:)

Doing alright. Day 4.

Hit the sit up bench with a fury last night and now can barely breathe without wincing slightly.  Did three sets of twenty on the incline sit-up bench and did some elliptical but that was it; still pretty sore and tired from the last two days.  Good news is, I have been sticking to my dietary restrictions that have been making me more “regular” in the “poo poo” department which is super nice.  Aaand, I’ve been waking up an hour earlier than normal and going to be an hour earlier at night.  I’m not going to get on the scale until day 7 so I can have a decent representation of my change. 

 

The hurdle…

 

I am going to a wedding in California this weekend and I know I am going to be eating less-than-optimally; not to mention the copious amounts of champagne and beer I’m sure I’ll be consuming.  So, I am kind of hoping that I am able to keep it under control and not waste the last three days. 

 

Bright Side…

 

I am super broke so that will keep me from going to bars and stuff like that.  Open bar consumption only.  Also, my cousin is getting married, so that’s definitely a bright side.

 

Dinner last night was pretty basic.  Thanks to a friend who gave me two of the LARGEST vegetables I’ve ever seen in my life.  Squash and Zucchini with some BBQ’d corn on the cob.

 

Don't eat with fingers directly from grill.  You'll burn your mouth and cry in front of you dog.

So sore. Must not sneeze. Might cry.

     I started working out on Tuesday (like I've been saying I would do since 2007). As I am still a light-mild smoker, I am taking it kind of easy on the heavy breathing stuff and focusing on the intensity cardio. Example, the last two days I've done an hour on the treadmill using the following intervals:

Speed level: 4 (15 min mile) for a 3 minute warm up.

Incline level: 2 at Speed level 4 for 4 minutes.

Back to flat land at Speed level 4 for 1.50 minutes.

Jump to speed level 7 on flat ground for a running 2 minutes.

Back to flat land at Speed level 4 for 1.50 minutes.

Incline level: 4 at Speed level 4 for 4 minutes.

I then simply alternate between a Zero Incline for 1 minute intervals and an Level 4 Incline for 4 minutes for about a half an hour, keeping the speed at a level 4 (15 minute mile) the whole time. This keeps my heart rate alternating in a higher range. If I need a rest, I don't change my Incline alternations; I just drop my speed slightly until I feel rested enough to re-pace.

In my last 10 minutes I go backwards down the progression:

After my last level 4 incline, I go to my flat land 1.50 minute rest and then do a 2 minute run at Speed level 7. After that, I finish out at 3.5 Speed level and cry myself to the cleaning spray bottle to disinfect my sweat covered treadmill.

I've found that (because I am unable to consistently run due to my shitty, soot coated, lungs) this lower paced, hi intensity walking routine is actually KICKING MY ASS and I'm feeling real good.

Dinner for the last two nights has consisted of stir fry veggies and rice.

 

 

I am going to need to get on diversifying my meals but I'm broke right now so I'm going through my freezer, cleaning out the things I've been too unhealthy to bother making. Face it, I don't keep Burger King in my freezer.  However, now that I'm avoiding eating anywhere but at home, I'm finding there's some surprisingly good grub in the back of my freezer from the last time I was going to "make a healthy change".

Alright accountability log, ttyl.



Hit the Dodger game today. Hollywood Suite style.
Good first day back in LA!!

Doggie Aftermath

So Liz's mom is in town and she is kind enough to have taken the time to repair all of the dog toys in the house that have been annihilated or mutilated.  Now we have half a dozen misfit stuffed animals with missing eyes and legs and noses hanging out on the kitchen table.  It's essentially the best way to start any vacation Friday.

Remember cheese and crackers!? Holy crap this just made my day.

Happiness is...quite Confusing.

So I bought a motorcycle the other day, a "Crotch-Rocket" if you will. I am extremely excited (apart from the 40mpg I am now getting) because I have wanted one for a long time and have always enjoyed riding dirt bikes and bumming a friend or family member's street bike for the occasional short ride. The smell of the outdoors, the wind, the ability to maneuver through an otherwise stagnant and uninteresting A-Z relocation. All of it. It's supremely invigorating.

However.

After sharing news of my new acquisition, along with my overstated joy, with people around me, I am finding that more and more folks, rather than simply embracing my happiness or at least feigning delight, are coming across as completely negative. Saying things like, "You're going to kill yourself", or, "You realize that that is not a smart purchase, right?". I even had one person tell me (hand to God), "As long as you sign your life insurance policy over to me I'll be happy for you".

Totally mind blowing.

I understand (at least I am hoping this is the case) that people are more than likely stating their concern for my well being and, in one fashion or another, conveying their desire to see me explore the world safely. But c'mon. 90% of the people I have told about this bike have presented their “support” in a manner all too grim without even asking about my experience on a motorcycle.  Based on the response of my test group, I have to imagine that everyone I’ve polled in this regard must know someone who has had an incredibly bad accident on a motorcycle similar to mine.  90% of the members of my encounters MUST have firsthand negative experience with a street bike; or else, what would cause this reaction? I promise you that not everyone I’ve told has known someone involved in a motorcycle accident.  Many of them aren't people even slightly connected to anything 2-wheeled, yet they somehow have the right to show their support through vocalizing my horrific hypothetical demise.  Thanks for that.

Let me ask you, has there ever been good news (for you) that has been received so negatively by such a wide range of people that it made you upset to share?