Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

After a long peroid of being depressed, and sedentary Ive been getting physically sloppy. what a lousy feeling...

Buuut I was just websurfing when I found this great site and it inspired me to start a fitness regime. now I am juiced about getting in shape!

I have been vegetarian for awhile now but recently changed to vegan. After seeing some videos of what happens in the "animal industry".

While not a bodybuilder I used to practice kung fu, and often do feats of strength.

My goal: my goal is to strive like a shaolin monk to live a lifestyle dedicated to the cultivation of mind body and soul. And of course shaolin monks never harm any living creature. This blog should be a great motivator because I'm accountable for whatever happens. If I fail I fail, If I succeed I succeed. Its all on the line! It should be interesting and fun...
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day 1

so I started off by working out to "the shaolin warrior workout". great workout. just 15 minutes or so and I was feeling just how badly in shape I was. But also I could see how I could get in good shape as well...

took a walk with the dog. mild walk. ate wheat sandwhich w portabello mushroom, onion, tomato, strawberries. baby carrots but they were slimy. I hate when the baby carrots are slimy.

I need to do more research on better diet for optimum efficiency. This site should come in handy in that regard.

well that is the "intro" for my blog, next time I will get more into the nitty gritty

Awesome that you have been inspired by our community!

All the best with your goals!

Welcome, hello and good luck! Your at the right place!

thanks for the intros guys.



ate some total cereal with water . I need to get some soy milk or something. I like total " because its whole grain and it scores high on the vitamin charts. just look at the label.
I swear its just been a couple days where Ive been watching my diet more closely, trying not to overeat. And I just feel better...that and with the excercise of course. Ive been doing calistenics at various intervals. I dont wanna overdo it because Im just a beginner.
Yoga with wieghts. Lifting light wieghts. only a 30 lb wieght! ive been playing with and my muscles are sorta sore and feeeel nice. Push ups, situps, lots of stretching. The goal is to get lots of variety so I get a well rounded workout. ok....
ate some banana , multivitamin, and coffee. ok coffee is my one vice. I would probably be better off without it but I wil let it slide for now. Just to make sure I dont drink too much. Im digging this blog...

my muscles are kinda "done" now. Like i cant do anything with em but rest. But i can stretch. So I will do that again later.
To be continued...

vegggie mix, edame beans, coffee, now i will have some wheat penne (in a little while)
worked out to the "shaolin warrior workout" again. It seemed harder this time. Im not as sore as I was last week but I paced myself at my own pace though so as not to obliterate myself. The key is to be in good condition to do it again tommorrow, or something else. Well thats the plan.
Ate a little too much whole grain penne. Need to curtail my consumption a bit.
this is interesting this whole process...of getting in shape. and then writing about it. I keep another main journal but this journal is just to keep track of my fitness and nutrition.
Keep at it! yosshh! ganbarou! (allright work hard)

How are things coming along?

All the best!

ah thanks , I have still been at it. its kinda frustrating im not making fast enough progress. so impatient. I have been careful not to overdo it. As an injury would just make things slower. Ive been running a bit , and stretching, and the shaolin warrior workout. Im trying to get through the beginner workout in one set. One area ive been slipping is in eating. Ive got a big bag of gummy worms that ive been eating tsk tsk tsk. I would really like to trim down before I add any mass so I cant afford to eat so lousily. Im keeping another journal a more detailed journal of my own, so I can closely chart my progress.

looking at my chart for the past week, Id say Im just about ready to step it up. Ive been on the brink of being strained but not overly strained so I should be able to pick it up this week.

i had an interesting dream where I was practicing kung fu and there was this master doing backflips and snatching bricks in half and climbing up walls. and I was like "my kung fu is no match for yours " but he just smiled and said "your kung fu is no match for yourself."

Im still a newb. Both at fitness and at being a vegan. Today I took a long walk, lifted some weights, and some stretching. nothing major. My limit is not much. But I can also feel myself changing and I need to keep a momentum going. I mustnt get discouraged.
... I did research on nutrition, its obvous my diet needs work. Im going to the store this weekend though. I need a source of calcium like some leafy greens and or some rice drink or oj with calcium. im wondering if i should just eliminate all processed sugar entirely. processed flours and stuff i can just feel how bad they are, but i will do more research and hit the store. And tommorow i will hit the gym.

Good luck with your journey! I know I feel SO much better when I eliminate "junk" from my diet like white flour and refined sugar. Now I stick to mainly whole foods. It took my diet awhile to evolve to that though...I felt like it really was a trial and error process...you need to learn what works for you and what foods make you feel the best. Let us know if you have any questions!

okay. the journey continues... onward to great glory

5/28/2009
breakfast: apple, veggie burger w ketchup, 2cups coffee
walked the dog , its hot out.
lunch: wheat pasta with tomato sauce, sweet peppers, white tea. kind of an acidic lunch.

weight training decent upper body workout with wimpy 30 lb curl bar and 10lb dumbell. shrugs, curls, overhead press, wrist curls, tricep curls, pushups, situps. next time need to do more lower body. I wanna focus on overall good conditioning. worked while watching japanese lesson until my muscles were done. about 1/2 hour
ate frozen edamame beans and peas. coffee. a multivitamin.
did some research on coffee, because i drink so much of it. It seems "Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," but still i need to cut back i just know it.
took a "before " picture , I will post it if I make some good progress .
im looking forward to some yoga/stretching later, and by tommorow i should be primed for a nice jog and some other stuff

5/29/2009
ate oatmeal, coffee
went for a run with my dog,changing up my pace for maximum benefit. pretty decent run. stretching. put some wieghts 30lb in a backpack and doing push ups with my legs,torso raises,shoulder press, just getting comfortable with the weight.punches and kicks training.cultivating chi.it feels good to change it up and try different things.

nothing beats running with your dog!
the best training partners ever!

sometimes I can see that she is bored or restless and it just gets me off the couch and out for a long walk or run.

best of luck on your journey!

Just checking out your log here. Please let me know if you have any questions on diet or exercise that I can help you with. I am not a big fan of coffee or any caffeine and have elimated it from my diet. it made me feel a ton better when I did that. You can get calcium from leafy greens. So add those into your diet. My preferred milk is Hemp Milk so you might wanna check that out. Sometimes It is a bit thck so I also buy rice milk to thin it out. Looks like your making lots of progress on your journey! Fantastic!

right. I get calcium covered i think. Went shopping and got collard greens, orange juice with calcium, total cereal, all these have alot of calcium. i never saw hemp milk . hmm. I will try and cut back the coffee.
okay its JUNE 1RST THAT MEANS:

Month in review: (May)
ate too much this month. and it shows. got into fitness again and got off to a good start. its easy to see my limits though. As I got worn out , stiff for a few days from a good 1/2 hour of workout. But, I could feel my strenth increase at the end of the month as I was able to lug some big branches around with ease. the goal of next month, JUNE, fitness wise is to step it up. While not overdoing it. Im going to focus on consistancy and frequency. MAKING sure to get some excercise IF my body is up to it. and resting/stretching if it isnt. And not eat too much. OK lets do it!

i took the whole weekend off pretty much but im stiff as a board still. starting off with a stretching set.

Good luck with your goals this month!