Runkeeper Stats
Now that I know where my distance limit is, I am now playing with endurance and strength training. Today I power walked to the end of the road and slow walked back. My legs felt really close to muscle failure, which is what I want for now to get the fibers to break up and heal so that more muscle tissue can grow.
Had a nice wind today that really offset the lingering heat of the day. Breathing what a challenge today due to the warm air but had assistance when facing the wind. Yay for positive pressure breathing!
I found out today that I am an inspiration for someone. Talk about a turn around in attitude for me. It was all fine well and dandy for me to be pissed off because I couldn't get results. Now that I know I am an inspiration to someone, well that changes everything. It's not just all about me, its about anyone that I have inspired to try and do something better for themselves. It makes all my bitching and moaning seem trite.
So I would like to say thank you to those who have contacted me saying that I have inspired you. I would also extend a thank you for those who haven't contacted me but have found themselves adding miles to their day because some upstart who found himself in Florida decided to start a blog about it. :) I would like to also thank my supporters who check in from time to time, you know who you are. I have been asked about what people can do to help me on my way. Well I have been trying to buy a "Good" juicer machine for awhile. There are "things" on this blog that can be accessed that will help me on that goal. However, the terms of service prohibits me from specifically telling people to do such things. So, if you figure it out, thanks! :)
Monday, April 30, 2012
Long Walk Home Update
As promised, I have updated the "Long Walk Home Challenge" map with my current walking distances.
The stats are as follows:
Which translates to this:
I am now officially on 95 North heading to Georgia. Having driven this route I am actually quite surprised I made it to I-95 already.
Virtual backpacking for the win!
The stats are as follows:
Which translates to this:
I am now officially on 95 North heading to Georgia. Having driven this route I am actually quite surprised I made it to I-95 already.
Virtual backpacking for the win!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Heat and Humidity. Yeah they matter..
Runkeeper stats
Last night's walk was nothing to write about. There were incoming thunderstorms and active lightning. I walk by a major airport, which is long open and flat ground. So I opted to walk around the parking lot just to keep some form of walking in play. Again, nothing to write about.
Tonight, the weather was warm and humid but there was a semi strong wind blowing that kept it tolerable. I found that the walk today was mentally challenging as my frustrations and impatience for change is growing. The urge to say "Fuck it all" was very close to the surface and walking through it was challenging. Not having a scale that is showing me any progress in one direction or another is more frustrating simply because I don't know what is going on weight wise. I still have the small changes happening and its a matter of believing that they matter. My worry has always been that my weight is due to a medical condition that requires a Doctor or surgery. It would really suck if all this time the weight I have been gaining was due to some benign tumor or something. So concern, worry and frustration are all factors in my day.
The heat and humidity were a big challenge on the comfort and breathing tonight. As always, the lower back is still giving my some trouble but that is happening later on in the walks everyday. My biggest challenge comes towards the time where I push my distance before turning around. Since I have made it to the end of the road, my new push area is the loop just past my return driveway. I found that today's walk was push the boundaries of my hour lunch. So until I can walk faster, I don't think my distance will increase much past today. So I have found my limit, I think. I am pretty sure if it were a cooler and less humid night, I may be a bit less likely to walk slow. On the other hand, until my strength increases and my weight balances, I am kind of at a tipping point limit.
The next couple of days may end up being weight lifting days as we are coming into some busy days at work. I may be working through my lunch break. So we shall see.
Last night's walk was nothing to write about. There were incoming thunderstorms and active lightning. I walk by a major airport, which is long open and flat ground. So I opted to walk around the parking lot just to keep some form of walking in play. Again, nothing to write about.
Tonight, the weather was warm and humid but there was a semi strong wind blowing that kept it tolerable. I found that the walk today was mentally challenging as my frustrations and impatience for change is growing. The urge to say "Fuck it all" was very close to the surface and walking through it was challenging. Not having a scale that is showing me any progress in one direction or another is more frustrating simply because I don't know what is going on weight wise. I still have the small changes happening and its a matter of believing that they matter. My worry has always been that my weight is due to a medical condition that requires a Doctor or surgery. It would really suck if all this time the weight I have been gaining was due to some benign tumor or something. So concern, worry and frustration are all factors in my day.
The heat and humidity were a big challenge on the comfort and breathing tonight. As always, the lower back is still giving my some trouble but that is happening later on in the walks everyday. My biggest challenge comes towards the time where I push my distance before turning around. Since I have made it to the end of the road, my new push area is the loop just past my return driveway. I found that today's walk was push the boundaries of my hour lunch. So until I can walk faster, I don't think my distance will increase much past today. So I have found my limit, I think. I am pretty sure if it were a cooler and less humid night, I may be a bit less likely to walk slow. On the other hand, until my strength increases and my weight balances, I am kind of at a tipping point limit.
The next couple of days may end up being weight lifting days as we are coming into some busy days at work. I may be working through my lunch break. So we shall see.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Warming up for the weekend
Runkeeper Stats (Part 1)
Runkeeper Stats (Part 2)
As much as I would have liked to have made this one full trip, my phone rebooted. I am only grateful in the fact that the app periodically saves the information to the webpage as the walk goes. Otherwise there would be a very unhappy camper.
While today's walk wasn't that record breaking, breathing has been improving. Its taking til the .75 mile mark before it becomes harder and somewhat forceful but nowhere near as debilitating as it was in the beginning. Also, the pain in the lower back, while there, is starting to spur on a challenge to the point where walking through the pain and pushing it, almost daring it to be worse than it is. Half the walk back was spent sneering at the pain and showing it who is boss of the walk. Plus there were only 2 official stop breaks tonight. Once was at the end of the road before turning around, the other was where the phone rebooted. Which shows that endurance is building up slowly.
My diet has changed a bit this week and will be further be merging to the Primal Blueprint. My protein intake has been upped dramatically as has my natural fat intake. So my evening meal is a four egg omelet with onions and peppers diced and a nice dash of Louisiana Hot Sauce. That, by the way, is a really tasty hot sauce. If you haven't tried it yet, I would highly suggest it. Then I would either have a pork steak or a few slices of bacon, which I have been doing simply for the grease to saute the vegetables and cook the eggs in. Its very hearty and fulfilling for a dinner. Maybe I will get sick of eggs, but for now I am loving it. tonight is shopping night and perhaps there will be some jimmy dean sausage rolls in the near future and whatever meat steak that can be found that is inexpensive.
