Day 391-396: Past Week Or So

Hello one & all, hope all has been well with you. Last Friday Blogger was hosed-up somehow preventing me from logging in to create a post. Then I was away this past weekend at our hunting property where we were too busy to give much thought to all things electronic. Back home I chose to stay disconnected for a couple days to start the week and just focus on a mountain of needs at home and work. So there you have my brief absence explained. All is well, I am back, and a blogging I shall go...

I'll resume the leadership traits tomorrow. Today I'll share a handful of photos of the past week or so of our fun and healthy days...

Andrew waiting for me to finish my walk around Lake Andrea, he finished a couple minutes ahead of me

Squishy at Honors Night, she received recognition for her work on the Yearbook Club and National Honors Society

A cat pictures for the feline fanatics; these two sit at the chair next to me each night at the dinner table

Mmm, grilled pork chop & tomatoes w/ caesar salad

My wonderful wife getting her walk on with me

Squishy got game, this was the final soccer game I was able to attend of her high school career. Her season is now over, next team she'll play for is in college

That's it for now. I have a bunch of photos and video too of our time at the hunting property. I'll get that loaded up to my hunting blog soon and link back here for those interested.

Hope you're having a great week! Are you?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 333 - I'm Gett'n It In w/ Andrea

Looking forward to this evening. The weather will be decent, 50F after work, swweeettttt!


And with the time change to DST it will now be light out late enough for me to return to Lake Andrea for some outdoor cardio. Folks that is HUGE news to me, worthy of an Oh Yeah!

Lake Andrea is where I notched many a NSV last summer & fall. I am excited about my weekly return to dance with the challenge that is Lake Andrea's 2.25 loop.

What opportunities do the longer & warming days bring you in your effort to get & stay healthy?

A quick picture duo from my Albuquerque...
Tex-NewMex Platter...

Beef Rib Platter...

No mystery why my time away saw me gain ten spins on the scale!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 201 - My Endurance Video

Fruit Count: 73 - We have collectively eaten 73 pieces of fruit the past two days. Nearing 1/2-way to our goal of 199. Let's keep eating fruit people, it's good food for you; shout out how many pieces you eat today!

Our picture riddle was a good one if I may say so. Anne our Carb Tripper came right out of the gate with a great guess; a ceramic cow moo moo pitcher that pours cream. Now I have seen such a thing, and not just pouring cream. I wish I had one (Ok not really, don't add that to my list for Santa please) for if I had that would've made a great pic-riddle.

Dawn of Fixing Myself Thinner was first to touch on what it is with her guess of 'plastic horse toy or something'. Ann who is Livin' Large immediately followed up with her guess of  'a chess piece'. Then not long after that yet another Anne, Anne of How I am Losing It finished off the completeness of our riddle with her guess of 'a Knight from a chess set'. As you see there, that is indeed what it is. Good Fun. Well done!

Yesterday I got in my second of two committed cardio sessions for this week. My son & I returned to Lake Andrea where I set a challenge for this visit of jogging 1 mile of it's 2.25 mile loop. Not 1 mile consciously, that would be nice, but I am not there yet. Previous visits I jogged .85 of a mile, so I was looking for a slight challenge up for me to make it a mile.

Different from those previous attempts as well was the length of the jogs. Before, most legs were .125 miles; now for this challenge I mapped out four .25 legs; thank you Google Earth. As well as actually completing those four .25 mile jogging legs without stopping (my primary challenge here) was the added challenge to try and complete the loop in less than 29:32, my previous best. Here is the course I mapped out...

Away we went and the skinny on our result is this...

• The four .25 mile jogs: Achieved, all four loops jogged without stopping!
• The loop time: We completed the loop in 29:46 minutes, oh so close but no PR (Personal Record) today.Oh Yeah!

Andrew ran ahead of me at the end of the loop & took a short video of me finishing. Enjoy at my expense ;-)

The heavy breathing you hear is him, the cold air tickled his asthma. The heavy dude in black coming towards you, that's me. As I neared the line & saw him shooting I let out what was supposed to be a laugh but instead sounded like a goat giving birth to a pregnant-moose; a moment to visualize... I also blurted out 'Enough' although I am not sure why. Probably glad the the end was achieved. I'll give myself an Oh Yeah!

