A number of lessons were learned..some good some bad.
1. My newly turned 5 year old is smarter than her parents. Bought her the Elf on the Shelf and she explained to us it was fake and the we would need to get up at night to move it...But that since we got up so early for work she could move it for us.
2. Whenever your wife goes into the dressing room to try things on and two hot/sleazy 20 somethings also start trying things on at the same time..nothing good can happen. No matter how good your wife looks in whatever she is trying on she is going to say it looks hideous. Best to just run and hide instead of hanging around holding the purse.
3. I am old...I played Halo on our newly bought Xbox and became nauseous within 20 minutes..and ended up quitting after 25 minutes...
4. I am old...I played doubles volleyball for the first time in three years and was horrendous..out of breath and hurt my knee. I hate the Xbox. And our living room is too small for a volleyball court.
5. I should not have bought an Xbox for my 5 year old. My ego is going to take a beating.
6. I am having real issues again with food. I need to just shut it off. I like fast food and eating out..yes I am probably addicted to the salt. I know that most nutritionists etc..say don't count your calories but I need to..at least to get me jump started again. Jen has me logging on Spark People to keep track of everything I eat. So far I do not like what I am seeing.
7. Food that you eat while preparing your meals counts towards your calorie intake..who knew? I figured that when I was shredding cheese for tacos that the block of cheese I ate while shredding did not count.
8. This time of year I enjoy shopping and buying triathlon gear more than I enjoy using it. Of course my wife did buy quite a bit of triathlon stuff for herself this year which is a change... But yet she does not understand the concept of your helmet having to match your jersey having to match your bike...
9. It is best not to take your new camera out and go through all of the functions and play with it in your car in front of your kids school after you have dropped them off.
10. That anyone can get snippy during the xmas season...had a Costco sample person actually say.."free samples...for those who have not had 3 pieces already". I took another two pieces of sausage anyway..
11. There were some serious historical inaccuracies in Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer.
12. Red Box movies cost about the same as regular movies when you forget to return them for a couple of weeks.
13. I hate Troy Aikman and Kirk Herbstreit equally. Every time either one opens his mouth I just want to bash the t.v. in....which i should do in the near future since the price on new big screens is so low.
14. Every time a restaurant closes in Golden Colorado two Mexican restaurants open up. (Which ironically will help me stick to my eating plan since I will not eat out as much...if Dorito Taco is not on the menu I am not interested in Mexciacn food)
15. Apparently my foot injury is directly connected to the proximity of any upcoming race on my schedule thus explaining the issues I had before Barking Dog..Lookout Mountain and now Chilly Cheeks Duathlon on December 1. Thus I will not let my foot know when I have scheduled a race from now on. I am up and running again but the CC Duathlon is out..at least the December one.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The secret to living healthy and being fit is.....
I have discovered the secret to fitness and living healthy. What is it you ask? Is it a gym membership? A new bike? A personal trainer? Jen as a coach?..sadly it is none of the above. If it was I would be in Ironman shape already. Unfortunately the answer is something I do not have but have tried to encompass my entire adult life. The answer is...Organization. Yes..the "O" word.
Since the beginning of my 30 day experiment I have struggled on some days and on other days I have hit every goal both nutritionally and training wise. After looking at my logs I can see one common denominator in both my failures and successes..the degree of organization.
I have hit my nutrition goals on the days I packed a lunch the night before as well as planning out dinner and having my blender set up for the morning smoothies. On days I have not done this I have either skipped breakfast or had something which was not as nutritious. If I didn't pack a lunch I tended to stray from the healthy foods to the convenient ones.
On days I have hit my training goals I have packed my gym bag the night before after checking that everything I need has been packed and stowed. Obviously losing my shoe and underwear was one of the days that I did not have everything stowed away. I also made it to the pool one day and realized that I had my suit and towel..but no goggles.
