Gotta Keep It Off!

Bumps In The Road

2009-06-05T10:27:00.002-04:00

My commute to work is a 60-plus mile round trip. Over the years I've become quite familiar with the route I take to get there. That doesn't mean that the trip is exactly the same every day. There's always something new demanding my attention. Construction, accidents, potholes and heavy volume are just some of the obstacles I must face regularly. Detours are something to be expected, no matter how annoying they are.

The road I'm navigating to return to the healthy habits I abandoned is also filled with obstacles to avoid. These "bumps in the road" must be handled carefully. If not, I risk running off the road and never reaching my destination.

This is my way of saying that I encountered one of these bumps last night in the form of ice cream and fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. That left me with a question this morning: What was I going to do about it? Was I going to continue going "off road" or did I want to get back on the highway so I could resume my journey to better health?

My answer is simple. I am back on the road to the "No Junk Zone" after a slight diversion. No matter what your goal or priority, a slight bump in the road does not signify catastrophe. As Ol' Blue Eyes used to sing, "Take a deep breath, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again."

One Priority At A Time

2009-06-03T13:28:00.002-04:00

Last night's plan for dinner was fettuccine Alfredo. Knowing that "fettuccine Alfredo" is the Italian phrase for "avalanche of calories," I opted instead to start off with a small salad, then I made a large stir fry of mixed frozen veggies and diced ham steak seasoned the way I like with a very small portion of the pre-Alfredo fettuccine mixed in.

It was actually a very tasty and filling meal. I also had a few small pieces of the garlic bread that was on the table. Then I topped the meal off with two, maybe three, forks full of the Alfredo-drenched pasta.

As I sat there afterwards I reflected on my meal. Yes, I ate more than I intended. I certainly know that I could have done without the garlic bread and the extra pasta. It was then that I decided that I had a very successful day.

Yesterday was a successful day for me because I didn't eat any junk food. Even though I had large dinner that included a few not-so-healthy choices, my priority for the day was to stay in the "No Junk Zone" that I've been in since Monday. Because that was my only priority, I didn't consider my dinnertime choices as setbacks to my attempt to get back on track.

In time I will expand my priorities to once again include portion control and better choices in my food selection. But for now I'm taking it one day and one priority at a time.

Song And Dance

2009-06-02T07:50:00.003-04:00

When I started to write this post I was going to talk about what's been going on in my life that contributed to the recent unpleasantness between my bathroom scale and myself. But then I realized that it doesn't really matter. Everyone has things going on in their lives that make maintaining a healthy lifestyle difficult. In spite of that, there are countless men and women out there who have made made it a top priority to take care of their bodies. I had just stopped making it a priority in my life.

That's why you won't find any song and dance here today. No excuses or rationalizations. Just someone trying to reset his priorities so he can get back to where he was.

I declared yesterday a No Junk Zone, meaning that no junk food would pass my lips for the entire day. I made it my top priority for the day. It worked out very well even though my planning left much to be desired. In celebration of that success, I've decided to make it my top priority again today.

While it may only be one small part of living a healthy lifestyle, it is a move in the right direction. And that's all I need right now.

Whatever Happened To Skinny Guy?

2009-06-01T11:06:00.002-04:00

Nothing happened to me that hasn't happened to anyone else. I fell off the wagon and lay there watching as it ran over me, backed up, and ran over me again and again. The good news is that I'm here and ready to make another attempt at getting back on board. Thanks to everyone who left a comment or emailed wondering where I was.

Are you ready to hear about my Big Master Plan for getting back on track? So am I! But it occurred to me that the bigger the plan, the easier it is to fail. That's why my Big Master Plan can be summed up in two words.

Baby steps.

That's all I'm committing myself to right now. Something small that can done without extreme amounts of effort in a 24 hour period. Something that I know I can do. And if I manage to do it today, I will try to do it again tomorrow. But I'm just concern with today for now. And today's baby step is one that I know I can do.

