Exercise Helps Reduce Stress

Have you ever heard the saying, "Exercise helps reduce stress". I have, and up till today I believed it.

Today my boss was irking me; he was being irksome. By lunch time I was becoming twisted. So at lunch I went for a ride. It was my normal 10 miles (4 laps at 2.5 miles a lap) ride. I was taking it easy this ride, keeping my heart rate below 135 bpm. I had just done 2.5 laps when I ran over a pebble (a fracking pebble) and I got a flat.

I pulled over to the side of the rode; took off the tire and opened my tool bag. I did have a patch kit, but no tools. So do you know what I wasn't going to do? That's right, I wasn't going to fix my tire. Do you know what else I didn't have in my tool bag? A cell phone. This meant I couldn't call back to the office and have someone pick me up. Do you know what that meant? That right, it meant I had to hoof it back to the office wearing cycling shoes and carrying my bike on my shoulder. In case you didn't notice, I was 2.5 laps through my ride. That means I was as far away from the start(work) as I could be. No matter which way I walked, I was still a mile and a quarter away from the office.

Because it took me alot longer to get back to work, I stayed late. Because I stayed late, my boss came into my office and irked me some more. I don't think my lunch time exercise did anything to reduce my stress. I think it may have raised it.

Weigh-In Wednesday

I am starting to feel like a yo-yo.

I know why my weight went up this week. It wasn't that I didn't work-out this week; I had done two lunch time ride (10 miles each), ran two mornings (3 miles each), and went on a hike (2 miles). It wasn't what I ate; I didn't hit the sweets (like my sisters) and I ate alot of fish and veggies. The reason I gained weight this week can be summed up in one word, BEER.

The last month I've been beer free. I had given it up for lent (which is kind of funny that I still do this, even though I am a lapsed Catholic), but on Sunday (Easter, the end of lent) I hit the beer hard (I also hit it pretty hard Monday and Tuesday). I'm usually not a heavy beer drinker (a six pack usually last me a couple of weeks), but their is something about wanting what you can't have, and over indulging when you can finally have it again.

Next week I expect to do better.

Plateau

North Dakota Plateau

My plateau.

Weigh-In Wednesday (Belated)

264.2 lbs

39.5% Fat

I am surprised at this weight. Why, you ask? Because I've been eating like it is going out of style, and my activity level has been that of a cadaver. I'm not talking Weekend at Bernie's cadaver, or a cadaver that you find floating in the water (that could be classified as swimming really slow). I'm talking about the kind of cadaver that you find weeks later because of the smell.

I know the rain had to do alot with it, but even when it was nice out (both of those days) I didn't do anything except eat. I wasn't even eating healthy. In the last two weeks I ate 1 large bag of Peanut Butter M&Ms, 2 big bags of Robin Eggs, went to a all you can eat buffet 3 times, had Sonny's all you can eat pork, and ate fast food for lunch most days. I should be back to 280lbs.

Weigh-In Wednesday

Weight 264.8 lbs

Fat 40.1% Body Fat

I knew I hadn't lost as much as the scale said last week. Do you know why I knew? Because I haven't done squat. Since last weigh in, the only thing I've done is a 4 mile hike at West Palisades (it is more of a stroll on a paved path).

It has been raining most of the time during the last two weeks and I don't like being cold and wet. So I've been sitting on my couch, eating everything in the house. I am looking to get a treadmill or spinner bike so I can exercise when it's raining, but everyone is trying to talk me out of it. They feel we need many more months of this wet weather, and if I buy a treadmill or spinner bike, the rain will stop. They think this because scientists (and Al Gore) have determined that my activities have a direct correlation to the weather (i.e. I want to go hiking - it rains, I buy sunglasses - it gets cloudy, I wash my car - it rains, I try to go boating - it is so dry, the lake is dry, etc...).

I hope the sun comes out soon, or I'll start gaining back all the weight I lost so far.

Weigh-In Wednesday

I'm not to sure if this is correct. I will weigh myself tomorrow to verify; plus tomorrow is weigh in day at work.

Silver Comet Trail

I went riding on the Silver Comet Trail yesterday. The trail is a "Rails to Trails" trail that runs from Smyrna, GA to the Georgia/Alabama border. At the border it changes its name to the Chief Laguna Trail, and continues on to Birmingham, AL (I didn't ride to Birmingham).

I rode from Smyrna to Hiram and back, about 30 miles (it felt like it was 20 miles too long). It had been about 20 days since I've been on my bike, and I only ran twice since the last time I was on my bike. It is amazing how fast your fitness drops (this is why I'm not expecting a drop in weight tomorrow).

The ride started out good. The Silver Comet is relatively flat, and I was able to keep my Heart Rate below 135bpm for the trip to Hiram. On the way back was anouther story; I couldn't seem to keep my HR below 135bpm. I went slower and slower, used lower and lower gears, but I just couldn't keep my HR lower than 135bpm. At around mile 23, I stopped trying. I put the bike in a higher gear, and hammered my way home (as much as I can hammer). By the time I got to my car, I was spent.


Bellow are some pictures from the ride:

Approaching a tunnel in Cobb.

Trestle Bridge over Nickajack Creek

Reminiscence of when the trail was a rail line.