Actually...that explains a lot

I don't know what this says about me, but I love research. At least every day I can be found looking into the most bizarre facts. This becomes even worse when I have my mind set on something. So instead of researching into the history of ham for example, I'll be looking into the best exercises you can do, and their drawbacks.

Thus, swimming became the target of a good knowledge thrashing. Apparently, even though swimming is a fantastic exercise and has helped me considerably, the cooling of the water helps lower your metabolism. This can cause you crave copious amounts of food post workout.

Now this explains an awful lot. Over the past week, after swimming, I find I am incredibly hungry and tend to want to snack quite a lot. True, I have scuppered my bodies plan by just having fruit available 90% of the time, but the rest of the time, I just want to eat and eat and eat.

Obviously, to someone who wants to lose weight, this can be a drawback. Therefore, in the interest of science, I conducted an experiment yesterday. Straight after my swim I went home and had a protein shake. A little will power later and the need for calories had subsided.

This contrasts to my time spent in the gym where I am usually dripping with sweat before I return home, and do not wish to eat for hours. So maybe I was looking at this all wrong. I was becoming reliant on swimming as my main source of weight loss, when in fact it was keeping me pretty static. My plan has now changed in that swimming will be my main endurance related exercise. It may not have helped with my weight loss, but I have come on leaps and bounds when it comes to grappling endurance.

My weight loss regime is now going to include the gym at least 3 times a week, with heavy dollops of sweaty cardio. On a side note, my calipers should be arriving either today or tomorrow, allowing me to keep track on how this plan is developing.


Yesterdays Exercise: 50 Lengths in the pool. Weight Training centred around Biceps, Triceps, Pectorals, Deltoids, Trapezius, Latissimus Dorsi, Abdominals, Obliques, Quadriceps and Gluteals. 30 minute exertion on the recumbent bike. 1 1/2 hours of heavy grappling training.