I am slowly phasing out the excess carbs that I had bought prior to my diet switch over. Which is sad because I really do like my morning oatmeal. At any rate, the amount of food and quality of food is proving to be denser and longer lasting for fulfillment. I also think that my recovery time at the end of the week is increasing due to the larger portion of protein that I am ingesting. Soon I will be adding smoothies to my list of things to have. Which will be nice because I really enjoy a good smoothie, especially when it fills my chocolate sweet tooth.
No real update on what my weight is yet.The scale I have is not giving up the goose, still doing the scale scream (EEEEEEEEEEE) when I stand on it. The only real benchmarks I can give are that bending and reaching places on my body are getting easier, IE: putting on socks. My pants seem to fit comfortably now, which means they aren't cutting into the waistline sharply in either a standing or sitting position. On walks, as I have said, breathing is much easier. I don't see much "weight" falling off visibly as in my face/cheek areas, however a wise woman once told me that its hard to see millimeter changes on a daily basis. Patience is still difficult, some days I get the frustrated "Why bother!" feeling simply because the scale still isn't showing a reading and that makes taking the walks doubly harder to start. What keeps me going are the important people in my life. My wife, my family and my friends. I know that they want me around and have said as much. My hope is I can start reporting back hard weight data from my home scale on a weekly to bi-weekly basis.
My year had a rocky start and I needed a kick in the ass to get out and start doing what I planned to do. There are no apologies here just effort to kick start my life over again and see where I end up.
Runkeeper Stats (Part 2)
As much as I would have liked to have made this one full trip, my phone rebooted. I am only grateful in the fact that the app periodically saves the information to the webpage as the walk goes. Otherwise there would be a very unhappy camper.
While today's walk wasn't that record breaking, breathing has been improving. Its taking til the .75 mile mark before it becomes harder and somewhat forceful but nowhere near as debilitating as it was in the beginning. Also, the pain in the lower back, while there, is starting to spur on a challenge to the point where walking through the pain and pushing it, almost daring it to be worse than it is. Half the walk back was spent sneering at the pain and showing it who is boss of the walk. Plus there were only 2 official stop breaks tonight. Once was at the end of the road before turning around, the other was where the phone rebooted. Which shows that endurance is building up slowly.
My diet has changed a bit this week and will be further be merging to the Primal Blueprint. My protein intake has been upped dramatically as has my natural fat intake. So my evening meal is a four egg omelet with onions and peppers diced and a nice dash of Louisiana Hot Sauce. That, by the way, is a really tasty hot sauce. If you haven't tried it yet, I would highly suggest it. Then I would either have a pork steak or a few slices of bacon, which I have been doing simply for the grease to saute the vegetables and cook the eggs in. Its very hearty and fulfilling for a dinner. Maybe I will get sick of eggs, but for now I am loving it. tonight is shopping night and perhaps there will be some jimmy dean sausage rolls in the near future and whatever meat steak that can be found that is inexpensive.
I am slowly phasing out the excess carbs that I had bought prior to my diet switch over. Which is sad because I really do like my morning oatmeal. At any rate, the amount of food and quality of food is proving to be denser and longer lasting for fulfillment. I also think that my recovery time at the end of the week is increasing due to the larger portion of protein that I am ingesting. Soon I will be adding smoothies to my list of things to have. Which will be nice because I really enjoy a good smoothie, especially when it fills my chocolate sweet tooth.
No real update on what my weight is yet.The scale I have is not giving up the goose, still doing the scale scream (EEEEEEEEEEE) when I stand on it. The only real benchmarks I can give are that bending and reaching places on my body are getting easier, IE: putting on socks. My pants seem to fit comfortably now, which means they aren't cutting into the waistline sharply in either a standing or sitting position. On walks, as I have said, breathing is much easier. I don't see much "weight" falling off visibly as in my face/cheek areas, however a wise woman once told me that its hard to see millimeter changes on a daily basis. Patience is still difficult, some days I get the frustrated "Why bother!" feeling simply because the scale still isn't showing a reading and that makes taking the walks doubly harder to start. What keeps me going are the important people in my life. My wife, my family and my friends. I know that they want me around and have said as much. My hope is I can start reporting back hard weight data from my home scale on a weekly to bi-weekly basis.
My year had a rocky start and I needed a kick in the ass to get out and start doing what I planned to do. There are no apologies here just effort to kick start my life over again and see where I end up.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Damn you, lower back!
Runkeeper stats
Nice night for a walk. One of the coolest things that I get to see every night I walk is that transition from dusk to dark.
Breathing is no longer a problem while walking, I can now easily forget about it, where 2 weeks ago I was constantly conscious of the fact that I could not inhale any deeper and I needed more air. The only time my breathing become labored is when my lower back seizes up and I am over compensating my stride to accommodate for the pain. Lower back locked up about the same place in my walk as it did last night, I am hoping that it is only because I have a nice large belly that I am carrying around.
Either way, progress in strides. I will be working on my new distance for the "Long Walk Home" and post that later tonight.
Nice night for a walk. One of the coolest things that I get to see every night I walk is that transition from dusk to dark.
Breathing is no longer a problem while walking, I can now easily forget about it, where 2 weeks ago I was constantly conscious of the fact that I could not inhale any deeper and I needed more air. The only time my breathing become labored is when my lower back seizes up and I am over compensating my stride to accommodate for the pain. Lower back locked up about the same place in my walk as it did last night, I am hoping that it is only because I have a nice large belly that I am carrying around.
Either way, progress in strides. I will be working on my new distance for the "Long Walk Home" and post that later tonight.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Getting easier..
Runkeeper stats
The last few days have been emotionally trying through no fault. I think that the exercise and diet changes are finally having some physical and mental affects on me. I may not have exercised much, but i did kettle bell 2 out of the last 4 days. April 20th was my late Father's birthday, so I didn't feel the need to do anything.
