After a solid week off at the gym due to traveling and the stomach flu I happily made my way back to Centerpoint today. All is right in my world again. Although it can be difficult for me to take time off from exercising and my regular diet, it is good for the body to rest and recover from hard training. Taking breaks is still something I can't do without being forced to though so I guess I will just have to go on vacation every few months or so:)

While in Austin I stopped by Half Price Books to find some reading material and found The New Encyclopedia of Modern Body Building for 10 bucks! It is normally around 36 so I was quite pleased, especially since this is the bible of bodybuilding and fitness written by Mr. Olympia himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. His performance as a politician and a sexist aside, he knows his shit when it comes to fitness. The 790 page monstrosity probably builds muscle just by lugging it around but it is also filled with comprehensive information on health, nutrition and dietary supplements to help build muscle, lose fat and maintain optimal health. It also includes strategies and tactics for competitive bodybuilding, but don't worry I don't have any ambitions to be a competitive body builder so I will probably skip that chapter;)

I am all giddy to start reading this. The pictures alone are completely fascinating to me. It is truly amazing what some people can get their bodies to look like with a lot of hard work and discipline. As much as bodybuilders get a bad rap for being meatheads you really have to have something going on upstairs to be able to understand the science behind building muscle and to do it effectively. It also doesn't hurt to be genetically gifted.

I think I may need a bookcase dedicated to just exercise and nutrition now. My library is coming along nicely.