m writing an outline for a fictional work that will be my focus after I compete in July. More on that as things progress.

“Wherever you write is supposed to be a little bit of a refuge, a place where you can get away from the world. The more closed in you are, the more you’re forced back on your own imagination.”

~ Stephen King

I’ve lost many friends, family and coworkers to cancer over the years and I have to wonder how much early death could have been avoided and how much of a difference does optimal nutrition and fitness level make in not getting cancer or in surviving chemo.

Here are some interesting links with regards to nutrition and strength training as they relate to cancer.

https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/8-weapons-to-kick-cancers-butt

https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/ketogenic-diet-weakens-cancer-cells/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=28074412

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=28074412

https://www.reachbeyondcancer.com/podcast/

Still having great workouts even though I’m not sleeping well. Being able to rise for the occasion is a skill I picked up in the military, a mental toughness that I’m grateful for. I know that each week will be a challenge, so I need to keep my stressors low!

“Ah but I was so much older then, I’m younger then that now.”

~ Bob Dylan

Rest days are good for reflection, thinking about the task at hand and what lies ahead. Now begins the period of time when easy derailment is possible and it could come from any of the many hats I wear. Hats such as Systems Analyst, Dad, Son, Friend or from an injury or even a cold. I have no margin for error. Still I press on!

“Shake the dust off of your feet, don’t look back. Nothing now can hold you down, nothing that you lack.”

~ Bob Dylan

One advantage to losing 55 pounds is that my body runs much cooler now. I have not turned on the AC so far this year. Plus my resting heart rate average is now 58, down from the low 70s two years ago and now I barely snore (I was horrible)!

“Just like in bodybuilding, failure is also a necessary experience for growth in our own lives, for if we’re never tested to our limits, how will we know how strong we really are? How will we ever grow?”

~Arnold Schwarzenegger

Finally a weigh in under 165 and at age 59, down to my 24 year old weight. While many competitors are coached and are part of a team, I do it all on my own. My programming, my nutritional plan, my meal prep, my posing prep. All in all an awesome learning experience.

“Don’t give up on your dreams or your dreams will give up on you.”

~ John Wooden