Random musing: I'm whipped after an active and nice 3 day weekend. The kids have shifted to summer schedules, so it gets later when I put this together because I usually wait for them to go to bed. So, Ill keep it short.
Took the kids to the pool today and realized I won't make my goal of being notably fit at the pool this summer. I'll keep moving that direction and maybe I can get some middle aged mom attention next year:)
Exercise update: Rode 16 + miles on my bike in less than an hour. That's what I'll need to do on the 23rd, so I'm glad I could today.
Nutrition update: No real news here. Left the soda alone for another day and cut back to half an Excedrin for caffeine. I'm making progress. My diet was a bit carb heavy with pasta for lunch and rice for dinner.Other than that, I'd say it was a pretty solid day.
Night y'all
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
No big news
Exercise update: Opted for just running today instead of a bike/run brick. I'm nervous that I'm not doing enough running for the Urbanthlon, so I ran 40+ minutes instead of the 20 I would have for the brick. Felt pretty good, I think I'm running 10 minute miles in training. Tonight I added a pretty significant hill, which will be more and more important. Most of my running has been on flats til now. I do worry about my weight and it's effect on running, but I'm building slowly and trying to shed pounds. That's all I can think of to do.
Nutrition Update: No soda again today. I really wanted one and almost talked myself into it in the afternoon, but I won the mental battle. I am finding that I need to drink more water than I had been in the habit of. I'm actually a tad dehydrated, which was being masked my the flow of soda through my body.
I know soda dehydrates you too, but with all the trips to the bathroom, it didn't seem as pronounced.
I ate pretty well today. I did take the kids to Grizzly's for lunch, but I stuck with rotisserie chicken sandwich and half of the fries they gave me. That'll do for now. So far tonight, it's just a handful of raisins and a PBJ. We'll see if I can concoct a healthy snack for bedtime if I need one.
Random item: Our antiquated scale bit the dust finally. I bought a new digital one, but I need to exchange it due to a bad lid for the batteries. I'm thinking measuring to the tenths of a pound might be motivating. However, when my wife and I tried the defective one, it showed each of us about 4 pounds heavier than the old one did. Trying not to stress about that and remember the number is less relevant than making it go down.
But I thought I should share so if Tuesday shows a big regression in the weigh in number, we won't all get depressed:)
Planning on a major bike ride tomorrow to start off the week's workouts. I'll plan on my one serious brick next weekend. Two weeks until Castle Rock, I'm looking forward to it, chunky or not. I hope my little sis is healthy enough to go. Rumor has it she pulled a muscle when she got herself to swim finally. She's been running for months, so I don't worry about her making it unless she gets injured. I hope not, it would be much more fun together.
Nutrition Update: No soda again today. I really wanted one and almost talked myself into it in the afternoon, but I won the mental battle. I am finding that I need to drink more water than I had been in the habit of. I'm actually a tad dehydrated, which was being masked my the flow of soda through my body.
I know soda dehydrates you too, but with all the trips to the bathroom, it didn't seem as pronounced.
I ate pretty well today. I did take the kids to Grizzly's for lunch, but I stuck with rotisserie chicken sandwich and half of the fries they gave me. That'll do for now. So far tonight, it's just a handful of raisins and a PBJ. We'll see if I can concoct a healthy snack for bedtime if I need one.
Random item: Our antiquated scale bit the dust finally. I bought a new digital one, but I need to exchange it due to a bad lid for the batteries. I'm thinking measuring to the tenths of a pound might be motivating. However, when my wife and I tried the defective one, it showed each of us about 4 pounds heavier than the old one did. Trying not to stress about that and remember the number is less relevant than making it go down.
But I thought I should share so if Tuesday shows a big regression in the weigh in number, we won't all get depressed:)
Planning on a major bike ride tomorrow to start off the week's workouts. I'll plan on my one serious brick next weekend. Two weeks until Castle Rock, I'm looking forward to it, chunky or not. I hope my little sis is healthy enough to go. Rumor has it she pulled a muscle when she got herself to swim finally. She's been running for months, so I don't worry about her making it unless she gets injured. I hope not, it would be much more fun together.
Friday, July 8, 2011
A darn near perfect day
Random Musing: Don't be deceived by today's title. It's not about me performing perfect in my on-going battle against middle age. Rather, it's about telling you about a day that is as close to how I would want a day to be as I've had in some time. Let me tell you about it and how it fits with exercise (GOOD) and nutrition (ehh)...
