Tonight's Walk

A Friday night walk

Just sharing a little bit of our hard work to hopefully inspire you guys.  Tonight we knocked out 2.32 miles in right at 49 minutes.  And that is with pushing a baby stroller.  There were a few slight hills, but overall it was a good walk.  We're working on going faster.  But that will be a work in progress.

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Workout Routine: Monday

Today I didn't have a whole lot of time, so I managed to chug through a quick workout during my lunch break.  The workout list below is a copy of the workout I used today.  Needless to say, my arms are shot now. lol


Check it out, if you can use it; great, feel free.  If not, thanks for reading.  As always, I am not a doctor or any medical opinion.  Please consult your doctor or physician before undertaking any exercise regiment or workout routine.

Happy Monday!

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These Shoes Are Made For Walking...

To walk or not to walk?  That is the question.  And it's one that has a very simple answer.  If you are mobile (i.e.: not restricted due to physical limitations), then walking is a fantastic way to jump start your fitness routine.  It's relatively low-impact (unless you are hiking mountain or off road trails), it can help you gradually build up your endurance, and can help teach you how to breath properly while exercising.  All of these things may come across as very simple or maybe even common sense.  But walking is a cornerstone for fitness in my book.

For me, after a good walk my legs are usually shot.  Which after a long day at work, usually feels pretty amazing.  Plus, if you walk outside; then you get to take in the beauty of God's creation and maybe even some socialization on your path.  For instance, last night the family and I took a 2.43 mile walk through our town.  This walk involved a detour by our local park, a store to grab a drink for the trip (we got Gatorades, no sodas here), and then the return trip back.  For us, this was our longest distance walked with our baby.  She seemed to love the trip, and so did we.  Granted pushing the baby stroller for a little better than a mile a piece, it was a nice workout all around.

But during out trip, we passed so many people who were out walking for fitness.  Some were walking, and some were riding bicycles.  We passed solo walkers and runners, we passed couples, and even families.  It was nice to see people putting their technology away long enough to get outside and get some fresh air and a little healthier.

So my point in this short post, is to not discount the advantages of walking.  Remember a good rule of thumb for walking.  Good shoes and stay hydrated.  The rest of the world is there for the taking.

Go outside!

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Renewed Motivation

Sometime back, I wrote a blog post about motivation.  And it still rings true.  Motivation is a key factor to anything I do.  Whether it be an attempt at getting fit or striving for a personal goal in another area of my life.  Motivation is a driving force.  It helps propel us forward.  This is something I have learned a little more about since my last blog post about motivation.  And the person who taught me this lesson, is only 8 months old as of this writing.

Little did I know that 8 months ago, the smallest person I have ever held would also be one of the biggest teachers I would encounter in my day to day walk.  And I thank her on a daily basis.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't learn something new from her as she is learning everything new for the first time.  And motivation has been one of the key topics that she demonstrates to me everyday.

For example, she is crawling/scooting across the floor now.  She will literally sit on one side of the room and see something (anything really) that catches her eye, and she's off.  She may take 5 minutes to traverse our apartment's living room.  But when she gets to her destination, she will sit up with a triumphant smile on face marking what looks like a small victory to us.  But to her, she just climbed a mountain.  And if you interfere in any way, usually by picking her up and relocating her in the room.  First chance she gets, she will be heading right back to her original destination (at least until she is sidetracked).  At first it appeared she was stubborn.  But a second glance showed me that she is just simply "motivated".

And her motivation keeps driving her forward.  The other afternoon, she crawled across the floor and pulled up against the couch until she was standing (this is only the second or third time she's done this solo).  It took her several attempts to stand and remain standing.  But no matter how many tumbles she took, she got right back up and tried again.

I started relating her determination to my own goals in life.  When I started this blog in 2012, my drive was to loose weight.  Here I am 2 years later, still working at it.  Not nearly as bad off as I was originally, but still not where I wanted to be.  And then I examined why I haven't reach my goals.  I lost sight of my motivation.  I became complacent and basically quit working out.  Sure, I wasn't trashing my diet completely, as I still watched what I ate.  But I was REALLY even trying.  Then I looked at my daughter.

And I regained sight of my motivation.  Truth of the matter is, when my wife and I got married 10 years ago (as of May 2014), I weighed 145 pounds.  At my heaviest I was breaking 260 pounds which was about two and a half years ago.  Watching my daughter try her best to just move across the room, spoke to me on a level I never really thought of before.  My thought was that one day she's going to want to run across the yard with Dad.  Or she'll want to go for a ride on Daddy's shoulders while Mommy and Daddy go on a walk.  And in my current shape, doing those things would be difficult.  Not impossible, but difficult.

