The narcissistic frasser rant...(The Strib runs this article on Sunday's, and the day they use me for a write up will be a looooong way away)
I am humbled to get pegged as a health nut by my friends. Really. I've been able to give workout advice to (quite a few now) TC theatre members and also friends that I really think has helped them to each acheive their own individual fitness goals- whether it's for a show they are in or just for their own personal wellness. I like the feeling that I had a hand in that.
So I thought I'd post my pre-"Monty" workout frass to give y'all an idea as to how I went about my routine to get pseudo-nudeworthy. Forgiveness is begged for y'all who get bored easily by this.
Diet:
I adjusted my cals to the 1500 a day range. Now, for those that subscribe to the RDA standards and think "God, that's so LOW!" I offer this- To get "Cut", you gotta burn more than you take in. To "build" (gain muscle) you need to take in more than you'd normally need. Doi, right. Bodybuilders typically take in 4-5000 calories a day while training just to get contest ready. I didn't have the time for this (The pre-requisite 3-4 hours a day in a gym) so I balanced it out. And really, as a soapbox moment, I think peeps take in more calories daily than they actually need to be function and be healthy. Start by counting the calories on the box. Smaller portions are-in fact- best, even though a majority of people get alarmed when they end up feeling so hungry between meals. For me, hungry means I've waited long enough for the food and it seems justified to nibble again. I was particularly aware of not eating after 7pm and keeping my meals small and evenly spaced throughout the day.
Bkfst:
8am- Banana
9am- Yogurt
10:30 to 11am- Two slices of wheat toast + sugar free jelly
Lunch:
Noon to 1:30 - (Usually) a brothy soup with a bag of freshly chopped spinach, tomato, and garlic.
Snack:
2pm- (Fat free pretzels)
Dinner:
Between 4-7pm. (2 skinless Chicken breasts, Steamed Chinese veggies w/enough for leftovers, Veggie wraps, 3 Boca patties, 1/2 cup of pasta w/veggies etc.)
Booze. Well, I cut it down. No calorie laden wine. No beer. I can't say it was gone-gone. I still buy into Mr. Matthew McConnaughey's philosophy of "Working out hard during the a.m. is to ready yourself for that party at night". Not the best philosophy for getting to be my leanest, but it works for the stressed out working actor.
Exercise:
Run/Jog 3 x's a week.
Weights- Hit every body part (shoulders, arms, legs, chest, back) at LEAST twice a week, higher reps and lighter weight. (Dorajar will attest to my working out my arms/shoulders while we watched "The DaVinci Code") Usually until muscle failure. The last week or so before the show, I started with the iso-metric exercise. (Flexing each muscle until it started shaking. Why? Increases definition and vascularity. That's why)
Typically I like to get to the dojo 2-3 x's a week, but being in a show will often reduce this to nil when rehearsal gets too busy. MD will back me up that jogging after a karate session is just top-shelf. (All that stretching and centering? Oh Yeah. Makes for a heavenly run)
Abs- At least 4 x's a week. On the exer-ball.
That being said, I do miss my gym membership. That is to say, I miss having a chin-up bar or lat machine at my disposal. Dumbbell rows and bench rows just don't cut it for me in terms of back muscle exercise. Maybe I should build a chin-up stand in my back yard?
And as a means of penance-
The past few years I'd been advising welness to folks, I always felt like kind of a poser. I'd work out and all, sure. But still...not much to show physically. Then, about a year ago some personal frass happened, I got depressed, and stopped eating almost entirely (Save for Redwrights plying me with brisket and Southern cooking) when low and behold? I could pull my jeans off, belt and all, without unfastening it. Once the depression quit, I figured I'd get back into a "confort zone" where I'd start eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Thereby gaining the 20lbs back that I'd lost. Well go fig, I actually don't mind the reduction in the # of calories. I actually feel worse now when I do have an opportunity to gorge myself. And I don't like eating too late. Like, say, having to eat dinner at 10:30pm. (Which, before said depression frass, was usually a heaping plate of pesto pasta nightly. Heaping. Like, a half a box of Creamette pasta heaping. Really)
So yeah. Feels good. Try it out sometime. RSvP cut out soda a few months ago and looks fantastic.
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