Endurance, that is the word for the day. This trait to me speaks to the ability to overcome the stress and fatigue that can come with the effort needed to be better than obese over the span of a lifetime. Sure, it applies to smaller spans too, such as my Lake Andrea challenge there. I've had to build up my endurance to be able to do that. Six months ago, no way. Eating better and Exercising better allowed that to happen. Now six months from now, whether I just maintain what I have now or improve my ability to do better; either way I'll have to endure the effort needed to do so. If I stop putting in the effort, then my endurance recedes and I recede back towards greater obesity. That's not going to happen.

Quickly, this post is way too long already; but here is yesterday's food intake...

Note to self; the "Red Robin Fajita Fiesta Pollo Salad" that appeared to be healthy and which was my dinner actually accounted for 910 (F54, C57, P49) of those calories; ugh! I should've known better, and I do.

Give me your FRUIT and give me your latest OhYeah! moment!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 180 - Aged Banana Bump'n

source

Thursday it is, in case you did not know. You probably knew that did you know that bananas are the world’s most popular fruit after tomatoes? While grocer’s like that they make up 3% of their total sales they are less than happy that bananas account for the most complaints from grocery shoppers. Some just go off at the sight of an overripe or even spotted banana. Fact is that a spotted banana is 6x sweeter than a green banana. So people, don't be shy of the more 'experienced' bananas amongst the bunch.

Yesterday my son & I visited Lake Andrea for some exercise. We followed last weeks walk / jog layout exactly the same. Decided to do this versus increase the total percentage of jogging. Oh I will do that soon, but yesterday I just wanted the challenge to try and be a better time, or, amp up the pace of both the walking & jogging. And that we did, we completed the 2.25 mile loop in 29:32 minutes, beating our best by 1:23 minutes. Oh Yeah!

Bumper Stickers, was doing some bumper sticker window shopping (what you don't do that?) and came across a few worthy of sharing...

Ah, many times in the past I could have displayed this one and related. Start a diet, flounder through it, lose steam, slip and slide and quit before even giving it a chance. In the end, all I did was lose time. Well, hopefully I also gained some knowledge on how to 'not' diet. Or even more optimistically I gained some knowledge on why 'I' quit the diet because the diet did not quit me.

Another I can relate to. In part the bad choices of my 20's & 30's left me really feeling life in my 40's. And when I'd look in a mirror, the show was not a good one. Fine, that may be so. But now I am going to try & reverse this bumper sticker and prove that a better life can begin in your 40's and you can improve how it shows too.

This one is pretty simple to relate to I believe. What do we say, eat less & move more to get healthy. I prefer eat smarter & move more, but let us not split bananas here. Get off the rump roast, eat less of it too, get on your feet, and move. Simple enough?

Well, this one is just silly I suppose. Why did I show it? Because it reminded me of the 1,273 excuses I have used in the past for why I was (still am) obese. Most were attempts to use humor to ease the pain of being obese and change the topic either in my head or with someone else. Have fun, laugh out loud, but be serious about our health - we can have fun and be healthy. But making fun of ourselves and leaving it at that, well that just is not funny!
 

This one you can fold in half lengthwise and just show the top portion in my opinion. Get healthy for yourself. Do it whatever way you inspires you to get it done. Lace on the Nike's and just do it and worry not one ounce what anyone else thinks about how you look, what you are doing, your progress or plateaus or set backs... all that matters is what do you think about yourself?

Source for all of the above bumper stickers.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 174 - Goal Bashers, Sad

And the riddle picture is; well you see it there... Weider adjustable dumbbells. I love them. Hmmm, do they make adjustable barbells?

Great guesses as always, but nobody got this one. Springs or a fork were by far the popular guesses. The 'Galvanized French Fries' was the most unique guess, thanks for the chuckle Liz. Our closest was guess was the 'weight machine at the gym' by Julie. Well done Julie, If I gave out prizes for this I'd be at your door with your prize this morning. Our second closest, I'm thinking the 'chromed out pickup truck' by Manda. Ok while that wasn't that close, I just like it. Hmm, a truck that is all chrome, sounds like heaven; who wants a ride?

In yesterday's post I spoke with pride of my latest PR. What I am more stoked about is that I am jogging more & more with my cardio. Curious just how much of the loop I jogged I had to find out.

The map below shows the path around the lake. Thanks to Google Earth I was able to highlight the patches which I jogged. Add'em up and I jogged .86 miles or 38% of the 2.25 mile loop. More than I figured I had before figuring it out; sweet! Look out 40%+, I'm coming to get'ya.

