Hello Stranger!!!
My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. WoW! It has been way too long. Let me tell you. I have had my ups, downs, plateaus and you name it Idunnit! I am finally back on track again. Talk about a couple of months hiatus. I guess i’m the typical dieter/exerciser. I had put back on some weight with bad eating and no moving around. I will say that school started and i had nowhere to go. I sleep in my car because rent is too expensive, shower at the beach park late at night and yada yada yada. Cry me a river. I have been so exhausted these last 8 weeks. The semester flew by but without mercy. I took ten credits these last six weeks and they were heavy-loaded classes with their fair share of paper writing, researching, and reading. I’m talking by the truckloads. I don’t get but a few hours of sleep at night which is also not good for healthy living or weightloss. Maybe on a good night I will scratch four hours. I’m up a lot because there are tweakers and drug addicts about 200 ft. from where I park. Not too close but I wake up a lot to make sure no one is snooping around the car. I actually fell asleep in the beach bathroom changing my clothes once. I opened my eyes and it was morning. Whoops……..so anyway i am consistently back in the gym lifting like a man possessed and just starting swimming again. It feels great to be in the pool again. I have been looking for my camera and realize it is gone. I fly to Texas to see my children and wife so I will take a few pics there and post. It’s time to get back on track with this blog and let her rip! It’s time to get to my destination where I will maintain myself for the rest of my life. My goal? 60 more pounds and we’ll see how I feel and look and if I want more. My goal is to be able to run down the basketball court without tiring in two months. I believe this is possible. I believe I can. It’s gonna happen. To all my followers, thank you for your beautiful comments. I appreciate you and your support. Lets get back on the train and complete this leg of the journey. Aloha to all and my love to all and i will be posting regularly from today on. Expect pics taken by my wife by next week! Aloha!
HE’S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. Well hallelujah and zippadeedoodah! I am back in the blogging world. Let’s just say I took a hiatus from the world of blogging, mainly due to lack of computer cooperation, busy with work and getting back into school and, of course, I moved to Hawaii. Why can’t we just have a “smooth sailing” button to push and when we do, voila! Poof! Boom! Life falls into place and everything is taken care of for that day or couple of days…..heck, even a week would be pretty much outrageous. I am still on track on the weight loss but kinda maintained my weight a little more than I wanted to. I slowed down with the weight loss but have still been chipping away at it, slowly and painfully. If there is one thing I have come to learn is the dreaded word…………………DIET! It is everything. I hate deviating off of it but when your resources run low, money, time, food, access, transportation, whatever, your diet changes to accommodate your current lifestyle. And while you still eat pretty well, the gumption to give it all you’ve got in the pool or gym or street, even, goes down. Why? Because you know that your diet is not where you want it so it’s like walking uphill in the snow barefoot…..really, it truly is. It is HARD! I am refocusing my diet as of yesterday to the stern regiment I once had it one. I actually love it when I eat really well. I feel better, no bloating, no sick feeling after eating, no overfull sickness and the list goes on and on. Exercise is so good to do but soooooo great to do when your diet is aligned with it. I have days where I want to do less than stellar on that bike or, as of a few days ago, TREADMILL!!!, I try to push through. Am I resilient all the time and do it perfectly with my heart rate at a maximum effort every day, week after week? Honestly, no! But to all you fanatics and know-it-alls who base your arguments on hearsay…………Its okay. Life goes on. The sun still rises and your reflection will still be in that mirror when you wake up. Now, how it looks at you will depend on you. So I suggest smiling. It is far more appealing on a hard morning or especially when you just don’t want to put those shoes on. I know. It happens all the time. I try not to get down on myself and remember that it’s not the destination that I’m working towards but a lifelong journey that I embarked on and hopefully you will all continue to join me as we continue our lifelong work together as anatomical engineers…….
My Forever Valentine……….
