I’m still intaking about 1800 calories, focusing on getting enough protein.  I work out between 6-8 times a week, depending on the amount of free time I get.  I was really disciplined over thanksgiving, and people are starting to notice the difference.  I ran into an old friend at the gym yesterday and she was amazed at how different I look.  I didn’t notice it was that different, but she was pretty shocked.

I’ve noticed my stomach flattening out a little.  Also I have greater muscle definition, both upper and lower body.  My shoulders have gotten bigger, I can no longer fit into one of my suits…  My arms are about an inch and a half bigger, and my legs show much greater definition.  My calves haven’t looked this defined since high school basketball.

This experiment is going to be a great success, and even If I never get washboard abs, by the end of it I’ll surely be in the greatest shape of my life.  I’m pretty excited!

Nutrition and Diet

Here is my dietary breakdown for the first week.  Stats are an average for the week.

Fat - 25% of calories

Carbs - 52% of calories

Protein - 23% of calories

I need to increase my protein intake and get fat down to about 20% of my calories or less. I will continue tweaking my diet until things are perfect.  Overall things aren’t too bad.  I’m not getting cravings for any of the unhealthy food I usually love hot wings, burgers, etc).  But I do stay hungry pretty much all of the time.  I eat 5-6 mini-meals per day, so my appetite never really goes away.  I’m also going to have to get used to the time it takes to prepare these healthier meals.

Fitness

I worked out 7 times this week; I swam 2 times, hit the weights 4 times, and played basketball for about 2 hours saturday.  I was terribly sore for a few days.  I sat in the hot tub after my swim thursday for about 15 minutes and most of the soreness subsided.  Sunday I started my weights routine over (I had finished the routine earlier in the week) and today I am not very sore at all.  I think my body just needed to get adjusted to the amount of work required for lifting weights, but I think I’m all good now.

Mentality

I am really enjoying the lifestyle changes required for this drastic goal I have set.  I think I am doing a pretty good job so far.  I lost 3 lbs this week, from 217lbs to 214.  Not bad at all for a first week.  I still have a long way to go though.

Week 1was a great success. Let’s hope week 2 is even better!

If you’ve read my last article you are aware of the shape that my fitness is in.  I’ve been swimming for about 10 weeks now, 5 to 6 times per week, and I really enjoyed it.  But I have recently decided to step it up a notch.  With the help of a personal trainer (friend, not paid), and another buddy, I’m setting the extreme goal of acheiving visible abs, or a 6 pack, which will require me to lower my body fat percentage to about 8-10 percent.  And to make things even more of a challenge, I will try my best to successfully acheive this goal with a time limit of 4 months, or 120 days.  This means I have until the first week of march to look somewhat like this (minus the huge bulging muscles of course).

My plan is to take pictures weekly (as seen above) to chart my visible progress, document my meals and supplements, and journal my experience, mental, physical and overall feelings of the experiment.  Unless health reasons arise, I will pursue this goal regardless of feelings.  Things will need to be modified as I go, sure, but the experiment will go on.  As you can see from the pictures above, I have a long way to go, but with enough determination anything is possible, so I hope you will enjoy this journey as much as I do.  Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

I’ve been swimming for 7 weeks now (5 times per week), and today starts the 8th week.  I started out swimming 5 laps per day, and that was killer.  As of yesterday I am comfortably able to swim 10-12 laps per workout (I add 1 more lap each week).  It’s amazing the differences 7 weeks of consistency have made.  I have lost body fat and increased muscular definition.  My stomach is flatter and leaner.  I notice higher amounts of energy throughout the day and I sleep better at night.  Even my posture has improved dramatically.

My appetite has increased quite a bit.  I try to eat only good things, but sometimes junk food still finds its way into my stomach.  Luckily for me the swimming has increased my metabolism enough that the junk food doesn’t ruin me.  I’ll have to work on that though.

You would not believe how much swimming has changed my life.  I’ve never found a workout that I enjoyed this much before.  Swimming has increased my confidence, physical and mental strength, and has left me with a feeling of accomplishment.  I love the feeling when I walk towards the pool.  I love that calmness that spreads over me right before stepping in.  I love the disconnectedness of getting in my lane and leaving the world behind.  Once I’m there its just me and the pool, testing my strength and perseverance.  It’s truly a fantastic experience.

