I spent some time this afternoon marking out a 7 week calendar to the Castle Rock Sprint Triathlon on July 23rd. It felt very motivating. I did that one in 2007, but this feels like a new start. That was a long time ago and my physical reclamation project is bigger now.
I think this will really help with motivation and focus. The trick will be to get to it and then train beyond it for the Urbanthlon. My history is that I work up to an event and then crash afterward, which can go from a couple well earned days of rest and then suddenly it's been 6 months since I moved...
I am guarding against that this summer by training gradually and planning on simply finishing the triathlon rather than worry about speed.
Exercise and Nutrition update: I took an active rest day today after my bike ride from yesterday took more out of me than expected. Perhaps it was the heat or it was my age, but I was sore this morning and I'm rarely sore from bike riding...other than my ass.
It's interesting to see that the triathlon plan I'm using actually has more rest days than I currently take per week. That will make monitoring my diet even more important on the off days. I'm going to do my best to trust the schedule and enjoy the process. I must admit, taking my little sister to an event does add some joy to the whole thing. it will be great to see her finish this thing. It would be a bigger accomplishment, except she already went to 1/2 marathon land this spring, so she's got the lungs for it. She just needs to get on the bike and conquer our Midwestern fear of swimming.
On the food side, I've had a pretty good day. I am having pizza tonight, but I am doing it intentionally. Maybe that's rationalizing, but I need to learn to eat it responsibly. It is pretty much my favorite food on the planet.
Random Musings: I am taking a day or two of vacation at the beginning of this week which will be nice. I must admit that when my kids are off school and we go to the pool and plan trips etc. I do miss the ability to have the whole summer off.
I am keeping a close eye on what's happening at my school with the labor situation in case a return tot he calssroom ever makes sense.
I told some people at our GED gradaution on Friday, my title is Dean but my profession is teacher. I think that true:)
If you ever get a chance, go to a GED graduation (especially ours). It' s a great night to see people who have taken the long way around educationally and are getting on better footing to improve their lives. I'm always inspired by them.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Regaining momentum
I am mostly back on track today. I am still astounded at the domino effect my bad choices early in the week made. I can't imagine I'll have a successful weigh in on Tuesday, but I do feel like I've begun the long obedience in the same direction again.
Exercise update: I was able to get back out on my bicycle today. I went for 41 minutes and somewhere just north of 10 miles. I'm not trying to really do any serious hills yet or anything, just getting my legs under me. It was fun. I think other than playing basketball (which I gave up years ago), riding my bike is my favorite exercise.
I also spent a 1/2 hour mowing the lawn, which in this heat burned some calories. We have one of those mowers with no engine for those of you snickering at me adding lawn mowing to my exercise list:) Tomorrow's exercise related project is to chart out every work out between now and the July 23rd triathlon. I have 7 weeks and I want to be as intentional with it as I can. I don't have aspirations of going fast, but I'd like to string 7 good weeks together and come to the race somewhere south of 190. That's still big, but it would be real progress.
Nutrition update: Today is the first day in a few that I've faithfully tracked my food on myfooddiary.com. It would indicate that am within my calorie limits, but light on vegetables and a little high on saturated fats. I am glad to say that my no french fry plan has extended into June. I am unhappy to say that the no diet soda plan has yet to really take effect.
I am trying to cut down on soda, but the headaches, fatigue and dark moods that come with caffeine withdrawal are hard to schedule:) I know that is evidence of how serious my addiction is and sooner or later I need to just get it done. I'll try to cut way back this week with an eye on elimination of soda by next weekend.
I also know that I need to get some vegetables in the mix. I think I'll get some salad fixings and just start dinner with a side salad this week to build a habit.
Random stuff: I took my children to the pool today for opening day. Faithful readers will remember one of my goals for this work on my health was to be less self-conscious at the pool.
I am not there yet and it felt like I haven't been serious enough if I can go to the pool almost 2 months after I started blogging and be as far as I am from the goal of someone thinking "hey for 40 that dude is fit"
I will try to move past the blaming myself and use it as motivation. By the time I go to the triathlon on July 23rd, I want to feel a whole lot better at the pool and I will. That part seems to be a lot about diet and strength training.
Exercise update: I was able to get back out on my bicycle today. I went for 41 minutes and somewhere just north of 10 miles. I'm not trying to really do any serious hills yet or anything, just getting my legs under me. It was fun. I think other than playing basketball (which I gave up years ago), riding my bike is my favorite exercise.
I also spent a 1/2 hour mowing the lawn, which in this heat burned some calories. We have one of those mowers with no engine for those of you snickering at me adding lawn mowing to my exercise list:) Tomorrow's exercise related project is to chart out every work out between now and the July 23rd triathlon. I have 7 weeks and I want to be as intentional with it as I can. I don't have aspirations of going fast, but I'd like to string 7 good weeks together and come to the race somewhere south of 190. That's still big, but it would be real progress.