Since the secret to fitness is organization..I might as well quit now. It is a battle I will never win. I have bought book upon book telling me how to get organized..but I have not been able to find them in a while. I have bought journals to keep track of things..but one is too big and another is too small..so I had two journals..then three and then four..each with a day here or there in them. just tracking my workouts has been a nightmare..should I use the log on beginner triathlete? Sure..but training peaks has better heart rate information..I'll use that instead..wait garmin connect is an easy download and no ads..but the log on attackpoint has pretty graphs....just ask my coach..she has no idea where the hell my logs are. Ok..they are actually on attackpoint because of the pretty graphs..although I do link to garmin connect.
I spent 3 hours the other night just putting all of my finances in Quicken..promising myself I would keep every receipt...so far I have a couple of receipts crumpled up in my wallet and nothing entered. The only reason I can function at work is I have one paralegal whose entire existence revolves around me staying organized.
Don't even ask me about race days...When I raced Ironman Wisconsin I almost had a panic attack..I had to have my run bag..bike bag..run special needs bag..bike special needs bag..I was a freaking wreck. I checked..then double checked then triple checked each bag. In the end I just bought four of everything I could possibly need and put one in each bag.
You can ask my training partner Doreen about our rides and runs..I spend 15 minutes going through the mess in the back of my truck looking for shoes...helmets..gloves..whatever I actually need I cannot find. However I am able to find everything else. For some reason I always find underwear. I think I have a phobia about underwear..True story..when I was 20 I had been working out at the gym and went to get dressed and had forgotten clean underwear. Thus, I put on my pants without underwear. I then was driving on the county highway and got into a head on crash at 55 mph. Although I hit my knee and head I refused to go to the hospital because I wasn't wearing underwear..My mother always warned me to have on clean underwear in case I got in an accident..and the day I do...no freaking underwear..Ever since then there is underwear in every car I drive in case of emergency. I just hope I never crash my bike.
Thus I will keep on moving forward..although I now know that the odds are stacked against me. One side note..I ended up going to the doctor because the foot was giving me issues again. Did xrays and an MRI. Found that I have some ligament issues but nothing that requires more than a little rest and alleve. I was very happy knowing there were no gout related issues or a stress fracture. Unfortunately my wife had an MRI done the same day and has to have surgery for a meniscus tear. She will not be able to run for 6 weeks after surgery..the bright side is I may be able to catch up with her running wise by the end of January..woo hoo!!
Also please remember small business Saturday when buying presents this year. If you need help getting me a gift may I suggest the Scott 29er
And to make it easy just talk to Ryan at Kompetitive Edge. They are now carrying Scott bikes and he will make sure to hook you up with the size I need.
Take care everyone.
Since the beginning of my 30 day experiment I have struggled on some days and on other days I have hit every goal both nutritionally and training wise. After looking at my logs I can see one common denominator in both my failures and successes..the degree of organization.
I have hit my nutrition goals on the days I packed a lunch the night before as well as planning out dinner and having my blender set up for the morning smoothies. On days I have not done this I have either skipped breakfast or had something which was not as nutritious. If I didn't pack a lunch I tended to stray from the healthy foods to the convenient ones.
On days I have hit my training goals I have packed my gym bag the night before after checking that everything I need has been packed and stowed. Obviously losing my shoe and underwear was one of the days that I did not have everything stowed away. I also made it to the pool one day and realized that I had my suit and towel..but no goggles.
Since the secret to fitness is organization..I might as well quit now. It is a battle I will never win. I have bought book upon book telling me how to get organized..but I have not been able to find them in a while. I have bought journals to keep track of things..but one is too big and another is too small..so I had two journals..then three and then four..each with a day here or there in them. just tracking my workouts has been a nightmare..should I use the log on beginner triathlete? Sure..but training peaks has better heart rate information..I'll use that instead..wait garmin connect is an easy download and no ads..but the log on attackpoint has pretty graphs....just ask my coach..she has no idea where the hell my logs are. Ok..they are actually on attackpoint because of the pretty graphs..although I do link to garmin connect.
I spent 3 hours the other night just putting all of my finances in Quicken..promising myself I would keep every receipt...so far I have a couple of receipts crumpled up in my wallet and nothing entered. The only reason I can function at work is I have one paralegal whose entire existence revolves around me staying organized.