]]> http://www.ibrahimhusain.com/2008/10/27/swimming-8-weeks-in/feed/ http://www.ibrahimhusain.com/2008/10/27/swimming-8-weeks-in/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IbrahimHusain/~3/426518912/ http://www.ibrahimhusain.com/2008/10/20/new-look-new-pages/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:28:37 +0000 Ibrahim http://www.ibrahimhusain.com/?p=166

As you can see there have been a few changes made to IbrahimHusain.com.  While I enjoy blogging on my personal site, I decided that I could also use it as a profile for some freelance work.  So I will be using the site as a portfolio for my design work, as well as my writing and web design.  Hopefully I’ll still find time to write some interesting posts here, and maybe even make some extra money doing some work on the side.

So I’ve always fancied the idea of swimming daily.  Swimming has always been an enjoyable experience for me, ever since childhood backyard barbeques and visits to my grandpas house.  Swimming seems so soothing and calming, almost like meditation.  But when it came to exercising, I always went for the more popular jogging or more recently P90X videos.  But last week I decided to ‘dive in’ and challenged myself to swim daily for exercise. 

The first day was horrible.  My whole body hurt.  I barely got 8 laps in before I thought I would die (and that includes breaks between laps).  I wouldn’t consider myself wildly out of shape, but that first swim might have shown otherwise.  But my determination and love for the pool motivated me to go back.  And the second day wasn’t as bad.  Then came the third day, which became even easier.  Sunday was my fouth swim.  I tried to keep up with a girl who was obviously a more seasoned veteran.  So sunday was a bit painful.

Then came monday (yesterday).  I had more time to spend in the pool yesterday, and I wanted to enjoy it, so I decided not to push myself as hard, and just swim for longer.  Also I got a nifty pair of goggles so I could see where I was going…  It was one of the greatest exercise experiences of my life.  I spend about 40 minutes just enjoying the water, swimming at my leasure, taking short breaks and just feeling fantastic.  I was in a whole different world, and every movement, every stroke was something to be savored.

I knew I’d enjoy swimming more than jogging, but I never knew I’d love it.  Just thinking about it makes me want to skip school and go again.  I’ll keep posting on my swimming experiences, but I think it’s safe to say that I have no plan of lacing up those running shoes again any time soon.

Running = pain.  Swimming = fun.

Ciao!

**UPDATE**  It’s been about 6 weeks since I started, and I feel magnificent.  I have swam at least 5 times a week for 6 weeks now.  My energy levels are higher, my 25 minute naps only last 25 minutes (as opposed to extending to an hour or more like before), my apetite is healthy, and my sleep is of higher quality.  I look forward to swimming every night.  I got a gym membership (after trying it out for 30 days), and it is quickly becoming the greatest investment I’ve ever made.

I’ve lost about 8 lbs so far, but that’s not the greatest part.  I’ve noticed greater muscle definition all over, and my posture is much better.  Swimming is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I’m so glad that I did.

We use the theory almost every day, and yet when put into certain situations, we ignore it like it never existed;  It’s the Right-Left Theory (Or the Left-Right Theory for you Brits and Aussies).  We drive our cars on the right side of the road, to avoid chaos and promote a safe, relatively traffic free environment.  Everyone follows the rule, nobody questions it or tries to rebel against it.  It’s just something that works.

So why is it that when walking in the mall, school hallway, or pretty much anywhere else we have such problems with the issue?  Who are these people trying to go against the grain?  What are these infidels trying to accomplish?

To relieve the world from all of this chaos, I am formally introducing you to the Right-Left Thoery.  It’s not just for the road anymore.  When walking, riding your bike, skateboarding, or moving in any fashion (other than dancing I guess), merge to the right side of your track, and allow oncoming traffic the left side, to promote a fast, well organized travel for yourself and those around you.  If you see the ‘terrorists’ walking on the wrong side, do what any good law obiding citizen would do, punch them in the face. Haha, I’m just kidding.  But do us all a favor and stay to the right (or left for Brits and Aussies, as stated earlier).

