tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37428540999315241522024-03-13T12:06:19.089-07:00Lighten Up With Jim55-year-old James Horejs, of Mentor, is a contestant in The News-Herald's Lighten Up in 2013.Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-90656444232261676752013-07-22T06:05:00.001-07:002013-07-22T06:05:25.769-07:00Put a Fork in Me - I'm Done<div dir='ltr'> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The Johnnycake Jog is complete.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">My finish was 376th place with a time of 45:32 or a pace of 9:07 per mile.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The race was a great experience and well-organized.</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I did not do so well since I ran a careful, cautious race with a slow start from the back of the pack.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">All this was to avoid injury and ensure running the distance without stopping.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I missed my goals time-wise, but far exceeded my goals fun-wise.</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Compared to the race previews, I found a few</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">things to be a little different for me.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The hill up Fairgrounds Road was not as steep as I thought it would be, although I did attack it slowly with short strides.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Route 84 was not as shady as I hoped.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Old Johnnycake is more steeply downhill than I would think.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I passed a lot of people down that stretch, but since it was about the halfway mark, people were beginning to drop like flies about then.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The long stretch (2+ miles) down Route 20 was H-O-T!</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Even though the day was cooler than many recent days, the pavement radiates the heat from the bright sun.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Route 84 was the same way, to a lesser extent.</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I made a big mistake at the end of the race.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I started a "kick" with the finish line in sight, probably the last 200 yards.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">What I failed to realize is the finish line is about 100 yards past the start banner.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">After passing 15 people to what I "thought" was the finish line, about 12 of those people passed me right back</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">on the way to the actual finish line.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">(Jim the dummy)</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">It was nice to see Neal Nelson near Lowe's cheering us on.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">(I should have given him my shopping list)</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">After the race, I ran into the Nelson sisters, Ann Plumley and Sarah Cannon, who seemed to be happy with the accomplishment of completing the five-mile race.</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">So that was the race.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">After thirty-one years away from running and a lot of weight lost in this contest, I guess I am back to being a runner, albeit a rank amateur recreational runner.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Call me a T-shirt collector with skinnier legs.</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">What's left?</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Our final assessments today and weigh-in on Saturday.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">See you all then.</font></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> 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12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The Johnnycake Jog is Sunday and I have to admit, I am a little worried.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Call it karma.</font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">In previous blogs, I made a few cocky and overly-confident references to the race and how I expected it to be easy.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Over the last month or two, the physical toll on me from the extra effort from this contest tacked on to normal life has kicked me in the pants. It has given me a dose of humility and respect for all the work we have done in the last six months.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">So why am I worried about a simple 5-mile race?</font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">First, I haven't run a race in over thirty-one years. Chalk up a little anxiety to that.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Second, a few things about this contest have not worked out exactly as I thought they would.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">One of them is the reality of my age.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Do I ache all day and do my joints creak like a rusty gate?</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">No, I feel great. </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">But I do find that there are physical limitations at 55.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Flexibility is one of them.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I can run pretty well, but no way do I have the flexibility, nor the stride I had at 25. I thought I might get that old flexibility back, but it has mostly avoided me so far.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">"Goodbye 7-minute miles". Or, maybe "Hello, Yoga" or "Hello, Chiropractor".</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Third, running in my youthful days never resulted in an injury.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Not one.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Now, at 55, I already pulled a calf muscle, even after being careful. Fortunately, I was able to slowly and methodically nurse myself back to normal without impacting my progress in the contest. I discovered that I can't just run through cramps like I did 30 years ago, either.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> Once in a while, m</span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">y feet hurt a little more than I remember.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Even though I have been running for about three months, I just don't feel in top shape.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I "hope" for that to come in the next several months, but no longer "expect" it.</font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Maybe "top shape" is not what it's cracked up to be.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Perhaps it is relative, although I don't know of any of my relatives who are in better shape than me right now.</font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Getting back to the Johnnycake Jog: </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Will I finish the race?</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">More than likely, even if it is on a stretcher.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Will I do great?</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Probably not as well as I would like.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Why?</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Because I decided not to push myself too hard.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Instead, I plan on having fun. I do not want to injure anything I might need for other daredevil tasks like "walking" or "breathing".</font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Yes, I will have fun on Sunday despite the recent realization that it will be too early for Harry Buffalo to be open when I run (or crawl) by.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">On the other hand, </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I will get a new T-shirt, so life is good.</font><br></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-46216811169602045212013-07-14T09:01:00.001-07:002013-07-14T09:01:25.626-07:00On Auto-Pilot<div dir='ltr'><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">A lot of my friends have noticed my recent weight loss. I hand out coupons for Lenscrafters to the ones that don't. This is flattering and makes me proud of my accomplishments.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">After the usual conversation that begins with "How did you do it?", the talk moves along to "Will you ever be able to keep it off?".