Today, the first half mile was cake. Just trucking along, breathing was nowhere near what it was on day 1. Hit .50 and kept going to the first stop to take a quick break. The continued down the road to the end. By the time, a slow dread that a mistake may have been made in wanting to push that far today but since it an out and back type of walk, nothing really could be done about it. Took a break at the end of the road and headed back. About two minute back towards the original break point, my lower back seized up. One moment loose, next moment brick hard and painful. Pushed through the pain and made it back to break point 1 to sit and limber up. Took my time and did some stretching before heading back to my starting point. after that, it was pretty easy sailing. My last break point is right before having to jump the gate that the property management places across the driveway to prevent people from driving thru to get to the mall. From there its like .22 miles to the front door but it might as well have been 3 miles. Even though I rested and stretched on that last break, a minute into walking my lower back had quite enough and complained the rest of the way back.
So, things are improving and getting easier and I have found the next challenge level on my walk so good things to be had. Endurance seems to be forming up nicely and if the energy output continues to stay longer and longer, i may add the "round the block" portion to my walk if i can manage to keep the entire walk under 45 minutes.
In other news, I was reading a science report that claims that scientists have linked aspirin use to an enzyme that burns fat! (Go Australia). As usual with most reports, they do suggest that people not try this out on their own. So, I promptly added it to my daily supplement regiment. Nothing to drastic mind you, just what the first aid kit had available an only 1/2 dose a day. When I get shopping, I will find the lowest dose available that is not a kids chewable and add 1 pill a day for a few weeks and see if I notice any changes. I don't have any known health issues other than being overweight and I feel that a low single dose a day is almost a homeopathic route of application at any rate. So we will see.
The last few days have been emotionally trying through no fault. I think that the exercise and diet changes are finally having some physical and mental affects on me. I may not have exercised much, but i did kettle bell 2 out of the last 4 days. April 20th was my late Father's birthday, so I didn't feel the need to do anything.
Today, the first half mile was cake. Just trucking along, breathing was nowhere near what it was on day 1. Hit .50 and kept going to the first stop to take a quick break. The continued down the road to the end. By the time, a slow dread that a mistake may have been made in wanting to push that far today but since it an out and back type of walk, nothing really could be done about it. Took a break at the end of the road and headed back. About two minute back towards the original break point, my lower back seized up. One moment loose, next moment brick hard and painful. Pushed through the pain and made it back to break point 1 to sit and limber up. Took my time and did some stretching before heading back to my starting point. after that, it was pretty easy sailing. My last break point is right before having to jump the gate that the property management places across the driveway to prevent people from driving thru to get to the mall. From there its like .22 miles to the front door but it might as well have been 3 miles. Even though I rested and stretched on that last break, a minute into walking my lower back had quite enough and complained the rest of the way back.
So, things are improving and getting easier and I have found the next challenge level on my walk so good things to be had. Endurance seems to be forming up nicely and if the energy output continues to stay longer and longer, i may add the "round the block" portion to my walk if i can manage to keep the entire walk under 45 minutes.
In other news, I was reading a science report that claims that scientists have linked aspirin use to an enzyme that burns fat! (Go Australia). As usual with most reports, they do suggest that people not try this out on their own. So, I promptly added it to my daily supplement regiment. Nothing to drastic mind you, just what the first aid kit had available an only 1/2 dose a day. When I get shopping, I will find the lowest dose available that is not a kids chewable and add 1 pill a day for a few weeks and see if I notice any changes. I don't have any known health issues other than being overweight and I feel that a low single dose a day is almost a homeopathic route of application at any rate. So we will see.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Kettle bell in place of walking & Pedometer stats for 04/16/12
I did not walk today, felt the need to rest and heal up for the day seeing how the pain of chafed areas wanted a break. In place of walking was the kettle bell routine. In case it was not posted this is what it is:
I have a 20 pound kettle bell and it is enough to knock my ass out of commission after completion. Think it looks easy? Go ahead, try it out, get back to me on that.
Seeing how I need to add a weight regiment to my routine, any day that I don't walk, I do this. If its on my day off, I need to challenge myself to do this at least twice a day. On days I work, just once before going to bed.
For your viewing pleasure, my meager walking stats for the day:
Total steps: 824
Total distance: 0.26
Minus Runkeeper walk: 0
Total distance walked modified: .26 miles
Hence kettle bell..
I have a 20 pound kettle bell and it is enough to knock my ass out of commission after completion. Think it looks easy? Go ahead, try it out, get back to me on that.
Seeing how I need to add a weight regiment to my routine, any day that I don't walk, I do this. If its on my day off, I need to challenge myself to do this at least twice a day. On days I work, just once before going to bed.
For your viewing pleasure, my meager walking stats for the day:
Total steps: 824
Total distance: 0.26
Minus Runkeeper walk: 0
Total distance walked modified: .26 miles
Hence kettle bell..
Monday, April 16, 2012
Pedometer reset stats for 04/15/2012
Total steps: 6321
Total distance: 3.12
Minus Runkeeper walk: 1.37
Total distance walked modified: 1.75 miles
Total distance: 3.12
Minus Runkeeper walk: 1.37
Total distance walked modified: 1.75 miles
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Holy 88 mph!
Runkeeper Stats
I did not want to go out and walk tonight. Not for any real reason, just that the want or urge to get out of the chair and move forward was lacking. Needless to say, foot found pavement and the trip today was not bad, in fact rather eye opening. Not only was yesterday's distance pushed but time and space was lost for about 30 seconds. For me, this is a milestone as it was something that would happen all the time years ago when walking as a teen.
Woke up aching like crazy this morning hence the reason for a lack of desire to walk. Wasn't sure if I was going to change it out for the kettle ball weight or not. Looking to put more protein into my diet so the muscles will have a bit more room to heal. The last few weeks I have been reducing my calorie intake to try and get the stored fat to burn off a bit quicker. Not scientific, to be sure, however it made sense at the time plus soup is cheap and easy to make at work at the moment. Once the primal diet is figured out and I can portion it into a week long prep ahead situation, changes should start rolling in like mad.
