Transformation Update: Week 3, Day 19
By Brandon Cook
Friday, December 18th, 2009
Thought of the Day:
“Even if you are shown the way, you cannot arrive there without walking the path yourself.”
- Kanshu Sunadomari
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Day 19 of My Transformation Journey:
Well, today is Friday. I must say that my lower back/upper glute is a little sore due to the high rep lunges and step ups I did yesterday. I will begin icing my back immediately. One of the recovery tricks that I use is to use ice packs whenever a muscle or joint feels more sore than usual.
I’ll ice for 15 minutes at a time. One tip I learned is to use wraps to secure them loosely in place on my knees or ankles. You don’t want the wraps tight, just enough to secure them in place. For my back I use a back brace and tuck the ice packs between the brace and a thin shirt to keep them directly off of my skin.
I’ll do this several times throughout the day and also make sure to spend time massaging or stretching the muscle to help speed recovery. Another tactic I use is a heating pad. Sometimes I’ll alternate between ice and heat. However, be careful here. You have to know when to use heat and when to use ice.
The purpose of ice is to reduce inflammation. When you injure an area or overtrain it, excess blood will accumulate in the area. In accute injuries this will often cause swelling. You apply ice in this case which will help to constrict the blood vessels moving blood out of the muscle/joint and reduce the swelling and inflammation there. Whenever you first injure yourself always apply ice immediately and use strictly ice for 24-48 hours.
After 48 hours you can begin alternating between heat and ice. When you apply heat, the blood vessels will open and cause an inflow of blood to the muscle. Applying heat will bring in fresh nutrients and blood to the sore achy muscles.
That’s why you do not want to apply heat to an injury because it will actually increase the blood flow and swelling/inflammation. It may feel good at first, but often times it will only make it hurt worse. Never apply heat to a bad injury until after 48 hours or the swelling has gone down. Remember this! 
My Morning Ritual:
Woke up at 6:30am
Drank 30 ounces of water
10 Minutes of Tai Chi/Qi Gong Exercises
15 Minutes of seated Meditation
Meal #1 Breakfast (7:00-8:00 am)
28 grams of Raw Sunflower seeds
1 Banana
3 Whole Eggs (Organic/Cage Free)
Frozen Spinach
Onions, Green and Red Peppers
Pico Degallo
Porta Bella Mushrooms
1/4 Cup Organic Dark Red Kidney Beans
Add a little Salsa and seasoning
8 ounces Orange Juice
16 ounces of water
GNC Multivitamin
GNC 1000mg Vitamin C
GNC 400 IU Vitamin E
Carlson 2,000 IU Vitamin D
Biotest Flameout Fish Oil
2 GNC Super Digestive Enzymes
Finished reading Eckhart Tolle’s book. I highly recommend reading and studying this man’s teachings. His books will awaken you to a higher state of consciousness, unless that is… you’d prefer to stay asleep.
Most of humanity is sleepwalking through their existence, unaware of their true nature, oblivious to what’s going on around them and who they really are on the deepest level of their being. “You’re not who you think you are.” is one of Eckhart’s messages.
Are you the man or woman in the mirror? Are you your body, your mind, your job, your possessions or are you something more? Who do you believe you are? Is there a purpose for your being here or is life just a meaningless existence created by chance?
These are just some of the questions and insights you’ll gain clarity on while reading Eckhart’s books. His first book is called The Power of Now. This was the first one I read and it blew me away. Then I bought several of his audio books and have listened to them over and over. His second book A New Earth is also highly recommended and for some may be easier to read and understand.
However, don’t read these books if you do not have an open mind. If you are too attached to one particular view such as athiest or christianity or science or whatever… you may be too close minded to hear the message.
See, I was raised as a Catholic, but I always asked questions that went unanswered. So I began reading about other religions such as Zen Buddhism, Taoism, and started to study a lot of science and evolutionary theory. Then I began studying more philosophy, metaphysics, and even new age ideas.
I never limit myself to one point of view, so I read many different views and then make up my own mind. What I have come to discover is that the more points of view you study, the more you begin to see the underlying truths that carry over from one view to the next. This is known as the Perennial Philosophy or even Universal Law… when you know the principles… you know what truly works.
This practice works with any subject, that’s why I also read and recommend several different muscle-building programs.
Warrior Walk #1:
15 Minutes of Walking my dogs. No vest today.
Time to head to work.
Upon arrival 8 ounces of Green Tea
Meal #2: Brunch (10:00-11:00am)
12 Raw Almonds
1/2 scoop of whey protein
1/2 scoop of casein protein
8 ounces of Soy Milk
1 Cheese Stick
1 Apple
16 ounces of water
Meal #3: Lunch (1:00-2:00pm)
Today I went and ate Hibachi at a Japanese restaurant.
I had chicken and scallops, zuchinni, onions, and half of the rice
1/2 Cup of Carrots
1 piece of 60% Dark Chocolate
16 ounces of water
2 GNC Super Digestive Enzymes
8 ounces of Green tea
Started to snow here today. Left around 2pm to go home. Yeah yeah! 
Meal #4: Afternoon Snack (4:00-5:00pm)
12 Raw Almonds
28 grams of Sunflower seeds
Big Bowl of Mixed Field Greens
Several pieces of Brocolli
One handful of shredded Carrots
3 ounces of Tuna
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar
1 Biotest Flameout Fish Oil Softgel
1 Carlson 2000 IU Vitamin D – increased my daily dosage from 4000 to 6000 IU due to winter time
16 ounces of water.
Recovery Training:
15 Minutes of Self-Massage using Foam Roller and Tennis Ball
15-20 Minutes of Static Stretching Whole Body
Meal # 5: Pre-Dinner (7:00-8:00pm)
Protein Shake:
1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein
1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Casein Protein
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
5 grams Optimum Nutrition Creatine
5 grams Optimum Nutritoin Glutamine
8-16 ounces of Soy Milk
28 grams of Sunflower Seeds
(Note: swapped out the banana for seeds to keep carbs lower in the evening on off days to reduce body fat levels)
Warrior Walk #2:
15 Minutes of Walking my dogs with no vest.
Meal #6: Dinner Time (8:30-9:30pm)
3 Whole Egg Omelot
Cheese
Onions, Green and Red Peppers
Salsa
16 ounces of water
1 mg Melatonin
Watched a movie with a girl friend and went to bed around 10:00pm.
Brandon
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About the Author:
Brandon Cook is creator of The Awakened Warrior Blog, and co-creator of HardgainerMuscleBuilding.com, a website specifically designed to teach hardgainers how to build muscle fast using the laws and scientific principles of body transformation.
HargainerMuscleBuilding.com features a free email class covering the basic principles of training naturally, eating a nutritious, muscle-building diet, and understanding the truth about supplements. The website is filled with free articles, videos, and the programs you need to create your ideal body.
Please visit us at http://hardgainermusclebuilding.com
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