As I said in previous posts increasing my jogging as a percentage of my cardio is my current personal challenge. Whether at Lake Andrea, around my neighborhood, or yours. Upping the jogging is my goal of choice to keep my mission progressing.

Speaking of goals, do you set goals?

Do you feel comfortable doing so & sharing that you do?

Put me down for a 'yes' for both.

Recently I had an exchange where I was challenged that goal setting accomplishes nothing. My reply to the immediate challenge was actually to agree. Setting goals by itself accomplishes zip; it is your actions to reach them that gets that credit. My opinion, differ away if you desire to.

Certainly the act of setting the goal deserves credit too. For many setting the goal is the second action we take towards what it is we desire. The first action is commonly accepting the realization that something needs to change, needs a goal.

Debating a differing opinion is one thing. Arguing for the sake of whizzing in my general direction is quite another. That is precisely what this character was up to. Our chat went on to see me share example after example of my own experience where I chose to acknowledge an opportunity, set a goal, plan actions, do them, adjust as needed, and kick the sweat out of opportunity until I can call it accomplished. If I may be so bold, I was on a roll.

But no, nothing I said was going to convince this champion of condescension that anything I, or anyone, ever accomplished was due to setting a goal. According to this deacon of disdain all we need is just do what comes naturally pre-programmed and for some of us that means accepting less than pleasant results. Oh for the sake of… ugh.

For our reading sake here let me make a long discussion short, I took pity on this sultan of scorn and found excuse to exit the heavy air around us. Likely this admiral antagonist took my exit as capitulation to his point. Hardly.

My take away, in general goal-bashers do not challenge the concept because of you, me, us; those who set goals. Rather, they do so because of themselves. Likely there is an unhappiness about them they have not been able to shed, and have accepted it as fate. Sad, is my take away.

But, wait there's more… (tribute to Billy Mays; moment of silence)…

I shall not end this post, or any, on a downer of a note. Nope, not going to do it, No way!

I took something else away from that debate. JOY…
Joy in knowing that I set goals...
Joy in knowing that I am happy...
Joy in knowing I kick @$$...

To all of you, have a joyous day!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 173 - Riddle This Monster

Hello blogger loving - heatlhy craving - exercise wanting - happy folk. Does that sound like you? Sounds to me like a fine way to looked upon as.

Picture riddle for Thursday this week. There you see it. Looks shiny, looks symmetrical. Doesn't look like a liquid or a squid. What is it?

Wednesday was a great day on the exercise front. My son & I made a visit to Lake Andrea to chip away at my personal challenge there. Continuing to work to get around that lake's 2.25 mile loop faster and faster by mixing in more jogging with the walking. Last week we improved our time by 1:51 minutes doing just that.

This week we got after with even more intensity and achieved a monster PR shaving a monster 2:11 to finish in 30:55 minutes. Monster I'm telling you! Um, yeah, I was stunned when I looked at my watch (if you can't see it trust me it says 30:55)...

Cashed out, that was me afterwards. No time to catch my breath however, I had to take care of a little business before breathing, hydrating, celebrating. That done, I wanted to capture an Oh Yeah shot but my 'gasping for air' face over-rode my 'happy and prideful' face. So this is my Oh Yeah shot (why do us bloggers like to take pics in bathrooms? I cropped out as much of the porcelain furniture I could)...

Finally hydrating... my son tried to get a better Oh Yeah shot of me in a more celebratory moment. However this is not much better as I was too thirsty to pose and he was too impatient to wait...

After the exercise we went off to grab a meal & play before going to his high school for a presentation on college prep. Andrew was paying more attention to the baseball game on TV than his game controller where I was focused on the video poker battle between us...

But he didn't need to may much attention to the poker as he was wiping the floor with me as I kept getting hand after hand like this...

Finally, some food...

Have a MONSTER Day!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 167 - Fun, Need More

Our picture riddle yesterday was fun for some good guesses. The most popular guess was the tassel rope/cord on a on a graduation cap. And that certainly was close, but not quite right. My fave guess was it being "polypropolene rope to keep my black silk shorts up during runs", thanks Ann :-)

Becky over at First Steps did get it right with her guess of "the gold honor cord I got to wear around my neck at graduation". The difference being that this was the honor cord I wore when I graduated, finally, in 2007. Thanks to all for playing and congrats Becky on nailing the answer. Good times.