Don't even ask me about race days...When I raced Ironman Wisconsin I almost had a panic attack..I had to have my run bag..bike bag..run special needs bag..bike special needs bag..I was a freaking wreck. I checked..then double checked then triple checked each bag. In the end I just bought four of everything I could possibly need and put one in each bag.
You can ask my training partner Doreen about our rides and runs..I spend 15 minutes going through the mess in the back of my truck looking for shoes...helmets..gloves..whatever I actually need I cannot find. However I am able to find everything else. For some reason I always find underwear. I think I have a phobia about underwear..True story..when I was 20 I had been working out at the gym and went to get dressed and had forgotten clean underwear. Thus, I put on my pants without underwear. I then was driving on the county highway and got into a head on crash at 55 mph. Although I hit my knee and head I refused to go to the hospital because I wasn't wearing underwear..My mother always warned me to have on clean underwear in case I got in an accident..and the day I do...no freaking underwear..Ever since then there is underwear in every car I drive in case of emergency. I just hope I never crash my bike.
Thus I will keep on moving forward..although I now know that the odds are stacked against me. One side note..I ended up going to the doctor because the foot was giving me issues again. Did xrays and an MRI. Found that I have some ligament issues but nothing that requires more than a little rest and alleve. I was very happy knowing there were no gout related issues or a stress fracture. Unfortunately my wife had an MRI done the same day and has to have surgery for a meniscus tear. She will not be able to run for 6 weeks after surgery..the bright side is I may be able to catch up with her running wise by the end of January..woo hoo!!
Also please remember small business Saturday when buying presents this year. If you need help getting me a gift may I suggest the Scott 29er
 |
| It even has my name on it |
And to make it easy just talk to Ryan at Kompetitive Edge. They are now carrying Scott bikes and he will make sure to hook you up with the size I need.
Take care everyone.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Found my shoe!
Days 10 and 11.
Monday - Day 10 of this 30 day excersize in futility.
Nutrition: Smoothie in the morning, greek yogurt for snack, roast beef and cheese sandwich for lunch (with veggies), sub sandwich for dinner with veggies and no mayo. baked chips and hummus for snack during game. I am eating better overall but definitely too much. I think I am also eating calories that just don't register. A handful of cereal when I make it for my daughter in the morning. or a bite of her sandwich.. I have also been drinking a ton of milk lately..walking by the fridge grabbing the gallon jug and drinking..Probably should be counting those calories since we are going through a gallon every two days. The milk must be taking the place of the soda I am not drinking. I am drinking more water though. I think I may have to actually count calories just to get a handle on how much I am eating.
Training: Ran today without any problems..except that pesky feeling of being obese and out of shape. Other than that..zero problems. Foot actually felt great.
The Good..I found my other shoe that has been missing!!
The Bad: I made one last call to Ballys and yep..they had one red reebok in their lost and fond. So I go to pick it up at lunch. I walk in and there is an attractive trainer behind the desk who is actually in her late 30s..early 40s. I'm wearing a dress shirt and tie..have my head shaved and my contacts in..so I am feeling pretty fly for a pasty white guy.. I go up and tell her I called earlier and wanted to pick up my shoe. She looks at me and smiles."yeah..I'm sexy and I know it"..she goes and gets the shoe and gives it to me. She then says.."I was the one who found it..there was a pair of underwear with it but I didn't pick that up" I probably turned beet red and all I could do was try to think which underwear I had in my gym bag and just hoped to God it was a clean pair. I no longer felt fly..and wondered why she had to tell me this...She then said that they were laying in the parking lot. What the heck..I walked to and from the parking lot at least two if not three times looking for the darn things the night I lost them. My wife made the comment that I can't see any of the clothes on the floor at home..how the heck did I expect to see any laying on ground.
Tuesday - Day 11.
Nutrition Yogurt for breakfast, roast beef sandwich for lunch, 2 PBJ sandwiches for dinner with milk. Obviously missing some veggies today. I really need to get the veggies. Actually felt more full today then I did on days I ate like a pig.
