Work in Progress II

Hi friends! Time for another progress check in. I published the first kick-off post on October 26th and progress has remained steady. I’ve kept on schedule with my 5 day a week workout plan. Diet has also remained (mostly) dope, although I did indulge in some Halloween and birthday party-related cheats.

I’ve been increasing the difficulty and complexity of my movements this week with my trainer. I’ve left feeling destroyed every day. Here’s the post-gym selfie from 11/10/19. And, yes, my glasses do have flowers on them.

Follow me on Snapchat @RCArrowsmith for more d-bag gym selfies.

And a quick pic from tonight. Like I mentioned in my last post, I don’t always notice the changes because I see myself every day. It’s always fun running into people I haven’t seen in awhile and seeing their reaction though. Tonight I ran into an old friend at Target who was beyond sweet and flattering (and a little handsy). :) I’ve still got a long way to go but y’all know how to make a guy feel purty.

No shirtless pics this update because I already feel douchey enough. :) I promise more nipples in my next progress update.

Milestones

Again, don’t ask me to explain what all of these numbers mean. :) . I just know that they’re all trending in the direction we wanna see them go.

Measurement

Starting

10/26/19

11/12/19

Progress
Height: 5'11" 5'11" 5'11" No Change
Weight: 265 lbs. 231.4 lbs. 228.1 lbs. Loss of 36.9 lbs.
Body Mass Index (BMI): 36.7% 31.5% 30.2% Loss of 6.5% BMI
Body Fat: 36% 29% 28.2% Loss of 7.8% Body Fat
Visceral (Abdominal) Fat: 19% 13% 12.3% Loss of 6.7% Visceral Fat
Muscle Mass: 130.5 160.3 161.1 Gain of 30.6 Muscle Mass
Bone Mass: 5.6 8.9 9.2 Bone Mass gain of 3.6
Max Push-up Count: 9 28 44 Gain of 35
Max Plank Interval: 25 seconds 63 seconds 110 seconds Gain of 85 seconds
Max Bench Press Weight: 45 lbs. 125 lbs. 195 lbs. Gain of 150 lbs.

In other fitness news:

  • I signed up for two 5Ks over the next couple months with friends. I don’t love running but I’m excited to see if I can improve on my time with each run.

  • I also agreed to try out for the local Rugby club in the spring, which seems terrifying. Luckily I have a few months to practice and continue bulking up.

Lessons Learned:

  • PR gains won’t happen every week, despite your best efforts.

  • Don’t tell your trainer no. It never ends well.

  • There will always be someone with something shitty to say. Put it into your workout.

  • Don’t drop the dumbells when doing the green mile; they’ll make you start over at rep one.

That’s where we stand today. I’ll check in with you guys in another couple weeks.

Threes

I got my third tattoo recently. All three of my tattoos are of three things.

I have three arrows on my inner-left wrist.

I have Mario, Yoshi and Luigi on my inner-left bicep.

And now these three triangle on my inner-right wrist.

Each tattoo is part of an evolving story. I decided to stay with the theme of threes as I add additional ink. This one represents new beginnings. Beyond that, I don’t want to give much away yet.

My next ink is coming early next year and will be continuation of the Mario tattoo on my bicep. I’m going to be adding to it in phases (keeping with the theme of threes) and turning it into a half sleeve in 2020.

Jolene

Y’all! The cuteness. I’m not sure you’re ready for it.

After flirting with city life, my Mom recently bought a little slice of Oklahoma countryside. After getting the barn built, two sweet foals have come home to the ranch. This sweet baby just arrived and I am all heart eyes about her.

Her name is Jolene and, honestly, yes. Yes to that.

She’s only 6 months so she’ll start training in the spring for halter and for riding. But she’s the sweetest and prettiest thing around.

And here she is with her big sis, Desi.

There are some beautiful parts of the country but nothing feels more like home to me than these Oklahoma skies.

..and one last iPhone pic just because we walked outside and the lighting was gorgeous. Straight out of the (camera) phone. Fall has finally arrived in Oklahoma.

Those fall colors, that Oklahoma sky and a cute little Civic. Life ain’t too bad.