The picture there is me on that day. It is actually a photo of a photo, our scanner died; hence the cruddy quality. Look at the face! Easily I am 310 if not much closer to 320 in that photo. Cheeks, chin, even my ears are fat! Not sure what exercise to do to slim the ear lobes. And the gown, it was huge. They had three sizes if I recall; Small, Large & Tent. So glad I have left the tent sizes and a chin or two in my wake recently.

Thursday was fun for me in many ways...

• Blogging, fun; so many of you posting up good news I can't get enough. I need more time to comment and draw even more inspiration from you. Oh, read a good one today here at The Right Fit.
• Twitter, fun; some of you connected up with me after yesterdays post and we got busy chattin up being healthy and goofing off a bit too. I had to let it be know to FatGirlvsWorld that the Giants will fall to the Bears Sunday night. She'll get over it.
• Work, fun; yes it was fun too. Someone tried to ruin my day with a project delay & I disarmed them with humor and understanding. Once the chip was off his shoulder we got the schedule re-set in a way that satisfied all.
• Eating, fun; I kicked butt keeping temptation at bay and chomping down on good quality choices. Well, um, maybe I did have a few too many beans in my salad.
• Exercise, fun; knocked that ball so far out of the park that it filed a flight plan with Captain Kirk. Or do you prefer Captain Picard? Sit ups, Push ups and walking. Then round two was a one mile walk/jog combo for time, the first time I timed such a combo; 15:14 minutes. So we'll use that as a benchmark to improve on going forward. This and Lake Andrea will be my personal challenges for the near future same as Stanton Hill was over the summer. Thanks Jody for giving me the inspiration to have such a personal challenge to keep exercise fresh, fun and meaningful.
• Family, fun; my wife is gorgeous, sexy and I can't keep my eyes off of her when she gets home. My daughter was accepted to her first choice of colleges and raked in a good size scholarship to boot. So now I wont have to sell as much plasma as I feared. My boys, well they didn't get in trouble yesterday so a thumbs up to them too.

October is here, I am having fun, and I want more!

What do you want more of?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 166 - Trio O Fun

Ok, today is a day to lighten up the topic just a bit. But allow me a quick follow up to yesterday's post on trusting & believing in yourself. Simply I truly do believe your own success rides solely on your ability to do just that; TRUST that you have what it takes to get healthy & BELIEVE that you will.

On to the fun, a trio of fun tidbits for you is what I have.

First…
Seems like a great day to have a go at another picture riddle. So there you see a picture of what? Not that I'm looking for what that 'yellow' item represents more so than what it is made of. Have fun! I'll get you the answer tomorrow, or maybe earlier.

Second…
A quick report out on a fun time I had yesterday evening. My son & I made a venture over to Lake Andrea for some cardio. It had been a couple of weeks since I had had a PR of any kind and this was the place I last did. And this place has become my latest location of challenge.

Recall two times ago here I started jogging the last 1/4 or 1/5 mile of this loop and my pants were falling down. Yeah, I still chuckle at that myself. The last time they didn't because I was wearing better fitting trousers to work that day, ok maybe a little slippage at the end of that effort. It is what I get for walking/jogging in my business casual attire.

Yesterday I finally got the hint. I changed into exercise shorts & t-shirt beforehand. What is the saying, Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me (President George W. Bush said it better, " fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 "). Anyhow, off we went and I wanted this loop to be a celebratory affair; I got the stitches out of my face today and all is healing great; that I believe is worthy of a celebratory effort; no?

Cut to the chase, we walked a bit, jogged for 100 or more steps, and repeated. All in all I jogged seven stints of 100-150 steps on a loop I previously just walked for the most part. For that bit of bravado I earned a new PR on the look, knocking 1:51 minutes from it to chalk up a 33:06 finish for this 2.25 mile loop. I think an Oh Yeah! is in order.

Third…
Twitter. I stayed away from that bit-o-technology (anyone else just get a craving for bit-o-honey?) forever. Until recently a blogger gave me the scoop on it has helped augment their weight-loss effort beyond blogging. Since I never expected blogging to do squat for my effort when I started last April (how blind was I?), I figured I just may be missing out. Boy oh boy (my Grandma Alma's favorite phrase for when the lights came on), was I ever missing out.