Let me start by saying that today was a random vacation day from work, which is always a nice way to start things. I don't mean to imply that I dislike my job, in fact I generally enjoy it, but I will always prefer free time to work time. I also should acknowledge that my work does allow for fun days like today by virtue of paying me:)
Anyway, we packed up the car about 9 a.m. with bicycling stuff and headed for Lanesboro, Minnesota. We spent the day riding the bike trail over there and followed it up with an inner tube trip down the Root River. That led to a late lunch at a great little restaurant in the touristy town and then we drove back to La Crosse. After crashing for a couple hours at home, I took the kids to the YMCA and they swam while I did a workout to prep for the triathlon. All in all a pretty spectacular day: it was active, I had fun with my wife and kids, and it was stress free.
Actually, if I weighed what I wished I weighed, this day was perfect, but in reality it was a weight maintenance day at best. I hope to need maintenance days in the future, but right now I need to be on the weight loss path. Let me explain in the usual format.
Exercise update: This was a great day in this regard. Not only did we ride 8-9 miles round trip on the bike trail with the kids, we splashed around in tubes for an hour in the river. It was a very active day, which is always best. In addition, I got myself to the pool and did an actual workout. I swam for about 35 minutes and at one point swam 450 consecutive yards just to assure myself I can in two weeks at Castle Rock. I am tubby but ready.
Nutrition update: Here's where things are less sunny. Let's go through what I ate today.
7:45 - banana
8:30 - Banana bread
8:45 - half a hash brown that Cameron didn't want (no reason to eat it, but my wife said it was there)
11:00 - Giant Slice of Raspberry Cream pie at the pie shop in Whalan, MN. We had to bike 4+ miles to get it and the store is famous for it, so I indulged.
12:00-1:00 - Munch some animal crackers (just a couple, while floating down the river with Cameron)
2:00 - California Pesto Pizza (3 slices), not bad, not great. had artichoke hearts, tomatoes and other veggies and no meat, but there was plenty of cheese.
3:00 - Stopped in Rushford for my wife to get ice cream at great little shop "Do you want some Chad?" "Sure why not..." That equals a two scoop waffle cone of Raspberry truffle delight:)
7:30 - PBJ
You know actually as I look at it, I see only two big problems. No need for the ice cream in Rushford and I still need more fruits and veggies. It felt worse than it looks on screen.
Anyway, when I am fit and at a healthy weight, this is the kind of day I wouldn't mind reliving over and over again.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
And the beat goes on
Exercise report: I did get up in time to go to the pool this morning, however...the darn thing was packed so I didn't go down and swim. I had the best of intentions of swimming later in the day, but I had an all day retreat at work which concluded with a couple beers and I decided to just walk the dog instead. Tomorrow we are taking the kids biking and tubing on the Rot River so it should be a good active day. I'll need to hit my training better on the weekend. These two days essentially off make me feel a little nervous, but I'll rebound... I have to
Nutrition report: A pretty successful day. I didn't overindulge in treats at the retreat with the exception of strawberry short cake as a birthday treat for a co-worker. Well maybe the two beers weren't brilliant either. That has trended into an evening with a light dinner, so overall it's an ok day, but light on vegetables except for the side salad with lunch.
I have not had a diet soda in 5 days. I did start the day with a Cherry Pepsi rather than my Excedrin, but if I'm going to have a soda. I'm going with a real one instead of the NutraSweet experience.
You know as I write this, I'm not sure this really was successful day nutrition wise...
Random Musings: Today was a big "who is going to be in charge of what" day at work. We didn't resolve anything, but lots of ideas and thought provoking discussion. It of course throws me into some career confusion, but I'm trying to resolve that by digging towards my core to figure out what I actually want to do with my remaining time on the planet and balance that with money concerns and time concerns and quality of life concerns etc.
Perhaps a good night's sleep will get me more in the moment. I always feel like I should be adding something to my work tool belt for improvement, but I don't want it to squeeze out growth and improvement in other needed areas. You know, like getting my fat old butt in shape.
Nutrition report: A pretty successful day. I didn't overindulge in treats at the retreat with the exception of strawberry short cake as a birthday treat for a co-worker. Well maybe the two beers weren't brilliant either. That has trended into an evening with a light dinner, so overall it's an ok day, but light on vegetables except for the side salad with lunch.
I have not had a diet soda in 5 days. I did start the day with a Cherry Pepsi rather than my Excedrin, but if I'm going to have a soda. I'm going with a real one instead of the NutraSweet experience.
You know as I write this, I'm not sure this really was successful day nutrition wise...
Random Musings: Today was a big "who is going to be in charge of what" day at work. We didn't resolve anything, but lots of ideas and thought provoking discussion. It of course throws me into some career confusion, but I'm trying to resolve that by digging towards my core to figure out what I actually want to do with my remaining time on the planet and balance that with money concerns and time concerns and quality of life concerns etc.
