Lentil Spaghetti

When I started my "physical transformation" I started two blogs. The first was called The Fleet Vegan. On it I was looking to develop alternative recipes to common favorites that could be made quickly and easily for busy people. I got rid of the blog because everyone started associating me only with vegan food (and I'm not a vegan). Plus, I wanted to be inclusive of other things besides just recipes. I was changing my exercise life and my way of thinking (I've become Mr. Life Affirming since those out of prime shape days). The Fleet Vegan format just was complementary to work out posting. It was too food concentrated.

When I started the blog, I made a few silly little cooking demonstration videos. This guy is one of them:

Photo Update

So, I stopped posting an update pic because I honestly didn't think many changes were happening in the old body for a while. But, I decided to post one on here because I was wrong. The obliques are starting to show pretty well. Less than 2 months to go! I think the cardio kickboxing is going to be a big help.

Lifestyle

Mine has officially changed. When I go to buy food, I'm not tempted to buy high sugar foods. I'm in a routine of healthy eating. Even when I'm going for fast food, I opt to go to Wendy's where I can grab a baked potato. I still eat burgers, but I have quit eating the bun (sugar), ketchup (sugar), and mayo (yep, it usually has sugar added to it too). I haven't even been tempted to get fries. Strangely enough, I don't even crave them. Rather than having a candy bar, I'll eat a Carbmaster yogurt (3 grams sugar per container) or a Pure Protein bar. I look forward to my workouts. I really do enjoy lifting weights. Hmmm...I have been skipping the occasional run, but I've been skating so much that I don't mind missing a run. I mean, I've been skating A LOT. The sun is up later, and there is more opportunity to shred. So, shred I have been.

Week 8 complete

Well, it has been two months of fitness. While some of it has gone the way I thought it might, it has taken a couple different directions from how I first thought.  For instance, I thought it would be all vegetarian food. I also thought that "cardio" would be a primary objective.

Instead, I've gone on an anti-sugar campaign, and I've found that weightlifting is more important to me than running. I am running, but as the weather gets nicer (and as we've had a bit of a rainless streak) I've turned more and more back to my original sporting love: skateboarding. When I do run, I'm doing much shorter sprint workouts rather than spending a long time jogging.  From what I understand, sprinting (more physical effort) helps boost the metabolism for a longer period thus helping to burn more calories.

So, how about the end of the second month physical changes?

original inspiration...belly fat and lack of muscular definition 

 End of month one:

end of four weeks

End of month 2:

end of 8 weeks

The physical changes have slowed down, but they started so fast they'd have to, I suppose. I continue to notice a little more fat disappearing, and a little more ab and obliques appearing. My hip bones have made an appearance again, and I've gotten much much stronger than I was two months ago.

What is next? Well, I'm taking an extra day off from working out this week. I have felt a little tired this week, and I think my body needs a little more rest. Plus, I've been skating so much that I'm a little banged up from falling.

Starting next week, rather than doing two full upper body workouts and one lower I'm going to do things a bit more like a body builder. I'm going to have a chest and arm day, a back and shoulder day, and a leg day. I'm going to continue doing sprints on my running day (about 20 minutes twice each week) and I'm going to keep skating as long as my body will let me.

Sugar is still off the menu, but I've not eaten quite as well as I should this week. I'm looking to add more high fiber foods next week, and less sugar alcohol protein bars. I want to eat ingredients more and products less.

Two Stops!

There are two "stops" that I need to mention.

1. Stop exercising when your body tells you. I have to learn to not over-train and listen to my body better.

As I have mentioned before, I love skateboarding. Tuesday afternoon I went to a local skate spot and skated (sessioned we call it) for about two hours. It was a blast. I got a good sweat going and had a great time. When I left, I went running. I did a half hour run, and it was also great. I was loose from skating and didn't need any warm up time. In fact, I ran my first mile in a new record time, and felt great the entire rest of the run.

Wednesday, I took the day off from work to skate. Thrasher Magazine had a Skate Rock Tour in town, and I wanted to skate the entire day away with the skaters in town.  So, I did. I skated for hours in 80 degree/humid Memphis weather. I didn't drink nearly enough water, got sunburned, and even felt dizzy at one point. To recover, I drank a bottle of water and had a banana. It made me feel better. I skated some more, but finally had to call it a day. I was beat.

Later Wednesday night, I did my leg workout. I knocked it out quickly, took a shower and went to bed.