Good luck and happy travels.

For many of us starting out in the web development field, choosing hosting can be a daunting task.  I was hoaxed into buying web hosting with 1&1 Web Hosting, and while I haven’t had any problems yet, I’ve only heard terrible things.  To clarify for any other noobs like myself, I did a little research and will attempt to explain the basic different types of web hosting options.

Free Web Hosting
There are times when you are not able to, or don’t want to spend money to host a website.  The option you turn to is free web hosting.  I’ll list a couple pros and cons of this option

Pros
Cost=Free. Some offer high levels of service, others even scripting and databases as seen in paid hosts.  It’s an excellent way for new developers to learn from and also allow backup sites, as well as a testing platform for more experienced webmasters.

Cons
We’ve all heard the saying “there is no free lunch.”  This usually applies to free web hosting.  Usually this type of hosting comes with you displaying their ads, to recoup their costs.  Banners, text links, pop-ups, and many more are common among free web hosts.  Also they usually have bandwidth and storage limits, which are very limited. Lastly they do not come with custom domain names, and therefore do not give a very professional impression.

Examples
www.700megs.com
www.free2hoxt.com
www.fusedtree.com
www.40gigs.com

Shared Web Hosting (Virtual Hosting)
This is the most common type of hosting service used (This is what I use). You are sharing one server (cpu time, memory, OS, applications, bandwidth etc.) with a number of clients from your hosting company.  Your webhost manages the server to ensure uptime, upgrading hardware and software as necessary.  The cost often depends on the number of clients on a server, as the hosting company is trying to maximize profits per server.  You have no control over server, but full control of your website through a control panel.

Pros
Price is the cheapest and most affordable solution for a professional online presence.  Since companies host many sites on each server they are able to pass the saving on to the customer.  Performance can sometimes be an issue, especially when a host company oversells, but with software and hardware getting cheaper and better, this aspect might not be relevant for everyone.

Cons
Though it’s the most popular choice for web hosting, it is definitely not for everyone.  If your web application requires excessive amount of CPU, RAM, or other resources,  a shared hosting environment may not be best for you.    You may run into performance issues, and your hosting company will not enjoy you hogging the resources, nor will they install foreign software, as it could be an issue for their other clients.

Overall
This is the best choice for small to medium sized sites and email domains, and for emergencies or as a backup hosting solution.

Examples
www.bluehost.com
www.hostmonstar.com
www.lunarpages.com
www.startlogic.com

Virtual Private Server Hosting (Virtual Dedicated Server)
A Virtual Private Server (VPS), also referred to as Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS), provides the features of a dedicated server for multiple web hosting customers in the form of “virtual computers”. At first blush it sounds somewhat contradictory - how can you have a dedicated server if it is being shared by multiple users? Isn’t that a regular shared or virtual hosting environment? It is true that with a Virtual Private Server you still share system resources like the CPU and RAM with other users but the resources are allocated in such a way that you cannot tell that the system has anyone else on it, much like a dedicated server. So resources are usually setup in such a way that each hosting client is only allowed to use an allocated percent, meaning that resources assigned to you will always available to you. Each virtual server looks and acts like a dedicated server.

Pros
VPS offers an attractive alternative hosting solution for a niche of web hosting clients who would like the stability of a dedicated server, but on a smaller scale.  With the amount of resources each client users being allocated consistently, the clients site will be more consistent since it will always have the same amount of access to the CPU, memory, bandwidth, etc.  Also VPS are more secure since even as you share the memory and CPU time, you are allocated your own files system.  IF a website on the server is attacked, the hackers will only have access to that particular file system and would not be able to attack other websites.

Cons
After reading that, this probably seems like the best solution, right? Well, almost.  Not all VPSs are created equal, meaning not all hosting services setup or define VPSs the same way.  You must ensure that your provider guarantees that their setup is robust enough to handle operations at a peak level.  Overselling is the big issue here.  A shortfall of resources could end up causing problems for everyone hosted on such a server, therefore negating the benefits of a VPS. In a shared or dedicated environment you might be able to access more resources during peak or spike periods but since the VPS environment limits you to to your slice of the server resources, it can be a drawback.