I don't want to look back in 20 years and think of these times as "the times Daddy couldn't keep up".  I owe it to my daughter to be better than that.  She deserves to have those experiences with Mommy and Daddy.  End of story.  And if I don't do something about it now, I will never do something about it.  Even as I write this, I can feel the emotion starting to stir deep down. And I guess when it comes right down to it.  I want to be around for her.  Later in our lives.  I am not old by any means.  I am 32 years old.  I have plenty of time to make the change, but only if I start now.  My original motivation was to look good, look fit, and be healthy.  Now it has shifted to be there for your family (long term), be there for your family (long term) and get healthy.

"Why put off for tomorrow what you can do today?"

Find your motiviation.  It's different for us all.  And make a change.

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Workout Routine: Tuesday

As a new parent, trying to balance home responsibilities with getting fit can be a challenge. It is extremely easy to walk in the front door and run all evening either getting things around the house done, quality family time, and giving the little one attention.  That leaves me with either the late evenings or fitting in a quick workout on my lunch break (when I can).

I usually try to make it a "Workout Lunch" several times a week at a minimum.  With my workload, sometimes that isn't feasible either.  So I try to tailor my workouts to be completed somewhere within a 45 to 50 minutes block of time.  This will give me plenty of time to exercise and still leave a few minutes to get ready before heading back to the job.

So here is today's workout routine:

The sets marked with a (PR) designate my personal record to date.  It looks like a simple workout.  However, it took me about 50 minutes (give or take a minute or so) and I was in a mad sweat when I finished.  I have no clue how to results of this workout will play into my current weight loss.  But I know one thing, my abs and shoulders are going to feel this one later today.

And it sure beats sitting around and eating junk on my lunch break!

PS- I do not substitute a workout for a meal.  I do eat, I just eat a quick lunch after my workouts.  It is prudent to replenish your body with water and proper nutrients after exercising.  (In other words, don't flop down on the couch).

*Disclaimer: I am NOT a medical professional. Before starting or participating in ANY exercise routine, please consult your doctor or physician for advice on what may work best for you.  The record of exercise on this page is simply for my personal records and accountability in my fitness goals. Feel free to use any or all of this workout as you see fit.  However, understand you do so at your own risk.  Improper use of exercises or workout equipment can lead to injury.

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The Building Blocks of Life: Water

We all know how important water is for our daily diet.  Most of us have been taught since we were children that we all need a certain amount of water intake a day in order to help maintain a proper diet, etc.  And I am not refuting this teaching by any means.  Because my logic is, our bodies are mostly made of up water at the very basic level.  Common sense would dictate that we NEED to take in water.

I am not going to tell you that you have to take in 8-12 cups of water a day.  That is entirely up to you.  Your preference.  As I states before, I am NOT a doctor or a medical authority of any kind (I'm a computer geek just trying to get healthy).  For "official" advice consult your doctor.  Give this URL a read sometime from the Mayo Clinic as it covers daily intake etc.  Instead I will tell you what has made a difference in my life.

My Story:

I weighed myself yesterday and found that I have lost a total of 11 pounds within the last 7 weeks.  And I must be honest that I haven't been actually trying to loose weight.  We went on vacation, ended up doing a bunch of walking and drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated and the water habit seemed to make it's way back home with us.  Basically I replaced my soft drinks and sodas with water.  And a couple weeks ago when I hit the scale for the first time in forever, I was amazed to see that I had already lost several pounds.  Sure, the vacation walking helped me.  But I didn't sustain that behavior during the weeks after my vacation (although we have since started back up), the only real difference was changing my soft drinks over to water.  We don't snack much here at home.  So we rarely have the "bad" foods we should probably distance ourselves from.  So it definitely helps that we don't keep that stuff here in the house.

My Result:

I find that by replacing the sugary, soft drinks with water even my appetite is affected.  I don't get hungry quite as easy (or quickly), I have less of a desire to snack (when we do have snack foods).  And I feel better overall.  I have had less headaches and joint aches since being off of the soft drinks as well.  I even rest better now.  Does this mean that I haven't had a Pepsi or another various soft drink.  No way.  I have about one a day.  And that's really about all I need (or want).  I have, in a sense; taught myself moderation of soft drinks.  And I still have a cup of coffee about every morning with breakfast.  So basically 2 caffeinated beverages a day is what I limit myself too. And personally, I feel great.

And the awesome thing about it was, I saw how quickly I dropped a few pounds that otherwise I probably would have killed myself over in the gym.  But you see without making a change, there would have been no catalyst there to help ignite a little weight loss.  And as a result of seeing a few pounds drop off the scale, it ignited a desire to push a little harder and loose a few more in the process.  As a result, I've started working out on my lunch breaks.  Days where I can't go to the gym, I use a small set of free weights I have here and I utilize Xbox Fitness on the Xbox One game console to sneak in a lunchtime workout (when I can).  And being sore has never felt better.