Today is a No Junk Zone. I will eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Any snacks I have will not have a list of ingredients on them. I will do my best to keep any and all cakes, crackers, chips, pretzels, candies, and other "goodies" away from my mouth.

If I can do this for today, I will be happy.

My Name Is Skinny Guy

2009-01-18T13:56:00.001-05:00

And I'm a carboholic. I've been on a two month bender that has seen me sabotage all of my attempts to get back on track. There is usually no shortage of baked goods present in the house, but I'm usually able to avoid them because they're the boxed, over-processed variety of store bought junk, and they don't usually appeal to me.

But throughout the holiday season, my wife went on a baking spree that pushed me past my ability to control myself. Lord knows, she did her best to protect me from myself, but I was determined to commit carbocide.

Once I plowed through all the good stuff, I showed even less self control and started eating all the crappy stuff I could get my hands on as well. Even as long ago as last night I was popping boxed mini-donuts into my pie hole.

So as of this posting, I'm going to try to put the brakes on. Again.

"Persistence, not perfection."

2009 Goal #2: Build Some Muscle

2009-01-06T21:48:00.003-05:00

[It is traditional for nearly everyone to make resolutions or set goals for the new year. Over these next few posts, I will be discussing my top goals for 2009.]

At the end of yesterday's post I said that this post would be about losing the fat. I've decided to rethink the order in which I'm posting my goals, so today I'm going to talk about another goal instead, that of building muscle.

When I lost 130 pounds, I did it mostly by counting calories (points) on WeightWatchers with some cardio work thrown in for good measure. The cardio training consisted mostly of walking and I didn't do any strength training at all.

While I will always be grateful to WeightWatchers for providing me with a program that I was able to follow and use to transform my health, I've done a lot of reading and studying since then. Now I realize that if I had included strength training in my regimen, I could have added more fat-burning lean body mass to my frame instead of almost certainly losing the lean body mass that I did by not doing any strength training.*

By beginning some sort of strength training now, I'll be able to build up some of that fat-burning muscle that will help me improve my fitness and maintain my body fat percentage at a level that is appropriate.

I haven't settled on an exact strength training plan yet, but more than likely it will be something I can ease into, most likely with body weight routines. Maybe I'll even start off by actually completing the Hundred Push Up Challenge that I started twice last year.

*To be fair to WeightWatchers, they do mention the importance of exercise, mostly cardio, in their materials. Any lack of exercise of any type during my weight loss was strictly my (lack of) doing.

Tomorrow: Goal #3: Eating Well

2009 Goal #1: Run A 5K

2009-01-05T14:05:00.000-05:00

[It is traditional for nearly everyone to make resolutions or set goals for the new year. Over the next few posts, I will be discussing my top goals for 2009.]

Back in 2007, I participated in my first official 5K race. I walked the entire way. Last year I tried another 5K and managed to run about half the distance and even managed not to come in last! So this year my goal is to run an entire 5K race from start to finish.

The 5K I've chosen is the Shirley Mae Run in Atlantic City, NJ which benefits the Shirley Mae Breast Cancer Assistance Fund, a non-profit that benefits patients in Southeastern New Jersey who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and who demonstrate financial need. This is the same 5K I participated in last year, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.

Traditionally held the day before Mother's Day on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, the Shirley Mae Run (and the Gilda's Club Walk) celebrates the survivors of breast cancer while remembering those that have passed. It's a great event for a great cause.

As the spring draws closer I'll be formulating my training plan, but at the moment I'm leaning towards the popular Couch to 5K program (C25K) that can be found at the Cool Running web site. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

Tomorrow: Goal #2: Lose the Fat

My Goals For 2009

2009-01-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

As is traditional for this time of year, I've set a few goals for myself for the new year. Over the next few days I plan on sharing them with you and look forward to your comments. I also invite you to share some of your goals for 2009.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T11:27:00.002-05:00

Even though 2009 started several days ago, the new year didn't start for me until this morning. Now that all the holiday parties are over and my clothes are stretched to the bursting point, it's time to begin anew.