Training - Swam today at lunch. I finally used the new Special Ops goggles at the pool. The verdict? These things rock. They are polarized and made for outdoors but were fine vision wise inside. They also fit perfect. I was concerned when I tried them on at the store since they fit kind of inside my eye sockets. I also have freakishly long eyelashes for a guy (girls used to want to put mascara on me in high school) and was afraid they would be bothered by the lenses..but no problem at all. Definitely keepers. And for those of you that are fashion conscious they come in a ton of colors. If you are interested you can order a pair from Kompetitive Edge online. The one weird thing though. Without my contacts I am blind. However with goggles on underwater my vision is almost perfect...With the Special Ops my vision was better than without contacts..but definitely not perfect..I wonder if it had anything to do with the polarization. This does not affect me since when I swim outdoors I always have contacts in anyway.
One serious note. Please be a defensive driver whether it be in your automobile or on your bike. My brother and sister in law were driving back home after watching the Badgers kick the crap out of the Hoosiers at a local establishment in their town when they were hit by a car driven by a teenage girl. The witnesses said that the girl had the music cranked up and was "rocking out" at the light right before she ran the next light. Everyone was fine after the accident..but it does show how quickly something can happen..even when you are in the right.
Take care everyone and remember to keep track of your shoes..and underwear.
Monday - Day 10 of this 30 day excersize in futility.
Nutrition: Smoothie in the morning, greek yogurt for snack, roast beef and cheese sandwich for lunch (with veggies), sub sandwich for dinner with veggies and no mayo. baked chips and hummus for snack during game. I am eating better overall but definitely too much. I think I am also eating calories that just don't register. A handful of cereal when I make it for my daughter in the morning. or a bite of her sandwich.. I have also been drinking a ton of milk lately..walking by the fridge grabbing the gallon jug and drinking..Probably should be counting those calories since we are going through a gallon every two days. The milk must be taking the place of the soda I am not drinking. I am drinking more water though. I think I may have to actually count calories just to get a handle on how much I am eating.
Training: Ran today without any problems..except that pesky feeling of being obese and out of shape. Other than that..zero problems. Foot actually felt great.
The Good..I found my other shoe that has been missing!!
The Bad: I made one last call to Ballys and yep..they had one red reebok in their lost and fond. So I go to pick it up at lunch. I walk in and there is an attractive trainer behind the desk who is actually in her late 30s..early 40s. I'm wearing a dress shirt and tie..have my head shaved and my contacts in..so I am feeling pretty fly for a pasty white guy.. I go up and tell her I called earlier and wanted to pick up my shoe. She looks at me and smiles."yeah..I'm sexy and I know it"..she goes and gets the shoe and gives it to me. She then says.."I was the one who found it..there was a pair of underwear with it but I didn't pick that up" I probably turned beet red and all I could do was try to think which underwear I had in my gym bag and just hoped to God it was a clean pair. I no longer felt fly..and wondered why she had to tell me this...She then said that they were laying in the parking lot. What the heck..I walked to and from the parking lot at least two if not three times looking for the darn things the night I lost them. My wife made the comment that I can't see any of the clothes on the floor at home..how the heck did I expect to see any laying on ground.
Tuesday - Day 11.
Nutrition Yogurt for breakfast, roast beef sandwich for lunch, 2 PBJ sandwiches for dinner with milk. Obviously missing some veggies today. I really need to get the veggies. Actually felt more full today then I did on days I ate like a pig.
Training - Swam today at lunch. I finally used the new Special Ops goggles at the pool. The verdict? These things rock. They are polarized and made for outdoors but were fine vision wise inside. They also fit perfect. I was concerned when I tried them on at the store since they fit kind of inside my eye sockets. I also have freakishly long eyelashes for a guy (girls used to want to put mascara on me in high school) and was afraid they would be bothered by the lenses..but no problem at all. Definitely keepers. And for those of you that are fashion conscious they come in a ton of colors. If you are interested you can order a pair from Kompetitive Edge online. The one weird thing though. Without my contacts I am blind. However with goggles on underwater my vision is almost perfect...With the Special Ops my vision was better than without contacts..but definitely not perfect..I wonder if it had anything to do with the polarization. This does not affect me since when I swim outdoors I always have contacts in anyway.
