Mirror mirror on the wall

Today, I had a 9AM tae kwon do class. When I got there, I was told that, because of the warm weather, we weren't wearing uniform tops today, just t-shirts. Keep in mind that a martial arts dojo is room with mirrors on the walls. Well I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had actual biceps. I also looked thinner and my jawline looked stronger. Now, all of this might have been wishful thinking, but usually the first t-shirt workout of the Spring is not a pleasant experience for me and I go home and start doing crunches. This time, I'm ahead of the game. Plus, I was really strong in my workout this morning. In sparring, I landed a crescent kick to my opponent's head....twice. I've been trying to get that kick to land for a very long time. Granted this was against a lower-ranking student, but he was a very hard hitting lower-ranking student. So, I'm getting benefits in my martial arts after only two weeks on Body for Life and I'm noticing some visible improvements to my appearance (at least I think I am). For the record, one reason I'm doing this program (and I haven't mentioned this to anyone or recorded it anywhere) is that I want to be in really superior shape if and when I test for my third degree black belt. When I tested for my second degree, I passed the test, but I wasn't happy with my performance, especially my lack of cardio endurance. I don't want that to happen again.

Cheryl and I laid out in the sun for awhile today. I've been wondering if I could tan up for my final pictures without using a tanning salon, but I wasn't too sure if I could get the color or the coverage I wanted. I hope the neighbors weren't too offended by my speedo. Of course, in another ten weeks, maybe they'll not mind at all. (Cheryl, by the way, looks just fine in her bikini.)

I've been kicking around the idea of professional pictures for our after photos. I know it's recommended, but I really didn't expect it would make much of a difference. For one thing, Cheryl and I are both photographers, so we are capable of doing some decent pictures. Unfortunately, we don't have studio lighting and a backdrop. We could probably take them outdoors. The other thing is that I would like to place in the challenge, but I know that there are thousands of people competing with us. You'll notice I said "with", not "against"; I don't consider other BFL'ers the enemy. The enemy is our unhealthy society and the corporations that encourage us to take the easy way on everything including food. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. Anyway, I love the great studio pictures that so many people submitted. I don't know how many of the photos of the champions might have been reshot at a later date, but they are really good. Anyway, I told Cheryl that at some point when we were both slender and muscular and tan, I would like to have a picture done of us and put it up on the house. It's one of the many things I've come up with to keep us both going

I did a lot of extra ab work today. I've been unhappy with my abs for as long as I can remember, so building them up and slimming down around my waist is one of my primary goals. I also ended my workout with about fifteen minutes of stretching and yoga poses. After finally getting my crescent kick working, I don't want to lose flexibility while I'm (hopefully) gaining all this muscle.

I was looking at www.bodyforlife-tracker.com last night. I like this site because it shows some of the non-champions in Body for Life. These are people who have done sometimes three and four challenges and have achieved remarkable things. And many of them, if they passed you on the street, would not attract your attention like Kelly Adair or Porter Freeman would. But they have an attitude and a drive that impresses none the less. I don't think I'll ever be on the inside jacket of a Body for Life book or on the web site as a success story. But I'll have my own success story and my own achievements and there'll be a picture of a fit and happy couple hanging on the wall of this house to let everyone know that this program really works.