Twitter has allowed me to keep up with those of you doing the same during those times of day when I'm off and away with just my blackberry in hand. Perhaps that makes me a bit addictive to all of this, and if so, I am cool with that. As I firmly believe that my connecting with all of you has brought me buckets full of motivation, no barrels full, to stay focused sun up to sunset. Thanks for that!

So, if you tweet and you & I are not connected there, let's get connected. There is a badge on the left to follow on with my twitter conversation, please use it. If you are not on twitter, dare I ask why not?

Fourth…
Oh, I said a trio of fun tidbits didn't I. Fine, this post is long enough as it is.

                                                    Enjoy this day, get healthier and Have Fun!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 152 - Cool Progress Pics

Dawn & Christine were minutes apart to be first in to make the correct guess of a fire hydrant for yesterday's picture riddle. I took that riddle shot looking straight down onto the top of the hydrant so what you saw was that large pentagon shaped bolt in the pics center. Many great guesses from all of you. Some I had to look back at the pic to wonder, huh; how is it that is what they see? Cervix, hmmm. The mole I just had removed, LOL. A dish on a plate, well... all good & cool fun!

Yesterday was a fine day on most accounts. Got in another walk. This time my son & I hit Lake Andrea. The last time we went you may recall we decided to jog the last 1/4 or 1/5 mile and I struggled then more with my pants falling down than with the jog itself. Well we did the same this time but I didn't have the pants falling to the ground problem since I had on a pair of 42-inch waist vs. the 46's I was still wearing then. The better fitting pants didn't make any difference in time I am sure, but something did, as yesterday we finished this 2.25 mile trip in 34:57 for a cool new PR around this lake.

This week I believe I've walked about 11 miles in making up for the fact I am not supposed to be lifting weights this week (thanks Doc), 11 miles - cool.

The first time we got close to doing Lake Andrea in 40 minutes; I thought I was faster than anyone possibly could be, outta my way because you can't touch this cool breeze. I'm not a ego fueled head case usually, we all have our moments, but I recall being really stoked over 40 minutes. Now we've knocked that down to under 35 and I have to wonder how much more time can we knock that down? Time will tell.

Progress Pictures... I have updated them. Recently I hit the 40% progress made towards my goal milestone. Yesterday I finally took the pictures of me at this new and cool weight. These pictures are now up HERE or under My Progress Pics link at the top of my blog. I also added a side by side piece for a better visual reference of where I was 152 days ago and where I am today. Needless to say I am quite pleased with these.

How about you, do you have any cool recent progress pictures, or before & after pictures, to share?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 131 - Seen Da Light

Top-o-Thursday to you.
"Time sneaks up on you like a windshield on a bug." -- John Lithgow
 
Great day yesterday, near perfection in eating & exercise. All meals balanced, portioned well, and mighty tasty too; what more can a healthy wanna be ask for?

Exercise before work was 5 sets each of sit-ups and push-ups with stretching exercises between sets; Thanks to all who answered my call the other day for help with stretching. After work my son & I walked Lake Andrea. Well, we didn't walk it all, we jogged the last .2-.25 miles of that 2.25 loop.

Funny thing was my pants were falling down while jogging. Picture if you can my 272'ish pound frame jogging in dockers & a dress shirt (on Wednesday's I don't go home before going up to hang with my son), having to hold his pants up with my left hand while fumbling an ipod nano with the other because I knocked the ear cords out with my right hand as it pumped away. I must have looked a mess, or a fool; and I loved looking just as I did.

We finished that loop in 35:29 minutes, a good 2.5 minutes faster than the previous best. Guess I can't call the Lake Andrea PR a walking event any longer. It is now a place to get my body around as fast as I can with a mix of walk, jog, crawl, skip, moon-walk, and dare I say better fitting clothes?

So yes, I enjoyed ruling the day yesterday - have you ruled a day lately?

I shall soon post that I have lost 50 pounds, it may be this weekend or next; but it is coming soon...
I shall RESIST temptation to return into the dark and put back on any unhappy weight; nope I have Seen Da Light.

I have learned so much in the past 131 days, thanks in large part to many of you; and I thirst for more...
I have LAUNCHED this mission to 199 pounds or less in pursuit of greater happiness; yes I have Seen Da Light.

I will remember that being healthy is all mental, my will to change and my choice to act; I and I alone decide success over failure...
I will FORGO excuses of all form as cause to choose unhappiness; I have Seen Da Light.