Nutrition update: Today is the first day in a few that I've faithfully tracked my food on myfooddiary.com. It would indicate that am within my calorie limits, but light on vegetables and a little high on saturated fats. I am glad to say that my no french fry plan has extended into June. I am unhappy to say that the no diet soda plan has yet to really take effect.
I am trying to cut down on soda, but the headaches, fatigue and dark moods that come with caffeine withdrawal are hard to schedule:) I know that is evidence of how serious my addiction is and sooner or later I need to just get it done. I'll try to cut way back this week with an eye on elimination of soda by next weekend.
I also know that I need to get some vegetables in the mix. I think I'll get some salad fixings and just start dinner with a side salad this week to build a habit.
Random stuff: I took my children to the pool today for opening day. Faithful readers will remember one of my goals for this work on my health was to be less self-conscious at the pool.
I am not there yet and it felt like I haven't been serious enough if I can go to the pool almost 2 months after I started blogging and be as far as I am from the goal of someone thinking "hey for 40 that dude is fit"
I will try to move past the blaming myself and use it as motivation. By the time I go to the triathlon on July 23rd, I want to feel a whole lot better at the pool and I will. That part seems to be a lot about diet and strength training.
Friday, June 3, 2011
I am admitting that I have a problem
Well, I am finally convinced that my behavior with health is truly that of an addict. I so easily spiral into bad choices,that it only makes sense in the context of addiction. I'm not sure why I'm addicted to (maybe stupidity or slow suicide by food), but let me explain.
Regular readers will know that on Tuesday, I had what can only be described as a relapse. I went out with friends and indulged in some beers and greasy bar food. Probably not a big deal as a stand alone day, but let's look at the chain of events since.
Tuesday: Bar time with friends. Was less than moderate and took the whole day off from diet and exercise
Wednesday: Didn't feel great from day before and ditched workout for long walk instead. Diet was ok, but overcompensated and ended up with nasty heartburn, which meant I didn't sleep well.
Thursday: Now the momentum has shifted and a very long day at work leads to "skip the Y and go home to work out, wait I am home and I'm late and tired..." That in turn leads to no workout and why don't we order pizza. And of course one could eat just some pizza but instead let's have 6 slices.
I don't know what else to call that but a 3 day bender. I am engaging in addict behavior...
So, like any recovering addict, I just tried to start over today. I have not tracked my food online today, but I know I've eaten more reasonably. And even though I have a very long day again, with the GED graduation this evening on top of it, I got my butt to the Y and put in 42 minutes on the elliptical. And thus starts recovery one day at a time.
Tomorrow, I need to get back to food tracking and keep the exercise momentum going.
So, what's the lesson. I guess the same way AA tells people to simply decide they won't drink TODAY, I need to commit daily to my health. I am stunned at how fast one bad day turns into three...
Today I will live in a way that reflects my wellness goals. Tomorrow I'll decide again.
Regular readers will know that on Tuesday, I had what can only be described as a relapse. I went out with friends and indulged in some beers and greasy bar food. Probably not a big deal as a stand alone day, but let's look at the chain of events since.
Tuesday: Bar time with friends. Was less than moderate and took the whole day off from diet and exercise
Wednesday: Didn't feel great from day before and ditched workout for long walk instead. Diet was ok, but overcompensated and ended up with nasty heartburn, which meant I didn't sleep well.
Thursday: Now the momentum has shifted and a very long day at work leads to "skip the Y and go home to work out, wait I am home and I'm late and tired..." That in turn leads to no workout and why don't we order pizza. And of course one could eat just some pizza but instead let's have 6 slices.
I don't know what else to call that but a 3 day bender. I am engaging in addict behavior...
So, like any recovering addict, I just tried to start over today. I have not tracked my food online today, but I know I've eaten more reasonably. And even though I have a very long day again, with the GED graduation this evening on top of it, I got my butt to the Y and put in 42 minutes on the elliptical. And thus starts recovery one day at a time.
Tomorrow, I need to get back to food tracking and keep the exercise momentum going.
So, what's the lesson. I guess the same way AA tells people to simply decide they won't drink TODAY, I need to commit daily to my health. I am stunned at how fast one bad day turns into three...
Today I will live in a way that reflects my wellness goals. Tomorrow I'll decide again.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Taking the day off
Fatigue has won today's battle, nothing new or interesting to report. More tomorrow...
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Recovery Day
Well today confirms that I should not get very involved with alcohol at this point in my life. I've always been a bit of a lightweight, but its gotten silly. I think I had 4 bottles of Miller Lite when I was out with friends for 3.5 hours last night and I woke up with a headache. I think I need a two beer limit for the foreseeable future.
