alobravo | dig deep

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I’ve been working out - on and off - since I was about nine years old; my uncle may have forced me prior to my ninth birthday, but nine was the age at which I remember he taught me how to do sit-ups, curl 5 lb. dumbbells, catch a baseball, and blend the music playing off two records on his turntables. I never made it to little league, I never sold a mixtape - I would give them away - much less make it to the DMC DJ championships, but I do about 28 pullups and know how to sculpt a sixpack in a few months.

I curled dumbbells when I was little; got back into it, bench pressing through my teens; and I started running prior and throughout my military career. The military taught me how to shoot, stretch, and drink; for our purposes, nonetheless, I learned the fat-burning power of circuit training.

You workout your whole body with little rest in between sets. You manage by working out one body part like your chest - with a set of pushups, for instance - and immediately follow by doing a set of situps, working out another body part your abs. While you’re doing your abs, your chest muscles are recuperating. You could subsequently workout your legs - squats - for more resting time, then workout your chest.

And that’s it. I combine this method with wind sprints, pull-ups, and everything else I think looks effective, and keep my body fat under 11%.

I also flexibly diet from Monday to Friday, which is also very powerful, but my workout regimen compensates for all my binge and non-dieting ways. There are some staples to my complete diet that I do keep consistent. I don’t keep any sugar in the house, unless I buy some organic brownie mix or something for an off day; I use stevia. I don’t keep soy in the house. I don’t keep cheap vegetable, or canola oil; I use extra virgin olive oil to cook.

I am an exercise junkie. I feel like something is out of place on a day that I miss a workout. But I also watch movies everyday, love cassava bread, nachos and popcorn, and drink mocha lattes with whip cream about twice a week.

There are hundreds of different ways for one to lose weight, but all agree that even a small amount of exercise and a nutritious diet is beneficial. The trick to the diet part is learning how to replace what you love with what you love and nutritionally works. Start reading those ingredients, and you’ll start looking at food differently. I love Cinnabons, but the aluminum in it makes me think twice about ordering another serving when at the mall. I do organic brownies out of my toaster oven; although still fattening, I’m not intoxicating my body eating Reynolds Wrap. Stick around for a awhile, and I’ll show you some small changes to your lifestyle you can incorporate to stay fit and live a healthier longer life without winding yourself tighter than handcuffs on a spring breaker.