I woke up Thursday feeling great, but my muscles were sore from all the hours of skating and working out. Plus, I was thirsty. I knew I was still dehydrated from the day before.  So, what did I do? I tried to run.

It didn't go well at all. My body was aching. I felt flat footed. I had to walk just five or six minutes in to the run. It honestly, felt like it did my first week running. For the rest of the evening, I've felt a little off. I'm drinking water, eating some salty foods and trying to hydrate back to normal. In fact, I think I need to hold off on some running if I get to have good long skate sessions. Too much cardio will hurt muscle growth, and growing muscle is the best way to lose fat.

Lesson Learned: Listen to my body!

Stop #2: I want to reiterate my happiness in stopping sugar from my diet. I'm becoming an anti sugar activist.  I won't say too much about it, but  keep looking for more information from others who have given up sugar. All seem to feel better overall, and most mention serious weight loss (fat loss it should read). Again, I don't mean all sugar. I mean give up foods with the ingredients "high fructose corn syrup" "evaporated cane juice" and "sugar." Fruits are perfectly fine! I have a few links to share:

http://www.steppingstoneacu.com/blog/2012/03/22/A-Year-Without-Sugar.aspx

http://www.photomint.com/photography-business/my-life-without-sugar-and-a-challenge-for-you/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-foster/no-sugar-diet_b_1397439.html

Sacrifice

I spoke with my father on the phone last night. I told him that I didn't feel like I was denying myself anything with my fitness lifestyle.  It wasn't until after we got off the phone, and I was scouring the nearest grocery store for s sugar free dessert that I realized that I was totally wrong.

I have sacrificed much over the last 7 weeks. I've given up the quick hunger fix, grease filled fast food I used to eat. I've given up sugar in total. Let me repeat that, I Have Given Up Sugar! I have denied myself every candy treat I still let the kiddo have. I've denied myself nights of relaxation. I don't just lay down on the couch when I get off of work these days. EVER! There is a run that happens first, or I lift weights when the t.v. gets turned on.

I denied myself some skateboarding for a while, but I'm done with that. After scouring my brain for MORE exercise I realized I just needed to skate more. So, I skated three times last week. It was perfect. I love skateboarding. I wonder how in the heck I could have skated so little over the previous month. Yesterday, I went skating. It was a fun session trying to keep up with guys that were born when I was in college. I can't say that I can keep up with them anymore, but I give it a shot. When that was done, I went running for a half an hour. Normally, I'd have gone home, showered and crashed out on the couch.  Adding a run on top of a big session? That was a blast!!!

So, yeah. I have denied myself a lot of things. I've sacrificed time. I've denied myself unhealthy behavior, and I've rid myself of a little more laziness. But I have gained so much. I like what I'm seeing in the mirror. And I like it because I've worked so hard for it, not because I 'look better.' I really like how I feel. I've not had this much energy and drive for life in a long time. What does this mean?

Sacrifice is good.

Week 6 Round Up

My physical changes seem to be slowing down. I lost a lot of fat over the first month, but the last little bit looks like it is going to be tough to get rid of. My muscles are definitely more toned and a little bigger. I'm stronger than I was 6 weeks ago too, but those changes are slowing down. I'm starting to get a little afraid that I'm going to look the same in the next end of the month picture. I see that the fat around my belly is slowly but surely leaving, but it is very slow going now. I was happy to see my hip bones appear again though. Oh, and it looks like I have to buy a new belt. And I see a strong change in my face/neck. My adam's apple is back.  So, positive things are still happening. They're just not quite as dramatic as the first month.

So, workout-wise I'm looking to make one change over the next two weeks. I will up the intensity of my cardio. Medium pace distance running has gotten easy and everything I've read says that if you do high intensity cardio work you will burn more calories and lose more fat. I had mentioned sprints before, but I hadn't done them yet. Well, I guess it is time. So, I'm going to go with 2 sprint work outs and 1 distance run next week. I have a funny feeling that my legs are going to be sore next week.

Diet-wise, I haven't been that intense this week. I've not eaten anything with sugar as an ingredient and I haven't eaten any bread. Although I do allow myself 2 servings of bread each week, I just haven't had any.  I have been eating more rice than I should, but only because my son loves Chinese food and I ended up having a fridge full of rice. I'm not doing a low carb diet so rice isn't off limits. Usually, I wouldn't eat white rice (I would opt for brown).