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. Tomorrow is a day of great importance, especially with those individuals who have significant others whom they impart of their most intimate feelings, sharing all complexities and beautiful strands of life that make up a 
relationship. Many of us will discover the path of enrichment in life, finding our truest happiness in our soul mate and finding great fulfillment in putting forth all we have to make the relationship stronger each day and enjoying the strength of the love that is nourished and fostered by both committed individuals. A wise man once told me, “The greatest moment in our life will be when we find someone who we love with all our souls and they reciprocate that love back. Why call it a moment? Because when this happens that very moment can last the rest of our lives.” I am convinced that is true. An uncle of mine once asked me a very bold and honest question one night. He asked me is marriage is worth it. I responded and said as I truly believe this, “yes, uncle, marriage is worth fighting for.” I have been blessed to have such a wonderful woman who has reciprocated that fierce and deep love that I have expressed to her. She has a very unique quality that few possess. She is able to make any person of any background, creed, ethnicity……you name it, feel comfortable around her and trust her instantly. She has a way of emulating love for all people regardless of who they are. Many of my friends asked me is she was from Hawaii because she, “has so much Aloha.” Valentine’s Day is significant to both my wife and I because it is the day I proposed to her. I did it on this day so I would always effortlessly remember this and be able to tell my children and them theirs of when and how I asked their mother for her hand in marriage. I decided to share a little background on Valentine’s Day with the many legends that precede it. Here are a few of them:
Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.
Whether they are true or not, Valentine’s Day is a day to express our love to our significant other, in particular, and to those whom we have developed relationships with including family members, close friends and whoever we feel a need to recognize in our life. We should always express ourselves to those we love but Valentine’s Day is a day set aside for just that. So, take advantage of this entire day. Let whoever in your life know how much you love and appreciate them. I want to express my love to my wife on this special day. I am here in Hawaii but my heart and mind are always her. So on this very special day, Happy Valentine’s Day, Christa! I love you!
My flying nightmare…………
My beautiful Hawaii!
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. I read this post on another blog that I really related to and thought I should blog my own experience with it. I just made the move back to my home you all know as Hawaii. I am currently residing on the island of Oahu on the leeward side of the island. I moved here approximately a month and a half ago. I flew here on US Airways and can I just tell you do not at any cost fly US Airways! I have flown them once before and my experiences have been nothing shy of horrific! I am a big man. I know this. One of my biggest stresses is flying…..why? If you are a decent sized person then you know that sitting in one of those seats is like being packed like a can of sardines one right up against the other with space in between. When I found my seat the first thing that crossed my mind was, “am I going
A wicked hoisin chicken salad that trumps most salads!
to be able to buckle myself or am I going to need to raise my hand and try to quietly and discreetly request a seat belt extension? Well, my fears were confirmed. I squeezed into my seat and realized how painful the flight was going to be. My hips were being crushed and the discomfort and pain was already there just a few minutes after settling in. I tried to buckle the belt, being a wishful thinker and all. To my unsurprise it did not reach! Nooooooooooooooooooooo! My thoughts were like screams in my mind. I couldn’t believe I had to ask for that extension! Oh the shame……….and so my hand slowly crept its way up as the flight attendant passed. Excuse me, miss, may I?????? Next thing I know she had found an extension for me and I quickly buckled my self in. The flight was excruciating. I felt like everyone had seen her hand the buckle to me and was thinking fat man thoughts about me! That is my perception and my perception is my reality, whether true or not. The seat felt like a vice grip. Its mission was to make my legs go numb and halfway through the flight they started to get a little tingly. All I did was pray and tried to fall asleep. To my delight and relief we arrived at the Phoenix airport and I got off the plane and waited just over an hour before boarding again. Same scenario. Deja vu on the shame and embarrassment and the seat was loving on me as if Zeus himself were trying to squeeze the last breath out of me. I sat next to a young couple and let me tell you my pet peeve is when small people, especially this young man next to me sits in his seat spread out slightly leaning to my side, his left arm all over my right-side arm of my chair, legs spread and going slightly into my space. I waited patiently, bunched up and leaning left into the aisle until he went to the bathroom. When he returned, I had relaxed my shoulder, put my arm on my armrest and let my legs stretch out in front of me being careful not to impose on his space. I saw his face as he saw that I took ownership over my area and he seemed a little disjointed. I could tell on his face. He sat down and tried to push my arm off and tried to stretch his leg into my area and tried to lean left into my shoulders. He actually had the audacity to try to push my arm off the armrest. I opened my eyes, having them closed, looked at him and saw him looking at me. I said, “hi”. He did not respond but just kept trying to push my arm off. I then calmly reminded him that he was a small man imposing on my space and I didn’t appreciate it and he needed to stay in his chair space and all would be all right. Amidst his grumblings and whatnot, I ignored him and fell asleep for while and then suddenly we landed. I hate flying. I also vowed as I stepped on Hawaiian ground again that if I had to that I would do so a slim and fit man! That has led me to this point so far. I was actually starting this process in Texas but have since increased my workouts and intensity because of this situation. If ever I am having trouble getting going all I have to do is remember how it felt to sit in a seat I could not fit in for hours on end.