</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">This is not even a concern to me. There have been so many tweaks to my life, that I feel like I am flying on auto-pilot. Here are some examples:</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Yesterday, I attended a graduation party for the daughter of a fraternity brother of mine. Did I stick to veggies and water? No. I actually pigged-out on a variety of sandwiches and even had a few light beers.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Is this due to indifference? No. I know that I had completed a harder-than-average workout that morning, and then skipped lunch since the party was on the early side. I also know my metabolism is still cranked-up enough to burn it off fairly quickly. And the next party isn't for quite some time, so this is a once-in-a-while deal.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Last night, we had overnight guests. My dear girlfriend's son and his wife from Columbus crashed at our house since they were in Cleveland for their friend's party. I helped cook them breakfast: bacon and eggs. The frying pan felt like some strange tool for some alien task. I am so out of practice on frying eggs that I broke one of the egg yolks. I never do that.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">After scrambling up and eating the "mistake", I had my usual bowl of Total.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Our guests departed shortly after breakfast, so we gave them a lot of our barbecue leftovers to help us avoid the temptation of all that decadent food from last week.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">With the rest of the day to ourselves, we made our plans: buy healthy groceries for the week and perhaps stop for lunch someplace with good food choices. Grill up a bunch of chicken breasts for dinner and lunches for the week.<br><br>With all this heat, the cardio workout will be in the evening. It will not be skipped, either.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">That's what auto-pilot does to your brain.</font><br> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-85657114223007413862013-07-11T09:18:00.001-07:002013-07-11T09:18:10.838-07:00The End is Nothing to Dread<div dir='ltr'> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">In their blogs recently, a lot of contestants have noted the "light at the end of the tunnel" - the end of the contest which is approaching fast.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Many are happy with their progress, as well they should be.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Many have more goals to reach.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">That includes me.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I have achieved a lot, but not quite as much as I wanted.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">This was mostly due to three factors:</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Lofty goals is the first issue.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I thought the weight loss would continue on a fairly even pace.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I knew it would decline at some point, but never imagined how tough losing weight would be these last three months.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Maybe I lost too much too fast.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">But I'm not complaining.</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Another issue preventing my "best case" weight loss was me rewarding myself for my early accomplishments.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">These rewards were not huge, but were a diversion from the diet and exercise routines that got me where I am in the first place.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">But I'm not complaining.</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The last issue preventing me from reaching all of my goals was a minor injury.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I pulled a calf muscle two weeks ago and just got back to running yesterday.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">This is just in time to run the Johnnycake Jog in a week and a half.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Hopefully, this is the first of many more road races to come.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">But I'm not complaining.</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Am I happy?</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">You bet.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I do take exception, though, to what many have mentioned in their blogs.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">They say that when the contest is over, it begins an "ongoing struggle", "a never-ending battle with weight" and other ways of phrasing the same dreadful idea.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I do not agree at all and question their negativity.</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The end of this contest should be the dawn of a new life.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">A life that brings with it new energy, new opportunities for fun and fitness, and a new wardrobe.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></font></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">[Pause for cheers from the female contestants who get to go clothes shopping]</font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></p><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font><p class="MsoPlainText"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">There is nothing stressful here, nor should there be.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The lifestyle changes we have made should put us on auto-pilot.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Reach for an apple, not a bag of chips.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Salads should be: "hold the cheese and croutons - dressing on the side".</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Limit the red meat.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Have fish once or twice a week, but not at the "All-You-Can-Eat" church fish fry. 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mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--></div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-47146113599867947562013-07-08T09:43:00.000-07:002013-07-08T09:44:00.308-07:00Final Barbeque Scorecard (I can do this)<div dir='ltr'><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">My barbeque Saturday went really well. Thanks to a lot more work being done than food consumed, it only cost me a mere one pound.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The "work" consisted of moving and setting up a huge amount of stuff: banquet tables, chairs, tents, cookers, coolers, and wheelbarrows full of firewood for two fire pits. And I'm probably forgetting something.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The "food' consumed was a "cook's taste" of just about everything as it was completed, plus some on-going "quality control". (I would NEVER serve my guests anything I wouldn't eat). A rib or two, a slice of beef brisket, a clump of pulled pork, a chunk of smoked turkey, a spoonful or two of macaroni and cheese, and a piece of smoked salmon.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Outside of a few smoked bacon-wrapped jalapenos, I gave myself dispensation on veggies for the day. Spinach and broccoli have no place at a REAL barbeque.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Throughout the day, I drank a few light beers to wash down this mess. Some cookies were eaten only to avoid hurting the feelings of my guests who worked hard to supply those desserts.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">One pound gained for more "cheating" than I have done in five months combined... I'll take it.</font><br> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-25033123780997525742013-07-02T10:06:00.001-07:002013-07-02T10:06:50.303-07:00New Aerobic Activity<div dir='ltr'><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Things have a way of working out. I was trying really hard to break 160 lbs by the weigh-in, but missed by less than a pound.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The reason was obvious. It was something I have tried to avoid the entire duration of this contest: an injury.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Last Tuesday, I was running on the track at the Y on a day that was too hot for outside. I got a cramp in my calf, then tried slowing down to a jog to loosen it up. Big mistake. I heard a pop, pulled up lame after about 30 minutes and needed a few days of rest. Although I feel 30 years younger now, my 55 year-old brain took over and said "Forget this. Rest up until you are 100 percent."</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Just as I started to feel better with virtually no pain, I was climbing up the basement stairs the other day and felt the same funny calf muscle pull. Another two days off.