Walking and Spinning

So I started walking, and doing spin class. I can't believe how I've let myself go. I've been walking 2 to 3 miles a night 3 to 4 times a week. After this week I will start doing the run/walk. I'll run a 1/10th of a mile and walk 3/10th. I'll do this for a couple of weeks, and then I will increase the running. Every couple of weeks I'll increase the run distance till I'm just running.

The other day I did the spin class and I hated it. Not because it was too hard, but because it had full length mirrors all around, and I could see just how large I've gotten.

The bad thing about weight loss is that it doesn't take long to pack the weight on, but it takes what seems like forever to get it off.

New Year

It is a new year, and at the beginning of each new year you are suppose to review the previous year, and set goals and objectives for the upcoming year. Recently I started a weight loss program at work. At the weigh in they take measurements to monitor your performance. I have to say I am not in good shape. I am heavier than I’ve been in the last 5 years, and my blood pressure is out the roof.

 

I am happy in my personnel life. Carol makes me happy, but I’m not happy about my health and fitness. A few years ago I was in the best shape I’ve been in since boot camp. My fitness is better than it has been in the past, I can still ride my bike a good distance, and swim a few laps. That said, my fitness is not good, and I need to do something about it.

 

What has changed? A few things, I changed jobs at work (returning to my old job), Cale passed away, and living with Carol.

 

The change of jobs was a good move for me, but it had a significant draw back to my fitness. At my old position I would ride my bike during lunch with my co-workers. Now, I go out to lunch with my current co-workers. This has had a big impact on my fitness and weight.

 

I have tried going to the gym during lunch, but even with it as close as it is, it is not convenient to do. The travel time is too long. When I use to ride during lunch, all I had to do is walk out the door. I find that the more inconvenient something is, the less likely I will do it consistently.

 

Cale passing has also had an impact. Cale and I would walk a mile every day. We didn’t set a blazing pace, but we were moving.

 

When I moved in with Carol, I moved further away from Atlanta. The longer travel time made it less convenient to work out with the tri club and left me less time because of the increased travel.

 

For a while we were going to the gym regularly (I find it is always easier when you have someone to go with or to meet). This was great, but soon her company was bought out, and she had to work later and later. Besides not being able to make it to the gym we started having dinner latter and later. Because it would sometimes be 7 to 9 hour between lunch and dinner, I would snack (I don’t snack healty).

 

After looking back at the why, I need to figure out what to do. This is my plan:

 

Join a group. It can be the Atlanta Triathlon Club, No Boundaries, Swim classes at the aquatic center, Chattahoochee Road Runners, Red Top Cycling, etc… I need to have a group that I’m accountable to. But it has to be convenient or I won’t do it.


Start doing something at lunch or in the morning, even if it is just going for a walk. And, going out to lunch doesn’t count as doing something.


Beer and Ice Cream only on Friday and Saturday, and cut out my unhealthy snacks.


The last thing may be the hardest one to do, but I need to eat dinner earlier. Because of the large gap between lunch and dinner, I tend to over eat. I eat late because I want to eat with my honey, and because she gets home so late I don’t want her to have to cook and eat even later. This will take some planning, and I’m not sure what to do.

 

I’m hoping that in 6 months I will be talking about all the improvements. I plan on blogging more about my progress, as I have found that writing about it helps keep me honest.

Striving to be in OK Shape

I ran the other day. This was the first time in a month, probably only the second time in 4 months, and first time on concrete in a year. It was not good.


I often delude myself with the idea that I am still in OK shape because I'm not as bad as I once was. This is a bad thing to do, and sometimes you are lucky enough to get your eyes opened. I ran about a mile and a half at a slow pace, and my legs still hurt days later. How can this be, I do aqua-fit, I do spin classes, I swim (although not often enough), and I ride my bike. This can be, because I am not in OK shape.

I’ve just started getting back into shape. I am working on some goals, and I have developed some rules:
• Ice cream only on the weekend, and in moderation (not the whole carton).
• Beer only on the weekend.
• Workout a minimum 4 days in the week.
• HTFU

Bike Rack

I recently bought a trailer hitch and a bike rack for Carols car.This way I can take one of my bikes on vacation with me. We usually take her car on vacation (it is newer, it gets better mileage, its a/c works better, it has cruse control, and it rides better).

Our next vacation is a beach trip. I am bringing my old road bike so I can go out for some morning rides. Traveling stresses me out, even to the beach. I find that if I can get a workout in I am less stressed, and being less stressed around family is a good thing ( nobody likes a cranky John).

Later in the year we usually visit her uncle in the mountains. He lives in a valley that is accessed by a 26 switchback climb up a mountain. Every time we have gone there I thought about how cool it would be to try and climb it. Lucky for me I never had a bike with me so I never had too. Now that we have a rack I'm going to have to try it, and I'm in no shape for it.

I recently attempted Kennesaw mountain (to gauge my climbing ability). Even though I rode it a number of times in the past, I am not in the same shape as I was. I have a lot of work to do before we go to the mountains.

I Am Funky

I can't seem to find my motivation. a couple of years ago I was so into the triathlon lifestyle. I was a member of a great triathlon club (Atlanta Triathlon Club). I rode my bike at lunch and even got my co-workers riding. I swam all the time. I was a triathlete.

Now I'm a fat guy (with no dogs). Recently I started doing aqua-fit with my sweetheart. I figure it is easier to do something when you have someone to do it with. It is a good workout, but it is not triathlon training.

Since moving up north I am no longer a member of the tri club. It is just too far to travel. But, that is an excuse, not a reason. There is a tri club that does stuff up here. We have bike shops that have group rides all the time. I belong to LA Fitness, so I can swim anytime I want to. And, if I step out my door, there is a street I can run on.

Even with these opportunities to train I make excuses. And, it seems any excuse will do:

Re-join ATC- - It's too far to travel.
Go to the gym during lunch - I get all sweaty, and by the time I get there and change it is time to head back.
Go for a run when you get home - It's too hot.
Go for a run in the morning - My knees hurt running on concrete.
And, the list goes on...

I do miss having people to work out with, having people made it easier, but not having people should not stop me. I am in an exercise funk, and I'm not sure how to get out of it. I know sooner or later I will break out of this funk, I'm just hoping it's sooner.

Goodbye Cale

It has been a couple of weeks since I lost baby girl (Cale) to cancer. I still fell pangs of sadness in the mornings when I wake up, and in the afternoons when I get home. This is the first time in 18 years that I don't have a dog. When I lost Tosi, I still had Allie; when I lost Buddy, I still had Allie; when I lost Allie I still had Cale; but when I lost Cale, I have no dog. I feel a little sad and off without a dog. I know we will get another dog in a few months, Carol needs some time. But, the house feels a little bit lonelier without a dog.

Goodbye Cale. You were a wonderful dog.

Aqua Fit Again

I took an aqua fit class again. I know aqua fit is just a less girlie way of saying water aerobics, but I'm liking these classes, even though they aren't going so well. After the first class, I hurt for 3 days and could barley move.The second class was so poorly done, I could have gotten the same calorie burn by taking a nap. The third class was awesome. It was so awesome I had torn the skin off a couple of my toes, and had a blister on the ball of my foot the size of a silver dollar. Yesterday's class was hard. I had trouble breathing, but so did everyone else; the pool was over chlorinated, and the fumes was messing with everyone respiratory system (we had a couple of people that had to leave). We had to stop doing the cardio, but we finished with arms the last 20 minutes.