I am happier today than yesterday, tomorrow will be happier today, the next 45 years will be my happiest yet...
I AM Responsibility 199; I have Seen Da Light.
(picture of me up there at son's soccer game this week seemed fitting)

Have You Seen Da Light?

 
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 75 - Concentrate On This

Warning, I may be getting in over my skis here with this post, but my mind is here so here it goes. In pondering my performance (not progress) the past few days I have asked myself some questions which I'd like to share with you. Perhaps you'd like to consider them as well, your choice.

 1. Assuming I do have the capacity to perform at GREATER levels, how can I?

Operative word; GREATER. We all have bad days. Myself, yep I have them but on average during the past 75 days I've had mostly good days and some very good. On good days I eat well, I exercise, and I end they day feeling successful. But, was I really successful? Could I have eaten even greater? Could I have walked faster or longer, or lifted weights with greater form or weight? It would seem the obvious answer is YES. OK, if YES, then why don't I? Why do we settle for good and not something greater?

The real question there was "...how can I? I'll short cut my own self analysis and jump to a potential answer; my degree of concentration. What do I mean? For example when I am walking and finish 2 miles in 40 minutes that is good. But why not 39? What did I concentrate on during the walk? Was it the pain, or how much further I have to go or some other distraction that isn't key to walking with greater result? What if I had concentrated on my stride mechanics, or my breathing, or where my head & eyes are set? Would I have had a faster walk and / or one that may have been greater in quality e.g. burned more calories or strengthened my muscles more?

Another example for eating this time; it is lunch time at the office cafeteria and I know I need to eat. I choose a reasonably healthy salad and put a bit of dressing and other toppings on it, it was 500 calories and 45% fat thanks to the add-ons. Why didn't I make a 500 / 30 salad, or a 400 / 25; something with greater balance being my point? Was I concentrating on what I wanted to eat vs. what I ought to be eating? Perhaps I chose the salad bar because it simply was the shortest line compared to the fish line which was 10 deep. What if I had concentrated on each ingredient and its impact to overall portion & balance of the meal, or pre-thought about what lunch should be considering the breakfast & snacks I ate earlier today? Would I have eaten a meal that was greater in quality for fueling my mind & body?

Again, I warned you, this post is more serious or deeper than my usual...

There is a 'mental' aspect to being healthy, many here have acknowledged getting our mind set as a key to health success. A better attitude, a new confidence, greater knowledge; just some characteristics of a healthy mental approach.

Yet those seem obvious for transforming the old me into the new, for taking those first steps, for tasting some success. Which makes me ask, does the obvious gets us just so far? Perhaps the obvious is good for getting us to that first dreaded plateau where we flounder wondering what is wrong; why did the progress slow or stop?

Could GREATER concentration be the answer to GREATER performance? Again, that sounds too obvious, too simple; right? It probably does, but what is wrong with simple revelations? OK, I didn't just keyboard hunt & peck all those words to end by telling you, or myself, the obvious. Nope, I'm not convinced it is simple especially for the beginner to getting healthy from a non-healthy state.

Yesterday I put concentration to the test. My son & I walked my favorite 2.25 Mile Lake Andrea Loop. We walked it a week ago too and I posted my results and thoughts on how could we possibly ever walk it any faster, that post is here: day-68-acronym-love

Last week we walked that loop in 40:11 minutes and when we finished I had doubts we could do much better if at all. This week I wanted to challenge myself as to why I couldn't post an even greater number. Not just a second or two, but shave 10 or 15 seconds off that time.

I had come to the theory this week that if I concentrated more on what I was doing while walking that I could. So off we went. Form, I concentrated on picking up my knees and setting them down fluidly; not my usual slinging of legs forward one after the other. Rhythm, I got my arms into the act as synchronized pendulums setting cadence; not my usual hanging and flailing alongside for the ride. Vision, I held my chin up and looked straight ahead picking a target and walking directly towards it; not my usual zig zag of the paths width. 

Don't get me wrong, my concentration was not 100% dialed in for this entire walk. There was the good looking girl that jogged passed whom my son had to tug on my shirt for to be sure I didn't miss her. There was the fisherman who caught a fish just as we were abreast of him, oh it was a nice one. I'm not a robot, my concentration was not absolute; but it was far greater than any effort previous on this loop.

And for that we completed the journey in 38:10 minutes, shattering my desired 10 or 15 seconds improvement goal. Needless to say I was elated, proud, and inspired to wonder just what else can I do even greater if I were to just concentrate?