I know I've said I'm going to restart my healthy habits multiple times over the last few months, when I've decided to post at all. I realize that asking you to believe me again may be asking a bit much. To be honest, I won't believe it until I see it either. All I can say is that this time feels different, and that I plan on posting more details as the week progresses.

Time will tell.

In other news, I am also contemplating some changes to the blog. Besides being badly in need of a face lift, I'm tinkering with the idea of switching platforms and possibly moving it to its own web site. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

I have also jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. If anyone is interested, you can check out my profile here.

Brand New Day

2008-11-30T11:05:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is now behind us and my son is safely on his way back up to school. Everyone's health is either good or improving. The Christmas season is here and can now be enjoyed without Halloween or Thanksgiving getting in the way. I enjoyed a great experience at my high school reunion and I'm now in the right frame of mind to get back to taking care of myself.

I had to make a few decisions recently when some issues were reaching critical mass in my life. One of the results of those decisions was to temporarily put my weight management efforts on the back burner for a while. It made it easier in the long run to be able to do the things I needed to do without stressing over every meal. My only regret is that I interrupted my writing here without giving some warning in advance.

The key is that I knew it was only temporary and now that things have settled, I'm back to doing what I have to do to take care of me, including keeping up with the blog. I'll be working to lose the weight that I've gained and get back to being more active (I even got in some push ups this morning!). And thanks to my reunion, I now have a buddy to help keep me on track.

There are still a few bumps in the road looming over the horizon, but I'll deal with them as they get here. In the meantime I'll be enjoying this brand new day and getting back into the swing of things.

Out From Under My Rock

2008-11-23T15:18:00.001-05:00

I'm finally back from my self-imposed exile and ready to get going again. Thanks for the comments from everyone checking in and wondering where I was. Unfortunately my life took a turn towards the insanely busy and something had to give, and the blog turned out to be that something.

I've learned a lot while dealing with everything that's been going on and I intend to share some of that with you over the next few weeks. I think the most important thing I learned is that even when so many things are out of control, there are some things that are in your control.

Just so you know what to expect, I'll be on the road early this week which means I won't be posting again until after the Thanksgiving holiday. I then hope to get back into my routine of posting and visiting other blogs out there. I know I've missed out on a lot of terrific reading and hope to catch up soon.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

How To Refocus Your Weight Loss Efforts

2008-10-04T12:54:00.002-04:00

Even before my last weigh in, it was obvious to me that I needed to get back to all those healthy habits I had recently abandoned. As I'm sure most of you know, regaining that discipline can be a daunting proposition. The steps I list below are the ones that I'm using to get back to where I need to be, and I think they can help you as well.

Stop - The first rule to follow should you find that you're digging yourself into a deep hole is to stop digging! If you don't put it in your mouth, it can't show up on the scale. There's no waiting for tomorrow or next week either; put the fork down and back away from the table!

Let Go - Believe it or not, you're only human. Beating yourself up about those cookies last night or that extra serving at Mom's or even the fast food breakfast you've had every day for the last two weeks is a no-win game. Guilt is a destructive thing; you deserve better, especially from yourself!

Review - Everyone has had some measure of success at some point in their life. Take a look at your successes. It doesn't matter whether they're related to weight loss. Remember how you felt and the attitude you had when you achieved them. You did it before and you can do it again, no matter what the situation is.

Apply - It's not enough to just review those successes. You need to take action. It doesn't matter what you do or even how much you do, as long as you're taking steps in a positive direction. Whether it's one less snack a day, a daily walk after dinner or just keeping a food journal, the key is to start doing something.

Build - Every small success you have when trying to get back into the groove is an important part of reaching your goal. In your efforts to build a new, healthier you, those small successes are like bricks. Use them to build a strong foundation and before you know it you will be back in control and wondering what all the fuss was about!

