Day 313-314: Angel's Food vs. Devil's Food



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Angel's Food vs. Devil's Food

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Kreme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?"

And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Ranch Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.

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Not sure who to give credit to for that joke, it is easily found on a number of various joke sites, I lifted it from HERE.

I found this joke quite humorous, and also quite telling in how it is our nature to take good action and soon follow up with new not-good action. It is a constant struggle to address old and new challenges to healthy living. Fun, have to have fun each day; but we also have to stay on guard each day.

For the record, I LOVE & prefer Angel's Food over Devil's Food cake!

YOU?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 312 - Tempt, Taunt & Try

Shamrock shakes, oh they tempt us so.

Especially my wife, she love her a shamrock shake.

She was out of town this past weekend when I bought these.

Brought them home for the kids.

When did they start putting whip cream & cherries on them? 

Consider this your public service announcement for the day.

Car seats, yes they can taunt. Recall recently my niece spent a day with us.

Having her with us required me to put the old skills for installing a car seat to use.

Boy, designs sure have changed in a decade.

Took me a solid 5 minutes to install & 10 to uninstall the next day.

I am pretty sure strapping in astronauts is less complicated.

Traffic, definitely a source for trying my patience.

Especially in winter.

Oh this winter picture of my ride in to work this a.m., pretty huh?

Wrong, no Currier and Ives wonderland here.

Just a bunch of impatient soles adding to the commute time via their inability to be patient.

Not sure if you can see the sign in this pic, looks close...

I am game to try many things in life, variety is the spice of life & I like it spicy!

But WTH is eyebrow-threading???

I have no idea, and I don't think I want to know.

Nope, my $5 is staying in my wallet.

 Progress, not Perfection people... Make that what you try for this day!
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 310-311 I Will Not Fall Prey To The Ice

This mornings drive into work was an experience. We received a nice sheet of ice over night making the roads, well; icy. In total I saw a half-dozen cars in ditches, facing the wrong way on the side of the road, etc. It never ceases to amaze me how drivers refuse to adjust their driving to the conditions. Truth is, some people just suck at driving and are time bombs on clear-dry days and they just implode when wet.

Such drives are not without a dose of humor amongst the head-scratching horror. Case in point is in the picture there; that is who I was so lucky to follow in to work. I gave this character lots of room coming close enough to snap this photo pulling away from a stop light. Good thing I took it when I did as it would be just a 1/4 mile up the road when he became one of the half-dozen to fall prey to the ice.

While some out there, not just drivers, are off to a slippery start to their week we need not accept thoughts that our weeks are going to result in fender-bender frustration. Nope, now; right now is time for us to get our footing secure and set off for a week of victory.

For me that means that this week my eating plan will consist of no more than 2000 calories a day and protein will make up 50% of what I eat.

This week my exercise plan will consist of 3x Cardio, 3x Weights & Stretching with each of those six. I will also make another go at a new personal best on the Plank.

This week I will challenge myself to add some weight to my lifting routine and lose that smidge more needed before I can justify taking hammer & punch to my old belt again.

How about you?

Are your feet on steady path??

What is your plan for the week???

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 309 - Teknoldgy Is Ur Frend

Click on to enlarge and enjoy...

I do not know who to give credit for this to, I received it in one of those wonderful emails from family members who feel I need to sift through such things. Every once in a while one actually is worth sharing with others.

Laugh & Fun Today!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 308 - Love The Little Things

Weight loss can be daunting at times. Especially when looking to lose a large amount of weight. So many questions, so many techniques, so many variables, such a headache to sift through it all to find that right fit for you.

Where ever you are on your journey, at the start, near the finish, or somewhere in between; you can look to some constants that help day in and day out. Constants that are also easy to incorporate and keep at. They are so easy because they are the little things that over time can add up to good percentage of our progress.

For me some such little things are as follows...

WATER.... I drink water instead of sugary sodas, juices, etc.

