Exercise update: I made it to the Y today for some workout time. That means I hit the Y on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday so far this week. Pretty good. I am reminded today of how much better my mood is when get some movement. No wonder some people get to the habit of doing this stuff first thing in the morning. I've never been that guy, but maybe I'll get there. I didn't do anything fancy today, just 32 minutes on the elliptical and 1 set of lots of different weight things, but it all adds up. I'm scheduled for 12:15 spin class tomorrow, so I'll get cardio one way or another.
It also occurred to me that I haven't worked since last week so my mood may be influenced by that as well. I'm sure there's something to be learned there, but I'll save that for another time. I wonder how many people are sacrificing their health for their job? I wonder if you actually have to?
My head always jumps to the big goals, but let's just stick to moving more for now. Big goals can come later.
Nutrition update: No big news. Continued to work on reducing diet soda intake. Probably eating less junk because I'm not running out of the office for lunch, but I can't say I'm eating markedly better because I made sure there was plenty o' crap in the house. I'm getting back on the scale tomorrow, but for now I'm just trying to get in motion again rather than attach to a number. That will come with the program that starts in January.
Random Musings: I read a thing on a greatTwitter feed called the99percent (linked below, not about OWS) about New Year's resolutions. It talks about using a Reflect, Select, Remove approach. it made sense to me today. I'm going to work on reflecting on what has and hasn't worked in 2011, probably in a blog entry, and then select 2-3 impactful goals for 2012. And finally and most importantly, I'm going to remove some of the things that I'm doing that may prevent me from achieving my goals.
Obviously health and wellness will be a primary goal and one of the main impediments to achieving that is making time to do it. When I look for things to remove, I see the computer and the Internet and one of my time wasters. So I'll look for things to trim. Games on FB seems the easiest so good bye to Bejeweled Blitz, Zuma Blitz etc. I also want to use this blog in the best possible way, so I think it will be a weekly event starting on Sunday the 1st. That should keep me focused without stealing too much time from what really matters.
Enjoy your New year and I'll see you on the 1st. Here's a link to that site from Twitter I mentioned if you are interested. the99percent
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
You just keep starting
Fitness update: Today has been ok. I took Cameron for a short hike and then got myself to the Y for 30 minutes on the elliptical plus some random weight lifting. It's not real focused but it is exercise and it's where I am right now. Once again, I noticed the positive effect getting some exercise has on my mood. Need to keep that learning in mind. I'm certainly not as fit as I was a couple months ago, but that is irrelevant, I just need to move more now.
Nutrition update: I have been drinking less soda since I've been away from work. Understand that my version of less is more than most anyone else would drink in a week, but I am reducing it and that's progress. I did weigh in this morning and I am large, no doubt. My holiday food choices have been mediocre, which probably qualifies as progress:) I'm choosing to not publish my weight until my biometric screening on January 5th. I figure that's a good place for a "before" moment. I'll probably include a picture then too. Between now and then, I'm just trying to do a little better than I have been.
Random Musings: I've had time to consume some media over my break so here's an update. I finally watched The Kids are All Right a couple nights ago. I thought it was fantastic. I laughed, I cried, I found catharsis. What more could you ask of a movie? The short synopsis is that it is about a family headed by two women in which the kids seek out the sperm donor they've never met. The interactions with the donor drive the movie, but what makes it sneaky good is all the lessons to be learned about family and marriage. I was struck by just how "normal" the main characters' marriage is even though it's same sex. Thank goodness people are trying to protect us from that (insert sarcasm here). What I saw is that being married and a parent is hard, no matter the circumstance. It's also funny and awkward and the best thing most of us will do. Anyway, I recommend the movie highly.
If you are wondering about today's title, it's based on a concept my Dad plowed into my head. He always talked about the only way to quit smoking was to keep quitting, meaning that if you slipped one day you just quit again after that. Seems to make sense to me with health too. Yesterday is just sunk costs if it didn't go well, you just start again today. Sounds suspiciously like AA, but long-time readers will know that I think my behavior reeks of addiction anyway, so maybe that's why one day at a time appeals to me. I started taking better care of myself today and I'm sure I'll start again tomorrow.
Happy Boxing Day
Nutrition update: I have been drinking less soda since I've been away from work. Understand that my version of less is more than most anyone else would drink in a week, but I am reducing it and that's progress. I did weigh in this morning and I am large, no doubt. My holiday food choices have been mediocre, which probably qualifies as progress:) I'm choosing to not publish my weight until my biometric screening on January 5th. I figure that's a good place for a "before" moment. I'll probably include a picture then too. Between now and then, I'm just trying to do a little better than I have been.
Random Musings: I've had time to consume some media over my break so here's an update. I finally watched The Kids are All Right a couple nights ago. I thought it was fantastic. I laughed, I cried, I found catharsis. What more could you ask of a movie? The short synopsis is that it is about a family headed by two women in which the kids seek out the sperm donor they've never met. The interactions with the donor drive the movie, but what makes it sneaky good is all the lessons to be learned about family and marriage. I was struck by just how "normal" the main characters' marriage is even though it's same sex. Thank goodness people are trying to protect us from that (insert sarcasm here). What I saw is that being married and a parent is hard, no matter the circumstance. It's also funny and awkward and the best thing most of us will do. Anyway, I recommend the movie highly.
