Jumping At Shadows

Last week I thought being alone in the gym, late at night, was cool. Tonight...not nearly as cool. I was jumping at imaginary shadows and lurking evils.

My big plan all week was to go to the gym when Saturday Night Live began, and workout on the recumbent bike until it was over. That would be a great 1.5 hours of working out, and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) was hosting, so I knew I'd get a few laughs out of the whole deal. Well, I got there - only a couple minutes late - just as the last person working out was leaving. That meant me, the bike and TV, and no one else. Cool beans, I thought.

Until...

Every single minute I was jumping at imaginary people skirting by in the corners of my vision. It wasn't so bad when I finally moved to the elliptical trainer and was able to watch the whole gym through the reflections on the front windows, but that was only after an hour and five minutes of uneasiness.

Still, I did get in a good workout. I'll probably go back and do it again, but hopefully there's at least one other night owl at work.

Hang My Head In Shame (But Only For A Moment)

I did not make it to the gym today. Not because I was too busy, or injured, or even too tired. I just didn't go because I chose not to.

Today I did decide - only somewhat pressured - to enter a half-marathon in April. Am I anywhere near ready? No. But I was told I have seven weeks to get there. I can do it, but it means no more of this apathetic attitude I displayed today. It calls for focus and planning. I have a goal now, an event to train for.

I'll post more on this development as I create my training plan.

Is There Such a Thing as a Relaxed Workout?

You can tell you've been pushing it to the max when a 48-minute workout of weights and biking feels like a breeze.

I did my weights tonight and a relaxed bike ride at an average of 80 rpms (~12-13 mph) and I feel refreshed, almost too relaxed for coming from the gym. It's what I needed, though. Tomorrow night is a run - the fastest of my five runs at this distance (6.6 mph for 2.5 mi) - and maybe a second workout 4 hours later after a midnight showing of Watchmen. We'll see. If that is the case, I'm going to need the easy night I put in tonight, plus some extra energy in the form of FOOD to keep me going.

Fighting Burnout

This week I'm struggling to get to the gym. Or even a walk outside (not that the weather is all that warm).

I think I'm just a bit exhausted from all the exercise of the past few weeks. That's not to say I'm giving up. Far from it.

I'm going out to the gym in a little while, but I'm going to get some work done first. It's the work I've been putting off (and the reading, and the TV, and the movies...), which is not something I can continue to do. I also know that I won't be able to keep exercising as hard as I am without more frequent breaks. It's not so bad when you aren't pushing yourself in every workout, but I've been tearing up the treadmill, hammering down on the bike and elliptical trainers. Streaks of 11 or 12 days are not healthy - rest needs to become a part of my routine.

Balancing Fiber

It's going to take some practice to get used to eating the right amount of fiber daily.

Yesterday I struggled to find my 33.4 grams, but today I was rockin' 42.75 grams. It'll be interesting to see how this monthly challenge evolves.

I have a feeling that if I stress over it, I'll just end up making things harder for myself.

It also got me thinking about looking at some of those other pesky categories on the nutrition facts label, like sodium, fats, and protein.

My Fiber Goal

I used a chart from the American Heart Association to gauge the number of calories I should be consuming daily (I’ll be more accurate with this calorie count during a future monthly challenge.) to help determine my daily fiber goal.

As an active male between the ages of 19 and 30, I should be consuming 3,000 calories per day. Using a rule of thumb provided by the Institute of Medicine (14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed), I should be eating 42 grams daily.

I am aware that I currently don’t eat that many calories daily, but do not want to drastically change the diet that is working for me now, so I’ll aim for 35 – 39 grams of fiber daily (2,500 – 2,800 calories consumed). This also more closely matches the high-end recommendation of the American Dietetic Association’s daily fiber intake (20 – 35 grams).

March Wellness Challenge

For 5 points, you must eat between 30 – 40 grams of fiber daily until March 31.

You are allowed to make up any missed fiber intake over the course of a week, but should not exceed 60 grams of fiber on any given day. A fiber count each week of between 210 – 280 grams must be maintained throughout the month to receive the 5 points.

This weekly fiber count can be included in your weekly progress report submitted to the comments section of my Progress Report.

Enjoy the challenge!

March - Fiber Month

After a month of focusing on hydration, it only makes sense that we move back to the foods. I chose to focus on fiber because of all the health benefits linked to the daily consumption of both insoluble and soluble fiber. In researching fiber I was amazed to discover just how beneficial this complex carbohydrate can be.