Food for thought…………
Soy bean hummus!
I wanted to share in pictures some of the things I have been eating with you so you can get a feel for my dieting habits. I love lettuce wraps with anything in them. One of the lettuce wraps I love to eat I spread some soy bean hummuson it and layer a tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic and apple cider vinegar mix on top of that and crunch away. It is absolutely delicious and filling. I eat two, maybe three of those and I’m good for a few hours. Sometimes I eat it on toast, but I prefer romaine lettuce leaves because it keeps me lighter and better and fewer carbs. I try to eat 30 minutes from waking up in the morning
First you put the hummus on the romaine leaf....
and intaking 30 grams of protein. I usually eat eggs or a lettuce turkey wrap or sometimes just some oatmeal and a couple of hard-boiled eggs. I also love fresh fruit in the morning and throughout the day and nuts for snacks. A handful of almonds coupled with raisins or berries or some form of fruit is my favorite. I love makingmy own yogurt but with my kids and wife not here yet, it is just too much yogurt to make in a crock pot. The quantity is massive….literally one whole gallon of milk. If I can’t find anything for a meal, and I usually like smaller meals throughout the day, I’ll grab one or two pieces of whole wheat bread, toast them and eat them with a
Then add your tomato sal\ad and voila!
tablespoon of peanut butter. Love it!
Sometimes I eat it on toast!
Where I work out……….
This is where I swim......100 ft. from the house......
Here are a few pics of where I work out. I use the beach a lot for my swimming which makes it harder due to the different currents that pull me in different directions while swimming. When I swim in the pool it seems so easy and effortless because it’s just still water. The ocean is like a circus and the pool is like a Japanese garden…..full of zen and serenity!
The path looking from the beach down to the house.........
From land thug to water bug………………..
Side view.......
- Me in Texas……a before look…
Side view
Me today in Hawaii.......
You are extraordinary…………..
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. I have been having a hard time blogging just because. I have intentions to blog but wait too long and before I know it, its bedtime. I will set a goal for myself to be more diligent and blog daily like when I started this blog. I have so much to tell and so much to share on my journey. I need to post all these wonderful recipes I’ve come across and all the meals I’ve eaten that are extraordinary by any means. I mean,I am literally depriving myself of fully expressing my day-to-day living and depriving all readers who support, encourage and follow me of the many things I have come to realize, come to enjoy and come to change. With all this being said I will say that this is the first of two blogs today. Just to let all people know, I am in Hawaii which means I am on Pacific Standard Time. I am two hours behind California, three behind Utah and four behind Texas making the east coast five-fingered hours away from here. I will be posting again with my measurement pictures and stats because my brother gets off of work today at 4 p.m. I will take the photos and post so by nine or nine-thirty I should be blogged with my weight loss results. Thank you for following me thus far and thank you to all for your encouragement and support.
Temptations are always around us.....
You know, even after all this time, I have days, sometimes almost a full week where I consider eating something else. A certain food crosses my mind and I want to eat it. For so long now I have restrained and withheld and kept at bay many foods that I could eat, treats entering the house, passing a store, and even while I eat my meal. However, I have noticed that when confronted with a “yummy” food, one that remains out-of-bounds with the dieting gods, the forbidden fruit of all self-proclaimed out-of-shapers, huskies, chubbies, flabbies, phatties, heavyweights, thunder-thighers, belly-totin miserables, I tend to make the correct decision to not partake or nibble or even sample that food for fear of regressing and erasing all the hard work I have put into my mind and body. The decision is quite easy and I don’t even think about eating that food anymore. It’s funny that it crosses my mind when unseen, yet when it becomes a visual in front of me I have an easier time not eating it. Now, that isn’t always. It also depends on the food. If I see pizza, then that day automatically becomes my cheat day because I cannot express to you in justifiable words the depth and love I have for pizza. It is one of those foods that is so delicious and so soothing to my body and soul that I will not deprive myself of the marvelous decadent symphonies that await my ever-so-eager mouth. And you know what, that is okay. When you do well for a period of a week or two, you need to reward yourself and feel no guilt. I do know this. I have learned that as you first begin your lifestyle changes with your diet that it is imperative to stick to a disciplined menu to allow your body to rid itself of the many cravings for those foods less than good for you. Once you have mastered yourself fairly well, then it would it be a good idea to have a cheat day. The more you practice will power the more will power you will have to make better choices throughout your days and weeks!
