My right shoulder is real sore today, so I didn't do pushups in the morning. I substituted um...I don't know what you call 'em... later in the day.

a.m. - 3 sets of 54 crunches

p.m. - 30 minutes on exercise bike with 3 sprints, 65 crunches

a.m. 3 sets of 30 pushups/50 crunches



p.m. - 30 min. jogging, two short sprints at the end

3 sets of 50 crunches

Storm Stories

50 crunches

shoveling (Oh my wet snow! And that crap at the end of the driveway...ughhh!)

I've done less cardio this week than I would have liked. There's a lot going on. Have to do a better job in the coming days. A return to the work week will help get me into a regular routine. Tomorrow I'll check my weight (work was canceled today due to weather).

Speaking of weather, can't wait for warm temps for many reasons. One is the ability to bicycle. This year, Colin will be my copilot in the child seat. Ian is a big boy and has his own bike. Looking forward to us all biking together, too! Good exercise!

Sunday

3 sets of 28 pushups/50 crunches

moderate exercise outdoors

Moving Up!

3 sets of 28 pushups/50 crunches

good food day again even though I ate lunch at McD's (there's a trick to it....tell you later!)

Frantic!

I barely had time to run today! Some friends were over with their kids and I had to break away just in time for 30 minutes of running, a shower, and then we were off to the next thing. Anyway, I got in a good workout. Phew!


a.m. 3 sets of 27 pushups/48 crunches

p.m. 30 minutes running with 2 very short walk breaks

Snow Burn

Shovel snow - burn calories.

I only burned about 100 or so, but what the heck. It's worth somethin'!

a.m. exercise: 3 sets of 27 pushups/48 crunches

Same sets tomorrow, going up again on Saturday. Also, tomorrow I'm going to run again and check my weight.

Today's Workout

3 sets of 26 pushups/45 crunches

30 min. on bike plus 5 - 45 second sprints...whew!
3 sets of 45 crunches


I have started my food log. Came out well today for calories. Unfortunately, I can't remember what my targets are for fat, protein and carbs (I only track these four). I'll have to reestablish those figures tomorrow. I know I'm in the ballpark but it worked so well before when I had it dialed in that I want to make sure they're the same.

Weight Check

I weighed myself about two weeks ago at work (on a scale that may be inaccurate) and came up with 236.5. Today, on the same scale, I weighed 232.5. Not very satisfying, although I've undoubtedly put on some muscle.*

So, I'm going to check up on my food intake with a week long food log. There have been times when it didn't seem like I was taking in enough calories. I wasn't hungry but was eating low count meals. That could be working against me; sometimes your body stores everything it takes in (as fat) because it doesn't have what it needs. Or, it could be that some snacking after dinner is adding up more than I think. It's hard to tell without keeping track. Thus, the food log.

In an early post, I mentioned that I wasn't going to keep strict track of my meals this time unless my progress was slow. I think now is a good time to do it. It's tedious, but it sure paid off last time. It may be nothing. Body weight fluctuates a lot, so I'll just keep a closer eye on things for a while and then I'll know for sure.

I'm also, as already planned, going to up the cardiovascular exercise to 5 times per week.



Today's exercise: 3 sets of 25 pushups/42 crunches

* A note on building muscle: heavy weightlifting and other strength exercises can cause you to gain weight rather than lose it; on the other hand, adding muscle mass in the right proportions changes your body's muscle/fat ratio and will help you burn more calories, even while at rest.

Finally!

This entry is for Monday, February 16

Today was pretty packed but I was determined to get a good workout in. I was tired of the bike (which is weird because I'm just getting started) and decided to go running. When I say running I mean jog/walk/jog/walk. The idea is to keep my heart rate up for a specified time. I did, however, push it pretty hard and got a hard sprint in at the end. It was not easy and I'll be sore, but I'm relieved to have that behind me. I'm anxious to achieve some early results and that's not going to happen by missing workouts.

Thanks to Steph for being flexible and letting me go run while she was making supper and taking care of the kids!


Today's exercise: 3 sets of 25 pushups/42 crunches, 30 min. run

I Missed Again

Morning exercises: I stuck with 3 sets of 24 pushups/40 crunches (same as yesterday). I focused on doing every pushup and crunch perfectly to get the most out of it.

I'm going to increase reps every two days for a while. It's hard (and maybe not advisable) to increase every day when you get to a certain point. I started with 3 sets of 10 pushups/15 crunches just two weeks ago! That's an increase from 30 pushups/45 crunches total to 72 pushups/120 crunches. Not bad.

When I get up to 100 pushups/200 crunches I will start adding other elements to my morning routine.

Today I was supposed to do my cardio workout for sure. Instead of running or using the bike, it consisted of moving furniture. A friend of mine is going through a bad divorce and his household got wiped almost clean of furnishings. Not even a kitchen table for his two little ones to eat at. Needless to say, it wasn't much of a workout so I'm back at it hard tomorrow.

No matter what.


adding reps every 2 days up to 30/50?

You Know That Feeling...

Today's exercise: a.m. - 3 sets 24 pushups/40 crunches

I was going to do a cardio workout today, but I'm feeling kinda sick. I may be getting what Ian's got. Decided to eat well and conserve my strength. The last thing I need is to get really sick!