And because I do drink on average 80 ounces of water a day, I have come to accept that I need to visit the bathroom a time or two or three more each day than before. Up top left there you see my favorite place urinal to hook up with, I have named it Gargamel after the sworn enemy of the Smurfs.

STAIRS... I take the stairs at work almost always now.

Last April when U started doing this it was pure pain to go up the 4-flights needed to get me to my desk.

Today, I zip up these flights with the ease and grace of a bird in flight, or maybe of Larry Bird in his youth.

AVOIDING these traps at work and elsewhere.

Candy sales are diet-killers, although looking at the cash-envelope of this box can be lucrative.
Stuff the envelope in such a box if you are so moved to give aid, and then leave the candy bar in the box.
As you chew on that insane suggestion, I also suggest a little trick for addressing munchies by chewing on this...

And one last little aid that adds up...

MOVE... make moving your body something that has to happen.

At work, I schedule meetings in conference rooms at the far end of the building vs. the one 15-feet from my desk.

Or better yet on a different floor at the far end. 

Or even better still, in the adjacent building on a different floor at the far end.

Little things add up; yes very cliche isn't it. True, it is cliche, just as true as it is that little things add up!

What little things do you leverage to great progress?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 307 - Drinking Water, When Should I?

Water, we hear from many sources we should drink 8 x 8 ounce glasses a day for weight loss/maintenance. Some opinions suggest more, some allot more, some less, some say it is not so relevant.

My mind is not on the topic of water as a whole, but rather more specifically does how we drink water before, during and after eating impact up or down weight loss / maintenance?

BEFORE:
A popular position seems to be that we should drink a glass or two of water 15 minutes or so before eating. Doing so helps to trick the mind into a sense of fullness so we eat less. Not only that but I have also been told that this helps excess acids in the stomach before digesting the food about to be eaten. Seems to me we'd like our food to fall right into a pool of acid waiting to get busy breaking that food down.

DURING:
On numerous occasions I have heard that it is not wise to drink while eating, not even water. Now I don't don't know if true or not, but what I do know is that if this is true I may not be able to just stop drinking while eating. I've been doing it for a foursome of decades. It is natural to drink while I eat in my mind. To eat a meal start to finish without drinking would be as foreign to me as getting a bikini wax; I am going to need some serious convincing to go there.

AFTER:
Hmmm, then there is the school of thought that we should not drink after eating for at two hours so that we do not wash away of mix up the stomach acids thus making it harder to digest food optimally. On one hand, makes some sense, on the other, I really don't want to believe the human machine is that easily diluted.

Honestly, I do not know what to believe. For know, I am just focusing on drinking more water and less low-quality drinks. And I drink my water whenever I please until I feel I have real reasons to up my discipline as to when I drink it.

What's your take?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 306 - Do You Prefer This Or That?



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 One thing that blogging has certainly reinforced for me is that no two people are alike. Some similar, some as different as coffee and vodka; but none alike. We may have the same general desire for being healthy and happy. Yet when looking at the many different traits of how we exercise, eat, or do anything non-health/fitness; the differences between our preferences are many.


Lets look at a few...



Do you prefer to Strength or Cardio train?
Me: Strength

Do you have/admire Tattoos or No-Tats?
Me: No-Tats

Do you prefer to eat Lo-Carb or Lo-Fat?
Me: Lo-Carb

Do you find it more relaxing to work on a Jigsaw-Puzzle or Play Chess?
Me: Play Chess

Do you prefer to walk/jog/run Inside or Outside?
Me: Outside

Do you prefer to wear your socks Ankle-High or Calf-High? 
Me: Calf-High

Do you prefer to Count or Not-Count Calories In/Out?
Me: Not-Count

Do you prefer to dip your chips in French-Onion or Guacamole?
Me: Guacamole

Do you believe that for weight loss/maintenance success Water Intake is Key or a Non-Factor?
Me: Water Intake is Key

Do you favor Disney World or Universal Studios?
Me: Disney World

So there are just 10 of 34,487,395,431,879+ traits that make each of us who we are.