Remind yourself of your accomplishments………..
Will power is a battle worth winning!
There are mornings I wake up and kinda feel like I could stay home and not go for that swim. I have trained myself to immediately tell myself of all the progress I have made and how good I am feeling. This allows me to get up and out of bed and look forward to another swim and another pound gone. Reminding yourself of your progress allows you to see you are doing it daily and gives you that kick in the pants you need to get out of bed and do it again. I feel my clothes getting looser on my body. Shorts I could not button are now sliding off of me if I do not put a belt on. Shirts once too tight to wear and too short now are hanging on me and are fitting me better. Nobody will have a bigger influence on me or you but myself and yourself. It is very difficult to stay positive but it is absolutely possible. With all this said I will see you all this evening and tomorrow for some of you. I will post again and post my pics and results and progress. See you soon and wish me luck!
Breaking through the formidable runner’s wall……
us catching the train at the zoo!
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire…….so freakin bad! A lot has transpired since my last post. For some reason I had one post this last week that did not post nor can I find it anywhere in my posts at all for editing. It has basically vanished into thin air. I have not one clue where it went……..however, here I am. This week was definitely my runner’s wall as they call it. I pretty much did not work out but maybe once. My eating has been okay but could be better. I think I put on a couple of pounds back on due to my lack of motivation. I’ll expound more upon this in my next paragraph!
Runner’s wall…….
I was doing pretty well until a week ago. I think one of the problems is I can’t find an accurate scale to weigh myself so I’m not doing myself any justice by not seeing the progress I’m making. At the same time I am so fearful of looking at the progress I’m making for some reason. I feel that since I hit the “wall”, I might as well sabotage myself and do what I do best……and that is fail at it so I don’t expect too much out of myself and let myself down too much also. That way, I’m not letting myself down well into the program and I can tell myself I gave it my best shot but, “oh well”! The thinking is really off but these are my thoughts that run through my head. I can slowly gain my weight back and keep lying to myself that I am trying daily my very best when in fact I am not being fully honest with myself. I was really thinking deeply about it also this past week and was almost wallowing in my pity until it hit me. My epiphany. My wake-up call. I think everyone needs one. You can definitely find one if you think hard enough. The thing going for me is I really want to be better. I want to triumph over this. I want to look in the mirror and say I am strong. I am powerful. I am unstoppable. Then, one day……..WHAM!
Epiphany…..
As I sat there in thought and really struggling to through the negative self-talk for not working out yet another day, it came to me. I am so caught up in myself I forgot the reason I was doing this. I reread my About me section again. I am not doing this for me. I am doing this for them. The five innocent wee ones that depend on me. The ones that look up to me and say, “I wanna be strong like daddy when I grow up”! The darkness instantly cleared and my vision became very clear. Oh yes, I said to myself. I am not here for me. My personal virtues will benefit from everything I do positively for the better naturally as my life takes its course. My children will benefit naturally also as I better myself. I will continue to better myself as I live for them. They will be my constant reminder and my personal little cricket telling me to do it again because its good for me. I feel like a ton of bricks have lifted off my back. I don’t care that I put a couple of pounds back on or that I missed a week. My shoes are already on tied on my feet and when I publish this post I’m going for a run. Then, I’ll do my run again before trick or treating and then tonight. I’m going to do the Forrest Gump and keep runnin until my friendly neighborhood friend, Mr. Belly, leaves for good. So, I’ve got measurements I’ll be posting this evening along with our successful haul of delectable sugary wonders we’ll be graciously pleading for at each lit doorway we come across. Then I’ll measure everything in one week and have a pic for you too! I want to tell anyone following to keep following me and to keep struggling to lose the weight along with me. It’s time for a revolution of the mind!
Daydream………..