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">With Fourth of July weekend and our first barbeque approaching on Saturday, I discovered a new "aerobic" activity: building a BBQ smoker. This has been an ongoing project and is truly an engineering marvel - my adult science project that puts out really good food.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Your average BBQ smoker is an ashtray compared to this baby. And it has all the bells and whistles: an industrial automation controller, automatic cook chamber door opener, 3-zone industrial-grade temperature sensors, and a light beacon to indicate whether hickory wood needs to be added to the firebox. And these are only a few features.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">You may scoff all you want at this project, but believe me, building it is WORK. Real work. Handling firebrick and steel bars weighing 10 or 20 lbs apiece, bending, lifting, climbing and stooping over to grind, weld, and assemble this monstrosity is physically grueling. Some nights, this work goes on into the wee hours. It is a labor of my love of BBQ.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Not surprisingly, after only a couple days of this slave labor, I hit my intermediate goal of under 160 lbs this morning. Fabricating a few more accessories for my cooker will probably get me to my final weight goal. And get me a cool cooker as a bonus.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> A win-win situation.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Now I know what all the contestants mean who blog about gardening. The bending and stooping has to be a real workout.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">It's Tuesday. Why doesn't Cabanas have baby back ribs on the Light Menu?</font><br> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-34701128450679376812013-06-28T09:54:00.001-07:002013-06-28T09:54:20.160-07:00Are Barbecues Diet Doomsday Disasters?<div dir='ltr'> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">After</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> this contest ends, life will return to normal. A new normal, for sure, but it will still include one of my favorite seasons: barbecue. Barbecue is not really a "season", the time to barbecue just tends to fall in the summer when it is nice out. I have been known to stand outside in the winter tending to the smoker for hours when a bout of cabin fever and a taste for ribs reared its ugly head. I refuse to wait until summer when I get the urge for BBQ during other times of the year.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The problem with barbecue is that it typically begins with huge amounts of fatty meat. Add rubs that are high in sodium and slather on sweet, sticky sauce and you have, at best, a sabotaged diet. At worst, a heart attack waiting to happen.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">No doubt, barbecue is one of my biggest passions. I am proud to be a Kansas City Barbecue Society certified judge. I have not only judged numerous sanctioned BBQ events, I have been fortunate enough to be a guest cook with a team that has won Grand Championships, so I have learned from the best. Many of my Facebook friends can be seen on BBQ Pitmasters. I am currently fabricating a custom smoker and hope to compete someday on my own.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Enough about what's down the road.<br><br>This year, barbecuing will be done with a mind chock-full of lessons learned from Lighten Up. I need to use the knowledge from</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> this contest applied to ridiculous parties where I smoke 100 pounds of meat.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br><br>I wrote earlier that I hope to compete one day in a sanctioned BBQ contest. To prepare for that, I throw a few barbecues throughout the summer and "practice" on my guests. In fact, w</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><font style="font-size: 12pt;">e are throwing our first BBQ event this upcoming Fourth of July weekend for 30 or 40 of my dear girlfriend's co-workers, which has become an annual tradition.<br><br></font>A sanctioned KCBS BBQ competition consists of four categories: chicken, ribs, pork shoulder, and beef brisket. I make all of these meats at my events, plus a significant amount of side dishes. These side dishes are usually anything that can be wrapped with bacon. And I make a mean smoked mac-n-cheese, too.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Although my guests rave about such a menu, one thing to do to make this event a little healthier is to add other food options like smoked salmon and smoked turkey. Salads, coleslaw, and baked tortilla, whole wheat pita, or flax seed chips with healthy, fresh salsa are suitable replacements for the numerous bacon-wrapped foods. I will also cut back on portions, go lighter on the salt and sauce, and probably not drink beer all day and night while tending to food that sometimes takes 12 to 16 hours to cook. Drinking water is obviously a better beverage option.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I will never quit eating BBQ. You will have to pry that rib bone out of my cold, lifeless hand first.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> But I will be a little more health-conscious about it.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> And besides, it's only a few times a year.</font><br></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-61401768846246828992013-06-24T06:31:00.001-07:002013-06-24T06:31:40.221-07:00Seeing Eye-to-Eye<div dir='ltr'><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Two interesting experiences occurred this past weekend. In one of those experiences, my improved fitness made an impossible task bearable and even "fun". The other experience most likely made a difference in the life of a total stranger. Heartwarming to say the least.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The first experience involved a mundane garage sale. My dear girlfriend and I have been stockpiling gently-used keepsakes (in other words, "junk") for several years now. We always hoped to throw a garage sale, but never got around to it. Well, the neighborhood decided to have one, so we hitched up with theirs. To say we have a lot of stuff to sell is the understatement of the year.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">What does this have to do with fitness? Wednesday night, after working my 8 hour day-job, I did my 7 mile run. I should be exhausted, right? Nope. With my dear girlfriend squirreled away in the crawlspace of our basement handing me stuff, I made about 50 trips up and down the stairs carrying all kinds of stuff.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Remarkable. Six months ago, carrying all the extra weight I have lost in the contest, I would have been lucky to make two trips. And those two trips would have taken all my breath away and led to at least one beer break.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The second experience occurred as a reward for our successful garage sale, or as I call it "getting your neighbors to pay you $300 to clean out your basement". Saturday night, after all the sale items were sold or carted off to Goodwill, my dear girlfriend and I decided to treat ourselves to a few adult beverages out on a waterfront patio. (I know. I wasn't supposed to be drinking, but I made a teensie-weensie exception for myself that day.)</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">While on the patio bar, we met a nice couple, about our ages, from Aurora. They had taken their 30-ish year old daughter who was visiting from Milwaukee there for a night out. Dad had recently had a heart problem and needed to lose about 10 or 12 pounds. It turns out that the daughter is a personal trainer back home.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Do you think the daughter could get Dad to move off the couch or eat healthy? Not a chance. All of her health and fitness knowledge and expertise fell on deaf ears with Dad.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> Here's where I come in...</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The Dad and I started taking about weight loss and diet. I mentioned Lighten Up and the success I've had so far. Dad opened up with me. He was fascinated about how I planned my diet around my basal metabolic rate and calculations of the cardio burns I have been able to sustain. You could see the gears in his brain work, adapting my program into a scaled-down version he could use to lose his 10 or 12 pounds over the course of a few months. He was happy to hear that I have not needed to starve myself, nor eat wacky weight loss products or supplements out of a box or can.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Those wonderful people left, thanking me for talking with them. Somehow, I think I made a difference in Dad's life.