Examples
www.startlogic.com
www.hostican.com
www.easycgi.com
www.lunarpages.com

Managed Dedicated Web Hosting
Unlike shared hosting where tens to hundreds of websites of various customers are hosted on one computer, dedicated web hosting solutions allow a client to lease the complete computer and have access to all its resources to host one or multiple websites. This makes a dedicated hosting solution especially attractive for large high-traffic websites, custom development projects creating complex web based applications, and web sites that require a high degree of uptime and total control of the hosting environment.

Managed or “fully managed” web hosting solutions take the dedicated model to a higher level. We know that dedicated hosting allows the client to have full control of the server but dedicated servers can be difficult to operate technically and require that you have certain knowledge about server maintenance and system administration. The notch above is managed hosting, as it takes the dedicated features and adds extra services like reporting and monitoring, load balancing, security, setup, system administration and software updates. This is the most hands-off solution for the client.

Pros
Managed hosting solutions continue to provide the benefits of a dedicated server, that is you have access to the complete server. Your package would be tailored to the amount of bandwidth and hard drive space that you might need and CPU intensive applications could operate without hindering other sites or being conflicted. Added as well is the management service that would ensure that the server operates at an optimum level by installing the needed software, updating patches, and providing support for any hardware or software issues. But you must make sure that the provider has the specialized people on staff and provides 24/7/365 support.

Cons
Managed web hosting solutions are usually the premium offerings of a company and represent the top tier in terms of service. Therefore they usually command the highest prices - managed hosting solutions are more expensive than their dedicated cousins. Managed hosting packages will also likely involve some sort of a setup fee as it is more time consuming to setup a complete server than it is to create a hosting account in a shared environment. Managed solutions could also be an overkill. If you know your way around the operationg system being used and have system administration experience, you might be paying extra for something that you could do yourself.

Examples
www.lunarpages.com
www.esecuredata.com
www.steadfast.net
www.hostican.com

Unmanaged Dedicated Web Hosting (Server Co-Location)

In situations dedicated or managed servers provided by a web hosting provider do not meet your needs, it is always possible to custom build your own server and place it in the data center of a provider. Co-located hosting means that you purchase a server from Dell, Gateway or your neighborhood hardware vendor and supply it to the host. The host will in turn plug your server at its data center providing you access to its network and infrastructure. The webhost is reponsible for the network infrastructure and the data center while you are responsible for the server through remote access. This type of solution allows the very customized and specialized web sites to function at peak performance. Many of the ulta-popular websites use a co-location strategy to provide them with the combination of customization and best possible performance. With co-location you would have to evaluate the specific providers to go over their terms of service, the security of their location, their bandwidth providers, backup and power systems. Some co-location hosting providers may also offer seperate management contracts for the day to day maintenance of your server.

Pros
Co-location provides the ultimate in flexibility, choice and control. You as the customer know exactly what type of hosting service you need, and if your own custome server is the answer, you can put it together, house it in a data center and manage it as you please. Most providers will include a secure cage that ensures security and will also allow you to use your own specialized components like routers to increase efficiency.

Cons
With co-located servers, you as the customer are fully responsible for the equipment. Most data centers will monitor and manage your system, but any problems will have to be dealt by the owner unless maintenance agreements are in force (extra costs). Co-located servers are most likely to contain specialized software or operating systems aswell, which have to be managed by experienced staff or the customer.

For the record, I am not endorsing any of the examples I have listed, I only got them off of a list of web hosting reviews.  They are simply listed to get an idea of what kind of services are offered from each option.  If I’ve made any mistakes or misquotes, or you have any other valuable information that could help, please let us all know.

The Brain Vault is my newest project.  It is an exclusive online community (register by invite only) for professionals to share and collaborate on different ideas, many of which they don’t enough time to devote to themselves or are looking for a little professional help with.  I have chosen to keep this forum invite only in order to help protect the ideas of members and keep leeches from stealing the intellectual property of others.  Members range from scientists to medical students to professional bloggers (and everything in between).  I think this project is really going to take off, and will be a great networking opportunity for all parties involved.