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. It has been about two days since my last post. I feel like I am slacking on the posting area. I love to post but the last two days have been Grande Central Station, USA, over here. Otherwise, all is well on the homefront and exercise front and Ponofront. A couple of recipes I must share with you as well as some new things I am doing to change my physical appearance from flab to fab and some of our songs we are dancing to, to shake your tailfeather.
Confessions of a weightloss fiend…….
I must confess that I did not do much working out these last two days. I have been doing a lot of leg work and I will say that I think Uncle Pono overdid it juuuuuuuuust a little bit. Okay, I was feeling the groove and overdid it a lot. Needless to say, my legs are still a little sore but nowhere near my crippledness a few days ago. I have found my lost muscles that once were there many moons ago in my quadriceps, inner thighs and glutes and hamstrings. Oh me oh my! I will say that I have all ready been on my morning run. And by the way, it was in the 40s this morning so I am now the unproud unowner of a few less eyebrows. Yippee! Aside from that, it was invigorating. I always feel so accomplished when I do cardio in the morning. That means I have the rest of the day for whatever else! So today, I am going again tonight, but this time to the gym where I can get some weight training and some cardio……ooooooooh, I can’t wait!
Daydream……..
I caught myself thinking and dreaming about the day I can take my shirt off at a public pool and not even think about myself for a minute as I usually hurry and fall in backwards or jump in as soon as the shirt is sliding off my body. I don’t want to give myself a moment’s glance of thought but just focus on the fun I will have in the pool with the kids. I found myself sitting in the pool and just walking out of it from the shallow end because its time to go and not glancing around to see if anyone is even turned slightly in my direction for fear of turning them to stone if they beheld my portly physique. I truly believe I miss life’s greatest moments in the slightest of things because I am caught up in myself. I really feel conceited with all this self talk but the fact is it is self-consuming. You wonder how people will perceive you. You wonder if you are even good enough for your beautiful spouse who is so slender and attractive and you begin to think your worth is far beneath hers and that she could get anyone skinnier, more muscular, more lean and athletically built. Someone whose jaw line was chiselled from the granite quarry up the road and whose abdominal muscles resemble those cobblestone-lined streets of Copenhagen where you visited that quaint cafe many years ago. I heard it best put that we are not husky. We are not hefty. We are a “powerful frame with layer upon layer of dormant, relaxed muscle waiting like a panther to pounce upon its quivering prey”………Couple’s Retreat.
Taking the road less travelled…………
Steps can be brutal, but they are oh so good for ya!
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. So much has transpired since I last blogged. I apologize to my readers for missing a day or two. Sometimes life just bombards you, interrupting your life like an unwelcome guest. A guest that never showers or cleans so that when that guest leaves, you’re left with that nasty aftertaste like a poorly made whey protein shake……..powdery chunks still floating around leaving that chalky, unwanted residue in your mouth. Through it all, I am still alive and going strong. I am feeling my body begin to respond to the workouts now more than just feel like I walked a hundred miles and nothing happening but the near collapse and shut down of my whole nervous and respiratory systems. No joke. My strength is returning as my bench press just jumped and I could feel my strength in each push of the bar. My legs are also becoming stronger and my knees are not hurting much anymore each day I awake. No joke, the sun seems brighter. Those dang endorphins are doing a number on my positive outlook. Sweet Niblets! Cool Beans! Gotta love these cool sayings!
Calorie Burners
If I focus on the television harder, will I burn more calories?
If I focus harder on the tv, will I burn more calories?
Composed here is a list of calorie burning activities we do each and everyday and I thought would be fun to post:
According to Kimberly Lummus, MS, RD, Texas Dietetic Association media representative and public relations coordinator for the Austin Dietetic Association in Austin, Texas, in 30 minutes a person who weighs 150 pounds can burn the following number of calories:
- Raking leaves = 147 calories
- Gardening or weeding = 153 calories
- Moving (packing and unpacking) = 191 calories
- Vacuuming = 119 calories
- Cleaning the house = 102 calories
- Playing with the kids (moderate activity level) = 136 calories
- Mowing the lawn = 205 calories
- Strolling = 103 calories
- Sitting and watching TV = 40 calories
- Biking to work (on a flat surface) = 220 calories
Doin the vacuum jig!!!
Bigger, stronger, faster…….