I also want to start doing smoothies again. Once I get a blender there is going to be a trip to Aldi's to pick up some frozen fruit and peanut butter and whatever else I can find for interesting smoothie recipes. I saw that I should be adding some herbs to my shakes for some added benefits. Real mint, chocolate whey, peanut butter and banana smoothie. Sounds pretty good to me.
I did not want to go out and walk tonight. Not for any real reason, just that the want or urge to get out of the chair and move forward was lacking. Needless to say, foot found pavement and the trip today was not bad, in fact rather eye opening. Not only was yesterday's distance pushed but time and space was lost for about 30 seconds. For me, this is a milestone as it was something that would happen all the time years ago when walking as a teen.
Woke up aching like crazy this morning hence the reason for a lack of desire to walk. Wasn't sure if I was going to change it out for the kettle ball weight or not. Looking to put more protein into my diet so the muscles will have a bit more room to heal. The last few weeks I have been reducing my calorie intake to try and get the stored fat to burn off a bit quicker. Not scientific, to be sure, however it made sense at the time plus soup is cheap and easy to make at work at the moment. Once the primal diet is figured out and I can portion it into a week long prep ahead situation, changes should start rolling in like mad.
I also want to start doing smoothies again. Once I get a blender there is going to be a trip to Aldi's to pick up some frozen fruit and peanut butter and whatever else I can find for interesting smoothie recipes. I saw that I should be adding some herbs to my shakes for some added benefits. Real mint, chocolate whey, peanut butter and banana smoothie. Sounds pretty good to me.
Pedometer reset stats for 04/14/2012
Total steps: 7862
Total distance: 3.85
Minus Runkeeper walk: 1.24
Total distance walked modified: 2.61 miles
Total distance: 3.85
Minus Runkeeper walk: 1.24
Total distance walked modified: 2.61 miles
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Goal achieved
Runkeeper Walk Stats
I finally did it, time and technology finally came together and I have a full mile plus a lil bit on one Runkeeper walk. Recorded, documented, done.
Nice thing about today was that I didn't feel like I was carrying extra weight today. I am not sure that this is due to me stretching out from yesterdays walk or not. Breathing is becoming easier each trip out as well and actually had my sinuses pop wide open which shocked me so much I almost tripped. Nothing says "Surprise" better than an unencumbered inhale through the nose you didn't expect. What other stupid body trick I have in store for myself will be interesting to see. Had to take a couple of stops to loosen a side stitch, but overall it was a pretty good walk.
I am looking at following the Primal Blueprint soon, once I can gather enough information to form out a plan that I can follow. Trying not to fall into the trap of collecting information and immediately trying to apply it. I know from experience that all it does is frustrate me and causes me to give it up and a temper tantrum. The blog online that will helpful on this journey is http://www.marksdailyapple.com which is the online supplement to the books that are available. Anyone willing to go with me on this journey is welcome. Hit me up on a comment or email and we can collaborate.
Need to get my dinner and get back to the grind.`
I finally did it, time and technology finally came together and I have a full mile plus a lil bit on one Runkeeper walk. Recorded, documented, done.
Nice thing about today was that I didn't feel like I was carrying extra weight today. I am not sure that this is due to me stretching out from yesterdays walk or not. Breathing is becoming easier each trip out as well and actually had my sinuses pop wide open which shocked me so much I almost tripped. Nothing says "Surprise" better than an unencumbered inhale through the nose you didn't expect. What other stupid body trick I have in store for myself will be interesting to see. Had to take a couple of stops to loosen a side stitch, but overall it was a pretty good walk.
I am looking at following the Primal Blueprint soon, once I can gather enough information to form out a plan that I can follow. Trying not to fall into the trap of collecting information and immediately trying to apply it. I know from experience that all it does is frustrate me and causes me to give it up and a temper tantrum. The blog online that will helpful on this journey is http://www.marksdailyapple.com which is the online supplement to the books that are available. Anyone willing to go with me on this journey is welcome. Hit me up on a comment or email and we can collaborate.
Need to get my dinner and get back to the grind.`
Pedometer reset stats for 04/13/2012
Total steps: 2900
Total distance: 1.45 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: .85
Total distance walked modified: .30 miles
Friday, April 13, 2012
Back to the grind, focusing on back..
Today's Runkeeper Activity
Went out for my lunch walk and went a new direction to change it up. The problem I found with the new route is that it isn't a full mile as I had hoped. Either way, my lower back decided that it was not happy with me and complained the entire way. Also felt like I was really heavy today, more so than in the last week;s I've been doing this.Not sure what that is all about, be it environmental, weather or brain misfiring.
Sleeping is still somewhat of an issue. Not feeling tired by the time bedtime rolls around and then going to bed with less than 6 hours before getting up has got to stop. I am tired right now but will it actually last?
Went out for my lunch walk and went a new direction to change it up. The problem I found with the new route is that it isn't a full mile as I had hoped. Either way, my lower back decided that it was not happy with me and complained the entire way. Also felt like I was really heavy today, more so than in the last week;s I've been doing this.Not sure what that is all about, be it environmental, weather or brain misfiring.
Sleeping is still somewhat of an issue. Not feeling tired by the time bedtime rolls around and then going to bed with less than 6 hours before getting up has got to stop. I am tired right now but will it actually last?
Pedometer reset stats for 04/12/2012
Total steps: 766
Total distance: 0.28 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 0
Total distance walked modified: .28 miles
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Pedometer reset stats for 04/11/2012
Total steps: 1665
Total distance: 0.75 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 0
Total distance walked modified: .75 miles
Total distance: 0.75 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 0
Total distance walked modified: .75 miles
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Pedometer reset stats for 04/10/2012
A little(lot) late, but its up
Total steps: 1012
Total distance: 0.5 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 0
Total distance walked modified: .5 miles
Total steps: 1012
Total distance: 0.5 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 0
Total distance walked modified: .5 miles
Sleep happened
Went to bed at 12am and got up at 1:15pm.
So it seems my ability to sleep did not leave which is good. So, my legs got a good night's worth of healing which was sooooo needed. Had a moment of time there last night where I almost cramped out my left leg. It is amazing what missing a little sleep will do to you, or not do to you as the case may be.