I am of the type that likes Strength Training, No-Tats, Lo-Carb, Play Chess, Outside, Calf-High, Not-Count, Guacamole, Water Intake is Key, Disney World!
 

Anyone else identical to me on just those 10?

What about your list of 10? And your Spouse/Lover/BFF/Whomever, is their 10 identical to you?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 305 - Memories Are So Odd

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Today is day 305 of my mission. Yesterday 304, tomorrow Lord willing will be 306. Now that I have the math out of the way allow me to entertain myself, and you, with why the number 305 is bouncing around my head like my niece bounced around my family room this past weekend.

How often does 305 pop up? OH it does at times when channel-surfing the TV, or when the amount to be paid is $3.05, or when a crash in the race I'm watching occurs on lap 305; the number really does pop up more often that one would expect. Whenever I see the number 305, my mind instantly reminds me that my 3rd grade classroom number was 305. I cannot tell you what my 2nd grade, or fourth grade classroom numbers were, or any other grades room number.

What happened in room 305 that burned that number into my memory so?

Dumplings. Anytime I see Chicken & Dumplings on a menu, on a buffet, or served at a dinner party; where ever it may be I almost always pass up on it. I know there is no way, NONE, they could be better than the dumplings my Great Grandma Bella used to make. When I hear the word dumpling, I think immediately of her. I'm sure she'd appreciate knowing that is how I remember her best.

We're her dumplings really that amazing that passing all other dumpling opportunities is justified?

Pencils, you may recall for Hanukkah I shared this story of my encounter with Sheldon Reese with you. To this day when I see a freshly sharpened pencil, or hear a pencil sharpener doing its thing; I instantly am reminded of Sheldon and look upon anyone armed with a pencil with a cautionary glare.

I have other memory triggers which I find odd. But those are enough to give you sense of how my mind looks backwards as well as forwards. We do need to leverage our past experiences, our memories, to help us forge better results ahead. But for the life of me I cannot figure out how 305, Dumplings & Sheldon popping in my head as they do does much for forging anything more than a smile and occasional chuckle.

Got Odd Memories?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 304 - Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

I hope you enjoy this day, whether you celebrated this weekend or today, with whomever it is you love, like, sorta-dig, tolerate, just met in the elevator; you decide.

If you are insistent on making your valentine treats healthy but aren't sure where to start, let me suggest the following...

Fruit Kebabs Chocolate Dipped; more fruit than chocolate would be healthier. No chocolate would be healthiest but also no fun

Heart Shaped Jello; not anatomically correct heart shaped, that would be gross & hinder your love mojo

Yogurt mixed with, ah never mind yogurt just does not have a role this day, close the refrigerator it'll still be good tomorrow

Chewy Heart Shaped Sugarless Cookies; use your fave sugar substitute of course and to make the pink & extra-chewy incorporate your fave sugarless bubble gum into the recipe. It is valentines day so I recommend Hubba-Bubba

Heart Shaped Pizza; folks if you have not figured it out by now you can shape a pizza crust to fit any holiday theme. Healthy pizza is easy to achieve no matter what the shape

And if your creative glands are dormant, you can't go wrong with a bottle of wine; red of course. Or Wine-Coolers if you prefer. Or Red Horse Malt Liquor if you are lacking creativity & sensitivity.

How Are / Did You Celebrate Valentines Day

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 303 - Mixed Bag Day

Mixed Bag Day Today...

Got up early, headed off to the YMCA and got the exercise in. About an hour on the weights, and then 2 miles on the elliptical.

Some chill time now back at home. Currently watching The Day: Remembering Dale Earnhardt, while scratching out this post. NASCAR is a favorite of mine and so happy to see the new season about to kick off with the Daytona 500 next weekend. 