One serious note. Please be a defensive driver whether it be in your automobile or on your bike. My brother and sister in law were driving back home after watching the Badgers kick the crap out of the Hoosiers at a local establishment in their town when they were hit by a car driven by a teenage girl. The witnesses said that the girl had the music cranked up and was "rocking out" at the light right before she ran the next light. Everyone was fine after the accident..but it does show how quickly something can happen..even when you are in the right.
Take care everyone and remember to keep track of your shoes..and underwear.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Days 6-9..you win some..you lose some(but not enough).
Days 6-9
Day 6
Hmm. Thursday..Stayed the course nutrition wise and had 45 minutes on the elliptical. Went to the rec center at lunch. Felt like an adult when I brought my own bar soap in a plastic container from home instead using the gym "foam". Didn't feel so adult like when I dropped the container and the top piece slid 3 stalls over to where the only other guy in the locker room was taking a shower. Now this a a predicament...To avoid a Larry Craig incident I decided to forgo the cover. Now I have to buy a new bar of soap and container. The guy actually came out of the stall later with the cover and asked me if it was mine..um no. WTH I was the only other guy in there..freaking poltergeists.
And one note on the elliptical..it was less than spectacular. Instead of saving my knees I almost blew one out by thinking I could reverse direction on it after I had gotten some good forward momentum going. I guess I should get on one of these more than once a year. I also found out later in the afternoon that my calves did not like the machine at all.
One good note. Had my daughter's first parent/teacher conference. Started by the teacher saying..Yeah there is really nothing to discuss...no behavior issues..no learning issues..no social issues. Obviously my daughter has really learned how to manipulate people..good for her! Just the night before she was singing in the shower..."I'm running through the sand..I know I'm in Iran..we're going to kill whose in command..we will.. we will.. rock you.."
Day 7
Friday- Nutrition was good. Smoothie for breakfast, salad with grilled chicken for lunch and tilapia for dinner. Also put together a dresser from IKEA..Thus I worked on my mental toughness.
Workout at lunch..lifting and some cardio on the stationary bike. Was supposed to run but the calves said..no.
Day 8
Saturday - We will call this our FREE day. Ugh. Company meeting in the morning..snowing...stress...Breakfast was donuts and juice....mcdonald's for lunch..yeah mcdonald's..2 plain cheese burgers and a filet o' fish..and fries. You want to see what kind of damage one hideous mistake can do to your diet check out the nutrition content of what I ate. My mcdonald's meal What is truly amazing is the calories and fat content yet almost no Vitamin A or C. The only saving grace is that I did not order the large coke like I would normally do and I took the tartar sauce off. That was pretty much my nutrition for the day..except for the Godzilla and Purple Haze I had that evening at the bar. To say Saturday was a disaster was an understatement. However it just reinforced that I am a stress and boredom eater.
Pretty much the only good thing on Saturday was I fought every urge in my body to stop at Taco Bell and get a couple of Doritos Tacos and a XXL Nacho at 10:00 p.m. Instead I went home and had some water and went to bed. There is just something about alcohol that gets you craving for taco bell "food"
Day 9
Sunday - Veteran's day and Football day.
PBJ for lunch and eggs with veggies for dinner. I did have a couple of slices of bacon and an english muffin but I think I was ok calorie wise. I also did munch on pretzels during the game and some peanut butter. Luckily the pretzel bag was almost empty. when I began. I did miss breakfast which is not good.
Workout - Bike heart rate test on the trainer. I hate the trainer. Things go numb. Important things. OK they used to be important back in the day. I was supposed to go all out for 8 miles. Warmed up for 2 miles and then did the test. I was probably too conservative on the test since my legs were hurting and I did not want to fall apart completely before the end. For some reason I also find it very hard to get my heart rate up on a bike unless I am climbing or on the mountain bike. Thus I started at a very high cadence of 95 to 105 rpm..but couldn't get the hr up. When I mashed the gears towards the end the HR sky rocketed.
