Strained my back doing squats (I don’t understand how it happened, I had perfect form) so I decided to take this week off from lifting.  Now I’ve been experiencing some pretty good success with lifting thrice a week while dieting, but I’m pretty much going to just have to rely on the diet to lose weight.

Will I keep losing weight?  I don’t really know.  I think I will, though.  I’m not going to risk aggravating my back just because I want to drop a few clothes sizes.  Besides, I’m an advocate of diet being the single most important factor when it comes to body recomposition.  Time to put my weight loss where my mouth is.

I need some serious cash.  That’s a statement I can say, no matter what the situation is.  I’m having lunch, I need cash.  I’m playing ball, I need cash.  I’m on a sinking ship, and the sharks are circling, give me some paper.  Money can’t buy everything, but it can buy a LOT of things that can help.

I guess that’s why everybody’s in this rat race, anyway.  That’s why banks are booming, loan sharks are lavishing, and debt relief solutions are so popular.  Money makes the world go round.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing.  There’s a lot of cheese for everybody.  You just have to figure out how to get some.

Sometimes, I wonder why we have maids at all.  I mean, wouldn’t it be a lot cheaper if I just bought a dryer, a cabrio washer and a dishwashing machine?  Probably less maintenance required, too.  Although I guess it’d be pretty impractical to eat out all the time, and my maids CAN cook really well.

Maybe we can get rid of the maids and use the money to hire a nutritionist chef instead.  Now there’s an idea worth looking into.  Then again, our house helpers have been with us since before I was born.  It would be cruel to let them go now.  They’re not exactly family, but they’re part of what makes this home.

I think it’s about time I retire my iPhone.  I got this sucker pretty cheap, maybe three years ago.  It’s served me pretty well as my phone, audio/video player, web browser, and portable gaming device.  It’s been extremely serviceable and I’m pretty satisfied.  I got the bang for my buck.

I’m thinking about getting a new iPhone, but I’m also looking htc desire reviews.  People have lots of good things to say about that unit, so it might be worth checking out.  Ah well.  I think my current phone can still last until 2013.  I’ll decide then.

First blog post of the year!  New Year’s Ever was pretty cool.  There were lots of fireworks and lots of food and well, what else do you need?  I’m pretty much getting settled into the year.  First couple of weeks took some adjusting to, but I’m alright now.  Will be totally in the groove by Monday.

Speaking of which, Monday is Chinese New Year.  I don’t really celebrate the holiday, but I will put some cheap silver dollars on my window sill for good luck and fortune this coming year.  I don’t know if that stuff really works, but hey, it’s one of those superstitions where you can’t go wrong.  If it works, more money for you.  If it doesn’t, you still get your silver dollars back.

I was making great progress with regards to getting into playing shape, but the holidays just totally derailed all of that.  As it is, I’m right back where I started.  Those buffets are really killing me.  Anyway, slowly trying to ease back into the flow of things, only for some reason, I was REALLY strong the other day.  Ended up lifting heavier than I have in years.  Now my entire body is hurting like crazy.

I need a massage and a memory foam mattress.  Whatever can give me an edge.  I’ve got the basketball skill.  I’ve just got to get back the body.

Due to popular demand, I’ll take a little time to talk about my workout:

I think the most important thing when it comes to changing your body is the nutrition component, but training REALLY helps out.  Personally, I subscribe to the philosophy that you need to train heavy and hard three times a week.

Now most people would argue that training heavy is inviting injury, but when done correctly, training heavy will PROTECT you from injury.  Squatting, deadlifting, and bench pressing builds strength, size, and flexibility!  Also, your lower back and “core” get really worked.  Strong core = healthy back = better physical performance on every aspect.

Basically, I lift Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays.  I spend less than 30 minutes in the gym, and I come away exhausted and shot.  Is it working?  I’ve lost 12lbs over the last month, so I must be doing something right.

My philosophy for off-season training is to just get myself in fantastic shape.  Sticking mainly to squats, deadlifts, bench presses.  I figure I just need a really strong core, and the best way to get that is through old-school heavy lifting.

I used to do a lot of fancy stuff, like using kettle bells to improve core strength, medicine ball workouts and even practicing my slick trick on the yoyo to improve manual dexterity.  Right now, I’m just going to get stronger and faster.  That’s it.  I have the skill.  I just need the body to back it up.

And don’t talk to me about cardio work.  I’m still warming up.

I’ve probably mentioned about how I have been trying to get in the best shape of my life for next year’s basketball league.  We came in at last place last season, so I’m pretty hell bent on dominating that thing this year.  I’ve been taking it slow – dieting, lifting weights.  Lately though, I think maybe I should take some time to do some mental preparation.  Maybe look into rv loans, get out into the wilderness to just camp out and get some peace and quiet.  Well, maybe I’ll do that when the season’s closer.

In other news, seriously thinking about getting an iPhone 4s.  I know I said I’d wait for the 5, but my phone is about to die on me.

Been compiling my Christmas list, and may I just say that THIS IS GOING TO GET BLOODY EXPENSIVE.  I really don’t like how Christmas is all about the gifts, especially since it should be all about the food!

Because it hasn’t been a terrible year and because I’ve grown personally and professionally (if you can call it that,) I’m going to be increasing my Christmas shopping budget.  I’m sure I’ll feel a little twinge of pain, but hey, it happens once a year.  Already know what to get the GF – expensive, but I’d rather pay than wrack my brains trying to come up with something.  Got my dad covered, it’s my mom and siblings I have to worry about.

I really suck at giving gifts.  So not me.