Going to get some lunch in a few minutes, then head out for some boring errands. I hate errands. Waste of quality life time. But they gotta get done. Or do I?

This evening my wife & I will go out for dinner for Valentines day. We've been meaning to try out Tramonto Steak and Seafood for years and tonight will be the night. We'll wait until tomorrow to exchange Valentine's Day gifts. Wife is going to love what I got her, will try and remember to blog a note about it later this week.


So there you have it, my Sunday laid out. Simple, Productive, Fun, Sunday!

What does Sunday hold for you?

 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 302 - Nieces Don't Stop

Nieces, I have a bunch of them. One of them, Taylor, stayed with us yesterday and today. She is 4-1/2 and has more energy than anyone I've been around for a long time. A good decade since our youngest was her age. She doesn't like to sit alone, actually sitting is not much on her mind, ever. 

Today we she helped me make waffles and bacon, both pork & venison (pictured above). She was disappointed we didn't have any bear bacon like they do at her house.

After breakfast we went to get her Aunt's car washed. They have some nice chairs there in the waiting room. She found this one comfortable for 4 seconds...

A dollar was put to the test on the Skill-Crane game. She really wanted that blue bear and we got two plays for a dollar, both unsuccessful...

Back at home and it is time to relax, write a blog post, etc. right? Wrong, it is time to play with stuffed animals. She had to know allof their names. The white-rabbit didn't have a name tag, but it's label said made-in-china so I named it Chop Suey for her; yeah I know, not very politically correct...

And just when I thought it might be time for a nap, it was instead time to dance...



Right now she is watching a blu-ray about some dragons and naming them versus killing them, I don't know. But what I do know is that she is standing up or bouncing around the family room while watching.

She leaves soon to go back home. She says she is having fun spending time with us, She also says I fart too much. Nieces!



Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 301 - Plunk Plink Plank

Time for another go at the Plank Challenge. Well before I chatter a bit about me, I know some of you have taken up the challenge and recorded your own plank. Christine from Phoenix Revolution did a few days ago. She held a outstanding 2:05 minute plank... she had help getting started from her cat; not sure the cats name so allow me to nickname it Citizen-Whiskers. Click on that link up there and watch her get her plank on!

Josie aka Yum Yucky (pictured taste testing some cake for us) continues to host this fine challenge. Even though she thinks that V8 Spicy Hot is hotter than the flames of hell, I find it tame and I main-line the stuff; Josie is a must-follow in my book.


I 'm not sure how long this challenge will have my attention but for now I have a somewhat obsessive-determination to put up a better number each time I make a go at it. Now that doesn't always happen. Earlier this week I made a go at it and only lasted about 1:20 on my straight-arm plank. A good distance short of the 2 minute plank I shared with you last week.

Not to be defeated twice in a row, I swilled an extra bottle of V8 Spicy Hot and had at it yesterday.
Would I break 2 minutes? Lets see... 


Well I guess the title I labeled that video with gave away the result before you watched it. You did watch it didn't you?!

Some how the magnitude of difficulty of this exercise doesn't seem to translate well in watching me do it; my opinion. Watching others, like Christine, you can get a much better appreciation for why something that looks easy, is in fact a gut-busting side-splitting challenge.

And certainly I need not say it must be easier on the eyes to watch others plank than to watch me. Why I still wear those 3XL-Extra Saggy Gray Sweat Pants I have no idea. They were loose when I was a bloated 320-pounder, hence why I wore them. Now at 250'ish I look like a fashion-impaired clown in them. Clown or not, I ask...

Whats Your Plank Time?


Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 300 - Happiness, Get It Here

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Today is Day 300 of my mission. Balloons at the ready, fireworks loaded for launch; not so fast...

A couple of days ago I wondered if I should do something special for this post. Many ideas passed through my head and I had a great idea too. But that idea of mine could not come close to being as worthy of my time today, or yours, than the words of another I came upon yesterday.

