Blog It and Share?

I don't know.. It's been awhile since I really blogged or tweeted lately. To be fair, I am still going to gym since the past 3months and I know I have let down many people by just disappearing. So, a thought for me and you - Shall I resume blogging?

I'll get back tomorrow.. I don't even think that anybody would comment anyway.

Should make this blog something like my notebook or something. That's in consideration for now.
Hmm.. Catch ya later Blog?

lol

Day 9: From Paris With Love

Hello all,


I assume all of you thought that I stopped? Well, I am sorry that I haven't updated much lately. It's been a week(?) so far. You know Xmas is going on and New Years is coming up. For Xmas I was with friends but I sticked to my diet and stayed away from that taste-less Turkey+gravy. And now, I am in Paris for New Years for a few days. However, I went Jogging today in here. It's very lovely to see Paris like this, I didn't notice till today that people just slam into each-other to hug. Lol. 


For Body size, waist and all that other stuff will be posted when I am back into the Gym. It's just that the Manager is on-leave for Xmas and I am here.


All what I can do is Jog and Jogging. But here's what I wanna write today. A bit of-Inspiration. We gotta uplift our spirit... somehow.


Everyone has an iPad/iPod/Zune/whatsoever, right? Well, download something that you can watch while you're on that cycle or download something that you can jogg for, songs... eBooks on your Kindle or anything. Because trust me, once you're on that Cardio Machine you're just going to get bored and leave it. lol. 


Here are some great movies/songs I watch while I am doing my Cardio that are motivational:


Movies:
Comedy: Friends TV Series
Inspiration: Brave Heart, Requiem for a Dream, Forest Gump, Donnie Darko, The Shawshank Redemption and Good Will Hunting
Romance: The Note Book


Songs: I don't know about your taste but these song titles are sure one uplifting push-through training :)


Kanye West - All of the Lights
Kanye West - Stronger
Gucci Mane ft. Usher - Spotlight
Tinie Tempah - Written in the Stars
Common ft. Will.i.Am - I Have a Dream
Taio Cruz - She's Like a Star
Eminem ft. Lil Wayne - Love
Drake ft. Kanye West, Eminem & Lil Wayne - Forever
Pitbull ft. T-Pain - Hey Baby
...And list goes on




Oh yeah, I wanna throw in my fav Salad Recipe introduced by an old-friend(copy/pasted from email)... :)

Nicoise Salad:

• 1 lb. salmon fillet
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
• 1 lb. mixed baby greens (rinsed)
• 2 small red potatoes, skin on, boiled and quartered
• 2 small purple Peruvian or blue potatoes, skin on, boiled and quartered
• 1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and blanched
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup Niçoise olives
• 2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup minced parsley

Preheat broiler to 400 degrees, or preheat gas, charcoal, or countertop grill. Whisk together ingredients for raspberry vinaigrette and refrigerate. (For convenience, dressing can be made up to one day ahead.) Cut salmon fillet into six serving-sized pieces. Combine lemon juice and olive oil in small bowl and brush onto both sides of each piece of fish. Then lightly salt and pepper each piece, sprinkle with fresh dill, and either grill or broil for about 10 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove from grill and set aside.

Toss mixed baby greens with a quarter of the raspberry vinaigrette, then divide greens between six medium-sized salad bowls. Arrange each of the remaining ingredients (except parsley) in its own separate section atop the mixed greens in a visually appealing, festive presentation: the salmon, potato halves, tomato wedges, green beans, egg slices, olives, capers, walnuts, and cranberries. Drizzle each serving with the remaining raspberry vinaigrette, then sprinkle with parsley, salt, and pepper. Bon appetit! Makes 6 servings.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes (cooking salmon), 20 minutes (preparing servings), up to 24 hours (chilling dressing, precooking and chilling potatoes and eggs).

Nutritional Information (per serving)
Calories	Protein	Fiber	Carbs	Fat Total	Saturated Fat
402	28 grams	8 grams	35 grams	20 grams	3 grams

And you all, how were you all doing? Any changes? How's holidays going?

From Paris with Love,
Ahmed

Day 2: Phew.. Freezing.

Bonsoir everybody...

Gotta keep it short today cause I got to be somewhere very soon. 