So it seems my ability to sleep did not leave which is good. So, my legs got a good night's worth of healing which was sooooo needed. Had a moment of time there last night where I almost cramped out my left leg. It is amazing what missing a little sleep will do to you, or not do to you as the case may be.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Pedometer reset stats for 04/09/2012
Total steps: 826
Total distance: 0.45 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 0
Total distance walked modified: .45 miles
*edit*
My math was off. Oh well, fixed now
Total distance: 0.45 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 0
Total distance walked modified: .45 miles
*edit*
My math was off. Oh well, fixed now
Oook
So apparently the 6am to 7am hour is when I get tired. Not sure why, but I will take it.
I gotta be up by 10am for a business lunch, so gotta get my beauty sleep.
I gotta be up by 10am for a business lunch, so gotta get my beauty sleep.
Awake
Alright so I am not sure that this is officially insomnia or not. I got home tired as hell and went right to sleep, dreamed hardcore for like 3 hours and now I am wide awake.I laid in bed tossing and turning for 30 minutes before I gave up trying to get back to sleep and since I am on day one of my 3 day weekend, it seemed safe to try a little experiment to see how this goes.
So I am up.
So I am up.
Monday, April 9, 2012
....and we rested
I didn't do any walking today other than the standard wandering around.
Body was telling me that exercising would be a bad idea and that I needed to rest and get some damn protein in the system. The craving for a huge hamburger is somewhat overwhelming. So I will have to get a steak or something. Maybe a protein shake just to hold me over for the time being.
I think I will be more successful in sleeping tonight, I am exhausted and I damn near blew out my knee just walking back to my desk. Dammit, I am just falling apart tonight. Anyone nearby want to come by and give me a full body massage and put me back together??
Body was telling me that exercising would be a bad idea and that I needed to rest and get some damn protein in the system. The craving for a huge hamburger is somewhat overwhelming. So I will have to get a steak or something. Maybe a protein shake just to hold me over for the time being.
I think I will be more successful in sleeping tonight, I am exhausted and I damn near blew out my knee just walking back to my desk. Dammit, I am just falling apart tonight. Anyone nearby want to come by and give me a full body massage and put me back together??
Pedometer reset stats for 04/08/2012
Total steps: 5425
Total distance: 2.23 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 1.05
Total distance walked modified: 1.18 miles
Total distance: 2.23 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 1.05
Total distance walked modified: 1.18 miles
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Two times the challenge, Two times the fun!
Nightly Walk Part 1
Nightly Walk Part 2
Oh I was so pissed that my phone rebooted halfway through the walk. Sigh... So TOMORROW I will either get my achievement or I am switching to a new app. So there! smirk.. No, I don't feel better, but at least I vented.
The walk was a challenge today as I was really having a problem with my lower back on the left side. It was almost like a stitch but only in one spot on the one side on my lower back. It was weird and annoying. Breathing control is getting better, i am supposing that means my chest muscles are getting into shape and my lungs are increasing in capacity due to the load I am putting on it.
Losing myself while walking is a nice reprieve, the less I am able to focus on my normal body aches while walking, the better. I really do enjoy zoning out and just being able to enjoy myself instead of having the experience feel like work all the time. Making is fun and effortless is what I am striving for to keep my head in the game and keep moving forward.
My feeling of drained today actually was more than I thought as I caught myself nodding off halfway through my day. Which was only tempered by the fact that I found out the AC unit wasn't on and so I was warm, comfortable and mmmm, zzzzzzz.. Yeah it was kinda like that. Sleeping at night is restful but I am finding it difficult to go to bed earlier than 5 or 6 am and be able to actually get to sleep. Not sure whats going on there, might be the supplements, in which case that means I need to take my second dose before 6pm. or so.
One more day to my days off, I am thinking of reworking in the 3 minute kettle bell training into my weekend days because I don't really feel comfortable walking around my neighborhood much during the twilight hours. Daytime is fine, I can see people way off and decide if I am in danger or not. When the twilight hits, things get a bit risky. Yes I know that kidnapping a fat man is not practical but I don't want to be a practice run for anyone either. Plus I am hoping that the kettle weight exercises will loosen up and strengthen the lower back muscles that are giving my problems.
Nightly Walk Part 2
Oh I was so pissed that my phone rebooted halfway through the walk. Sigh... So TOMORROW I will either get my achievement or I am switching to a new app. So there! smirk.. No, I don't feel better, but at least I vented.
The walk was a challenge today as I was really having a problem with my lower back on the left side. It was almost like a stitch but only in one spot on the one side on my lower back. It was weird and annoying. Breathing control is getting better, i am supposing that means my chest muscles are getting into shape and my lungs are increasing in capacity due to the load I am putting on it.
Losing myself while walking is a nice reprieve, the less I am able to focus on my normal body aches while walking, the better. I really do enjoy zoning out and just being able to enjoy myself instead of having the experience feel like work all the time. Making is fun and effortless is what I am striving for to keep my head in the game and keep moving forward.
My feeling of drained today actually was more than I thought as I caught myself nodding off halfway through my day. Which was only tempered by the fact that I found out the AC unit wasn't on and so I was warm, comfortable and mmmm, zzzzzzz.. Yeah it was kinda like that. Sleeping at night is restful but I am finding it difficult to go to bed earlier than 5 or 6 am and be able to actually get to sleep. Not sure whats going on there, might be the supplements, in which case that means I need to take my second dose before 6pm. or so.
One more day to my days off, I am thinking of reworking in the 3 minute kettle bell training into my weekend days because I don't really feel comfortable walking around my neighborhood much during the twilight hours. Daytime is fine, I can see people way off and decide if I am in danger or not. When the twilight hits, things get a bit risky. Yes I know that kidnapping a fat man is not practical but I don't want to be a practice run for anyone either. Plus I am hoping that the kettle weight exercises will loosen up and strengthen the lower back muscles that are giving my problems.