So, for my day 300; I dedicate this day to her words and share them with you...

Cinner (ME, MY FOUR CHINS AND I) is a blogger I follow as do several dozen bloggers. Those that do have known for a while she has a gift for perspective that most of us only wish we could wrap our heads around.

There are many bloggers out there that can capture perspective with their blog skills. Since perspective is what we hunger for, we follow on because we feel they are among the best out there. But even the best of the best at times hit homerun-posts so amazing that when the reading is done, we just sit and stare in awe at the screen. After a few self-reflective moments we whisper to self, "Wow, There it is, another piece of the puzzle, found!"

Cinner did just that with her post this past Monday.

Read it HERE, and when you are done staring at your screen, get busy getting happy. 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 299 - Food Rainbow Faves

Way way back in June of last year I put up this post about the notion and benefits of coloring your food. The skinny of that post was that the more colors your overall food intake is made up of the higher the probability that you are getting all of the vitamins types you need and as well getting the amount you need.

For myself I am all about variety as I am easily bored so eating from all colors of the food rainbow is natural for me. But it is not always easy either, sometimes you do have to give it a bit of thought and effort to get really colorful.

So lets look at my favorite foods of the various colors we have to choose from...

Red
Protein: Beef, Venison, Bear, Buffalo; yes I love me some red meat!
Fruit: Cherry;  more flavor per chew than any other fruit
Veggie: Tomato, hands down the greatest invention of the veggy kingdom
 
Yellow
Protein: Gouda Cheese, looks yellow'ish yo me
Fruit: Lemon, sour is sexy
Veggie: Yellow Mushroom Peppers; no not mushrooms (yuck!), these hard to find mushroom shaped peppers add zip

Green
Protein: Lima Bean; yep it is a veg, a veg packed with protein & tasty too!
Fruit: Kiwi; get that leathery brown skin off it and release a crazy cool combo of sweet & sour
Veggie: Cabbage; I am addicted to cole slow, what can I say, Slaw Me

Blue
Protein: Blue Cheese; more white than blue but whose counting
Fruit: Blue Berries; maybe they look purple to you but the label says BLUE
Veggie: Celery; filled with blue cheese and topped with blue berries, uh huh thats how I eat my celery!

Orange
Protein: Buffalo Wings; a gorgeous shared of orange when coated in a quality wing sauce
Fruit: Tangerine; Oranges may be bigger, but tangerines are badder (in a good way)
Veggie: Pumpkin; saying carrots would have been too easy, plus they are just so-so. Pumpkin is so-good
 
Purple
Protein: Purple Haze Cheese; yeah I know, a stretch here. Had it once in my life, it was ok, it was barely purple, give me a break on this one
Fruit: Plum; Ever had a plum smoothie? Why Not?!
Veggie: Belgian Endive; just typing that makes me feel so sophisticated

Brown
Protein: Nuts; there are so many but my fave is the almond by far
Fruit: Brown Banana; let that sucker over riped and them smoothie it
Veggie: Brownies filled with Brussels Spouts; don't knock it until you try it, and when you do let me know how it is because no way I am touching that

White
Protein: Halibut, I go back and forth between Walleye & Halibut as my fave fish, I'm so conflicted
Fruit: Jicama; styrofoam never tasted so good
Veggie: Shallots; Or shall I not?

Pink
Protein: Bacon; such a pretty color pink before it goes into the frying pan
Fruit: Watermelon; my fave fruit of all time
Veggie: Rhubarb; Yes it is a veg & not a fruit even though the USA classifies it as a fruit for tax reasons

 

My stomach has grumbled and moaned throughout the writing of this post, I must go feed it now.

Hit me up with your color faves.