</font><br> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-14582552415228815242013-06-21T13:04:00.001-07:002013-06-21T13:04:34.169-07:00Plugging Along<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Monday's assessment at the Lake County General Health District went well. After hovering around 24% body fat since late March, I dropped more than 2 percentage points to 21.6%. That's a good sign since it is mid-range of what is commonly accepted as "average".</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">A lot of that stall can be attributed to false readings on the fat measuring device. I had been told that failure to hydrate properly can produce inaccurate readings. All of my life, getting into the habit of drinking water all day has been a problem. Lately, I have made a concerted effort to hydrate better.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Now, I guess I just plug along until the end of the contest and not change a thing. Only a few more goals remain:</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">1) Finish up my 1,000 miles of roadwork</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">2) Reach a normal BMI</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">3) Post a decent time in the Johnnycake Jog</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The 1,000 mile roadwork goal is easiest since I only have about 125 miles to go. That is an average of about 3 and 1/2 miles a day and I typically do double that. I expect to reach this goal in just over two weeks, at least two weeks ahead of schedule.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">A normal BMI is well within reach. I need to lose about 8 more pounds by the end of the contest. My doctor will be impressed, assuming she even recognizes me anymore.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Posting a decent time in the Johnnycake Jog remains to be seen since I have not entered an organized race in over 30 years.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Based on my training so far, I "expect" to break 45 minutes and "hope" to break 40 minutes, should everything go really well. If the race went "really, really well", I would finish in the top 5 of my age group and in the top 250 overall. Those may be lofty goals for an old, has-been runner that wasn't ever all that good, even in his prime.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Presumably, running an hour straight when I do training workouts has built up more than enough of the endurance I will need. The big unknown here is the potential for brutally-hot race conditions. If necessary, with only about a mile to go, making a quick stop at the Harry Buffalo for a tall, cold one should only add 5 or 10 minutes to my overall time. Burning off those extra few hundred calories should be easy. Finding the finish line may not be so easy.</font><br></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-73914699324684841572013-06-17T07:25:00.001-07:002013-06-17T07:25:49.085-07:00Squeezing Water Out of a Rock<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The longer this contest progresses, the harder the weight loss. And I don't mean simply hard. I mean crazy difficult ridiculous nearly-impossible hard.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The best analogy that comes to mind is that it's like squeezing water out of a rock.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Most of the time, everything is being done right, and to extremes. I adhere to a pretty strict diet, same as I have throughout this contest. No alcohol anymore, either - at least until the contest ends.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I run an hour each day, unless my knee or ankles bother me. In that case, I walk between 7 and 10 miles to keep my cardio burn going and my legs strong</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I should weigh 110 pounds by now, it would seem. Instead, I go through lengthy stretches of plateaus. This is the longest one yet. No weight loss for a while, then somehow, something does fall off, but a lot less than I expect. A pound, maybe two. It certainly ain't like February anymore as far as the scale is concerned.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">After as much weight as I have lost so far, I probably should not complain. I guess it is just the frustration of working so hard and practically being able to predict the results every week. But now, the weekly results are not so predictable, even though the work and diet remain about the same.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I need to focus on only a few last goals and perhaps bump up the intensity of my workouts. Maybe run faster or work in a few longer runs. My most immediate goal is reaching a "normal" BMI of under 25.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Let's see what Cori measures up today at my assessment.</font><br></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-56506666468061725012013-06-12T09:14:00.001-07:002013-06-12T09:14:25.480-07:00I am a Running Dinosaur<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">What in the world is a "running dinosaur"? Whatever it is, over the weekend, I felt like one.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">In pursuit of my return to serious running, I discovered that the sport has evolved. The evolution has been considerable since my last race, the 1982 Revco Cleveland Marathon. You need to be pretty old to remember Revco, the drugstore chain. Going back to my first marathon, the Revco in 1978, it has evolved even more.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">In that marathon of 1978, there were no pace markers or signs to start at. Not knowing anything about marathon starts, I got to the race early and intuitively went to the front. I was in the second row, right behind the world-class guys. The world-class guys had leg muscles like guitar strings and not an ounce of body fat.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Back then, the race started at Cleveland State near East 21th Street and traveled west on Superior Avenue, then over the Detroit-Superior bridge, eventually turning around out at Columbia Road, then finishing back at Cleveland State. Starting out so far forward forced me to run with the "big boys" for the first mile, to avoid becoming a trampled idiot. My first mile in a 26-mile race was around 5 minutes or the pace the world-class guys do for the entire race.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Nice way to hold back. Only 25 more miles to go Jim, you idiot.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">As the race progressed, I settled into a slower pace, hit the wall at 20 miles, then died. Literally died. I finished in probably around 6 hours.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The race in 1982 was a little better. I averaged about 7 minutes a mile for 20 miles, then hit the wall, crawling to the finish in something under 4 hours. I do remember sprinting over the finish line to beat a couple of close competitors. The cheers from the crowd were awesome.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Fast forward to the 21st century. Nowadays, they use electronic chips and mats to record times in most races. Starting runners are spread out and modern technology does the rest.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Other "dinosaur moments" occurred at Second Sole later on Saturday. I wanted a second pair of shoes since my first pair hardly has a chance to air-out from the previous day's run. After asking the associate about a second pair similar to the ones I already have, he looked at the old ones and acted like I should throw them away. They look brand new, but since they have been used since January, they were unusable, in his opinion. What?</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Also, while at Second Sole, I noticed something they sell called "Energy Gel". What is that? I have only known two things to run with besides blisters and cramps - Gatorade and water. I never did find out what energy gel is or what it does.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Finally, in my previous running lifetime, I remember there being only two races: 10K's and marathons. Now there are all kinds of crazy events. I saw the posters on the wall at Second Sole. They even had a lot of events called "Fun Runs". What are those? My last two races almost killed me. </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Yes, I am a running dinosaur. Eventually, I will become petroleum as all dinosaurs do.</font><br></div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-65939908714529935962013-06-09T06:09:00.001-07:002013-06-09T06:09:18.922-07:00Kick in the Pants<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">I can never say enough about the resources available to us through participation in this contest.<br><br>The encouragement, the free healthy meals from Cabanas, the health department assessments, Laura's tireless work and frequent emails reminding us of what we need to do, plus the free Y membership, are only a few.