I also can note that by eating junk last night, my craving for junk went up today. I managed to resist it for the most part (with one notable exception), but it is amazing. I read somewhere once that the idea of a fatty food binge and then cutting back is a poor idea because, the binge leads to withdrawal and more desire for crap. I would have to say that's entirely true in my experience. It's very odd because, drinking 4 beers and eating deep fried food doesn't even feel that great physically when I'm doing it. Even though my brain seems to like it, there seems to be a 36 hour price to pay. On to today's news...
Exercise Update: I had plans to go to Y today after work, but that didn't work out. I had heartburn from not eating enough (more on that later) and I was just plain tired from my fried food/beer bonanza on Tuesday. Instead I chose an hour long walk with my dog. It's not really cardio, but it burns some calories and reduces stress. Oh yeah and the dog loves it. I'm almost caught up with WTF podcasts. If anyone has time on their hands, I recommend the Garry Shandling episode.
Nutrition update: After yesterday's bump in the road, I needed to get back on track today. That was kind of hard. I started the day with yogurt and an apple. I had half a scone at lengthy meeting at work (those could be a whole blog by themselves. My unpublished and unwritten book will be called Buzzwords & BS One man's Journey through American Education).
So, my morning was pretty manageable, although absent any vegetables. I also had a Diet Pepsi, so my June project will need a Mulligan. Then I decided to duck home for lunch and I made a ham sandwich. I didn't make anything else, so that was a pretty light lunch. The consequence of that was that by 4:00 I was starving and by 4:30 I had vicious heartburn. That in turn sent me home to gorge on 3 molasses cookies in about 4 minutes and then walk rather than workout.
It's really a remarkable chain from overindulging one day to overcompensating the next, which leads to overindulging again. I've managed to keep dinner reasonable and shut it down for the night, but recovering from yesterday's adventures has meant feeling sub-par all day today. I guess the lesson is the level of intentionality with food must stay high for me to be the athlete I'm trying to become.
Random Musings: I'm interviewing 6 English teachers tomorrow to join my oddball unit of Basic Skill Instructors tomorrow (17 full-time instructors serving some of the toughest to serve students around). Hiring is the most exciting and frustrating thing I do. I hope we get someone great. One of my college mentors said if you ever get to build a teaching staff, focus on hiring interesting people because you will spend a lot of time together. I think that is brilliant, but the corollary is that interesting often lives right next door to insane...and it can be hard to tell the difference right away. Wish me luck identifying someone interesting who helps us be great.
I also can note that by eating junk last night, my craving for junk went up today. I managed to resist it for the most part (with one notable exception), but it is amazing. I read somewhere once that the idea of a fatty food binge and then cutting back is a poor idea because, the binge leads to withdrawal and more desire for crap. I would have to say that's entirely true in my experience. It's very odd because, drinking 4 beers and eating deep fried food doesn't even feel that great physically when I'm doing it. Even though my brain seems to like it, there seems to be a 36 hour price to pay. On to today's news...
Exercise Update: I had plans to go to Y today after work, but that didn't work out. I had heartburn from not eating enough (more on that later) and I was just plain tired from my fried food/beer bonanza on Tuesday. Instead I chose an hour long walk with my dog. It's not really cardio, but it burns some calories and reduces stress. Oh yeah and the dog loves it. I'm almost caught up with WTF podcasts. If anyone has time on their hands, I recommend the Garry Shandling episode.
Nutrition update: After yesterday's bump in the road, I needed to get back on track today. That was kind of hard. I started the day with yogurt and an apple. I had half a scone at lengthy meeting at work (those could be a whole blog by themselves. My unpublished and unwritten book will be called Buzzwords & BS One man's Journey through American Education).
So, my morning was pretty manageable, although absent any vegetables. I also had a Diet Pepsi, so my June project will need a Mulligan. Then I decided to duck home for lunch and I made a ham sandwich. I didn't make anything else, so that was a pretty light lunch. The consequence of that was that by 4:00 I was starving and by 4:30 I had vicious heartburn. That in turn sent me home to gorge on 3 molasses cookies in about 4 minutes and then walk rather than workout.
It's really a remarkable chain from overindulging one day to overcompensating the next, which leads to overindulging again. I've managed to keep dinner reasonable and shut it down for the night, but recovering from yesterday's adventures has meant feeling sub-par all day today. I guess the lesson is the level of intentionality with food must stay high for me to be the athlete I'm trying to become.
Random Musings: I'm interviewing 6 English teachers tomorrow to join my oddball unit of Basic Skill Instructors tomorrow (17 full-time instructors serving some of the toughest to serve students around). Hiring is the most exciting and frustrating thing I do. I hope we get someone great. One of my college mentors said if you ever get to build a teaching staff, focus on hiring interesting people because you will spend a lot of time together. I think that is brilliant, but the corollary is that interesting often lives right next door to insane...and it can be hard to tell the difference right away. Wish me luck identifying someone interesting who helps us be great.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)