 
 
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 298 - Breathe, Breathe I Say

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Excellent excellent excellent responses to yesterdays fill in the blank post.
Some serious, e.g. M/W/F 40 MINUTE ELLIPTICAL WORKOUTS...
Some hilarious, e.g. challenge myself to try trapping cupids until leprechauns become available...
Some odd, e.g. when I stumble from plan I will immediately poke myself with one of those toothpicks...
Some creative, e.g. take the odd sock & make show booties for my dog out of it...
All just excellent!

Myself, I never did fill in the blanks myself. Let me do that now...
This week my eating plan contains a F/C/P nutrient mix of 25% / 25% / 50% with no more than 2000 calories a day.
This week I will take a box of toothpicks and dump them in the desk drawer of my cubical neighbor; he has been getting on my nerves.
This week my exercise will consist of 3x Cardio, 3x Weights & Stretching with each of those six.
This week when I stumble from plan I will go to Lose It and figure out why, and if I can't  I will borrow one of Julie's toothpicks and poke myself.
This week I will take that odd-sock from the laundry and send it to MandaPanda so she can make a whole family of sock puppets (all of you should send her your odd socks too).
This week I will challenge myself to balance my ME time with my FAMILY time & BLOG time; not always so easy.
This week I imagine myself punching the snot out of that dude that farted in front of me while climbing the stairs. Seriously man, back off the broccoli bean casserole and tighten that sphincter! 

If you didn't get in on the fun that was yesterdays fill in the blanks post by all means do so now, good fun and also meant to be a nudge to plan your weeks success out.

So, the title of this post is breathe something or other, why, because I thought you might want to hear me breathe heavy. Focus, don't let your minds stray towards unsavory thoughts, just listen...



So why did I share this? An acceptable answer is 'because I have a screw loose'. But as well I have been told I breathe too heavy when I work out. Really, can you breathe too heavy? Those wight lifting veterans out there please do let me know if I need to dial down the force of the hurricane that is my breathing.

Have fun today & remember to Breathe!  

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 297 - Fill In The Blanks

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Fill In The Blanks...

This week my eating plan contains _________ .

This week I will take a box of toothpicks and _________ .

This week my exercise will consist of _________ .

This week when I stumble from plan I will immediately _________ .

This week I will take that odd-sock from the laundry and _________ .

This week I will challenge myself to try _________ .

This week I imagine myself punching the snot out of _________ .

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 296 - Defining Super Sunday

Super is working hard enough to get a good sweat going.

Super is waking up in the morning and wanting to be sure time is made to exercise.

Super is planning weekly menu options that are both healthy & tasty.

Super is looking forward to the food that comes with the big-game and knowing I won't over-indulge.


Super is Super Bowl Sunday, A Steelers victory will be Super-Duper!

 Enjoy your Day and the Game!!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 295 - Fit For Me & Familiy

Yesterday was a day of rest where my exercise is concerned. And much needed too. The soreness from the weeks workouts and snow removal needed the day to ease some.

Today is a new day and exercise was on the schedule. And that we did first thing today. Yes, I said we... My wife, two of my sons & I headed off to the YMCA first thing to get busy. My wife joined the Y last year so that she could swim. She was a swimmer in high-school & college so swimming is her exercise of choice.

Recently we expanded her membership to a family membership so that I can go with her and use some of the equipment there I do not have in my basement and never will. That and she suggested we do so as she'd be more apt to go and swim if I went to the Y too. So how could I say No to that?

Here are a few pictures of the boys & I getting busy. Nope, no pictures of my wife in the pool. But up top there I do have one of her pitching in to remove the snow the snow plows pushed back in our driveway over night...

Cameron getting to know the fun that is SQUATS

Andrew working through a set of LAT PULLDOWNS

I've had core on the mind allot lately and so making use of this INCLINE SITUP bench was a must.

Don't be too impressed, it is inclined just one notch above horizontal to the floor.

Cameron found the CROSS CABLE FLYS a challenge

We finished with some BACK-TO-BACK MEDICINE BALL TWISTS w/ a 12 pound ball.