All in all, everything seems so much easier. I guess I'm just getting used to the fitness lifestyle. I'd still love to get up early in the morning and get my exercising in, but I haven't miraculously become a morning person. Can't have it all, I guess.

The Truth About Protein?

Trying to figure out the truth about protein is getting confusing. Bodybuilding/bodybuilders often recommend a much higher daily protein amount compared to USDA recommendations. I read and read and read about protein...

 http://www.webmd.com/diet/protein-shakes
 
...hmmmm. Let me give you a little personal history on bodybuilding. I did a bit of bodybuilding a little over a decade ago. I was very active at the time. I was skating, bodybuilding, doing Brazilian Jujitsu, and taking some pro wrestling classes. I drank two protein shakes a day. And I gained weight fast. In fact, I put on 60 pounds in 6 months. However, all of it wasn't muscle. It was the first time I really had any body fat on my body and tons of water weight from creatine (it has been a downhill struggle ever since).

The thing is, as I think back about my body then, I always think that I didn't have big muscles, but that I carried some protein shakes around in my muscles. It was as if the muscles weren't my own. Now, the idea of having bigger muscles does interest me, but I want to feel like they're mine and I don't want them to be covered in fat. So...I'm not doing the protein shakes. I am eating a snack protein bar everyday though. Why? Because it is super easy way to get a sweet treat at work with a protein bar (that doesn't have sugar). It is also a great way to have a sweet snack when I let my son have a bit of candy.

Other than the protein bar exception, I'm going to stick with whole food protein sources. After all, I don't want to look like a bodybuilder. I want to be "in my best shape" and that means strong and flexible with great cardio. Overall fitness is certainly not just having big muscles.

Plus, I found these websites about protein:

http://weighttraining.about.com/od/nutritionforweights/qt/protein_howmuch.htm

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/body-building/the-best-protein-foods-for-building-muscle.html

It seems that I get enough protein by eating right to maintain and even grow muscle. So, while the rest of the world is supplementing, I'm going to continue improving my physique and health without any bloating shakes. I've been eating three eggs and some plain (well, cinnamon on top) oatmeal for breakfast. That is 23 grams of protein first thing in the morning, and each meal and snack adds on to that protein count. By the days end I'm getting more than enough protein.

Sugar

I've become a label reader these days.  I look for a few select words:

high fructose corn syrup
sugar

I have given up sugar once before (for about a month), and this time around I was going to allow myself a sweet treat each week, but I'm not going to give myself that splurge day for sugar. I'm not going back this time either.  I'm going long-term sugar free.

British Article on Sugar

Now, keep in mind, this is not the naturally occurring sugar that you find in foods. I'm fine with fruit. I have, however, given up all those sweets that I so craved before. I have started eating some sugar free candy and I've started buying some protein bars that don't contain sugar.

Opposing position on sugar free candy

If you read that link you'll see the negatives on sugar free candy. I'll say this: CANDY IS CANDY.  It is meant to be eaten very sparingly as a treat. I'm talking about a small pack of Russell Stover Sugar Free candy over a week and not a pack everyday.  However, as the following link shows, some people who are trying to lose weight may not be able to eat sugar free candy at all:

Sugar Free Candy

Me? It seems that my body is cool with the sugar alcohols (although if you eat TOO much you will know...they're a laxative).  I'm not going to push the envelope. I will use sugar free candy as an occasional treat rather than a normal daily snack. I'm thinking, maybe, once a week like I would have used a "real" sugar treat.

In other news: I shaved my beard down to stubble today so I can better see the returning jawline. Still needs some work, but I'm on my way.

Next blog post:  Protein Supplements. I said I wouldn't, but will I?

Week 5 is on!

I both ended the weekend and started this week craving a hamburger. I watched my friend Mike eat one at lunch Sunday as I ate a veggie wrap (that didn't have all the ingredients listed on the menu...I noticed Y.A. Deli!).  I was so jealous of that burger.

So, I ate one Monday night. A whole 1/2 pound of ground beef.

BUT! I got the 93% lean ground beef (compared to 80% ground beef used in most fast food joints) .  The entire burger (I ate it with no bun btw) was 340 calories with 16 grams of fat, no carbs, and 46 grams of protein. For a side? A little Greek yogurt with some blueberries. All in all, the meal was about 450 calories, and it squashed my craving.