If you are interested in becoming a member of The Brain Vault, and think you have something to add to our online community, contact me here, and let me know why you think you would make a good member.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” “Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love.” “Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected.” With ideas like these, it’s no wonder Mahatma Gandhi was one of histories greatest men.

“Mahatma” means “Great Soul,” and Mohandas Gandhi was certainly a man of great soul. At a young age the boy was small and shy, and  showed absolutely no indication of being a leader.  But in his mid teens Mohandas had a profound experience which would change his life.  He and his father attended a play, “Harischandra,” which was about an ancient king who sacrifices everything he has to seek truth.  This had a grand affect on the boy.  He was troubled for months over the drama.  He finally asked himself why all men did not seek truth as their ultimate goal.  As he seeked truth he found that it is not within the confines of any religion, but through peace among mankind.

Gandhi wasn’t without a rebelious adolescence though.  In his younger years he ate meat with his Muslim friend, smoked cigarretes, and occasionally even stole.  But after a painful confession to his dying father, he finally felt absolved.  The calm tears of the dying man radiated love, forgiveness, and a new respect for the truthfulness of his son.

Formal education was did not keep Gandhi in good spirits.  It wasn’t until he was asked by the Vegetarian Society of England to help edit a translated Bhagavad Gita that his spirit was reawakened through the epic stories and wisdom of his Hindu heritage.  The Christian Bible was another book of his studies.  Both Hindu and Christian studies has a profound influence on his life.

Gandhi is probably most well known for his hunger strike and other protests and social movements.  His protests started as an effort to test the effectiveness of his strategies for nonviolent protest. He initiated civil disobedience campaigns, organized numerous strikes and mass meetings, composed petitions and spoke out for human rights. He stood up for what he thought was right, and was arrested many times in the process, though later he would become decorated by the British for his efforts during both the Boer War and the Zulu Rebellion.

After 21 years of crusading for human rights in South Africa, Gandhi returned to India where he became the leader of the Indian Nationalist Movement, which advocated Home Rule, or Swaraj (British government had enacted bills to outlaw opposition movements). Later satyagraha protests nullified the impact of these laws.

“I had to disobey the British because I was acting in obedience with a higher law, with the voice of my conscious.”

In 1919 almost four hundred Indians were massacred when British troops were ordered to fire on unarmed protesters.  This only made Gandhi more determined to gain independence by cultivating satyagraha.

In 1930 as a protest against the new “Salt Acts,” stipulating that all salt must be purchased by the government, Gandhi led 200 followers on a march to the sea, where they made salt from the sea water.  Pictures of the loin-clothed Indian wading into the water to extract the first crystal of salt raised the awareness of people all over the world.

Over the next few years Gandhi’s civil disobedience continued, along with a crusade for dismantling the caste system (discrimination, based, in this case, on religion).  Gandhi’s fasts now were not directed towards the British, but at his own people, Brahman and outcast alike.

Although Gandhi spent 7 years in prison for his beliefs, he felt honored to be imprisoned for his cause.  He had, for years, tried to unite Muslims and Hindu, and despite dissimilar beliefs and customs, he believed that they could live in peace as one nation.  When Britain granted India its freedom in 1947, Gandhi was heartbroken as the country was partitioned into 2 separate nations, a Muslim Pakistan, and a Hindu India.  He spend Independence Day alone in prayer.  He knew that even he could not stop the fighting that would soon break out between the Muslim and Hindu.

At age 78 Gandhi entered into his last fast in hopes of ending the bloodshed.  5 days later the factious leaders did pledge to cease fighting, but 10 days later he was gunned down by a high ranking Indian Brahman who feared his tolerant teachings.  All of India mourned without further violence until his body was burned to ashes in its funeral pyre beside the holy river.

Mahatma Gandhi’s life was lead by a search to find truth and peace.  Though small and humble in shape and size, Gandhi was a man of limitless physical energy, moral wisdom, courage and conviction.   He lived his life as a lesson to all of mankind for peace, humility, and the pursuit of truth.