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. I’m really starting to enjoy my gym membership. But, do not worry. I will still be pounding out sessions on the black top of my barrio, ese, or in within the walls of my abode. Why? Convenience. Privacy. And, for those who do not or cannot afford a gym membership, you can follow along and know you can get amazing workouts in without a gym! The main reason I make my morning trek to mecca is so I can have access to the pool. Because of my weight, kicking and swimming in the pool takes the stress off my knees and allows me to work out my legs without pain or fear of injury. It is a great total body workout that really uses and tires nearly every muscle in your body. I’d say swimming is the best cardio workout for the least amount of damage or pain inflicted. My good friend, youasamachine, does a lot of cardio work in the pool herself. She is an avid health guru and gives solid information and tips on improving ones overall health. Please click on her link and take a look at some of the workouts she does and offers for as little as ten minutes per day to get that body you want. But beware, they are doable but you will find yourself sucking air. Good stuff! 
This is Mr. Jay Cutler, Mr. Olympia!
Top of the mornin
I usually end up at the gym or on my street in my neighborhood between 5a – 7a in the morning, depending on how tired I feel. I am starting two-a-day workouts now and really beginning to kick up some dust because I really want to see some results and really get my metabolism revved into high gear. I’m out for blood now and have that killer-instinct just growling inside of me now to go and get it done! If I’m at the gym, I always start with weightlifting. It gives me that pump I’m looking for and releases the testosterone throughout my body to begin the building process. Then, I will do a low-intensity to moderate or as I continue to get in better shape will incorporate sprints, whether running or on bike or in the pool, to maximize heart rate and kick up the calorie burning into high gear. Weights or cardio, which comes first? I, personally, lift first while the glycogen in my muscle tissue is high to expend that energy to build muscle and put forth great effort. That way, I will not deplete my glycogen and fatigue more quickly making my weightlifting session ineffective. Doing cardio first will burn more calories that day followed by weight training, however, for every 3 pounds of muscle packed on, a person can expect to burn 120 calories more per day during rest periods! Yikes! That’s sweet! So, however you do it, do it safe and get proper training on technique and rest time.
Un-supersize me please!
Huffin and a puffin to lose that belly........
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. I don’t know if I had told you but my brother-in-law had hooked me up with a gym membership to Lifetime Fitness. WoW! Lifetime Fitness is such a beautiful gym. It does not have the huge “WoW” factor with ostentatious amenities or the palacial-sized locker rooms with livingroom furniture or protein-flowing water fountains. It is very homely inside. The decor is quite nice with different sections having different feels to the area. Even the lighting has an inviting call to each part of the entire club. It is smaller, yet very comfortable. I enjoy it thoroughly. I have been one of the many who answer to its beckoned call. There is almost a sacredness, at times, to the place before the rush of people enter through the front doors. You can smell the sweat that has been shed there, the pain it has inflicted on many a soul. And yet, you can feel the release of stress and tension on each dumbbell…..on each machine. There has been many a pound lost within the walls of this facility. This is a place of triumph and honest work. A place where everywhere you look, there are mirrors reflecting your true self back at you. It is a place of real and honest reflection both outwardly and inwardly. The inwardly begins to take on a confidence all its own once the outwardly starts to shrink. You can’t run from you in there. It is a religion all its own. You go, you prepare, meditate, warm up, stretch, and begin your daily routine. Then, you close at the end with a cool down, all the while focusing on the rhythm of your body. It isn’t just a club or gym anymore. It is a place of refuge where just for an hour or two, we, to ourselves, are the most important person in the world and I am just now realizing that I am worth those one or two
Higher, daddy, higher!
hours every day. Our bodies are our temples. Let us honor them as such.
Adding to my “About me”
I have decided to add to my “about me” on my homepage. I will be doing that later on today and giving a breakdown of my week. I will be writing about certain topics and myself each day and will have that for you in my “About me” section. In this way, I won’t have to stress about writing what I eat daily or my exercise routine daily. I can skim over that briefly and share my feelings and pains and do the bulk of that on one day and log it in as my new post for that week and day. I will use one day for my diet and all the recipes that follow. I am new to blogging so I apologize to any who are confused or wondering about what I eat. I feel doing it this way will help me organize my blog life better and give you better blogs about me and my triumphs and struggles. I actually have fantastic recipes that I would love to share with you, also, especially since a lot of them are personal or family recipes. So, later on this afternoon, I will add on to my “about me” section and you can follow my journey.