I sort of feel like cravings can be a good thing. I may be completely wrong, but it seems like, after eating vegetarian fare all weekend (Quinoa chili, lentil chickpea salad etc etc...) my body was telling me it needed some fat and a heavy dose of animal protein.

The workouts are going very well. I'm really enjoying both the running and strength training involved. It is cutting into my skate time, but I'm really enjoying the change of pace for now. 

I am finding that I'm a little too fat loss focused. I should be thinking about health and fitness, and not appearances. But, I've seen such a big change over the first month, I guess it is normal to think about the physical changes.

Week Four Begins.

Body Fitness:

One month of exercise and a healthy diet is just four days away. It is almost surprising to think that I haven't been through a drive thru for a meaty hamburger in nearly 4 full weeks, and that I've eaten french fries only once in all that time. I used to cruise through a drive thru at least two or three times a week before this. 

I think I'm the only person who can see the changes so far (those that say they see them? Well, they're being nice and that is just fine). I added up today's caloric intake at about 1700 calories (100 under my target). It really does seem to center around eating ingredients rather than products. Ingredients are what they are. It is face value. An apple is an apple. Celery is celery. On the other hand, products have lists of ingredients. Now, I'm not saying I don't eat anything with a list of ingredients (I'm quite the fan of sausages made from birds), but I'm centering my diet around ingredients. An apple? A little over 100 calories. A candy bar will have 2 1/2 times the calories with less health benefits and won't fill you as well. I'm sold on the apples.

I'm not even nervous about the (shirtless) picture on Friday anymore. Bring it on!

Soul Fitness:

It is also just four days away from my quest for "Soul Fitness." Now, I realize there isn't a good quantitative measure to show the fitness of a soul (and the qualitative would be pretty tough to figure out as well).  I can only say that I'm continuing to look at the theater.  I've just finished watching a biography on Spalding Gray. Spalding Gray became a hero of min the first time I accidentally came across Swimming to Cambodia. His storytelling was magical. His ability to captivate and the absolute honesty of his work was bracing.

I was a young kid (well, youngish around 1989) who wanted to be a writer, and I wanted to tell my story. Here was this guy who did just that so well that you could film it, and it was entertaining for a full hour and a half! One person sitting down and telling their story might just be THE most honest act in the world. And you find the similarities between that person and yourself. You find the commonality between us through the act of storytelling no matter where that person is from or how different their experiences might be from our own.

I'm picking up a monologue I started some time ago. Let's see where that takes me.

Sugar, Protein, Pictures, and Circuits

I've been thinking a lot about my diet and the effects of different foods on my body. After all, I am now one week away from "picture day." In one week I have to post a picture of my shirtless body (gotta keep my word). I need to make as many smart (i.e. fat-burning) decisions as possible. Not that I haven't seen some great changes over the first few weeks. I feel like I'm much more toned, and I can see improvements in my belly.  Still, I want it all and I want it now.  Yeah, that is impossible, but I don't want to sabotage getting the maximum results by eating the wrong foods.

I've been eating a lot of fruit and flavored yogurt. Fruit? Sugar. Yogurt? Sugar. One thing I've not eaten is meat. If I'm trying to cut down on carbohydrates, I should cut them out even further. I've stopped eating most breads and almost all refined sugars. So, if I cut out a large chunk of the sugars in the yogurt and limit the fruit (no, I'm not giving up something as healthy as fruit) I should be able to cut down further some of the calories.  In their place, I'm going to add some low fat meats. I went with chicken and turkey sausages. They're easy to cook, portion controlled, and darn tasty while still being super low in fat and carbohydrates. Perfect.

Chicken sausage with fresh, vine ripe tomato, kale and some herbs.

Since my rough day, things have picked up. I'm still running for distance (I haven't switched to sprints yet), but I've started hitting my body in different ways in my workouts. I've found that I really like to work out in a circuit. My first leg workout went well in a circuit routine (Wednesday is now leg day). I've changed my weights workout to be a weight/body-weight resistance circuit. I like to keep moving quickly from exercise to exercise, it makes me feel like I'm maximizing my workout time with efficiency. Plus, the addition of new body-weight work moves my muscles in a little different way. I'm also thinking about adding some isometrics and some plyometrics after week four (I'll write about those when I start them). I've read about using new and different workouts to keep stressing your muscles in new ways every so often.

So, in one week from today we'll see the results of the first month!