Since there were three of us we rotated someone in/out on each 12 count.

In the end we each had participated in three sets of 24.

 

We had a BLAST.

 

What are you going to do this weekend to have a BLAST of your own!

 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 294 - Tips For Free

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Everyone needs a tip or two here and there for improving their get-fit game. If it weren't for the many fine tips from my fellow bloggers there is no way I would have had the success I have had thus far. For that I thank you, and allow me to reciprocate with these offerings...

Veggies, many of you don't like them, yet you know you need more. You are just looking at the wrong veg. Turn away from those over ripe ugly choices in the store. Instead go for the baby veg. Just look at those baby carrots there; aren't they cute! How could you now just fall in love with them and want to gobble them up?

You do not have to give up the foods you love. That would be just wrong to deprive yourself completely of the foods that make you smile if not feel food-drunk. However, yes there is a but in the best interest of your butt; those foods you love must be modified into less horrifying looking versions of gluttony. For me Pizza is one of my food loves. And when I indulge, I tame down the damage it can do me by making them into cat shapes. No way these kitties are going to harm you...

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Blog and Blog often. But if you think punctuation is not important, think again...

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Now you know diet alone is not sufficient over the long haul. Exercise is a MUST. But if you won't take my word for it, maybe the words of a professional cartoonist will resonate stronger with you...

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Yes, all of that advice is free. I know, my generosity is priceless.

Put it to good use as you embark on your day today.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 293 - They Said What?

Good Morning. Your snow storm (a.k.a. Snowmagator) update for today; our schools are closed again. Urgency is lacking in getting the roads back to normal. A bit surprising it is taking so long for me it is no big deal really, I can work from home easy enough.

Yesterday it took two of my teenage boys & I 1.5 hours to remove all the snow from our driveway & sidewalks. They say we had 20 inches of snow fall, I believe them.

There you see a picture before we got started. My daughters car had drifts around it that I took a tape measure to which were 35 inches deep. Bummer too as I really wanted go out and shoot some hoops!

Today seems like a great day to give some Shout-Outs to some bloggers and their posts which grabbed me good recently. Check them out, I think you'll be glad you did and follow on with these fine bloggers if you are not doing so already...

MARY from A Merry Life gave us this cool & very unique insight into what has been motivating her over he long journey. Literally long!

Do you have your own, "The Stack" story?

Myself, nothing as cool as Mary, but I have a bunch of T's I've received as gifts over the past decade that are 1x which I am determined to fit into this year.

DEB from Deb Shrinks got my attention quickly with the title of this post, Vaseline, frozen eyelashes, oh, and ONEDERLAND BABY!!! Actually when I saw it all I read was 'Vaseline' and I raced to click open the post; what does that say about me? It wasn't until I read onto the final paragraph that I noticed her HUGE NSV NEWS where she has arrived in ONEDERLAND.

Have you had an NSV recently you have yet to share?

Myself, well, I have a pre-NSV in that I am on the verge of taking hammer & punch to my old belt again. Maybe in a week or two; NO, definitely in a week or two!

BETHANY from Bethany's Journey is a new blogger. She is also the daughter of KAREN from Sunshine's Heart, so you can call this a Two'fer Shout Out entry. CAUTION, if you do not like cute pictures of infants & toddlers, don't go here. Bethany has begun her weight-loss journey, lets share our experiences with her to help get her off and moving here.

Remember when you started your weight-loss journey?

Myself, absolutely. The difference from then to now in my knowledge of the topic and understanding of my capabilities is as different as the taste of cow-pies and moon-pies (making an assumption here that cow-pies taste worse than bad).

Spread What Moves You & Shout Out Some Link Love This Week!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 292 - Come On, Out Plank Me Already!!

Snow, yes, we have allot of snow. Schools are closed, my wife & I are working from home, winter can kiss my round yet knavish hindquarters...