(And selfishly, I know my diet is lacking in carbohydrates, so this challenge will force me to rectify that situation.)

Fiber is divided into two types, insoluble and soluble. Each type works its magic in your body in a different way. Insoluble fibers, such as whole grains, bran, nuts and seeds, green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, celery, and the skins of some fruits such as tomatoes, attract water and are helpful with digestion. Soluble fibers, such as peas, soybeans, oats, rye, barley, broccoli, carrots, root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions), and some fruits and fruit juices (prunes, plums, berries), ferment metabolically to produce significant health effects, such as a reduction in obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease, among many others.

As fiber is not easily digested and absorbs water, when you increase your fiber intake you must make sure to also increase your consumption of beverages, especially water.

Here is a great, quick article from the Harvard School of Public Health about choosing a fiber-filled diet, complete with 5 Quick Tips.

According to research by the American Dietetic Association, people should eat daily between 20 – 35 grams of fiber. The Institute of Medicine suggests eating 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed. Lists of foods high in fiber (such as this example from the MayoClinic.com) can be easily Googled, so finding those 20 – 35 grams a day of fiber should not be too difficult. Make sure that in your pursuit of a high fiber diet you don’t go to extremes. You should consume no more than 60 – 70 grams daily or you run the risk of suffering some severe gastrointestinal distress.

End of Challenge - February

For 5 points, you must have consumed at least 8 cups of water a day – every day – until February 28 (a minimum of 224 cups). You were allowed to make up any missed water intake over the course of the challenge by drinking the necessary extra cups of water.

I managed to drink 292.05 cups of water this month.

I found this challenge very easy to handle. A large part of that was the amount of exercise I completed this month. Exercise makes you thirsty. It was tough going without pop for the random challenge early in the month, but in the weeks since, the desire to drink pop has actually lessened quite a bit. I’ve maybe had 15 cups of pop all month. Pretty impressive compared to the levels of pop I’d been drinking prior to this month’s challenge.

Make sure that you don’t forget to continue consuming fruits and vegetables, and remember to drink enough water each day. This is all an integral part of living a balanced, healthy life.

Share your total water intake for the month in the comments section of this post to earn your points.

Progress Report IX - Mar. 1

Weight: 204.8 lbs.
Loss/Gain: - 4.4 lbs.

34.8 lbs. to Goal (170 lbs.)

Exercise Hours: 9:46:44.88 hours (biking: 2:26:38 hours; running: 1:11:11.01 hours; walking: 4:13:48.99 hours, weights: 44:06.88 minutes; elliptical: 1:11:00 hours)

Exercise Distance: 70.38 miles (biking: 36 miles; running: 7.5 miles; walking: 19.35 miles; elliptical: 7.53 miles)

February Wellness Challenge progress: 9.3 + 7.2 + 11.4 + 9.5 + 7.8 + 10.4 + 9.4 + 11.4 + 9.5 + 11.15 + 10 + 7.9 + 8.7 + 10.2 + 9 + 9.9 + 9.9 + 9.9 + 8.4 + 9.9 + 15.9 + 18.9 + 11.4 + 13.9 + 7.4 + 9.9 + 12.4 + 11.4
292.05 of 224 cups.

I finally did it. I had to break down and go buy some new clothes to wear to work. All of my pants simply would not stay up, and the belts I had needed to be fixed with extra notches to tighten enough to keep those pants at least somewhat where they belong. I ended up losing 6 inches off my waist in the first two months of this challenge. I’m down from a 44-inch waist to a 38-inch waist. I’m impressed. I also was able to quit buying the big boy shirts (2XL), in favor of more regular XL. I’ve noticed more loss from the lower body than upper body, but that only makes sense with the disproportionate amount of lower body (walking, running, biking, elliptical) to upper body (weights) exercise I’ve been doing. I wish I could think of another activity that would engage the upper body more.

I’m just 1.4 lbs shy of the halfway point in my weight loss goal. I’m amazed! I’ve lost 32 lbs in just 8.5 weeks. That’s about 3.8 lbs a week, on average. I still feel like I have done this in a very healthy way, making sure to eat the right foods in the correct amounts, along with exercise and proper hydration.

I was happy to feel less stress this week. Things are calming back down at work, and it has helped me focus and relax. I also didn’t eat out much this week – just one foot-long sub from Subway, split over two lunches.