<br><br>I love the blogs. Writing my own blog keeps me focused on my fitness goals. Reading the blogs of others describing their triumphs is inspiring. Reading about their trials and tribulations serves to give me an occasional kick in the pants. The variety of problems others have that are common with my own problems helps me tweak my lifestyle to avoid falling into the typical traps. Making better food choices while traveling is one example I learned from the blogs of others.<br><br>A blog by Ken about the sabotage to our diets caused by alcohol booted me in the pants just a few days ago.<br><br>As consistent and perhaps strict as my diet and exercise routine has been for the past 20 weeks, my only regular reward has been a daily glass or two of wine. The problem is that some days, usually the weekends, there is too much idle time. This is especially true when my workout is completed by 8 am and my chores are completed by noon.<br><br>What does this mean? All day is left with plenty of energy to use on nothing but "relaxing". Happy Hour begins at noon! I deserve it, don't I? I just ran seven miles this morning, so what's the problem?<br><br>The last weigh-in did not produce particularly bad results. Although I may deserve a reward, why do I really need to feel obliged to take it? What sense does it make to work so hard, then give a lot of that hard work back gradually at 150 empty calories a glass for every adult beverage I gulp down?</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">I would rather have any extra 150 calories of salmon or beef.<br><br>After the contest is over, during "maintenance mode" may be a different story, but not right now. We are heading into the homestretch and the finish line is within sight. There is not enough room or time to build a bar between where I am right now and that finish line. Unless it is a salad bar. Did I say hold the cheese and croutons and bring the dressing on the side?<br><br>Thanks, Ken, for the latest kick in the pants. I needed one to keep on track with my goals. There are only a few goals left.</font><br></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-27636512986122231462013-06-05T19:24:00.001-07:002013-06-05T19:24:16.863-07:00Road Races<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Since I have been doing some running lately, it is now time for some fun and some new T-shirts. Time to start entering some road races. The Johnnycake Jog on July 21st will likely be my first. After researching past race results, I have set some lofty goals for that race already:</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">First, I "think" I can finish in the top 250. That would take a time of just under 40 minutes or about an 8-minute mile pace.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Second, if I can reach that goal and improve upon it a bit, another goal would also be within reach. That would be to break into the top 10 finishers of my age group. (That age group would be "55-59 years old", not "Deceased")</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Third, and strictly for bragging rights, I would like to finish the race as the fastest "Lighten Up Contestant". (That is not an official category)</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I'm not sure about the men, but I know at least a few of the girls will be in the race, so I thought about setting up a friendly bet. I pondered over the stakes and a fair handicap before posing the challenge.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Then, I heard fifes and drums playing "Yankee Doodle". I realized we are in America, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. Where deer and antelope play. With that thought, the principle of "Equality" came to mind, the cornerstone of what this Great Nation was founded upon.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Consequently, any bets with the girls (or guys, should any of them enter) will be based on straight-up time. One against the other. No spot. No handicap.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">All this has nothing to do with gender, either. I realized that I should get a handicap from the girls. I am old enough to be their father. And I have the aching muscles and creaky knees to prove that.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Now with the way karma works, watch me break one (or both) of my legs before the race.</font><br></div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-45335083972896836522013-06-02T20:41:00.001-07:002013-06-02T20:41:34.104-07:00Never Ending Hard Work (Then More Work)<div dir='ltr'><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Eight weeks of the contest is left and it won't be over soon enough. It is getting to be a lot of hard work. Considering what it took earlier on to make progress, maybe it's just MORE work.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Thanks to breaking through a plateau, I actually lost about 5 pounds this past month. At the end of the day, I realized it was due to nothing but two things: hard work and MORE hard work.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Diet has become a moot point because I don't really crave anything unhealthy. If I do happen to partake in something less than "really" healthy, my hard workouts more than justify and burn off the trivial reward.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">My dear girlfriend and I have gotten our health radar aimed at better food choices. We have the luxury (or advantage) of not being sucked into the vortex of appeasing chicken wing craving spouses who are not in the contest or Happy Meal craving children or grandchildren. No reason in the world to go to Mickey D's, KFC, or Pizza Hut. We do pass those places on the way to the Y and don't miss them a bit.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I do crave a lot more food than what I consumed early in the contest. Now, I lovingly call it "fuel" for my workouts.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">At times, I am exhausted, but it has been worth it. I can run an hour straight without being particularly out of breath, just weary. Now, not so surprisingly, I do realize that I do not still have the body of a twenty-five year old. For a fifty-five year old though, this old body is close enough. My knees creak a little, and my back aches on occasion, but I plug along. I am still healthy and strong enough to run through some pain and a few cramps.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">My clothes either fit loose or ridiculously loose. For the two suits I bought last summer to fit any more, I pray for a miracle from the tailors at Men's Wearhouse.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">How did I get to this point? Did I mention hard work? And two other things, hard work and hard work. No smoke, no mirrors, no energy drinks, no weight loss supplements, no protein shakes, and no liposuction. Just hard work.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Did I mention hard work?</font><br> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-56824460694801660552013-05-30T05:07:00.001-07:002013-05-30T05:07:56.345-07:00Life's A Beach<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font size="3" face="Calibri">Recently, on the Lighten Up Facebook page, there was some serious talk and some jokes about wearing swimsuits to the weigh-in. I admit to joining in the fun. My personal favorites are the "Speedo" jokes. With summer approaching and all the improvements we are accomplishing fitness-wise, this new fashion of exposing some skin may not be too unrealistic.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="3" face="Calibri"><br>This week, I was finally able to reap the fruits of my labor from all the hard work invested in Lighten Up.<br><br>Due to a bit of good fortune, once a year, I have access to a condominium in the Cayman Islands, free for a week. For the cost of airfare and food, it is truly a Great Escape in Paradise. The condo has a full kitchen so we eat most meals in. In the Cayman Islands, if you don't have access to a way to cook for yourself, restaurant meals are VERY expensive, especially if you plan to eat three times a day. There are many fine dining options that we reserve for only a few meals out during the week, so we rob a bank the week before we leave Ohio. Limiting meals eaten out helps us keep some of that cash for luxuries back home like the mortgage, food, and electricity.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="3" face="Calibri"><br>Consequently, we make healthy meals every day in the condo. Cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt and fruit for a mid-morning snack, and for lunch, wraps using veggies and leftover fish or chicken from previous dinners. The poolside has a few really nice grills available, so we cook out often for dinner. Our favorite dinner is fresh-caught red snapper purchased from a fish market in Georgetown (the downtown area) and grilling the fish topped with a mango/habanero glaze. If timed right, dinner can be eaten with a breathtaking view of the sunset over the Caribbean Sea.