I have been munching on Green Apples alot now adays, and forgetting about the main portions. Well, as long as I have a replacement for hunger and not getting full out of it then that's good. 

I went Jogging today for an hour going up-hill. I stopped lotsa times in between which was wrong to-do but I am catching up. I couldn't go to the Gym cause of my sore-arms. Instead, I did Seat-ups 3x30 and 3x15. So I mainly concentrated on the Abs-part. From now on I'll be working on that part every day after. It's good and it's the hardest part for me to get mass out of.

Anyway, gotta go.. 

Update me about you all if you're following this

Day 1: Ready But Go Slow #FivePortions

So, I woke up in the morning at around 7:30AM and it was freezing cold, freezing cold. The temperature today is -9, rainy snow and stormy snow got in later-on. It really doesn't make me feel like working out, just stay under that blanket and watch a movie or something. Tok me about an hour till I convinced myself of getting up and having the breakfast. Went out to town and had some lunch with friends.


Anyway, today is my first day of the challenge and I am pretty proud of myself, I must say, stopped gymming for about the last 2months or something?


I jogged for about 40minutes but had some stops in between due "I am a Smoker!", lol. Went to the Gym and some Power Lifting going on so that my hands wont hurt that much tomorrow morning since I've been just getting back to heavy-weights.


(Btw, my body stats and pics will be posted tomorrow or after -- Due to measuring chest, waist and etc..)


I worked on my Biceps and Triceps.


Biceps Exercise: 

1. Hammer curl
The hammer curl is great for developing the forearms, brachialis, and brachioradialis. I’m not sure about you, but I can hammer curl more than I can traditional curl, and lifting more with good form is always better than lifting less.

3. Alternating rotating dumbbell curl

This is a simple exercise, that feels natural in its plane of motion. By alternating, you can focus maximal intensity on each arm separately.

3. Standing barbell curl

If there was ever a ‘compound biceps exercise’, this would be it. This is the only direct bicep exercise that you can just pile weight on and use all the muscle of the biceps and forearms to get the weight up. Standing barbell curls are the only must-use exercise if you want tank arms.

Triceps Exercise: 

1. Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension

2. Close grip (diamond) push ups (with a clap) 

Source: MuscleMass
--


Well there you go.. I need a green apple!


To success,

Heads Up - 5 Tips Before You Start

It's almost time with starting the #FivePortions "90 Day Challenge" and before that I would like you to read this quick 5 tips. 
And by the way, who ever is doing the #FivePortions Challenge with me have to know that the 1st two weeks are going to be the hardest.


1. Make a list of the people you can go out and help. Once you get started, you'll be surprised how many people you know who can use your help before you even begin looking outside your circle of friends.
2. Attend local events. If you put yourself out there, you're likely to attract people who need your help. Go out and share your story and show people how their potential is within their reach.
3. Scheduling. Make a schedule of your training. 4-6 times a week.
4. Pick what you know how to do well. Are you social? Are you analytical? If you're social, use your strength in this area and start organizing fit challenges.
5. Start slow - Get Comfortable then Ready, set - GOAL!

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."

--

-Don't know what "#FivePortions 90 Day Challenge" stands for?

-Join the Challenge - #FivePortions 90 Day Challenge - Where everybody will help each other and shed the extra pounds. Have a Million Dollar Body!

5 Top Weight Loss iPhone Apps - #FivePortions

If you want to keep track of your weight and loss some with the help of your iPhone, well, here are 5 weight loss apps you should try: 


Everything is for free to download except iFitness and Yoga Stretch.

iFitness - One of the most popular application on iTunes, iFitness makes it easy for you to learn new exercise routines and burn calories on a daily basis. This is a must have app, you'll love it once you have it in your hands. 

ALSO: Available in BlackBerry App World $3

-----

TargetWeight - Set your target weight and then enter your weight each day to watch your progress, keep track of how long until your goal, how many pounds to lose and so on.

-----

Virtual Trainer - This has 120 programs that range from 6 - 60 minutes in length and target whichever part of your body it is that you are looking to work on. You can also pick your style such as boxing, cardio and more.