Definitions

While each of us will have a different ideal mental image of a fit person, I'm sure we'll all have a similar definition for physical fitness, I wonder how you might define spiritual and mental fitness?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/think-well/201105/three-keys-optimum-mental-fitness

They seem to believe mental fitness comes from relaxation. In my mind it was more about using my mind while spiritual fitness was more about relaxation and stress relief.

http://www.genalivings.com/what-is-spiritual-fitness/

I like the idea of taking 100% responsibility in life. I like the idea of a daily journal as well. I'd be willing to start a private daily journal (as in offline) to explore my spiritual fitness.

http://www.genalivings.com/free-spiritual-fitness-assessment-test/

I thought this little test was interesting. I scored a...well, that is private, I suppose. I will, however, hold on to this link and re-take the test later down the line. It points out a lot of interesting spiritual and mental fitness points that I hadn't thought of.

Sifting and Drama

I've been doing some research on physical fitness. Well, I started out doing some research. I ended up sifting through all the differing opinions people have about what is right or wrong in diet and physical fitness. I read  vegans who said that we eat too much protein to bodybuilders saying we don't eat enough. I read something about aerobics causing cancer. I read about how eating too much fruit is bad for you.  I read so much that I gave up reading.  It seems everyone has a million different reasons why they're right, and it was all just too much for me.

One thing that made sense: Taste the rainbow! We're talking whole food fruits and vegetables (not candy). Red peppers, pink grapefruit, purple grapes, green asparagus...basically, eat a variety of fruit and veg. Well, that makes sense.

Another thing that made sense: Figure out what you want to look like and see what people that look like that do. Well, that makes perfect sense, and it totally makes me rethink running. I don't want to look like a runner, really. Well, at least HOW I run. I'm thinking about sprints. Look at a distance runner. Look at a sprinter. I'd rather have a sprinter's body than a distance runner. Hmmm....maybe sprints tomorrow morning? Perhaps a bit of both? I'm prone to hamstring problems so sprinting might be against me.

I'm hoping I get up early tomorrow. I'd like to begin doing all my training in the early a.m. starting tomorrow.

Oh, drama. After the inspirational night at the theater Friday, I went into total theater mode. I listened to a recording of a play, watched the film adaptation of two plays, and finally watched the blockbuster film version of Les Mis. I feel like I need to continue my long forgotten theater education over the next months. Perhaps this is one of the key aspects of my mental/spiritual fitness (becoming one with too much forgotten part of myself)?

Week 2 Training Diary

Let's see...the general tone of the workouts was set last/beginning of this week, but I did make a few changes.

1. I added new exercises to my watch t.v./weight lifting routine.
2. Instead of using jumping rope as an alternative to running, I have been using it as a warm up for running. Jumping rope is fun for a few minutes, but it gets boring quick. I found out I would hate doing a 30 minute jump rope routine.
3. I started working my abs. After all, if there isn't much muscle there when the fat is gone, I'll just look weak and skinny.

It has been wet and rainy. Instead of pining away to skate or squeegeeing the park dry to skate, I've been running.

I have been using the RunKeeper app on my phone to track my running via gps. What I like about it is that it not only tracks distance, calories burned, and the length of time committed to the activity, but it also sends me an email every time I reach a new personal best. That personal best could be distance, pace per mile, elevation ran...it only sends one email a minute or so after you complete your target. In fact, I did an extra block on my last run just to be assured that I would get an email. It gives each run a goal.

On a different note, I went and bought a new shirt yesterday. Big deal, right?

Well, no, it isn't a big deal, but I've spent so much time thinking of my appearance (hey, if I'm going to be fit, I want to look fit). No, this isn't some kind of spandex shirt or something ridiculous like that. It is, however, a bright color. The vast majority of my wardrobe is black or blue. I feel comfortable blending in to the world in black and blue. This new, bright shirt will not blend in. I will stand out, and I want to wear it when I feel comfortable standing out. Hmmmm....how long will it sit in the drawer before I feel the confidence?

Pizza. Burgers. Week 2 Complete.

When over the last week did I become a calorie counter?! I've never been a calorie counter. After years and years in the kitchen, I never even thought about calorie counting except when I was writing an article for publication.  And then, I just hoped nobody would ask me about calories!  Well, in theory losing weight is very simple. You decrease caloric intake so your body burns fat as energy. Simple enough, right?

Of course, it is the temptations of everyday life that get in the way. Enter Wednesday of week two. My son was adamant that pizza night was going to stay pizza night this week. It is a tradition, after all.