OK, I know I said I had 'some' questions but I'll stop here with just that one for now otherwise this post will grow much much longer and it is already way longer than the length I like to keep my posts at.

Final thought, that is my son Andrew in the picture. Before we started I told him I wanted us to concentrate on beating our previous time. Being the smart wonder that he is, he struck the pose you see there which I had him hold long enough to take the picture.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 68 - Acronym Love

So today I'd like to talk up some of our favorite acronyms we use here in blog land.

First up is NSV (Non-Scale Victory)
<--- I have my NSV's recorded on the left-hand panel of my blog.

Recall last week I actually jogged for the first time in eons. It was just once around my block, not a step more. Being able to jog for the first time in years, NSV to me.

In my closet I have half a dozen or so shirts that I haven't been able to fit into for a long time. Some of them I've never fit in since I received them but kept just in case some say I could. Last Friday I was able to fit into one of my work shirts which I haven't been able to put on and feel comfortable both standing & sitting in for three or more years. Fitting comfortably into my blue & white checkered shirt for the first time in years, NSV to me.

Next is PR (Personal Record)
I have my PR's recorded here; MY NUMBERS

Last night my work out was a walk around the 2.25 Mile loop at Lake Andrea. It had been over a month since I visited this lake in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. Last time my son & I walked around it we did so in 44 minutes even. Last night we did so in 40:11 minutes; Oh Yeah! ^---You see the timer of my iPod Nano in the picture above, sorry it is so fuzzy even for a cell phone pic. I think we can break 40 minutes in future efforts but to do much better than that we'll likely need to start jogging certain lengths of it. Last night it was in the mid-80's and humid so I was wiped out when we were done. Perhaps that in part was motivation to hump that loop so hard, the sooner we got done the sooner we could get back to the air conditioning of my vehicle.

The jog around the block I added to my PR list too. I fully intend to do it again and destroy that time. As well eventually add a second block, a third, a ...

Do NSV's and PR's motivate you?

NSV's motivate me more so than PR's. NSV's are akin to a kid's joy when they open up that Christmas gift and it was just what they asked Santa for. Or akin to that girl saying yes to a date after weeks of putting off asking because you she thought was way out of your league (or guy in your case perhaps).

PR's are motivating too and I know folks have differing views on them. I'd like to think I'd being doing just as well as I feel I am even if I didn't log PR's. For me they provide a challenge, a purpose to dig a little deeper, reach a little further while in the throws of exercise.

Acronym's, love'em or not, they are apart of my mission.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 33 - Lasagna In Da House

Yesterday my son & I walked around Lake Andrea (2.25 miles) in 44:40, that's two full minutes better than the last time we walked it. The walk sure felt good, and we sweated good too as it was sunny & in the 70s. The new PR (personal record) or not it was a genuinely great time burning calories!

What exercise have you enjoyed recently?

School is ending in the next couple of weeks for our kids. The summer break is all but here. We have no firm/set 'big' vacation plans this year. Just a week trip to a few colleges in Illinois, Iowa & Wisconsin. Our oldest (girl) is a senior next year and the three boys are close behind her. Part of me is glad we don't have an extravagant vacation planned; too much temptation & opportunity to fall off our healthy mission. Don't get me wrong, I love me a nice vacation, but it is not what I need this year. And I don't need a super~duper vacation to have a blast with the family.

Who has vacation plans for the summer?

Tonight is lasagna night! Or better explained by being lasagna night it also means my wife is cooking. She is a good cook, but she doesn't like to cook & therefore doesn't cook much. She gets an urge to whip up her amazing lasagna 2-3 times a year. The kids wish it would happen 2-3 times a week ;-) This lasagna has not been modified in any way to be healthier than usual. So we can't pretend it is anything but what it is, an indulgence and a gift. So I'll enjoy me a savory portion tonight, just one, and no more. Which also means my exercise before dinner needs to be savory as well. Yeah, the words savory & exercise, they don't seem to go together do they? Nor do scrumptious, delectable or ambrosial; all of which also describe said lasagna. How about I just exercise my tail off without an adjective to describe it…

Go get yourself some Thursday...

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!

Day 32 - Snack Attacks

So how did Tuesday go for you? It was a fine day for myself. A good job of working though my dumbbell routine and a good job adding a couple of new dumbbell exercises suggested by Jody in her Tuesday post. Thanks Jody, I still feel them in my arms & abs. Tuesday was also a good eating day and a good day at work and home too. Hope your Tuesday was as good or better.

