(Something is wrong with the camera—can't get anything but fuzzy pics today.  I will fix that for tomorrow.)

Today was a pretty amazing day.  I had a major breakthrough on weightloss and fat loss.  I had an incredible workout as well.  I managed to observe some interesting things during the day as well.

The workout was a 5 x 5 strength builder.

Exercise	Weight/Reps
Squat	205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5
Deadlift Shrug	205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5 205 x 5
Bulgarian Split Squats	30 x 5 30 x 5 30 x 5 30 x 5 30 x 5
Step Ups	25 x 5 25 x 5 25 x 5 25 x 5 25 x 5
Reverse Crunches	15 15 10

It was interesting in that I could have lifted more on both squats and deadlifts, yet I had originally thought it would be difficult to hit the numbers I was aiming for.  I am starting to question whether The New Rules of Lifting does enough core exercises.  I may have to add a little myself to help flatten this stomach of mine.

Today I read through alot of the Shredder Council blogs.  The topic seems to be on accountability.  I couldn't understand why I didn't immediately feel compelled to join in with that topic.  I thought it through and came to several conclusions.

If you read Mission 1, Day 43: Fruit day is coming soon! you'd know I was not happy with the effort I put forth in that day's workout.  I posted publically that I was unhappy with that effort and stated that I would fix it the next trip to the gym.  If you look at today's workout log you will note that I definitely worked harder than the last time at the gym.  The weights felt light, yet challenging.  To me, this is part of accountability—posting my workout logs for everyone to see pushes me to higher levels of intensity.

In addition, I've been posting daily pictures since the start of the first Group Shred.  I've been one of the people who has been stating that the daily pictures are essential to our accountability factor.  I truly believe that when Adam wrote his article about accountability, the article where he mentions blogging and posting daily photos, he truly believed that the daily ritual of blogging and taking photos would make us more accountable to our goals.  I, for one, believe this to be the case and plan to blog daily into the foreseeable future and beyond.  I will continue to post pictures on a daily basis.  Does it matter to me whether we are in the middle of a 100 day cycle of shredding or an 84 day cycle of shedding?  Most certainly not!  The fact is that I am making a lifestyle change here.  I am planning to live this way for the rest of my life.  The timeline I'm currently involved in is less than important.

Now, with that said, if these things motivate you, by all means, jump in and have some fun.  For me, the motivation I gleen from knowing I have to take a photo every day is enough.  I am very focused on being held accountable.  I have even started to re-read a book about trust that I read several months ago and it has given me some new insights.

With that said, I am not going to be joining in any special 100 day missions, 84 day missions or any special missions of any length.  Will I participate and encourage others on a daily basis?  Yes, I will.  However, I need to be sure that my goals are my goals.  I have set a goal for a 100 day mission and I'm in Day 45 now.  To change that at this point would be changing my focus and to me, that is a dangerous thing. I am easily distracted.  I can't afford to let myself get distracted while crafting a new lifestyle.

Until tomorrow...