Moving on... last week I spread the news of Josie's (Yum Yucky) plank challenge known as The Planktastic Plankathon Challenge. Hit up her link there and check it our if you have not yet done so and enjoy the videos of the challengers taking on this tough yet fun exercise.

Myself, I made a go at it on Saturday and chose to do the Straight-arm plank hold, I did better than I expected by holding position for 90-seconds. Josie was cool enough to include my video on her page (link above). She surprised me when she noted that I was current male challenge champ for that hold.

Huh, over-weight / weak-core me is the champ? Never would have guessed that.

Pondering that I figured the male bloggers out there who follow Yum Yucky just haven't participated. Oh some have in different categories; Reinaldo of DarnFitness put up an insane 6 minute Forearm plank hold.

Quite a few female bloggers have taken up the challenge in various categories, again check out her blog to see them in action. There are even some doing slightly easier holds such as the knee plank or the assisted plank. My fave, 88-year-old MamaMcFoodie getting her forearm plank hold on! Her video alone is worth the visit!

But I am sure that is just a matter of time until other male bloggers play along with Josie. But until they do, I suppose I have to challenge myself to up the time in this grueling category.

And I did just that. Here is my effort Tuesday afternoon, I nudged the time up to 2 minutes!...


What it is about this challenge I like I am not sure. Perhaps because it is quick to do; a minute or two or a few is all it takes if you've got game. Perhaps it is because I realize my core is weak and this does wonders for addressing that. Perhaps it is because I like feeling my whole body quiver and quake and know it is not a bad thing. Perhaps because I find it FUN!

Now, ENOUGH about me. What about YOU?

I am CALLING out my fellow male bloggers, you got game?

No way 2 minutes should be the championship mark men!

Female bloggers, many of you inspire me to move, so I know you got game!

Pick a category, get your video going and get in the fun being had here if you deem yourself healthy enough to take this challenge.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 291 - January GTD Challenge Fades to FebGTD

Snow, all around the Chicagoland area are bracing for the storm being called Snowmaggedon. I am calling it Snowmagator, because I like alligators. What, do I need a better reason than that? As I said on Twitter this morning, "Hello snow, I've been working out so I'm ready for u."

January Go The Distance is now complete and February Go The Distance has begun. For January I only got in 30 of my 40 goal miles. So 75% is not immediately anything to be proud about. Consideration could be given to the fact that my elliptical does not display miles. Early in the month I tried to calculate it but there were too many variables for me to do so accurately. So I defaulted to simple math, 20 minutes equals a mile; although I'd bet money I am moving more than a mile in 20 minutes. But I chose to error on a conservative calculation.

So in January I did 600 minutes on the elliptical which I am scoring as 30 miles, 75% of my goal for 40 miles. In the spirit of building upon past performance I am keeping my goal at 40 miles in February. I'll calculate the miles the same way which means I am aiming for 800 minutes on that creaky old elliptical in my bedroom.

JanGTD also had goals for strength training. I set a goal of 12 sessions, I did 7... hhhmmm, I have to wonder if I failed to record a session or two early in the month. I started the month targeting twice a week with a  stretch goal of three times a week; hence the 12 mark was set. Looking back I thought I at least had the twice a week nailed and I know last couple weeks I have hit three... you know what. I am claiming victory as I know January saw my best strength training month in 15 years. February will be better than January, I promise!

JanGTD also had goals for water, fruit & veg consumption, I knocked all of those out of the park!

FebGTD has dropped the fruit & veg tracking and added a stretching goal to go alongside the cardio & strength goals. CHECK IT OUR HERE!

I am stoked for February, the last full month of winter. No more hibernating going to be had by this healthy-fitness-wanna-be-blogger-dude. NONE! I am awake, and I am moving!...

You awake?

You need help getting up & getting moving?? 

HEY, are you involved in February Go The Distance? If not & in need of a challenge, join us!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!