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="3" face="Calibri"><br>Enough about the food.<br><br>Seven Mile Beach on the west coast of Grand Cayman is what is really fantastic. I ran a lot on that beach. I went out first thing in the morning, around 7 am, when it was cooler, if you consider 80 degrees and 85% humidity to be "cooler". My runs were about five miles, and they were a lot tougher on sand than back home on grass or pavement. After my run and a short coffee break, I would go for a leisurely five mile walk on the beach with my dear girlfriend. Almost 20,000 steps before 10 am! My dear girlfriend did ridiculously long open-water swims instead of the laps she would normally do at the Y, so her day was pretty physically active, too.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="3" face="Calibri"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="3" face="Calibri">Overall a great time. With the exceptions of too many rum punches, getting the pedometer water-logged twice because of the the rum punches, one visit to a frozen yogurt place across the street (just like Menchies), and one all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet, it was a great vacation.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="3" face="Calibri"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="3" face="Calibri">See you all at the weigh-in on Saturday. I'll be wearing a Speedo.</font><br></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-38047285018192940352013-05-26T06:36:00.001-07:002013-05-26T06:36:47.375-07:00LSD<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">No, I am not a "druggie". The title of this blog could not be further from the truth in that respect.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Now that I am running regularly, I am fondly re-living past experiences that were forever etched in my mind. One of them is the concept of "LSD" that I learned in high school.<br><br>The "LSD" that I mention does not stand for<span dir="auto"> the drug's technical name, Lysergic acid diethylamide</span>. It much more innocently refers to the concept of "Long, Slow Distance", as in running workouts.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Compared to having a mean track coach with a stopwatch hanging from his neck making you do quarter or half mile intervals for hours, going out for a Long, Slow Distance run is favored by high school runners. Probably runners of all ages for that matter. Sending his team out on a long, slow distance run is probably preferred by mean track coaches, too, so they get a chance to have a few smokes and call their bookie.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">But enough about the wonderful people that positively influenced my young adult life.<br><br>One huge benefit of long, slow distance workouts is getting into a comfortable rhythm, and eventually feeling the endorphins kick in. This achieves the "runner's high" you may have heard about. </font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">When properly trained, long runs become a part of your day, like brushing your teeth. Every day. Missing a day just doesn't feel right somehow.<br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br>I haven't felt this way for almost 30 years and I'm really liking it. And no mean track coaches to deal with, either.</font></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-27334855171508835112013-05-19T19:51:00.001-07:002013-05-19T19:51:07.580-07:00Diet is Like Golf<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Recently, I read another of many interesting Facebook posts from Ron Graham. I associated that information to the struggles we all have with weight loss. To summarize, the post stated that it is a lot easier to add weight than it is to take it off. </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Funny thing, because we all wonder why the weight doesn't come off as fast as we may expect, if it comes off at all. But almost by magic, it goes on quick.</font><div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">After some reflection on his post, I realized diet is a lot like a round of golf. Particularly "pro" golf.</font></div></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Why is that? A pro golfer is expected to shoot par on any individual hole. That is the very definition of par. Nothing great. Nothing bad. Hit the green in regulation and two-putt. Ho hum.</font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Should a pro golfer hit an errant shot and take an 8 on a hole, it may derail his chances of any kind of respectable finish in the tournament. One mistake takes a lot of birdies to erase.</font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Isn't a diet just like this? "Par" is a day where we eat what we burn. No weight gain. No weight loss. Nothing particularly good. Nothing particularly bad. Perfect balance, yet easily unbalanced.</font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">The problem is that we can all consume an extra few thousand calories in a week or a weekend, perhaps in just one sitting. This could be a holiday, a vacation, a special event, or an "all you can eat" buffet. Can we possibly squeeze in a three thousand calorie workout on the day after a binge? Probably not. That's six or eight hours on a treadmill!</font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">What does all this blubbering mean? It is probably far better to cheat a little, and make it up than it is to try to make up for a huge diet sin. A bogey on one hole (like having a slice of pie) is better than closing the late night buffet every night while on a week-long cruise. A binge is like shooting a 12 or 15 on a hole. (And the extra weight would give the electric golf cart a flat tire while we're at it.)</font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">We can only shoot so many birdies with our workouts, so we need to keep the ball in play. The diet fairway is best. The diet rough is manageable. But, whatever we do, don't hit in the diet woods. We may never get out. Hit too far over the trees, out-of-bounds, and you come to a McDonald's or a Pizza Hut.</font></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-25386757822673668122013-05-15T16:58:00.001-07:002013-05-15T16:58:57.715-07:00Bucket List Item Ready to Cross Off<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Today on the Lighten Up Facebook page, I mentioned that there is no "D" in Lighten Up. If I hit all of my goals, I can only hope everyone else hits theirs. Fitness is not a zero-sum game.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">To be perfectly honest, I have already reached just about all of my goals. If the contest ended today, this experience has already been incredible enough to rank up there with the birth of my two sons, completion of two marathons in 1978 and 1982, and a 300 game in bowling. I now only need a hole-in-one to complete my "Bucket List".</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Forget winning a chicken wing eating contest. I erased that from my "Bucket List" when I entered this contest.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">And, although way more fun, these last few weeks have still required a lot of hard work.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">While out of town on business, I was able to not only survive, but also thrive through it all.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">A good breakfast was a priority every day and I took healthy snacks to keep my metabolism on fire. I ate enough bananas to make a gorilla proud.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">My improved physical condition allowed me to hit the hotel fitness center just about every evening, even though I put in a full eight hours or more on the job. Four months ago, I would have said "The heck with this. Where's the nearest Hooters? Isn't it 20 cent wing night?". <br><br>Instead, dinner was typically a salad, grilled fish and whatever veggies the restaurant offered.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">I'm a changed man. And another item "Reached Fitness </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Target</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">" is almost ready to be crossed off the "Bucket List", thanks to "Lighten Up".</font><br></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-63240271561741530972013-05-11T14:35:00.001-07:002013-05-11T14:35:52.759-07:00Flat and Happy<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">The weight loss graph I set up in Vitabot at the start of the contest is looking a little flat lately, Not like the first three months which resembled the stock market in 2008 - dropping like a rock. In a weight loss contest, that is a good thing, but not for my 401k.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">If that current graph were an EKG, I would be dead.