Wednesday is here, and it shall be a cardio day I do declare! Plan is to walk around Lake Andrea with my son after work, haven't checked the weather report; hope it plays nice. If you get a moment today check in on a fellow blogger I follow regularly, Lisa ...she is a veteran blogger and has made progress since starting her journey but seems to be in a slight rut lately. Maybe together we can help her out and on her way forward again.

Yesterday I had a snack attack, a serious snack attack. You know the kind with teeth, claws and some sort of jedi-mind powers that can lift and throw a perfectly healthy human, or a very overweight one, into a vat of ice cream. Yeah, one of those dreaded snackinators came calling on me. Just a month back I'd still be digesting that ice cream. However yesterday, a month into my mission, I repelled that attack; albeit barely. It occurred on my drive home and I was oh-so close to taking a left towards those golden arches. I told myself I'd get a chicken sandwich, like that wouldn't hurt.

How do you suppress snack attacks?

Thankfully I drove by, shook my head and grabbed a stick of gum. It was an impulse move grabbing that stick of gum; it was the closest thing to food I had in the vehicle. To my surprise just a few minutes into some frantic chewing, and I did chew as if I might find a prize inside if I just chewed hard enough, after just a few minutes my hunger abated, my mood calmed and I made it home having added no empty calories to my body.

Maybe I should have known it as it seems obvious today, but chewing a stick of sugarless gum does suppress the urge to snack. A strong flavor gum would likely do an even better the job I imagine. Not sure if it is a physiological thing, or, a mental thing, but whatever it is about gum, chewing it slays the snackinator.

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!

p.s... Happy Birthday Dad! I miss you with all my heart & soul. Until the day we meet again - stay peaceful.

Day 12 - Before & After

Talking about Pictures, Before & After Pictures.

Up there at the top you'll see a new link for PROGRESS IN PICTURES. It is just that, where I'll display my pictures of my progress. The ever popular, but not so pleasant, Before Picture of me is up there now. Go ahead, take a look...

My son took these of me on Wednesday evening this week; yesterday. He got a chuckle out of doing so as I was trying to have as much fun with it as I could with the comedic expressions & gestures. It was fun taking them. However when I took these two pics and put them side by side on a single image, really not so fun looking at them. They say black is slimming but black seems to have failed me in these.

Oh well, this is the reality of who I am. It is not who I want to be anymore. If looking at them from time to time helps me become who I want to be, then so be it I'll look at them. When I get to the point of posting pictures that show progress against these, well lets hope they are not just easier to want to look at but also do even more to help encourage me to accomplish this mission.

What about you, do you find before, progress and after pictures motivating?

Yesterday I did the walk around Lake Andrea, about 2.25 miles, in 46 minutes 40 seconds. Whether that is a good pace, average, or laugh out loud slow; I don't know. But the next time I make that walk I expect to complete in less than that 46:40 of yesterday.

Very busy day today so while I'll try and get something in after work, I am not promising exercise. I am promising healthy eating though.

Make this day work for you!

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!

Day 11 - Hunger, Not!

We're not quite two weeks into this mission and I have noticed a handful of changes in myself. None is a noticeable as my reaction to hunger pains. This realization came to me last night while waiting for my son to find his way to the truck after soccer practice. While waiting I could hear my hunger pains over the rumble and roar of a freight train passing nearby. What got me thinking is that I didn't pay this cry from my belly much notice. Why is that? Could it be I've become more tolerable to these pains? Could it be they have less influence on my decisions now that eleven days ago? Yes seems to be the answer although I am not sure why exactly.

A couple weeks ago hunger pains hit me like a chorus of loud screams from the depths below and succeeded in grabbing my attention fully. When they shouted, I jumped; usually into the refrigerator or a nearby fast food drive thru. But last night, and I presume going forward too, my hunger pains screams are fading to that of a raised voice that is growing frustrated in its attempts to maintain its once grand influence. Now I can put them in the back of my mind as I know when I am going to eat next and what. I am in control of fueling my own engine, not the phantom behind my hunger pains.

Today is an exercise day. Planned is a walk around Lake Andrea after work with my son, about a 2.25 mile affair we've done before. Looking forward to it.

Hope you too will get a charge out of your Wednesday.

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!