Here are my bike test results..Waiting for coach to tell me what it means.
I did step on the Scale today and it did register 222 which is 3 pounds down in 9 days. If I would just stick to the nutrition plan I think it would be down a few more pounds.
Still have not found the shoe.
Day 6
Hmm. Thursday..Stayed the course nutrition wise and had 45 minutes on the elliptical. Went to the rec center at lunch. Felt like an adult when I brought my own bar soap in a plastic container from home instead using the gym "foam". Didn't feel so adult like when I dropped the container and the top piece slid 3 stalls over to where the only other guy in the locker room was taking a shower. Now this a a predicament...To avoid a Larry Craig incident I decided to forgo the cover. Now I have to buy a new bar of soap and container. The guy actually came out of the stall later with the cover and asked me if it was mine..um no. WTH I was the only other guy in there..freaking poltergeists.
And one note on the elliptical..it was less than spectacular. Instead of saving my knees I almost blew one out by thinking I could reverse direction on it after I had gotten some good forward momentum going. I guess I should get on one of these more than once a year. I also found out later in the afternoon that my calves did not like the machine at all.
One good note. Had my daughter's first parent/teacher conference. Started by the teacher saying..Yeah there is really nothing to discuss...no behavior issues..no learning issues..no social issues. Obviously my daughter has really learned how to manipulate people..good for her! Just the night before she was singing in the shower..."I'm running through the sand..I know I'm in Iran..we're going to kill whose in command..we will.. we will.. rock you.."
Day 7
Friday- Nutrition was good. Smoothie for breakfast, salad with grilled chicken for lunch and tilapia for dinner. Also put together a dresser from IKEA..Thus I worked on my mental toughness.
Workout at lunch..lifting and some cardio on the stationary bike. Was supposed to run but the calves said..no.
Day 8
Saturday - We will call this our FREE day. Ugh. Company meeting in the morning..snowing...stress...Breakfast was donuts and juice....mcdonald's for lunch..yeah mcdonald's..2 plain cheese burgers and a filet o' fish..and fries. You want to see what kind of damage one hideous mistake can do to your diet check out the nutrition content of what I ate. My mcdonald's meal What is truly amazing is the calories and fat content yet almost no Vitamin A or C. The only saving grace is that I did not order the large coke like I would normally do and I took the tartar sauce off. That was pretty much my nutrition for the day..except for the Godzilla and Purple Haze I had that evening at the bar. To say Saturday was a disaster was an understatement. However it just reinforced that I am a stress and boredom eater.
Pretty much the only good thing on Saturday was I fought every urge in my body to stop at Taco Bell and get a couple of Doritos Tacos and a XXL Nacho at 10:00 p.m. Instead I went home and had some water and went to bed. There is just something about alcohol that gets you craving for taco bell "food"
Day 9
Sunday - Veteran's day and Football day.
PBJ for lunch and eggs with veggies for dinner. I did have a couple of slices of bacon and an english muffin but I think I was ok calorie wise. I also did munch on pretzels during the game and some peanut butter. Luckily the pretzel bag was almost empty. when I began. I did miss breakfast which is not good.
Workout - Bike heart rate test on the trainer. I hate the trainer. Things go numb. Important things. OK they used to be important back in the day. I was supposed to go all out for 8 miles. Warmed up for 2 miles and then did the test. I was probably too conservative on the test since my legs were hurting and I did not want to fall apart completely before the end. For some reason I also find it very hard to get my heart rate up on a bike unless I am climbing or on the mountain bike. Thus I started at a very high cadence of 95 to 105 rpm..but couldn't get the hr up. When I mashed the gears towards the end the HR sky rocketed.
 |
| The wind tunnel |
Here are my bike test results..Waiting for coach to tell me what it means.
I did step on the Scale today and it did register 222 which is 3 pounds down in 9 days. If I would just stick to the nutrition plan I think it would be down a few more pounds.
Still have not found the shoe.
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