I gave in very easily (I was really hungry) and we got a cheese pizza. A delicious, cheese covered flat loaf of bread.  I could easily have eaten half of the pizza. In fact, here is how it generally goes down:

The kiddo eats two pieces. I eat three or four. That leaves two pieces leftover for me to consume after he goes to bed. Boom. One large pizza devoured in one evening.

Averaging at 240 calories per piece means that I was consuming 1,440 calories in pizza on Wednesdays. Holy crap that is a lot! No wonder I'm counting some calories!

So, I got myself a grapefruit from the fridge and ate it while the kiddo started in on the pizza. In fact, I ate the entire grapefruit before ever touching a slice of pizza. Then, I ate two pieces of pizza (80 calories for the grapefruit and 480 calories for the pizza = 560 calories). Then, instead of picking up those leftover pieces, I ate an apple for a snack. I got to have some pizza (so I'm not feeling left out) but I reeled in the amount to something reasonable.  Which leads me to Thursday, and my extreme desire to eat a hamburger!

Burger King has introduced a Veggie Burger to the menu. I tried it. It was good. However, if the calorie counter from about.com is right, this sucker isn't too healthy. According to this web site it has 420 calories with 16 grams of fat. The Burger King website says 410 calories and agrees on the 16 grams of fat. While this isn't terrible, it isn't low calorie. I had one, but declined to make it a combo so no extra 400+ calories of fries and no added calories or sugar of a soda. Instead, I brought the burger home and had an orange as a side making the whole meal about 500 calories.

I'll post about the end of the week fitness tomorrow as this post is getting too long today.

Sucker, Television, and Yoga

I'm a sucker for several things:

1. Cornrows
2. Manicured toes
3. Fendi capri pants
4. Cupcakes

And the cupcakes my friend/co-worker, Lindsey, makes are awesome. I ate three and regretted it the whole time (and loved them the whole time). Then, I went skating for a couple hours (built up a great sweat but who the hell knows what kinda calories a skate sesh burns?!).

What next? Fast food, of course.  Well, not bad though. I picked up a Subway Veggie Delight sub with no cheese and all the veggies on their 9 grain with oats bread. In fact, I've been adding up some calories everyday and I'm not taking in over 2,000 each day despite the fact that I'm not going hungry at all. In fact, it seems that, once you cut out the fried foods, most of the meats, and eat whole food ingredients, you really cut down on the calorie count.

Television. It seems that the brain rotting boob tube is actually a great exercise tool. Huh?!

Well, doing yoga on DVDs is the obvious first point. I am finding that I like to do my post-run cool down as a yoga workout. It stretches all of those muscles back out and feels great.

Secondly, let's see...I love British Mysteries, and I can easily watch three hours of British Mystery shows in one night. So, to give that a healthy twist, I now lift weights while watching them. I felt a little stronger this week so I upped my weight to 40# each dumbell and I did an overall upperbody workout (2 sets of each exercise listed below):

Military Press
Tricep Press up
rows
bench press
flyes
concentration curls
shrugs
push ups (using the dumbells as push up bars)

Simplicity

Simple Living.

It sounds...well...simple.

It isn't.  I look around my home and see clutter where there was nothing a month ago. I wonder why I have any desire to surround myself with "things" and I wonder what joy these "things" really bring me.  Saturday afternoon I began clearing away excessive things.  I pulled the rug from the living room, and took away a much too large coffee table. I took out the rug to give myself a better yoga space.  When it was gone I noticed a new clearness to the room. It suddenly seemed so much more un-cluttered.  With the coffee table gone the room was even more clean.  It became very clear to me that I sometimes collect to surround myself with something as if it is a security blanket.

I vowed to unclutter my living space over the next week.  To live more simply (perhaps a yard sale in the near future).

Simplicity.

Simplicity in exercise is one reason why I chose running as my primary cardio (coupled with my memories of going out for a long run and getting an amazing runner's high). But, what about rain days?!

I was looking out the window Friday morning, thinking about getting myself soaking wet by running in the rain. It wasn't that pleasing of a thought. I am not getting into this to become a dedicated runner. I want to be dedicated to physical fitness, mental fitness, and spiritual fitness. I am not trying to run a marathon. I'm trying to be in great shape for the big 4-0.  So, I needed an alternative to running.