Interesting observations
Today I didn't oversleep, though I could have easily. Not because I was tired but more because I felt extremely drained. Even still I wasn't struggling to get out of bed as if I didn't get enough sleep. This is the second day that this feeling has occurred and I think it is directly related to the new supplements I am taking. Which is pretty cool that it is having such a direct affect. I am always hopeful that this will help in shedding off some pounds and that the scale will finally stop saying "E" at me all the time.
Time and patience, what a bitch it is.
Time and patience, what a bitch it is.
Pedometer reset stats for 04/07/2012
Total steps: 5211
Total distance: 2.1 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: 1.0 (I'm so crediting myself that mile)
Total distance walked modified: 1.1 miles
Saturday, April 7, 2012
I so hit my mile..
http://runkeeper.com/user/xianoth/activity/80215333
Yeah, i hit it, not that I will get credit for it on runkeeper cuz the GPS signal was fubar. If you look at my previous maps and compare the distance out before i turn around top go back, you will see that I nailed it. Considering I only needed .05 to go last night. Fucking technology..;)
I mixed it up a bit tonight. I actually stretched a little before walking and that seemed to help my lower back issues I have been having. My breathing was controllable throughout the walk too. I didn't get to the point where I was gulping air just to keep going. No stitch tonight either, which is a nice change.
Tonight I think I came close to where I used to go in my mind when I was younger and had to walk everywhere. That fun numb place where its timeless and I used to review movies I liked in my head. I kept my pace steady and not too slow but not too fast. Had a nice breeze at my back on the way out which just felt like i was walking with a air cushion pushing up behind me and rolling around my sides and fingertips. It was real nice. When I got to my normal first stopping point to rest, I took it really as a precaution. I felt strained but no nearly as bad as I was the last few days I went out. I caught my breath and brought my heart rate down and continued on. I walked right past my second stop point without even noticing at first. Which startled me a bit when I realized it. I believe we call that a milestone.
Overall, today was a better than expected walk. I am no where near the point of attempting to jog or consider even running but there is definite progress happening under my nose when I am not looking.
Yeah, i hit it, not that I will get credit for it on runkeeper cuz the GPS signal was fubar. If you look at my previous maps and compare the distance out before i turn around top go back, you will see that I nailed it. Considering I only needed .05 to go last night. Fucking technology..;)
I mixed it up a bit tonight. I actually stretched a little before walking and that seemed to help my lower back issues I have been having. My breathing was controllable throughout the walk too. I didn't get to the point where I was gulping air just to keep going. No stitch tonight either, which is a nice change.
Tonight I think I came close to where I used to go in my mind when I was younger and had to walk everywhere. That fun numb place where its timeless and I used to review movies I liked in my head. I kept my pace steady and not too slow but not too fast. Had a nice breeze at my back on the way out which just felt like i was walking with a air cushion pushing up behind me and rolling around my sides and fingertips. It was real nice. When I got to my normal first stopping point to rest, I took it really as a precaution. I felt strained but no nearly as bad as I was the last few days I went out. I caught my breath and brought my heart rate down and continued on. I walked right past my second stop point without even noticing at first. Which startled me a bit when I realized it. I believe we call that a milestone.
Overall, today was a better than expected walk. I am no where near the point of attempting to jog or consider even running but there is definite progress happening under my nose when I am not looking.
Tech Update #2
Looks like comments are available for my newer posts but not my older ones.
I am, obviously, testing this theory now with this post.If this works, I will edit a couple of older posts and see if that will kick in the comments.
Here's to hoping!
I am, obviously, testing this theory now with this post.If this works, I will edit a couple of older posts and see if that will kick in the comments.
Here's to hoping!
Technical Update
I am aware that comments are not visible.
I am working towards fixing that, though one would suspect that a Blog Template would just simply work instead of having to modify the code, Alas..
Please keep checking back and hopefully I will have a working solution soon.
I am working towards fixing that, though one would suspect that a Blog Template would just simply work instead of having to modify the code, Alas..
Please keep checking back and hopefully I will have a working solution soon.
Whoops
So I overslept today.
I woke up drained today, like I had just finished pushing out a lot of built up energy. Not sure if that makes any sense but the weirdest part was that once I stood up, I wasn't tired, just drained. I am going to attribute it to the metabolism boosters I am trying out. Though one day does not constitute a complete test. Going on day 2 of these new pills to see if it improves my day to day life.
I know from last night I felt more mentally connected and alive with energy than I had been in awhile. Now to get that to translate to the muscles. On my walk, I didn't really feel much connection to that energy as I did while I was being still, could be a ramp up phase of things, like an old motor that hasn't worked in awhile that suddenly is now being told to start up after years of disuse or low load.
In other news, Pedometer has been reset for the day, my last entry has the totals. I put up a request for help in the side bar to the right. Any minimal help towards achieving that goal thru clicks would be awesome. A couple months ago I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and visited the associated website "Join the Reboot" to look around and see what it was all about. I would really like to try it, but with the way my life is at the moment, I cannot afford to get this super-epic-awesome juicer. So my challenge is to see if, through my readers, I can acquire this juicer "Multi-Speed Juice Fountain" or "The Juice and Blend" and attempt a 30 day reset.
*edit*
Testing comment theory
I woke up drained today, like I had just finished pushing out a lot of built up energy. Not sure if that makes any sense but the weirdest part was that once I stood up, I wasn't tired, just drained. I am going to attribute it to the metabolism boosters I am trying out. Though one day does not constitute a complete test. Going on day 2 of these new pills to see if it improves my day to day life.
I know from last night I felt more mentally connected and alive with energy than I had been in awhile. Now to get that to translate to the muscles. On my walk, I didn't really feel much connection to that energy as I did while I was being still, could be a ramp up phase of things, like an old motor that hasn't worked in awhile that suddenly is now being told to start up after years of disuse or low load.
In other news, Pedometer has been reset for the day, my last entry has the totals. I put up a request for help in the side bar to the right. Any minimal help towards achieving that goal thru clicks would be awesome. A couple months ago I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and visited the associated website "Join the Reboot" to look around and see what it was all about. I would really like to try it, but with the way my life is at the moment, I cannot afford to get this super-epic-awesome juicer. So my challenge is to see if, through my readers, I can acquire this juicer "Multi-Speed Juice Fountain" or "The Juice and Blend" and attempt a 30 day reset.