I hope these steps give you the push that you need to get back on track. I know they've got me off too a good start!

Paying The Piper

2008-09-30T21:27:00.003-04:00

I went to my Weight Watchers meeting tonight and it was time to pay the piper. More specifically, I had to pay to attend the meeting tonight because my weight was more than two pounds over my established goal weight. It was the first time I've had to pay to go to a meeting since reaching lifetime status in June of 2006.

It wasn't unexpected and it didn't fluster me. I knew what my bathroom scale was telling me every morning and now I know what the "official" number is. Now it's just a matter of doing what I have to do in order to get back to where I was.

I haven't mentioned the numbers yet because I wanted to emphasize that while the numbers on the scale are a major portion of how I measure my progress, it is more about getting back into the healthy habits that I've drifting away from. Once I find my way back to those habits the numbers should take care of themselves.

In the interest of full disclosure, however, I will now tell you that I've gained 8.6 pounds since my last weigh in on August 12, a full 5.8 pounds over my goal weight. Taking into account the Weight Watchers allowance of two pounds over goal for lifetime members, that means I will need to lose 3.8 pounds before I can attend meetings for free again.

My own personal goals? I want to get back into those healthy habits, to complete the Hundred Push Up Challenge this time and to get back to blogging on a regular basis.

It looks like I have my work cut out for me!

Facing The Music

2008-09-30T12:24:00.002-04:00

It's humbling to realize how out of touch I've been over the last six weeks. Not only have I been out of touch with the blogging world, but I've also been out of touch with myself. I've blogged before about how busy my life is, but that's nothing more than an excuse.

I've used this excuse of "being busy" to let myself stop paying attention to many things. My good eating habits, my exercise and my blogging have taken a back seat to "being busy" and I can't allow it to continue.

So tonight I will be facing the music, returning to my first Weight Watchers meeting since the middle of August. I can tell you with certainty that I'm over my WW goal by a noticeable amount, but I'm taking steps to get myself back in the game.

It looks like I'll be adding "Taking care of myself" back to the top of my "busy" list. I'll also be working on getting my blogging mojo back to where it was as well.

Time to get started!

The New England Shuffle

2008-08-20T19:52:00.003-04:00

The school year unofficially starts tomorrow as our family begins the road trip up to Massachusetts to drop Offspring #2 off at college. I'll be happy because he graciously volunteered to drive the first leg of the trip, allowing me to settle in with a nice hot cup of coffee and a brand new book that I picked up yesterday.

We'll have a little bit of time to squeeze in some exploring in between the last minute shopping, making sure all the financial aid is straightened out, and the big move in on Saturday morning. By the time we leave for home on Sunday, Mom will have shed a tear or two as her baby leaves the nest, even if it is only temporary for now.

I think the highlight of the year for me will be the retirement of the Mom & Dad Taxi and Limousine Service. It served its clientèle well over the years, but its customer base either moved out of the service area or found other modes of transportation. Not to worry though. Business at The First National Bank of Mom and Dad is still going strong, especially with the new branch opening up in Massachusetts.

Oh yeah, before I forget - I also did some push ups this week. On Monday I repeated Day One of Week Four with the exact same results as the first time: sets of 27, 20, 20, 17 and 41 reps. Today I knocked out Day Two with sets of 27, 21, 21, 18 and 30 (25 min.). I'm hoping to be able to complete Week Four while I'm on the road. I'll let you know how it went the next time I check in.

The Fatal Flaw

2008-08-17T08:40:00.001-04:00

I think I've discovered a fatal flaw in the Hundred Push Up challenge that I've been participating in. Once I tell you about this flaw, I believe that you'll agree with me regarding the magnitude of the flaw and how it puts a serious dent in anyone's ability to complete the challenge.

It seems that in order to complete the challenge properly, you have to remember to do the push ups!!!

