This week started off fine, just like any other week. Monday I had yoga and day one of crossfit (which I'll get into) and muay thai later in the afternoon. I felt great after training in the afternoon, like I could keep going. Tuesday was Spartacus day and afternoon training as I have switched to the afternoons for a week to see how I do. After shadowboxing, bag work and 5 rounds on the pad, I could barely do anything. I was completely wiped out. After a short break, I did a relaxing half hour on the rowing machine before quitting. Some extra carbs and a good night sleep was all I needed, right? Wednesday was just crossfit and muay thai, but again, I was gassed after one hour of training. So I took today off and now I find myself achingly ecstatic to get to a bowl of oatmeal. Am I getting to the point of going stir crazy? Of having the same routines, the same foods, in the same place that I'm just getting sick of it all?

Tonight I was very not looking forward to my meal which I had planned to be tuna with this tomato/cucumber/egg salad they make. I haven't had it in awhile and enjoyed it before. But I didn't even finish it tonight and hurried back to the bungalow to eat some oatmeal to get something warm to eat, something that I enjoy. I'm excited to eat oatmeal. This is what it has come to.

This weekend marks the halfway point of my trip and I have to wonder, although I'm making significant progress with all my goals, why have I suddenly become irritable with my situation and lost some motivation and energy? Perhaps I just need a break. But I think it's a change of scenery. I have 2 more weeks at Phromthep before moving on to Ko Samui and it seems like it won't be a moment too soon. I have 4 weeks at Ko Samui before a short weekend trip to Bangkok and finally coming home. The whole trip is going so fast, and yet, some fire in my punches is lacking and the pace is slowing down. I'm punching and kicking harder, but the motivation is not there. I need a jump start, anyone have any suggestions?

Luckily the accommodations on Ko Samui seem very nice, there's a pool, it's close to a beautiful beach and I'll have the added benefits of unlimited training and new food. With all those changes, I should be able to kick up the fire again that overcame me the first month here. During these first 7 weeks I've lost 16 pounds, have definitely noticed some physique changes and have read almost 20 books. It's a great feeling to get through some accomplishments and I want to keep that going. But this routine and isolation is driving me nuts. I find myself watching man vs. food, thinking about the food back home, reading and watching wine videos all day. These are the things I miss. But as I watch man vs. food on youtube, I'm surprised I don't drool all over the laptop. I can't help it either. I miss the pizza, ice cream, large portions, mexican food, cheeseburgers that give you a heart attack, etc. Perhaps because I eat so healthy this stuff just seems like a distant dream. But I don't want to hold it in such high regard. I don't want to gain 20 lbs as soon as I get back, ha. Those things are nice to have, but in moderation. Cheat night is tomorrow night and I'm planning to eat a ton of pizza and tiramisu. How I need it.

The worst part of tonight's dinner was that right after I ordered some people invited me to the nearby steakhouse for dinner. And if I didn't just order, I probably would have gone. It would've been nice to have and apparently the aussie beef is particularly healthy, which I wasn't too aware of. I knew it was healthier than what's in America, but I can wait for a real cheat meal tomorrow.

So in order to keep things fresh, and to throw my body for a loop, I changed up my routine this week which would normally work. I'm just in this funk. I started crossfit (http://www.crossfit.com/) which I've done before, but never adhered to simply because I was doing other things. But I'm going to try it out for at least a few weeks to see how it goes. It's basically intense exercise in a short amount of time. Great to change things up especially when the gym trips were getting stale and this regimen is highly praised. I also may do some mountain biking my last week here. I will be doing more swimming at Ko Samui and look into other routines to keep things fresh. It's always important to not only find something that makes you enjoy working out, but to change it up often so your body doesn't get accustomed to it. Same goes for food. There's a nutritionist/doctor on WGN news who is a big advocate for totally changing your diet every 4 days (I believe) to keep your body guessing. It does work, but it's obviously not the only way. But these are things to remember when plateauing.

So, I got that off my chest. I'm now going to go watch Adam Richman eat a steak the size of his head and continue reading the behemoth biography of Teddy Roosevelt which is proving to be one of my favorite reads so far.

Of course, I could always watch this clip every morning when I wake up to motivate myself for the day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIyCwomjKWY&feature=related