-----

Yoga Stretch - It's up to you wether to have a Yoga Stretch duration from 15mins - 23hours. It also has a nice selection of music and the ability to turn the instructor on or off at will. If you get stuck on a pose you can always forward through it.

-----

Calorie Tracker - Users can look up and track daily caloric, fat, carbohydrate, and protein intake. And if you want your physical activity to factor into the mix, just use the app to calculate burned calories for a variety of exercises. *Click-click-click* EASY! My fav app!

----

There are so many apps out there which are free/not, this 5 has been the most useful to me. 

"Discipline is the key to success."

Source: Thanks to App Store 

The Daily #FivePortions Meal-Plan

The Daily #FivePortions Meal-Plan

This are the meals that I am going to have for the next 90days

Note: Its up to you wether to eat 2 apples or cancel out small portions

07:00 - 
3 Egg-Whites
2 Brown-Bread Slices (Better if toasted)
A glass of Pineapple Juice
Oatmeal with water


09:00 -
2 Green Apple

11:00 - Only if you can but it's important
1 Chicken Breast (OVEN)
Small portion of Green Salad

14:00 -
White Rice boiled equals to one cup
1 Chicken Breast
or
1 Fish Steak
or
1 Beef Steak
Small portion of Potato (OVEN)

17:00 - 
1 Banana
1 Green Apple

19:00 - 
Tuna with water and rewash/drain the water

21:00 - 
Small Chicken Breast Slices
Small portion of Broccoli

22:00 - 2 Green Apples

Join The Challenge - #FivePortions

I can't wait to start this challenge on my own but hey, how about you fellow readers? Why don't you join in and make a change in your lifestyle. Get a grip of what you are doing with me. We'll be communicating and helping each other out. 

Lets call this the "Lifestyle Change" even if it's temporarily. 

Set a goal for yourself and be proud of what you do. I mean, how many of you want to look on that mirror and say: "Yeah, I love my body. I am more confident than ever." It doesn't matter how long it lasts and not knowing on how to do it, but we will all do it. 

Start with me on the 20th Dec, 2010 - 21st Mar, 2011. 90 Day Challenge and keep everybody updated with the #HashTag #FivePortions or comment in my blog. 

Why #FivePortions?

Each day you'll be eating 5 small meals and usually every 2hours. Now, I'll be posting 3 different meal-plans by tomorrow morning for you to choose from. They're all healthy and easy-to-cook.

No more "laziness" or "can't do this thing"... Accomplish how much you want before the 90 days period. We'll all help you out on this one. 


Also, if you are joining then please follow @FivePortions on Twitter so I could check on you.

To our Lifestyle Change,

Ahmed

The 90 Day Challenge: #FivePortions

About myself:
First of all, let me start a little about myself. My name is Ahmed A. AL-Hassoni or Triple-A. I am 20years old and currently living in London. I do stage-plays/film/tv work as an Actor. I have lived in different countries such as USA, UAE, Germany and China for awhile. Now, during all these places I had one common thing I had to do all the time which is going to the Gym. I've lost-weight/gained-weight and back and forth. I am a smoker and a all-time snack-eater but now that's going to change.


The 90 Day Challenge:
#FivePortions is the key.

What I am going to do is setting myself a goal and a motivation which is this blog. It's a 90 Day Challenge starting at 20th Dec, 2010 - 21st Mar, 2011. I am going to keep you all updated with my exercises, my meal plans, getting rid of the bad-habits and so. I'll be posting my weight, height, pictures of my body(for before pictures) on the day I start and once every 2weeks after that for you to see the difference.
I am planning to lose 40-50kgs in the next 90 days.


How:
I am fat and because I am fat I do always know what I am eating and try to prevent it. Sometimes I cant and sometimes I can but this time I have to discipline. I'll be eating #FivePortions a day, small ones. They'll include Meat, Egg-whites, Fruits and Veg on a daily basis. It is my own meal-plan that I'll be posting within this week and let you be aware of it. However, getting rid of smoking and the snacks is just a mental graving battle that I got to work with my mind on.
Activities will be going to the gym 5-6 times a week and do Jogging + Seat ups 5 times a week. I hope this energy will be contagious.




If you have any questions don't hesitate to comment below or use the #hashtag #FivePortions on Twitter to ask.