Sheesh! I was scheduled to do Day Two of Week Four on Friday, but I plain old forgot to do them. While it's true that I've been preoccupied with a few things including my new toy, which I'll get to in a moment, I really should have been able to remember to knock them out.

In order to get back on track, I've decided to just start Week Four over again, beginning tomorrow. I'll have a challenge towards the end of the week since we'll be on the road, but I'm going to do my best to get those push ups done.

Now on to my new toy. I have an old point and shoot digital camera that I received as a gift a while back. It was ok, but lacked a few features for taking the kinds of pictures that I like to take. This camera finally started acting up, and with our road trip coming up this week, I decided to upgrade.

I now have a Fujifilm FinePix S700 digital camera. It's definitely a step up from my last camera and even though I haven't had a chance to play with it too much yet, I'm happy with it so far. I'll be sure to post some samples after we get back from Massachusetts next week.

Crazy Days And Crazy Nights

2008-08-13T17:07:00.002-04:00

I feel as though summer is still ramping up, but all the signs are telling me otherwise. The NFL has started its pre-season, the Back to School sales have begun and most noticeably, the sun has been setting earlier each day. Sadly, this year has been so crazy that I really haven't had a chance to kick back and enjoy as many of the things that I like to do during the summer months.

Right now, Back To School mode is in full swing here in South Jersey. Our nurse-in-training has decided to live at home instead of on campus this year, so we wound up buying another vehicle for her commute. Her brother will be living on campus though, since a round-trip commute of 1000 miles is a little excessive.

Needless to say, a road trip is in store in my very near future. Aside from the certain confusion of trying to move hundreds of freshmen into the dorms on move-in day, it should be a nice diversion. He'll be rooming with one of his buddies from high school, so both families will be making the trip. We also are leaving a little early to allow for a leisurely ride up as well as a little exploring, which will include a night out for dinner in Boston. As long as everything goes smoothly, it should make up for at least some of hectic pace this summer.

PushUpDate

I (barely) managed to finish Week Three, Day Three of the Hundred Push Up challenge on Monday and Began Week Four today. Day One of Week Four eases up a little from the last day of Week Three. The required sets included reps of 27, 20, 20, 17, and 27+ push ups. I actually fell comfortable during the entire routine and was able to explode with 41 reps during the last set!

You don't have to worry about me getting cocky, though. I took a peek at weeks Five and Six and honestly, they look like killers! I'll be lucky if I only have to repeat half of the days. In the mean time, I feel good about my progress so far, so I'll take it.

Getting My Butt Kicked

2008-08-09T11:24:00.001-04:00

After failing Week Three, Day One of the Hundred Push Up challenge back on August 4th, I was successful in completing Day One on my next attempt two days later. I even managed to get 27 reps in on the last set, two more that the required 25.

I was scheduled to attempt Day Two yesterday but stuff got in the way, so I got down to business earlier this morning. The required sets of 27, 19, 19, 15 and 25+ reps were the toughest I've faced yet. By the middle of the second set of 19 I was really starting to feel it in my arms and it took all of my concentration to push my way through the last set, but I did it, even taking one more push up to the end of the last set.

It still took a while to recover from the effort, though. I imagine that is why it's called a workout. The upside is that I'm really beginning to feel and see results in my shoulders and upper arms. Who knew I had muscles there?

I've also been doing fairly well on the clean eating front, although last night I succumbed to the siren song of pizza. Unfortunately it wasn't even good pizza from the local shop. Because the local place is closed for vacation this week, the more indiscriminate diners in the house voted for pizza from the Hut. I ate it anyway. Eh.

Missed It By That Much...

2008-08-04T20:56:00.005-04:00

I started Week Three of the Hundred Push Up Challenge today and came very close to completing the required sets. Day One asks you to complete sets of 25, 17, 17, 15 and 25+ push ups. Unfortunately I came up just 3 reps short in the last set, managing to complete only 22 push ups before my arms gave out.