*edit*
Testing comment theory
Pedometer reset stats for 04/06/2012
Total steps: 3219
Total distance: 1.625 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: .97
Total distance walked modified: .655 miles
Total distance: 1.625 miles
Minus Runkeeper walk: .97
Total distance walked modified: .655 miles
Friday, April 6, 2012
Ouchie
http://runkeeper.com/user/xianoth/activity/80013750
Well, starting back into the groove of things and yes I will be the first to admit, I may have pushed myself a little too much today due to the lack of effort I had to endure last week. Needless to say, I am .5 away from my mile goal and I was very proud of myself to not cheat by walking a lap around the parking lot at the end just to squirrel in my mile goal.
Had to stop a few times because of my lower back, but my legs seemed to be straining a little bit but not nearly as bad as when I started out a couple weeks ago. Pedometer was on for the entire trip but that score won't be posted until the end of the day with the translation of distance with it, then minus the recorded walk distance from Runkeeper. I won't be near 10,000 steps, but I will have a nice chunk by the look of it today.
Well, starting back into the groove of things and yes I will be the first to admit, I may have pushed myself a little too much today due to the lack of effort I had to endure last week. Needless to say, I am .5 away from my mile goal and I was very proud of myself to not cheat by walking a lap around the parking lot at the end just to squirrel in my mile goal.
Had to stop a few times because of my lower back, but my legs seemed to be straining a little bit but not nearly as bad as when I started out a couple weeks ago. Pedometer was on for the entire trip but that score won't be posted until the end of the day with the translation of distance with it, then minus the recorded walk distance from Runkeeper. I won't be near 10,000 steps, but I will have a nice chunk by the look of it today.
A brand new day
Got up today and bought my brand new digital pedometer from Walmart which cost me about $4.00 plus tax. It measures steps and distance traveled, which for me is more than enough. Programming it was pretty easy too but my only wonder is whether a stride length will increase once my weight starts going down. It is something I will have to keep an eye one.
Another thing I picked up was a 5 cup Brita filter filter pitcher. I have found that I am VERY picky about the water quality that I drink. If it doesn't taste OK or flow smoothly down my throat when I drink it, I simply will do without or buy a soda.Seeing how I am trying to limit somewhat my soda intake and trying not to break my wallet by buying bottled water, the Britta filter seemed to be the best route. It does a real good job in taking tap water/city water and softening it up to be drinkable. Once that is done, I will sip at water all day long without thinking about it which is good for maintaining my water intake for the day which should be at 1 gallon. I got by the "Half your body weight by Ounces" thought process. I figured since I know I am over 400 lbs, i can safely guess that 265 ounces of water would be appropriate and if I manage to drink more than a gallon, sweet!
I have added a few more supplements to my daily intake as well. Walgreen's was having a buy one get one sale on a diuretic and a green tea appetite suppressor/metabolic enhancer.One thing i have noticed is that my energy level is actually up. My mood is perkier, I find myself being easily witty with my phone calls today at work but not jittery at all. I mean, the potential for being jittery is there but its controllable. The hunger suppression is kind of amazing right now as well, I am waiting to have my meal at the 5 hour mark and I had my breakfast and snack already. Co-workers ordered some really fragrant meals and while I identified that I was hungry, it didn't take control over my entire being like it usually does. To me that is mind blowing!! For instance, I am writing this between calls and I have had hunger pains come and go, easily ignorable. Is that what it's supposed to be like?? Seriously now, I feel that I have been missing out. Anything I try as new generally have a big impact the first few days, so we will see what happens after a few days of being on them. I am hopeful that these supplements will help and a box is only 6 bucks for a months worth.
Started a new thing today, I decided that I need to start using stairs again. Walking up them is a bit much as I work on the 4th floor, I can do it, but my recovery time is like 5 minutes and I can't have me gasping for air looking like I am dying at work every day. However, going down the stairs I can do. So instead of waiting for the elevator for a ride down, I am taking the stairs. Only had to use them once today so far and once I am able to get back to high school level of fitness I will start working on using the stairs in the upward motion. I'm still trying to figure out how I manged to run up two flights of stairs with a backpack full of books, its amazing how I thought I wasn't in shape simply from running from classroom to classroom like that.
It is the little changes that I am doing that adds on different challenges. Hopefully this will help me in the long run.
Another thing I picked up was a 5 cup Brita filter filter pitcher. I have found that I am VERY picky about the water quality that I drink. If it doesn't taste OK or flow smoothly down my throat when I drink it, I simply will do without or buy a soda.Seeing how I am trying to limit somewhat my soda intake and trying not to break my wallet by buying bottled water, the Britta filter seemed to be the best route. It does a real good job in taking tap water/city water and softening it up to be drinkable. Once that is done, I will sip at water all day long without thinking about it which is good for maintaining my water intake for the day which should be at 1 gallon. I got by the "Half your body weight by Ounces" thought process. I figured since I know I am over 400 lbs, i can safely guess that 265 ounces of water would be appropriate and if I manage to drink more than a gallon, sweet!
I have added a few more supplements to my daily intake as well. Walgreen's was having a buy one get one sale on a diuretic and a green tea appetite suppressor/metabolic enhancer.One thing i have noticed is that my energy level is actually up. My mood is perkier, I find myself being easily witty with my phone calls today at work but not jittery at all. I mean, the potential for being jittery is there but its controllable. The hunger suppression is kind of amazing right now as well, I am waiting to have my meal at the 5 hour mark and I had my breakfast and snack already. Co-workers ordered some really fragrant meals and while I identified that I was hungry, it didn't take control over my entire being like it usually does. To me that is mind blowing!! For instance, I am writing this between calls and I have had hunger pains come and go, easily ignorable. Is that what it's supposed to be like?? Seriously now, I feel that I have been missing out. Anything I try as new generally have a big impact the first few days, so we will see what happens after a few days of being on them. I am hopeful that these supplements will help and a box is only 6 bucks for a months worth.