</font><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">Although I never stop watching my diet, even for a day, how I handle what I eat is a lot less strict now. I need lots of calories to fuel my workouts. So I consume chicken wings, french fries, and beer. No, no, and definitely no. But a person can wish.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">What I mean is that I still eat healthy, but just more of the good things. Especially after a long workout, I treat myself to a lot more protein (READ: skinless, boneless chicken, steaks, eggs, and dairy). A little less attention is paid to portion control. (Emphasis on the words "little less").</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">I try to follow the 40-30-30 rule for everything including snacks. That is 40% protein, 30% carbohydrates, and 30% fat. Healthy fats, if at all possible. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO in Rachael Ray terminology), avocados, Omega 3's, and all-natural peanut butter, to name a few.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br>This probably explains why my weight loss has been flat over the past two weeks, but I am not complaining. I run an hour every day, with enough energy left to do all my mundane daily chores, like changing the TV channel and writing these blogs. And I really do look forward to my daily runs. It must be the old runner in me, rusty wheels and all.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">I like what I see in the mirror and often punch new notches in my belts. And the holes are punched moving in the right direction now. I am also wearing clothes from the very back of the closet, just this side of the Cleveland Indians 1948 World Series Champs T-shirts and the leisure suits.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br>With that thought, maybe I don't want to lose any more weight after all. My Dockers fit fine, thank you.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">See you all at the Y!</font></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-86316281767452887012013-05-08T12:33:00.001-07:002013-05-08T12:33:53.178-07:002 a Day is Better than 1 a Day<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><div><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">No, this blog is not about multi-vitamins... It's all about exercise.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Thanks to the wonderful opportunity to work out at the Y with our free membership, plus the nicer spring weather and longer days, I have made a change to my workout schedule effective today. This decision was based on a chat I had with Ron Graham after my last health assessment.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">The topic of discussion was the best time to exercise - morning versus evening. Ron made the point that HGH levels are higher in the morning, so taking advantage of that has some benefits.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">All my life, I have hated one thing about evening workouts - getting pumped up so much that sleeping is troublesome. Lately, I can't fall asleep quickly, even if I watch American Idol or Dancing with the Stars. Not even Piers Morgan's show on CNN causes drowsiness, as one would expect.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Now, I have decided to heed Ron's advice and then some.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"> Do a little of both.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">Since she is already a member there, while my dear girlfriend puts in her crazy Diana Nyad-like number of laps in the Y pool, I put in my laps at the Y track and mix in a few weights. All this starts before 6 am. During this time, I used to just sit around drinking coffee at home while she swam. Now, off I go with her.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">With an official workout completed by 7:30 am, I can now do whatever I want after work. This can be yard work or another workout, short of course. This is where the "2 a Day" comes in.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">I can even take an afternoon off, if I want, since my morning workout got the exercise out of the way early.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" face="Calibri" size="3">We will see how this goes. I expect to sleep like a baby, unless I die of exhaustion first. All this without the use of a sedative, like watching Piers Morgan on CNN.</font></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-48072791697686471562013-05-04T09:14:00.001-07:002013-05-04T09:14:23.117-07:00Yet Another Great Perk<div dir='ltr'><font face="Calibri" size="3">What a great perk the YMCA membership is!</font><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">This morning, I went to the Painesville branch with my girlfriend, since she is already a member there. She swam her crazy amount of laps while I used the track and explored the facilities. I am not a swimmer like she is. I can swim enough to save myself if I fell off of a boat, at least until the Coast Guard got there.</font><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">Now that the weather is nice, I see myself going to the Y most mornings - early, before work. This will allow me to get some strength training and some cardio out of the way, freeing up the rest of my day. If the lawn isn't screaming "Cut me!", I will make time for an evening run of an hour or so. The Y will also be my "go to" place when the weather does not cooperate.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">With all the nice spring weather comes a lot of interesting road races. I am considering doing several. The nice thing is that last week proved I can run an hour straight, so any race of 10K (6.2 miles) or less is do-able right now. My sadistic track coach keeps putting a bug in my ear about a half-marathon, but that will take some training first.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">For now, let's see how fast we can get these rusty 55 year-old wheels to move.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">As far as diet, last week was the closest to normal I have been since the contest started. Since my energy level needs to be high, I am eating many more carbs. But, I still think "healthy" all the time. For example, in my travels last week to Virginia, I went to the most convenient restaurant which happened to be a steakhouse. I started with a side salad - no croutons or cheese, oil and vinegar on the side. Then I ordered the smallest filet, 6 ounce, with a double order of steamed broccoli instead of potato, and asked that they not serve me any rolls. If that is a tough lifestyle change, bring on more.</font></div></div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-1011526919200873062013-05-01T18:55:00.001-07:002013-05-01T18:55:26.747-07:00A Deal with the Devil Can Be a Sure Bet<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">This contest started when I was of the ripe-old age of 20,138 days. Although the metabolism slowed and bad habits peaked at the age of 9,131 days, I think I took a turn for the worst at 10,957 days of age. Coincidentally, Miller Brewing stock was at an all-time high on that day. And the turn for the worst may have included bratwurst.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">Why all of these silly references to "days" when we usually use years as a unit of time? Easy.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">My entry into this contest was based on the premise of spending just 190 days, the length of time that this contest lasts, to turn myself around - big time. Erase all those years of sins in a relatively few days, no matter what it takes. I was finally sick and tired of being sick and tired. Whatever I gotta do, count me in.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">At 100 days into this contest, I reached a point that is unfathomable. I lost almost 43 pounds - over 20% of my total body weight. My blood pressure is 105/65. My rest pulse is under 50.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">How did I do all this?</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">I made a deal with the devil, or a bet for that matter. Sticking to a strict diet and logging over 600 miles on the treadmill, sidewalks of Mentor, and the concourses of the Great Lakes Mall, I was off to a good start.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">Those two simple, but strict things, diet and exercise, resulted in reaching a milestone Tuesday that I haven't done for at least 9,131 days. I ran for an hour straight. A 6.5 mile run, more than a 10K race, without stopping or changing pace. No area of my T-shirt, not even as large as a postage stamp was dry. Could have been faster, but I'll take it. The speed will come with time, training and a few more pounds shed. I have three months left to get faster (or as Leah calls it in her blog, "tone up").</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">Who wouldn't make a bet like this, even with the devil, when the results are potentially so remarkable? By my calculations, dividing up the days I invested in myself compared to the days I got in the bad shape I was in made this a bet of 100 to 1 odds in the favor of bettering myself.