Well, it is also Easter weekend, and my kiddo is spending the weekend at daddy's house. So, there was a basket to fill (yes, with "things")!  While perusing the local Tarjay, I had a brilliant idea. There, on the clearance rack in the sporting goods section, I found my new piece of exercise equipment. A jump rope!  Now, I know, it is another "thing" I've brought into my home, but it takes up very little space and can provide a simple exercise with amazing cardio/fat burning abilities.

My first jump rope session was pretty weak. I'd hate to have anybody see me stumbling around like a fool (luckily it was dark outside).  However, it doesn't take long to realize how much a jump rope is making you work.  $5.00 well spent on a useful thing. Now to just get rid of some of those non-useful things!

Taking Shape

The schedule, that is. In my first full week of exercise I ran three times, skated every damn chance I could (including a great session yesterday afternoon), did weights/bodyweight work three times, and did yoga once. Not too bad for a first week, I think. I would like to try and start getting up earlier and getting my workouts in before work, but I've never been a morning person. Who knows, we'll see. It didn't happen today. I'm looking at the rain fall down right now, and thinking about running.

This morning I had a great chat with an old friend, Kevin, about this project. I told him some of the goals, and we talked about other options. We discussed trying a month of Crossfit, but, as I said in my last post, I don't want to join anything. I want to come up with the workout/exercise plan that works for me. The best exercise is the exercise we enjoy. I can't tell you what YOU should do for exercise. I can share what might work for me. I know most people won't start skateboarding for fitness. Maybe they'll bike instead. Exercise is a personal thing. More personal than it gets credit for being.

Some of my week:

Tuesday made me feel a little more positive about running. I didn't walk much, and ran over 2 miles. I even started to feel like my old self again for a minute. That is LITERALLY one minute. Not to seem too positive, I learned that my additional weight has brought something new to my running adventures. It is a thing called chafing, and it sucks. My legs never rubbed together when I weighed 150 pounds and could run for an hour. 25 pounds changes the game a bit.

I worried about Wednesday. I have my son for the night on Wednesday, and I have called it "pizza night" forever. Well, he went for something other than pizza pretty easily and all was good.  I also never get any exercise on pizza night, er, "something healthier than pizza night," but this time I threw in a DVD after the kiddo went to bed and Rodney Yee and I got our yoga stretches on.  I just can't do any of the neck twists. If I try to twist my neck, I won't be able to turn my head sideways for a week.

Thursday was the real 1 week but Friday works better so Fridays will be my week's end posts.

So, one week down and 30-ish to go. Oh, I decided that at the end of each month (meaning 4 weeks, not calendar month) I'll post a progress picture of the damn near 40 year old body and we'll see if there is any progress.  Starting next week I'll begin posting some food/recipes/nutrition items. I'll also begin to discuss another item of fitness, namely mental fitness. After all, what good is having a fit body without a fit mind?

Guidelines

As I went for my afternoon run early Monday evening, I thought about building some guidelines for the next 8 months. Not rules, but some guidelines to let those of you that might read this blog from time to time know why I'm doing certain things and not others. For instance, I am not going to join a gym for the next 8 months. Why? Because I know I won't go. I've joined gyms before. I'd go for a month or two and then the extra time it takes to go to the gym would become a big hassle and I wouldn't go.

Okay, the guidelines:

1. No gym (see reason stated above).

2. Keep it compact and cheap: I have no desire to have a full home gym, or spend a ton of money on equipment. My plan is to use dumbells, yoga, running, bodyweight resistance, skateboarding and diet to assist me in reaching my goals.

3.  Don't become "one of those people": I don't want this project to take over my life, and become a 'fitness nut' who does nothing but workout and talk about working out. I don't want to wear work out clothes to the store.

4.  The food must TASTE GOOD: I'm not interested in fad diets. I'm not interested in low carb to lose weight. I'm not interested in disgusting supplements that you have to choke down while holding your nose to drink. I AM interested in vegetarian food so you'll probably see plenty of recipes and photos of veggie food. Oh, by the way, I'm a chef.

5.  Skateboarding is one of my favorite activities. It requires balance, hard work, athleticism and dedication. I have no plans on giving up skate sessions for other sporting activities. I'm not going to miss a session with my friends to do pushups at home.

Okay, all of those things said, I am very excited about reaching my peak fitness level. Hmmm...fitness/health level. At the end of the day, health (not how my abs look) is the real goal. But I'll take the abs too.

If you have advice, ideas, and suggestions, please feel free to leave comments on this blog. I'd love to try some new things.

Thanks!