Disney Advice

Guys! I’m in the early stages of planning our first trip to Disney World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando and I am PUMPED AF.

In my 39 years on this planet, I’ve never been to Disney World. My nugget is finally at an age (and height) where he can do a busy day in a park, ride all of the rides and really enjoy the experience. So we are planning our first trip now. We’re looking at going in the off season of next year (but before hurricane season kicks into high gear).

So my question: looking at all of the information online is daunting. If you’ve been to Disney and the Wizarding World, what are your must-see attractions? We’ll be in Orlando for a full week so we aren’t rushed visiting all of the parks and seeing the sights. What should we cram into that week?

This trip is going to be even more special because, after 9 years of trying, my kiddo is FINALLY obsessed with Harry Potter. We just finished Chamber of Secrets and we’re starting The Prisoner of Azkaban. He set a goal to finish all seven books before we visit the Wizarding World because he’s worried about spoilers. As a long-time Potterhead, it’s so cool to be able to his love for the series growing with each book. So I know we’ll spend a good amount of time (and too much money) at the park.

So lay it on my guys! Share your expertise. Help us avoid the noob mistakes. I’m counting on you.

National Cat Day

It’s National Cat Day, friends! I never thought I’d have reason to celebrate cats, but here we are. :)

I have always been solidly in the “dog guy” column; I loved other people’s cats, but didn’t want one of my own. Fast forward to a couple years ago, when my kiddo became obsessed with cats. He lobbied nonstop to get a kitty of his own and, after I bought our house last year, I surprised him with his very own kitty. He was so happy he cried, hugged me and immediately - without a moment’s hesitation - named her Mia.

At first, I tolerated the kitty. We were like roommates; we shared a space, saw each other frequently but I wasn’t super attached. Over the past year, she’s used all of her kitty sorcery and she’s wrapped me around her little paw.

I can’t say that I loved the kitten phase and having to pull her off the top of the curtains she climbed before getting stuck and panicking. But, once she started to mellow in her teenage era, she killed this being a cat thing.

Mia is the friendliest, sweetest cat I’ve ever met. I have to make sure guests don’t have cat allergies because, the second she hears the front door chime, Mia is on her way to greet everyone. She loves saying hi, getting loves and kissing noses. She especially loves hearing how pretty she is. If you’re the kind of person who likes to wrestle, she’s down. She’ll rough house with you and give you play bites. But, if you prefer to just pet and snuggle, she’s cool with that too. She loves playing with dogs, which mainly just involves her running through the house and parkouring over them, but she will occasionally wrestle them for sport.

She is a quiet cat - only meows when she wants fresh water (diva), her food is 25% below full and when she needs you to stop and love her. She hates wet food, so she saves me a ton of money. She isn’t destructive like other kitties I’ve been around. When she’s not napping or cuddling someone, she’s running laps through the entire house to get her cardio in. She knows what “no” means and listens about 40% of the time, which I consider a win (and our house plants appreciate).

One of my favorite Mia quirks: she has two litter boxes - one in my son’s room and one in the utility room. She will only pee in the litter box in my son’s room and only poops in the box in the utility room. She never, ever mixes the two. She made herself separate bathrooms! :)

But mainly I love this cat because of how she loves my son. The bond they share is nothing short of magical. When we brought Mia home, she had been rescued as a stray and was scared of everything. She spent the first few days hiding in my son’s room. He slowly got her to come out from under the bed and, before we knew it, she was sleeping curled up next to him. That hasn’t changed one bit. They are a matched set at this point. When he’s home, Mia is never more than a few feet away from him (unless he’s being rowdy, then she might go sleep in a window). She spends the majority of her day sleeping next to him, on him or following him around, which you can see from the pics above. When he’s gone, she’ll settle for me as a substitute and sleeps on my pillow next to me. But, the second he gets home, she practically tackles him and spends 10 minutes rubbing on him and kissing his nose. It’s pure joy watching them reunite - Mia meowing and the kiddo giggling.

I couldn’t ask for a better kitty or companion for my son. We hit the jackpot with Mia Macaroni Arrowsmith. She is a beloved member of our family and deserves all of the princess treatment she gets.