My plan is to continue to attempt Day One of Week Three until it's done, then continue from there. It sounds like a reasonable plan of attack for now. In the mean time, I need to cut this post short so that I can attend to some items on my "honey-do" list before I turn in for the night. I've been living the bachelor's life while everyone else in the house has gone to the shore for a few days and need to make sure I don't leave any incriminating evidence in plain view...

On A Roll (Just Not Eating It)

2008-08-02T14:35:00.002-04:00

On Thursday I wrote that I was ready to start making better choices in order to avoid returning to my old eating habits. The plan was to make Thursday a day free of processed foods. How did I do? I wasn't perfect, if that's what you want to know. My only deviation from the plan was when my wife and daughter ordered fried mozzarella sticks at the restaurant we visited for dinner and I gave in.

Friday was a slightly better day in that my only transgressions were bread related: an English muffin at breakfast and croutons in my lunchtime salad. Nothing to really get concerned about.

So far, so good today. Just one slice of bread so far and dinner plans for tonight don't look like they should pose any problems at all.

I think that avoiding processed foods and substituting them with real foods is actually going to be the difference in whether or not I'll actually be able to maintain a healthy weight in the long run. When I'm eating real, whole foods I find that I don't miss the most of the foods I'm trying to avoid unless they're right in front of me.

It's not always a struggle that I win, but as long as I'm trying, I should do just fine.

Push Up Update

I'm sailing right along with the Hundred Push Up Challenge. Yesterday I completed Day Three of Week Two with sets of 15, 15, 12, 12 and 30. Today I did the exhaustion test scheduled for the end of Week Two, completing 36 good form push ups. That will put me in the third column for Week Three, which looks like it will be a killer. I'll be sure to keep you all posted.

(Another) Wake Up Call

2008-07-31T08:42:00.002-04:00

I've lost a considerable amount of weight. I've kept it off for over a year. I'm in the middle of a program that will culminate in me being able to perform one hundred continuous push ups. All good things, things that I never envisioned for myself at the beginning of 2006 before I started down this path.

None of that means a thing when I get cocky and start to get lazy with the good habits that brought me that success in the first place. Unfortunately I've been playing fast and loose with those habits again and I need to tighten things up a bit. I could trot out a whole bunch of excuses, ~~many~~ a few of them valid ones, but the bottom line is that I need to get my rear in gear and do the things that I know I need to do.

I realized this last month when I began the Back To Basics Boot Camp. I realized it again last night when I sat down with a cup of coffee and two different bags of Oreo cookies. I don't even like Oreos.

This isn't even about my weight. I'm still within the weight range I want to be. It's about being mindful, being aware and not falling back into my old destructive eating habits. I want to eat healthy foods and be active. I just need to remember that the things that I want to happen won't happen unless I actually do something about them.

I'm not ready to continue the Boot Camp right now, but I am ready to start making better choices by making today a day free of processed foods. That should get me started in the right direction.

Push Up Update

I've also been forgetting to update my progress on the Hundred Push Up Challenge. I've completed the first two days of Week Two, completing sets of 12, 12, 9, 7 and 22 on Day One and sets of 16, 13, 11, 11 and 30 push ups on Day Two. Day Three is tomorrow, then I do an exhaustion test to determine what level I'll start with in Week Three.

Good Vibrations, Vega-Table Style

2008-07-26T10:21:00.007-04:00

I've been a casual fan of the Beach Boys for about as long as I've been listening to music. Between the car songs, the surf songs and the girl songs, it pretty much covers all the important topics.

I recently came across Smile, Beach Boy Brian Wilson's legendary project that was shelved in 1966 and finally released in 2004. While listening to Smile, I came across the song Vega-Tables, which cause a great big grin to spread across my face:

I'm gonna be 'round my vegetables.
I'm gonna chow down my vegetables.
I love you most of all, my favorite vegetable

If you brought a big brown bag of them home,
I'd jump up and down and hope you'd toss me a carrot-

With lyrics like that, I'm sure many of you reading this feel the same way. Incidentally, if you'd like to hear the entire song, the Amazon.com MP3 store has it available for download for just 99 cents.

