I'll finish up week #8 as follows:

• Thursday (today): KickMax?
• Friday: Disc #11 (Back & Triceps) + Abs
• Saturday: Plyo Legs (Want to sneak in one more leg workout before active recovery begins)
• Sunday: Cardio (Texas @12:30) - 90 minutes. This is also the day I'll take measurements & photos for the first time since starting STS.

Then, for an active recovery, my tentative plan is this:

• Monday: Yoga or StretchMax (ball) + Abs
• Tuesday: Cardio (Steady State or Low Intensity on treadmill)
• Wednesday: 4DS Boot Camp + Abs
• Thursday: Cardio (HiiT on treadmill) + StretchMax (band)
• Friday: LowMax + Abs
• Saturday: Cardio (Phoenix @7) - 60 minutes
• Sunday: Stretch

This plan is probably overly ambitious and is, of course, subject to change.

I want to keep the training part of my first active recovery week relatively simple. My primary focus next week will be diet, and cleaning it up. I've become careless with the carbs, and it's hampering progress. Without any lifting, it's even more important to keep my daily caloric intake near the lower end of my range (which is currently 1500 - 1800 kcal/day). Getting this under control means planning & preparation.

Once I begin Meso #2, I'll probably go back to my Level 1 calorie range (1740 - 2030 kcal/day). Hypertrophy is about building lean muscle mass, and that won't happen without enough energy to keep the body going.

I'm finally getting to the point where I'm mentally ok with consuming that many calories. For years I bought into the idea that the only way I would lose weight was to restrict myself to 1400-1500 kcal/day and exercise until I dropped. What a disaster! I was always tired. I'd rarely have the energy to put into a decent workout. I frequently felt like I overtrained, or was dealing with an injury of some sort, and would be recovering for weeks. Of course I'd be so depressed about overtraining that my diet would go to hell. All the while beating myself up because I was doing "all the right things" and still not making any progress. Crazy, stupid, self-destructive stuff.

When I think about how much better I feel - physically and mentally - and about the progress I'm making toward my health-related goals, I find that I'm much more satisfied with who I am and where I'm going. Yes, I'd love to see 135, instead of 145, when I step on the scale. Realistically, that ain't gonna happen. (My scale is apparently stuck at 145. ) It'd be nice, but it's not as important as it once was. I love the fact that my clothes are fitting better. I'm not as neurotic about ensuring there is enough butt coverage before walking out the door - or around the house, for that matter. I'm feeling stronger, thinking clearer, and am more focused on my goals than I've ever been. And for the first time in a long, long time, I truly believe I can accomplish my goals. This is pretty darned ! If I can just figure out how to carry this over to career-related goals...