Starting from Scratch
As I started attending Lifetime Fitness daily now, I have had to start from scratch. If you do too much when you are first starting or have been out of it for a long time, it is in your best interest to start light, very light. I am not ashamed to lift much lighter weight than my counterparts in the gym. It is all about technique over weight. If you can master great technique, you’re job is half over. Your strength will be greater and your physique will be much more proportionate and growing muscle will be much smoother. I actually jogged a half mile the other day! YaY! I am so out of shape it isn’t funny. I was so proud of myself. I might have been jogging very slowly, but it was my jog and I put forth heroic effort. Today, I’m planning on doing circuit training with cardio only. I’m going to hit the indoor track, then swim and kick for half an hour. Oh, I can’t wait! Remember, look for another post later on this afternoon!
Halloween is coming up so Happy Halloween you guys!!!
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. A lot has transpired these last couple of days. I was nominated by Jerry Keusch and “youasamachine” blogger for “The Versatile Blogger” award of which I had no idea existed until now. These two people who nominated me have incredible blogs of great depth and information. Both of which I read and sometimes comment on and both of which I take great informative tips or counsel on the things I am working on in my life and apply them. Link up and give them a look-see! I also decided to hold off on blogging until today to let people mosey on through and see the list of nominees……so, as you find yourself perusing the vast lands of blogdome and come across the list of nominees, please take some time and take a gander at them. You will not be disappointed.
The truth will set you free……..
How many times have we heard this saying? Let me tell you something. Knowing I am fat does not set me free. I feel imprisoned within a body that is not mine. I feel like the walls are closed tightly around me and I know they are because physical activity hurts. Breathing hard hurts. Getting up and doing it again hurts like a cantankerous sore that’s found its way onto the edge of your upper lip growing bigger and redder and rawer with each breath you take until you want to die. You
Walking the Walk!
don’t want to go anywhere because you don’t want people staring at it and wondering how filthy or unclean you are or where you have been or what you have contracted. And that is the world of the un-lithe. Yesterday was a beast day for me. I did not really watch what I ate but didn’t overdo it at the same time. I wanted, desperately, to workout but found it more fulfilling and rebellious not to. I had 100% NO desire, yesterday, to do anything that remotely resembled any form of physical activity and had this cloud of frustration all around me. I decided without first calming down and looking at it rationally that I would not work out at all and yesindeedy! I did not. Those feelings turned into determination this morning and pushed me out the door to do my walk. The whole fam came for the event and the temp was in the 70s.. Couldn’t have asked for a better morning. I just got back from shopping for a couple of hours and my right knee is a little stiff so as I sit here and recount my day to you I am icing my right knee-joint. I may know that I need to keep in shape and lose a lot of weight, but the truth is this. The truth is obesity sucks. Getting in shape sucks, and dieting sucks. This afternoon I realized I am not as committed as I should be….whether it be my food intake or my exercising. I am committed but not deeply. The kind of committment that makes a man get on one knee, look up at the woman he loves and ask her to marry her for the rest of his life. I’m talking COMMIT! So, I committed today, but this time it was deep…….deep like, well, deep. I went for my cardio walk this morning. Now, when I finish this blog I’m going for another cardio walk but this time will jog as much of it as possible. Tomorrow, I do it again. Nothing is going to stop me. I actually have a great capacity to drop a lot of weight if I really focus my efforts and are consistent….keyword…..consistent. Consistent is my nemesis. It has been for weight loss. I want to apologize for no weigh-in as I have been really sick and not been able to do much these last 5-6 days. So today I raise my glass and toast all of you who are in my shoes. We do this together. We do this, not for glory or fame or for the verbal praises of man; we do this because we know and realize our true potential. When all is stripped away from us and we are left naked, hungry, and vulnerable, we have two choices. Choice number one, allow 0ur circumstance to let us know we are naked, hungry and vulnerable or two, know we are at the bottom of the pool and only need to push off the bottom to glide to the top. I choose to push off and my push-off day starts today! I set a goal for a 15-20lb. weightloss this week. Goodbye Mr. Belly…………
My First Blog Award!