Perhaps a good night's sleep will get me more in the moment. I always feel like I should be adding something to my work tool belt for improvement, but I don't want it to squeeze out growth and improvement in other needed areas. You know, like getting my fat old butt in shape.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
oops, I slipped
Nutrition update:I broke down and had a soda today with my lunch. It's going to be a very pricey soda since I promised my daughter $5 each time I drank one. It wasn't all disaster however, I just went with one cup with lots of ice at lunch and it was real soda, not diet, so my NutraSweet fast continues. I'm back on the wagon tomorrow.
The culprit (other than my ever rationalizing brain) was the dreaded combo meal. I went to Rocky Rococo's and my discount card gives me a dollar off a combo. A combo is a slice, a salad, and a soda. It's actually more expensive to order it without the soda. Now I suppose I could say just give me a combo price and I'll drink water...but that isn't what I did. I am pleased to say that I only ate half of what I stuffed into the salad bar bowl and stuck with the veggie slice. All in all a healthy if high cal (thanks to salad dressing and mac salad) lunch.
My live cheaper goal for July is still intact, but more lunches at home and more bike riding to work instead of driving can't hurt.
Exercise update: I am taking the day off after two relatively strenuous days in a row. I have an all day retreat for work tomorrow, so I'm going to go to the pool early in the morning and do my swim workout. I am actually pretty tired tonight and I wonder if it has anything to do with the caffeine boost at lunch. Perhaps I'm crashing harder now because of it. Tomorrow will be an interesting day because these work retreats are always filled with good food and I will need to be disciplined. Another good reason to swim in the a.m.
Random Musings: With about 5 weeks to go until classes start again in the fall, I finally have my legs under me again at work. It seems to take longer each summer to reach equilibrium. Obviously I'm working in the summer, but I'm able to take more vacation days and the pace is a little easier, mostly because I don't have 30-50 at-risk kids in my department every day.
It's these times where I feel pretty good, that might be work danger zones from me. I've had a weird summer, where people from odd corners have said very flattering and unexpected things to me about their aspirations for me. It is of course very flattering, but for someone who is influenced by that stuff way too much, it can be hard to sort out their aspirations and the good feelings it brings me from what I really want to do. Maybe I'll talk more about that another time, it's a weird thing to complain about...
Just as a quick example, I remember 3 years ago at my class reunion... I was talking with someone who had been a friend but not a close one and she asked me what I was doing now. I had just been promoted weeks earlier after a long process to get there. I was the youngest Dean in my college by 12 years. I was feeling pretty darn impressive and accomplished.
Her disappointed response: "Oh wow, I would have pictured you doing something much more creative..." I obviously remember it to this day and I think I bought a guitar six months later. Obviously I struggle to sort my own expectations from others expectations of me.
The culprit (other than my ever rationalizing brain) was the dreaded combo meal. I went to Rocky Rococo's and my discount card gives me a dollar off a combo. A combo is a slice, a salad, and a soda. It's actually more expensive to order it without the soda. Now I suppose I could say just give me a combo price and I'll drink water...but that isn't what I did. I am pleased to say that I only ate half of what I stuffed into the salad bar bowl and stuck with the veggie slice. All in all a healthy if high cal (thanks to salad dressing and mac salad) lunch.
My live cheaper goal for July is still intact, but more lunches at home and more bike riding to work instead of driving can't hurt.
Exercise update: I am taking the day off after two relatively strenuous days in a row. I have an all day retreat for work tomorrow, so I'm going to go to the pool early in the morning and do my swim workout. I am actually pretty tired tonight and I wonder if it has anything to do with the caffeine boost at lunch. Perhaps I'm crashing harder now because of it. Tomorrow will be an interesting day because these work retreats are always filled with good food and I will need to be disciplined. Another good reason to swim in the a.m.
Random Musings: With about 5 weeks to go until classes start again in the fall, I finally have my legs under me again at work. It seems to take longer each summer to reach equilibrium. Obviously I'm working in the summer, but I'm able to take more vacation days and the pace is a little easier, mostly because I don't have 30-50 at-risk kids in my department every day.
It's these times where I feel pretty good, that might be work danger zones from me. I've had a weird summer, where people from odd corners have said very flattering and unexpected things to me about their aspirations for me. It is of course very flattering, but for someone who is influenced by that stuff way too much, it can be hard to sort out their aspirations and the good feelings it brings me from what I really want to do. Maybe I'll talk more about that another time, it's a weird thing to complain about...
Just as a quick example, I remember 3 years ago at my class reunion... I was talking with someone who had been a friend but not a close one and she asked me what I was doing now. I had just been promoted weeks earlier after a long process to get there. I was the youngest Dean in my college by 12 years. I was feeling pretty darn impressive and accomplished.
Her disappointed response: "Oh wow, I would have pictured you doing something much more creative..." I obviously remember it to this day and I think I bought a guitar six months later. Obviously I struggle to sort my own expectations from others expectations of me.
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