Still Truckin'

It's Sunday morning, and Jacob was kind enough to get me up before 5:00am, I'm sure he had a good reason...

Anyways, the plan is still progressing. I did my longest run last night (longest in this episode of fitness that is), at about 5 1/4 kilometers. I tried this route the night before, but when I forgot and wore two shirts, with the humidity the way it was, it didn't go well. Last night though, proper attire plus nicer weather led to a good, if slower paced, run.

I at 3 hot dogs and two rice crispy squares at a BBQ yesterday, which did lend some motivation to run further. At the start of last week I was proud to have weighed in at 239lbs, a full 21 lb loss, and it put me in "the thirties" which was nice. Later that week I was at 237lb!...but that lasted a day and I was back up to 241lbs. With all the changes in weather and such, I look but don't put too much stock in the weight fluctuations. I've committed to using Monday mornings as my official weigh in days, and so I can have some consistency. As long as I keep going in the right direction on those days, I'm in business.

I did revise my short term goal, and by the time I go on holiday, for the last week in August, I want to hit 230lbs. That should be a doable goal so long as I don't face injury, or my body decides to hang on to a certain weight (which I know it will do at some point, and I'll have to stay with it). It would be nice to be able to go on holidays and feel OK about relaxing the diet a bit, you don't necessarily want to count calories at a fishing lodge!

Anyways, the weight training continues 3 x week as well, so hopefully I'm losing fat and gaining some muscle as well. No official exercise plans today, perhaps a walk with the kids is all.

Enjoy your day.

Ups / Downs / Pizza

Well another week is almost done. Carolyn was away with the kids this week, and I was at home with them last weekend, so our family schedule is very much "off". I think I missed a workout last week, and I know I missed a run or two. This week I missed one run, but replaced with with some training on the elliptical. I increased my weights in the gym, and noticed the results in increased soreness.
I had one planned and one unplanned slip up. I wasn't properly stocked in the fridge, and as a result ordered a breakfast sandwich from Tim Horton's the other day (hold the meat). The other was a planned appointment with a movie and a pizza. Now, I didn't plan to eat the WHOLE pizza, but I did.
My weight on Monday was 240lbs, which is a full 20lbs less than what I started at. I need only drop 5 more pounds before the fishing trip to meet my published goal, though I was hoping to have dropped 30 by then, so I'm still on track. I know it will get harder to lose each pound, and I'm counting on more diligent nutrition to get me there.
I'm hoping to be under 240 on Monday...haven't been in the 30s in a long time :)

No Booze, No Problem

One of the things I'm trying to get a handle on is my weight, and to lose weight you simply need to burn more calories than you put in. So as I looked at all the stuff going in, there were some obvious areas that needed to be eliminated (chips, cookies, cookie dough, donuts, breakfast sandwiches from Tim Horton's, eating out at lunch...man I sucked), and then some other that I could eliminate with relative ease. One of these areas was alcohol. At the start of April I decided those were calories I did not need, and I could simply stop, which I did. So by choice, I haven't had any booze for 3.5 months, and I really don't see adding it back in until I'm at or much closer to my goal weight. It's funny, a bag of chips calls to me like the song of the loon....but booze, not an issue. Funny eh?

Helps with Cholesterol, Helps with HDL Levels, and it's Good For The Bum!

Going back to the doctors appt, I was lambasted (perhaps an exaggeration) for my high cholesterol and my high LDL levels. I recently began taking Ground Flax Seed as an add-on to my shakes / liquid in the morning. It helps with both cholesterol and LDL levels, and is an EXCELLENT source of fibre, expanding 5 x it's size. This of course helps you stay full, and well, it helps you....south of the border.

It's super easy to take, and I got about 100 days worth at COSTCO for about $8, so very cost effective too. Just put a teaspoon in my shake, or in cereal, or just jam it in your mouth and wash it down.

Enjoy.

Joint Pain? Are You Serious?

So my running and baseball have been taking their toll. I know I mentioned that I don't heal as well as I used to, but seriously, there are days after a ball game, or a run, that I feel like I'm not gonna make it. Sore ankles, knees, hips...I'm like 100.

So I broke down and bought some glucosamine supplements. I've been taking them for a week, but it will take a few more before I'd notice anything. I'm hoping that the combination of less weight, better strength, better nutrition, and these little magic pills will get me feeling right.

Still truckin'

The Blessed Weekend

I had a tough week on the fitness front. I had a great run on Monday evening, and again on Tuesday. I had to go back to back to catch up. I then played ball on Wednesday night, and for whatever reason, it killed me. I only batted 4 times, and played the infield for half the game, but afterwards (and currently) my knees, hips, ankles, you name it hurt like hell.

My weight training is fine, but I walk around like I'm 100! So yesterday (Friday) I did my weights, and then I was scheduled to run last night. Instead I opted to do 20min on the elliptical machine at the office gym to save my joints.

I'll run on Sunday night (pain permitting) and see how I do. My goal for Monday would be to weigh in at 244lbs, but I've been on the scale this week a couple times and I've been as high as 248 and as low as 242.5, but I think that's all just water with the temperature moving.

So, I'm getting stronger with the weights, I'm getting more fit with the cardio, but boy do I need some help with recovery pain!

See ya.

I'm Sure I Recovered Faster When I Was Younger

Much like how in University you could go our and "party" day after day....I remember the days when you could work in the yard, play a sport, or work out, and be OK the next day. Seems those days may be...well gone :). I notice that after working out I git far more sore, it lasts longer, and I seem to have acquired a case of my body deciding it can hurt as a whole!

I'm not trying to complain, but sometimes you don't feel like working out, and some days you are raring for it, but when in both cases you now have to overcome stiffness, fatigue etc, it can be tough! Monday I went for a run, it was great because it was nice and cool and I had not run for two days. But I had to get back on track, and run Tuesday, but I was quite stiff from the night before. But I got through it. But then last night I played baseball, and man, it felt like I was running hard pavement by the midway point, and after the game I all but limped to my car from overall body stiffness!!

Perhaps it's still just taking time for my body to move from sedentary to active, and a month from now I'll be thinking I'm back in school.