Thank you so much for nominating my blog for an award I did not even know existed until now! I am such a greenie having just started my blog a few short weeks ago. I want to shout a big awesome “Thank You” and “You Rock” appreciation yell to the wonderful youasamachine blogger with her stellar blogging style of fantastic information and tips on health and fitness. Truly inspiring. Last, but definitely not least, another “Thank You” and “You Rock” shout out to Jerry Keusch of TheFourRooms blog which I have enjoyed reading and am trying to do as we speak. And of course to WordPress.com for this wonderful opportunity to have a voice, even as small and insignificant as mine, be heard and hopefully can be related to.
Now, for the seven things about myself that I would like to share with you all.
!. I am the son of a double race. My father is Hawaiian and my mother is Caucasian, and I was raised on the beautiful island of Hawaii.
2. I am self-taught bilingual. I can read/write/speak spanish fluently and of course my native tongue is English.
3. I once met the niece of Butch Cassidy. She proved it to me by comparing a picture of Butch Cassidy on a video cassette cover to her nephew’s photo. They could have been the same person, they were so identical.
4. I absolutely love cheesecake, especially when the crust is shortbread!
5. I have swam with fish and sea turtles in Punalu’u bay at black sand beach on the Big Island (Hawaii).
6. I used to be a stenographer (Court Reporter) and could write (type) 285 words per minute.
7. I am directly related to the greatest female tennis player, Helen Wills….my grandmother’s maiden name is Wills.
8. I have a crooked 2nd toe on my right foot that hooks to the right….weird!
9. Whoops…..looks like I all ready did seven.
The rules for accepting this award are as follows:
- Thank the person(s) who gave you the Award and link back to them in your post.
- Share seven things about yourself.
- Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about their nomination.
Sweatin to the music…..
Break it down.........not break down........Yikes!
Hello. My name is Pono and I want to be a skinnyaire. Yesterday was pretty abysmal. Worn down, sick with a very sore throat, extremely tired, loss of appetite. And then, after an interrupted nap by my son in the afternoon around 3ish, I immediately started feeling better. I did get a much better sleep last night and am still tired but am more functional and feeling a heck of a lot better now. As for my weigh-in……I will do it come rain or shine this Sunday morning. I would love to do it earlier, however, some important things came up like watching my nephews tomorrow and completing a couple of projects around the house that should have been done until I became ill and couldn’t complete them. So, Sunday morning it is. I will also be measuring my inches lost and look forward to this very much. This will give me a couple of days to get back in the swing of things and get on track!
Let’s dance……
I had a good time dancing with them fam the other day. I am doing it
dancing with the kiddos.......
again today with the chitlins and we are gonna tear up the dance floor. I don’t care what my wife says, I CAN dance! Yeah, baby!!! It is such a great activity to do with family and friends and we just do whatever for a half hour. I was thinking of getting back into county swing….now let me tell you that is some heart-pumpin, foot stompin, hand clappin, sweat-producing fun stuff! I invite all who read this blog today to get on up and stomp your feet ’cause you and Pono gonna shred that beef! Here are some pics of me and the kiddos gettin it done and sweatin it out to Adele and rolling in the deep, Shakira and Estoy Aqui and Justin Bieber and Somebody to Love……oh, yeah. To really get my heart going and me wanting to quit after two minutes….all right, all right, one minute…..I incorporated some squat and small, controlled jumps. Whew! I’m exhausted!
Shake ya tailfeather!
I also had the opportunity to make dinner for the family so we made chicken fajitas. We purchased the chicken already seasoned from H-E-B. It is quite delicious. The meat is seasoned with some spices and it is oh so mouth-watering good! We usually grill the chicken thighs but we found ourselves without charcoal or gas so we did the next best thing. We cooked them in a skillet…….oh, yeah. Just for your seeing pleasure, I did a three-step photo succession of the preparation of one of these bad boys. Tortilla…homemade mind you, chicken, pico de gallo, lettuce and sour cream if desired. Super easy to prepare and fun for the family to participate in making and eating….Bon Apetit!
fajitas!
Bigger Fajitas!
The complete fajita!
Extra pics from last post!
Hey guys! These pics, for some reason, were not uploading to my blog and I felt they were necessary to show and tell……..
I took advantage of mowing by incorporating lunges in between rows!
Running, jogging or walking hills supercharges your metabolism!!!
I Wanna Be A Skinnyaire 