The song ends with an invitation for the listener to share the name of their favorite vegetable:

I know that you'll feel better when you send us in your letter.
And tell us the name of your...Your favorite vegetable.

So I invite you to do the same! Leave a comment with the name of you favorite, and how you like to prepare it.

My favorite is a big, ripe Jersey tomato. I have two favorite ways to enjoy them. I'll either just cut one up into nice thick slices sprinkled with some black pepper, or I'll whip up a tomato, cucumber and onion salad with a little bit of black pepper, oregano and basil drizzled with some olive oil and red wine vinegar.

How about you?

Before I forget, I also completed Week One of the Hundred Pushup Challenge (again). My results for this week are below. For more information about the Challenge, click here.

My Hundred Pushup Challenge:

Week 1	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5
Day 1	10	10	8	6	7+
Monday	10	10	8	6	26
Day 2	12	12	10	10	10+
Wednesday	12	12	10	10	23
Day 3	15	13	10	10	15+
Friday	15	13	10	10	21

Remembering How To Breathe

2008-07-21T17:51:00.006-04:00

I think the universe is in the process of trying to teach me a few things lately. The biggest lessons that have been making themselves known all seem to share a common theme. As I've been slowly absorbing these lessons, the one theme that has emerged is simply to remember how to breathe. Real breaths, slow and deep. Breaths that take time to complete because you can't fill your lungs when you're in a hurry; the kind that start from your toes and end when your lungs feel like a stretched-out balloon.

When you breathe like that, you can't help but slow down. When you slow down, you can't help but start thinking. That is when the universe does its magic, because when you start thinking, you can't help but realize that everything isn't as bad as it seems. Sure, you still have to deal with the stuff that happens in your life, but when you remember how to breathe, you also remember how much more there is to life than the things that you tend to worry about.

Push Up Challenge, Week One, Day One:
Yesterday I started fresh with an initial test of 28 push ups, clearly showing that I held on to some of the conditioning from my previous attempt at the challenge. That started me at column 3, which required 5 sets of 10,10,8,6 and 7+ push ups each. I handled them without a problem and hit reps in the last set.

My next attempt will be Wednesday, so stay tuned.

Well Howdy!

2008-07-20T13:01:00.003-04:00

Looks like I'll be able to get back into my blogging habit now that things have lightened up a bit on the home front.

I'm not going to be able to pick up right where I left off, although I do eventually want to get around to finishing the Back to Basics Boot Camp. Also, the same things that kept me from blogging left me unable to participate in the 5K I had signed up for. I was disappointed to say the least, but there will always be another 5K out there somewhere.

My hiatus also interrupted my participation in the Hundred Push Up Challenge, so now that I'm back, I decided to restart that today with my initial test. Tomorrow I will begin Week One, and this time I intend to finish!

Thanks to everyone who kept an eye on the place while I was gone. I'll be making the rounds and visiting your blogs as the week progresses. There's a lot of catching up to do!

On Hiatus

2008-07-02T07:30:00.000-04:00

Sometimes life just throws stuff at you so fast that you feel like you're in a never-ending game of dodge ball. Sometimes it's little stuff, sometimes it's not.

Since this past weekend, I've been playing professional dodge ball, and something had to give. Unfortunately, this blog is one of the things that had to give.

I am not abandoning the blog or my healthy habits. When I feel as though I'm able to come back, I will. I do not know how long it will take, but once the things I need to take care of have been put where they belong, you can bet that I'll be back.

In the mean time, I may pop in for an occasional look-see, just to make sure no one's rearranging the furniture in my absence, so no one better get any ideas!

Until I get back, just remember: No matter how bad things get, the chances are pretty good that there are least a billion people on this planet that are probably having a worse day than you are...