Friday

a.m. exercise: 3 sets of 23 pushups/38 crunches

cardio tomorrow

A Journey With no Journey

This post is for Thursday, February 12

Good workout today running in the halls. I thought I was going to be dying in two laps, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. The biking and other stuff has already made a significant difference in what I can do. Not to say it was easy!

The earbuds for my ipod are driving me nuts!. Jared's going to show me a trick for keeping them in. I want my tunes!


Today's exercise: a.m. - 3 sets 22 pushups/36 crunches, p.m. - 30 min. jog, 3 sets 36 crunches

Wednesday

I was going to run today even though it was not a workout day because of the warmer temperature. Then things got booked up after work, so I didn't.

Maybe tomorrow I'll run instead of biking, even if it's indoors.

Bikin' with Satriani

Today I worked out to Joe Satriani's "The Extremist". I was getting frustrated the other day because my earbuds wouldn't stay in my ears so, instead of using my ipod I cranked up the sound system in the basement and went for it. It turned out to be a pretty intense workout.


Today's exercise: a.m. 3 sets of 21 pushups/35 crunches; p.m. 30 minutes on the bike plus seven 30 second sprints and 3 sets of 35 crunches


Good day, eh.

Still a Big Belly

The way my pants fit is still a bit snug. Disappointing, although I know it's a touch different already and it will take some more time...I'm just a bit anxious is all. Looking forward to having some room in the waistline!


Today's exercise: 3 sets of 20 pushups/33 crunches

Tomorrow I do a cardio workout.

New Features

This morning I started doing morning exercises, part of my program that starts in week two. I do 3 sets of pushups and crunches right when I get up, regardless of whatever else I'm doing or not doing for workouts that day. Details to follow in a later post. Which brings me to this:

I will soon be detailing the techniques that made me successful in the past (one of them is the morning exercises - every day, NO MATTER WHAT). They will be numbered so they stick out and can be kept track of, or perhaps, compiled. Look for an intro and tip # 1 in a future entry.


Today's exercise: 3 sets of 18 pushups/30 crunches, a hike in the woods with Colin in the backpack-child carrier, 30 min. on the bike with six 30 second sprints at the end, 3 sets of 30 crunches


Those totals are going up fast. Did you notice?

"I want to ride my -bi-CY-CLE, I want to ride my bike..."

Today was a good day food-wise and rest-wise.


Also, and, most importantly: I fixed the exercise bike! The wheel was apparently hitting against the chain periodically. Bits of orange plastic in the links of the chain and the chain side of the wheel having chunks missing were the clues I needed. A little adjustment to the axle and...voila!

Tomorrow I'm back in the saddle!

In the Second Week...

...I will be doing pushups and situps every morning. Every other day will be a cardio workout and additional pushups and situps, as explained in an earlier post.


Today's work:

morning: 3 sets of 16 pushups/27 crunches

afternoon: 34 minutes on the bike, 5 sprints at the end

3 sets of 16 pushups/27 crunches



I'm feeling better already from the exercise and changes in diet!

Vini, Veggie, Vinci !

Every day that I eat right is a victory. By choosing the right foods, I can eat quite a bit and still come out right by the numbers. The last thing I ever was during my first weight loss period was hungry. As you can see, I eat plenty! I haven't checked all the calories, fat, carbs, and protein, but I can tell this is a successful day:

Breakfast: Coffee, 1 egg, 2 1/2 oz. ham, 1/2 ruby red grapefruit, water

a.m. snack: yogurt, doz. grapes, carrot sticks

Lunch: 280 calorie Lean cuisine, carrots, celery, water

p.m. snack: 1 tbsp. raisins, carrots, 1 cracker

Dinner: Big salad w/ham, sugar snap peas, corn, 1 pc. American cheese, 1 Lite, 1 bite mac & cheese

coffee


As my wrestling coach used to say (this was with the understanding that: 1. we would be working out during the season and 2. we would be eating, not starving ourselves, which he did not approve of) , "You make weight at the dinner table."

Not Easy

Today I was going to use the exercise bike at work. Granted I would have to use it in the morning during some "off" time. I had to leave right after work.

It was available but, "Have you been trained yet for the fitness room?"

Uggghh!!! I've used just about every machine in there at one time or another. I've had memberships in gyms, endured the basics a few times already. I'm a varsity coach and official. I'm certified in First Aid and CPR. I know where the defibrilator is. I'm good.

It's an insurance thing.

Instead I ran.It hurt.

Today's exercise: 27 minutes jog/walk/jog/walk
3 sets of 15 pushups/25 crunches

A Bit at a Time

Today I increased to 3 sets of 14 pushups/21 crunches. It doesn't sound like much, but adding reps on a daily basis builds strength gradually and confidence and sense of accomplishment quickly.

I got a little off track with the cardiovascular exercise as I left my workout clothes in the van this morning after buckling Ian in his seat! No worries. Tomorrow I'll be back on the bike. I'll just adjust my schedule accordingly.

Onward!

Super Bowl Sunday

EXERCISE: 26 minutes bike, 3 30-second sprints at end/3 sets of 12 pushups, 18 crunches

Felt pretty good today. The exercise bike has a mechanical problem that I will try to fix tomorrow. If I can't fix it I'll have to use the one at work.

Hopefully the big game will inspire me. When I look at how hard some people exert themselves, I feel pathetic for not exercising. Maybe I'll do some crunches during the game!