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">With hard work on my side, the devil didn't stand a chance.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">Credit needs to go to Laura for organizing everything, Jaime's book and Boot Camps, Cabanas' push toward healthy food choices, Cori's nutritional help, Ron Graham's health tips and answers to my never-ending questions, and a good pair of running shoes, professionally fitted from Second Sole, of course.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">On a closing note, thank you to all who called me"skinny" at the weigh-in on Saturday. Your kind words are truly appreciated.</font></div></div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-72351775430506932302013-04-27T18:00:00.001-07:002013-04-27T18:00:30.838-07:00This Contest is Crazy<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Congratulations to all who advanced to the second half of the contest, especially to those on the bubble who literally busted their butts this past week. To those who did not advance, please do not get discouraged. Continue a healthy diet and fitness regimen and reach your goals anyway, even if it takes some time. If you still don't make the progress you expect and require more motivation, consider entering the contest next year and be sure to take advantage of the great resources that are made available.</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">This experience has been wonderful. Personally, I have worked as hard as humanly possible to achieve more than I ever could have imagined. And we're only half-way home.</font><div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">Success is my continuing motivation. The more goals accomplished, the harder I want to work. My next goal is to get done. By "done", I mean to reach my wildest, lowest weight target. What's that? Marathon weight of about 148.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">Can this possibly be reached before the end of the contest? Who knows. At 55 years of age, I am already treading in uncharted territory, doing things I haven't been able to do for decades. This is ridiculous to even think about, but I'm actually there right now.</font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font face="Calibri" size="3">I will keep running hard and let's see how far this crazy ride will take me. And i wish that everyone else's ride takes them as far as their wildest dreams can possibly take them.</font></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-28132991975354878872013-04-25T04:44:00.001-07:002013-04-25T04:44:12.932-07:00My Sadistic Track Coach is Back!<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3" style="font-size: 12pt;">In my own personal tribute to the Boston Marathon victims, I logged two marathons worth of miles last week, over 52 miles altogether. But this was only brisk walking, about two hours a night Monday through Friday. As mentioned in an earlier blog, I decided to snuggle into a comfortable fat-burning mode by walking on the treadmill in lieu of my running, because I felt too heavy to run well, at least as well as I expect.<br><br>This week, after losing a few pounds, I felt better. What a bittersweet situation, because today, I ran into my sadistic track coach. I saw him in the mirror again.<br><br>Needless to say, he looked me over. He saw some possibilities. He made me work. He made me work hard. Really hard. Over 11 miles - 6 of which was running. Intervals of 3 miles plus other runs of two miles and one mile. I haven't done a 3 mile run since Reagan was president!<br><br>After two hours, I was exhausted. My T-shirt was soaked with sweat. But my sadistic track coach made me believe tonight that I can run a 10K right now. Perhaps a half marathon eventually. Maybe more.<br><br>I have a love-hate relationship with my sadistic track coach. I silently told him when that I saw him in the mirror of the car driving home from the gym. But I am a lot better off tonight than I was before I ran into him earlier today.<br><br>Looks like he may be here to stay</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">.</font><br></div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3742854099931524152.post-84637038823305513362013-04-20T08:15:00.001-07:002013-04-20T08:15:10.458-07:00Healthy Travel Plans Made<div dir='ltr'> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <div dir="ltr"> <style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 12pt; font-family:Calibri } --></style> <div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Saturday was my monthly meeting at the Lake County General Health District. My body fat percentage stayed about the same, most likely because I hydrate poorly, especially in the mornings. Cori did remind me that my BMI has lowered since the start of the contest. I am now "overweight", not "obese".</font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Put that way, I feel like the results of my IQ test are in. Great news: my IQ rose from "imbecile" (IQ from 25-50) to "moron" (IQ of 51 to 70). Wow! I'm getting lean. Who says I'm overweight?<br><br>Anyway, after my health assessment, I began to plan for two business trips scheduled over the next few weeks.<br><br>Now, this lifestyle change thingy gets put to a REAL test.<br><br>First, the diet. It will be almost a full week of meals away from home each trip, but I have this part figured out:<br><br>BREAKFAST: Although most hotels offer a free continental breakfast, the food choices are not the best. Even the selection of cereal is unhealthy - sugary and everything but whole grain. Compared to what I normally eat now, forget it. I will pack a small box or baggie of my own cereal and use the hotel's skim milk. Hopefully, the TSA hates Total and leaves my luggage alone.<br><br>LUNCH: I have already scouted out locations of nearby Subways. All my lunches will be eaten there. My "go to" favorite is the "Veggie Delite" - 460 calories and low sodium for a foot-long sub on wheat bread with all the veggies, no cheese, and vinegar as the only condiment. And a bottle of water.<br><br>DINNER: It should not be too difficult to find restaurants that have a salad with either grilled chicken or salmon. Dressing on the side, of course. I know there is a Cabanas in Chardon, but is there one in Wyoming? Or Virginia?<br><br>SNACKS: There will be frequent breaks to call my office and check emails, so these times will be my scheduled snack times. I will take some fruit from the hotel breakfast buffet - banana for the morning and apple for the afternoon. I will also pack some bags of trail mix and nuts to eat during the day. Grocery stores are a good option for fruit and yogurt. Hopefully, my hotel room will have a fridge. And no bedbugs.<br><br>Second part of the equation is the exercise. I really did my due diligence here:<br><br>NO LONG DAYS: My trips will <u>not</u> involve long days. Even on travel days, I made arrangements to arrive early enough to get in a good work-out. I also depart early enough to make time for a workout at home. Traveling during the business day, not at night, will help me avoid the temptation to have an adult beverage or two. Or three.<br><br>PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT WORK: My main task for this trip involves surveying a power plant to evaluate the installation of equipment my company builds. This means lots of walking, both ground level and up-and-down stairs. There may be some climbing up steel ladders and I may need to climb to the top of 60 foot-high storage silos. (NOTE TO SELF: Pack extra bananas)<br><br>NO TEMPTATIONS: When it comes to my job, I travel alone and spend all of my free time alone. There is no temptation or pressure to go to a place that I myself do not choose. I do not have morning meetings (with doughnuts) or dinner meetings (with heavy meals, desserts and boring speakers). My sympathy goes out to the other contestants who travel and need to resist these temptations. And listen to boring speakers.<br><br>PLACES TO WORK OUT: I learned a lesson from my recent trips to Columbus - don't trust hotel fitness centers to be "gyms". The hotel had a fitness center, but the equipment operated poorly, if at all. This was particularly true of my trusty little friend, the treadmill. The hotel had two - one had an "OUT OF ORDER" sign and the other one had a belt that slipped badly. Even after my complaints the first time, the next visit a month later saw no improvement with the operation of either treadmill. To prevent this from happening again, I found a hotel that has a fitness center AND is partnered with a nearby health club. Surely the health club will have decent equipment and the cost is only 6 bucks a day, should I need to use it. In the recent past, I would have happily spent that money on a pitcher of beer. Or two.</font><br></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>Lighten Up in 2013http://www.blogger.com/profile/05819864593251680274noreply@blogger.com0