Started a new thing today, I decided that I need to start using stairs again. Walking up them is a bit much as I work on the 4th floor, I can do it, but my recovery time is like 5 minutes and I can't have me gasping for air looking like I am dying at work every day. However, going down the stairs I can do. So instead of waiting for the elevator for a ride down, I am taking the stairs. Only had to use them once today so far and once I am able to get back to high school level of fitness I will start working on using the stairs in the upward motion. I'm still trying to figure out how I manged to run up two flights of stairs with a backpack full of books, its amazing how I thought I wasn't in shape simply from running from classroom to classroom like that.
It is the little changes that I am doing that adds on different challenges. Hopefully this will help me in the long run.
Breaks over
I feel that I am sufficiently over my cold. Although there were a few days that I thought it was done, tried to attempt to start a walk and my lungs threatened to jump out of my throat. So, like with any good labor negotiation, we sat down and talked about it. I conceded that I would not do anything that would stress my breathing until the start of the new work week and they said that they should be healed enough to give me a good fighting chance of not letting me suffocate in the process of exercising, so we will see how this works out at lunch tomorrow.
I spoke with a few people this week about my walking and was given a few tips. One that did peak my interest was the 10,000 step challenge. It starts with a pedometer and you have all day to walk 10,000 steps. It doesn't matter how you do it, just that at the end of the day you have your 10,000 in. I looked on my phone for a pedometer app that would progressively monitor my walking like that while i had it on me but had no luck. The idea interested me enough that I am still thinking about it now and I am looking at getting a pedometer. I never liked pedometers simply because they are not accurate at all. This has been something that bugged me about them for years and years, then I thought about it today and the reason I disliked it was due to the concept of that I would have to make up the missed steps. Then common sense kicked in at pointed out that making up steps that were missing is a good thing as it means you are giving extra effort to a goal that you want to achieve. So after a "DUH" moment at myself and a facepalm for good measure, I decided that I wanted to try it out in tandem with my walking. So the hunt for a pedometer before work will happen, probably find one at Walmart for a few bucks.
Side note: Here is the URL for the 10,000 Steps Program
The real challenge is finding the time while I am at work to get out of my desk and walk around. The goal of a Customer Support Person is to be at your desk and logging calls. So, I have a plan about that. My office is about 40 feet from a rotunda and I know my wireless headset will reach it. So when calls area slow, I figure I can walk around in circles and wait for the next call. All I really need to do for the most part is have a pen and pad of paper handy to jot notes down for the basic info and if it is a computer necessary call I can beeline back to my desk as needed. Working the weekends in an office building that is really empty can have its advantages in that. Plus, since Runkeeper can't work inside because it uses GPS to track itself for my efforts, a pedometer inside will work out pretty well.
The trick for me has always been viewable results. If I put effort into something and I cannot see a measurable result in return, I won't waste time on it and find something else to do, even if that is doing nothing. Which, come to think of it is ass-backwards in a sentiment. Anyway, I think its more along the line of, if i am going to do something outside of my usually comfort addictions, having a receipt of effort as a return is satisfying to me. Like being able to set a number and making that number in steps for a day. Then I can take that number of steps and translate it into distance and use that amount to add to my Long Walk home challenge.
The biggest thing about this whole thing is that I want not only to feel better, but look better. I know I will be a big person regardless of what I do. I just want to look in the mirror for once and see a better shape. I know what I am looking at now is the physical representation of me as I thought I looked like when I was younger and in school. I am done with that image. Now I have one that I want to see and have been envisioning and I am waiting to see that one start to show up as well.
Now, time for a chart. I found a distance conversion chart that will help me keep track of distance. Putting in a page break here so I am not totally destroying the blog with too much data.
I spoke with a few people this week about my walking and was given a few tips. One that did peak my interest was the 10,000 step challenge. It starts with a pedometer and you have all day to walk 10,000 steps. It doesn't matter how you do it, just that at the end of the day you have your 10,000 in. I looked on my phone for a pedometer app that would progressively monitor my walking like that while i had it on me but had no luck. The idea interested me enough that I am still thinking about it now and I am looking at getting a pedometer. I never liked pedometers simply because they are not accurate at all. This has been something that bugged me about them for years and years, then I thought about it today and the reason I disliked it was due to the concept of that I would have to make up the missed steps. Then common sense kicked in at pointed out that making up steps that were missing is a good thing as it means you are giving extra effort to a goal that you want to achieve. So after a "DUH" moment at myself and a facepalm for good measure, I decided that I wanted to try it out in tandem with my walking. So the hunt for a pedometer before work will happen, probably find one at Walmart for a few bucks.
Side note: Here is the URL for the 10,000 Steps Program
The real challenge is finding the time while I am at work to get out of my desk and walk around. The goal of a Customer Support Person is to be at your desk and logging calls. So, I have a plan about that. My office is about 40 feet from a rotunda and I know my wireless headset will reach it. So when calls area slow, I figure I can walk around in circles and wait for the next call. All I really need to do for the most part is have a pen and pad of paper handy to jot notes down for the basic info and if it is a computer necessary call I can beeline back to my desk as needed. Working the weekends in an office building that is really empty can have its advantages in that. Plus, since Runkeeper can't work inside because it uses GPS to track itself for my efforts, a pedometer inside will work out pretty well.
The trick for me has always been viewable results. If I put effort into something and I cannot see a measurable result in return, I won't waste time on it and find something else to do, even if that is doing nothing. Which, come to think of it is ass-backwards in a sentiment. Anyway, I think its more along the line of, if i am going to do something outside of my usually comfort addictions, having a receipt of effort as a return is satisfying to me. Like being able to set a number and making that number in steps for a day. Then I can take that number of steps and translate it into distance and use that amount to add to my Long Walk home challenge.
The biggest thing about this whole thing is that I want not only to feel better, but look better. I know I will be a big person regardless of what I do. I just want to look in the mirror for once and see a better shape. I know what I am looking at now is the physical representation of me as I thought I looked like when I was younger and in school. I am done with that image. Now I have one that I want to see and have been envisioning and I am waiting to see that one start to show up as well.
Now, time for a chart. I found a distance conversion chart that will help me keep track of distance. Putting in a page break here so I am not totally destroying the blog with too much data.
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