So at least in my case, I don't adhere to a "rule" or a set amount of water.  I drink a glass of water when I get thirsty and with my meals.  Do I NEED more water? Maybe.  Am I comfortable with my current intake.  Yes, I am.  My challenge to you.  Start replacing one of your "non-water" beverages a day with a glass of water.  Do that for a week, and see if you don't start feeling better.  From there start working your way down.  I understand dropping the soft drinks cold turkey is hard.  Been there, done that.  It's a hard, tough process.  But the payoff is well worth it in the end.

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We're Back!

First and foremost, let me apologize for being gone for so long.  Life has been very busy since our last post.  Since our last post, we  pretty well quit working out.  I know, it's horrible.  We did try to keep a fairly healthy diet and lifestyle, just didn't spend a whole lot of time in the gym.  My wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in November of last year and we have been wrapped up in the whole new parent deal.

Now that our baby is a little older and we have warm weather, we are able to grab the stroller and the baby and take of. We have started walking again and I am working out once more.  So stay tuned for more to come, as we will have updates shortly!!

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Congratulations to my Wife!

I am a little late reporting in about this, but I would like to congratulate my Wife. She has been working hard with me in getting fit and healthy. She will be 28 next month and has been on blood pressure medicine for the last year or two.

Back in January her Doctor was pleased with her progress with weight loss (she has presently lost better than 30 pounds) and decided to start working her off of her blood pressure medication. And she has since been able to completely get off of that medicine (under her Doctor's orders).

Since then, she has continued to rock the healthier diet and working out. We have continually checked her blood pressure several times a week; and she keeps a running log of her blood pressure as well. And so far she is doing great.

Some may wonder how she did it. In short, eating healthier and making smarter dietary choices. Cutting out caffeinated soft drinks. And working out. Her works include regular gym visits and attending Zumba classes several night a week.

I must stress that we have not used any means of diet program or "magic pill". We have been working hard to make fitness a "lifestyle" and not just a diet.

If you are currently on any form of medication, it is highly important to consult your doctor prior to making a without plan. And DO NOT cease taking any medication with your Doctor's explicit orders.

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Still Alive...

Hey everybody, I just wanted to drop a quick line and let everyone know that I am still alive and kicking. And I am still hard at work on my fitness. Between work, personal life, and working out there hasn't been a while lot of time for other things. But hey, making sacrifices is part of it right?

My progress since the New Year had shown down as little when it comes to pounds lost. It seemed the harder I was working, the scale just wouldn't budge. And for several weeks I actually gained several pounds despite my efforts at eating right and working out. Talk about being discouraged.

Then this past week when I least expected it, I broke my plateau. I had been having the toughest time getting to 225 pounds. I would get to 226 and bounce back to 228. But finally, after a lot of hard work and wearing out the stationary bike and elliptical at our gym, I hit my "mini-goal" of 225.

Next stop is 220 pounds. Maybe when I hit 220 I will post a before picture along with a current progress picture for comparison purposes.

One thing I would like to mention is that even when my weight wasn't moving (lower), I could still feel my hard work paying off. Add my clothes have been continually getting looser.  And one thing I have had to remember was that weight is just a number. We oftentimes use that number to measure or progress in terms of success or failure when dieting.

Instead of looking solely at the value on the scale, remember to part attention to the fit of your wardrobe and take measurements of your self. That way even though the scale doesn't always cooperate; you will still have other criteria that you are measuring your progress by.

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Happy New Years!

Hey everybody!  I wanted to throw out one last post before we closeout 2012.  I am thrilled and excited to be able to say that 2012 was THE year I made some changes in my life that would affect my overall health.  I have lost right at 20 pounds since April 2012.  This is the first time in a little over 8 years that I am doing something for me (on a health level).  And it feels good.

But enough about me.  I hope that my few (and somewhat scattered) posts on this blog is enough to at least spark a little fire under someone who may read it and be an encouragement to someone else.  After all, that is my point for making this little piece of collective verbage here on the web.  Just to be an encouragement to someone else.

So tonight a lot of us will probably put our diets aside for the evening.  Eat a little junk food, and remember where we were a year ago.  For those in Aurora, CO and Newtown, CT there are families who have loved one's who didn't make it to 2013.  My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to these families.  May God ever bless and keep them.

Through the tragic events, this was an election year and we were anything short of politics and the looming US Fiscal Cliff hanging over us.  Who knows what 2013 will bring?  I certainly don't.  But either way, 2013 is coming.  It's looming at the door and in a short while, we'll be watching the New Year's Ball dropping in New York City.

Here is my challenge to the few readers who may see this post: Forget resolutions this year; instead, make yourself a commitment.  Make yourself a promise to spend some time taking care of yourself this year.  I plan on pressing ahead with my health/fitness goals.  And am excited to see what this New Year will bring.

So pressing ahead, I'll see you all in 2013!

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