If you are wondering about today's title, it's based on a concept my Dad plowed into my head. He always talked about the only way to quit smoking was to keep quitting, meaning that if you slipped one day you just quit again after that. Seems to make sense to me with health too. Yesterday is just sunk costs if it didn't go well, you just start again today. Sounds suspiciously like AA, but long-time readers will know that I think my behavior reeks of addiction anyway, so maybe that's why one day at a time appeals to me. I started taking better care of myself today and I'm sure I'll start again tomorrow.
Happy Boxing Day
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Thoughts on Christmas Eve Morning
Random Musings: It's Christmas Eve. It is a day of wildly mixed feelings including the joy of seeing your kids get something they really wanted and the smoldering anger when it is apparent they got something they didn't (I mean don't they know there are kids with nothing! Yes I'm a cliche). There is hope though. My 10 year old seems far less self-centered than my 7 year old, so perhaps time=progress?
If you are lucky like we are this year, you get some time with extended family. Of course my family is extended in so many directions, I'll never see them all, so someone always feels left out I suppose. Like I said, the holiday season is a mixed blessing.
As for my health and fitness, I'm still stuck a bit in neutral. There has been marginal improvement in my blood pressure, but my weight has actually increased and my diet is still a nightmare. I also managed to not get any real exercise for two weeks, Rather than write another "now I'm making a stand" blog posting. I'll just get on with the business at hand.
Exercise update: As noted earlier, I haven't been doing much other than walking my dog and going to my daughter's basketball practices this month. I am pleased to say that I got myself to go to the Y yesterday and just did 30 minutes on the elliptical. It was eye opening. I have really been struggling with mood lately. In fact, I'd say I'm struggling with some moderate depression. This is a particularly stressful year at work and my reaction is always to get tunnel vision and drop everything to get through what needs getting through. At first this feels ok as I eat junk, sleep poorly, and skip exercise in a faux heroic effort to shuffle paper or get through grant season or whatever ginned up crisis I have at work. However in hindsight, I get moody and difficult at home and my health (mental and physical) goes south.
I was struck yesterday at the palpable positive change in my mood from just 30 minutes of cardio. It is certainly a lesson worth holding onto. Walking the dog doesn't relieve stress and depression, but getting the heart rate up in the 150's does. Of course the Y is closed today but the lesson remains.
Nutrition update: In the spirit of doing something different, I have signed up for a rather pricey health promotion program through my company health plan. Starting in January, I will be attending classes called A New Me. it has weekly classes and bi-weekly small group coaching to help you make the positive changes that lead to better health. In other words, it's a de-porking program:). The part I really like is that there is a lot of bio-metric screenings and measurements over a year, even after the classes end in April. The coach in me likes to have numbers to try to beat.
Here's to hoping I finally realize I need to eat differently and act differently to be healthy, much less to be the middle aged athlete I want to be.
I'm sure you'll hear lots of New Me updates in the blog.
Anyway, sorry for the gigantic gap between posts. I'm working on it.
Happy Holidays
If you are lucky like we are this year, you get some time with extended family. Of course my family is extended in so many directions, I'll never see them all, so someone always feels left out I suppose. Like I said, the holiday season is a mixed blessing.
As for my health and fitness, I'm still stuck a bit in neutral. There has been marginal improvement in my blood pressure, but my weight has actually increased and my diet is still a nightmare. I also managed to not get any real exercise for two weeks, Rather than write another "now I'm making a stand" blog posting. I'll just get on with the business at hand.
Exercise update: As noted earlier, I haven't been doing much other than walking my dog and going to my daughter's basketball practices this month. I am pleased to say that I got myself to go to the Y yesterday and just did 30 minutes on the elliptical. It was eye opening. I have really been struggling with mood lately. In fact, I'd say I'm struggling with some moderate depression. This is a particularly stressful year at work and my reaction is always to get tunnel vision and drop everything to get through what needs getting through. At first this feels ok as I eat junk, sleep poorly, and skip exercise in a faux heroic effort to shuffle paper or get through grant season or whatever ginned up crisis I have at work. However in hindsight, I get moody and difficult at home and my health (mental and physical) goes south.
I was struck yesterday at the palpable positive change in my mood from just 30 minutes of cardio. It is certainly a lesson worth holding onto. Walking the dog doesn't relieve stress and depression, but getting the heart rate up in the 150's does. Of course the Y is closed today but the lesson remains.
Nutrition update: In the spirit of doing something different, I have signed up for a rather pricey health promotion program through my company health plan. Starting in January, I will be attending classes called A New Me. it has weekly classes and bi-weekly small group coaching to help you make the positive changes that lead to better health. In other words, it's a de-porking program:). The part I really like is that there is a lot of bio-metric screenings and measurements over a year, even after the classes end in April. The coach in me likes to have numbers to try to beat.
Here's to hoping I finally realize I need to eat differently and act differently to be healthy, much less to be the middle aged athlete I want to be.
I'm sure you'll hear lots of New Me updates in the blog.
Anyway, sorry for the gigantic gap between posts. I'm working on it.
Happy Holidays
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