New Year, New Journal (if for no other reason than to piss off M@).

As always, I have some fairly lofty goals for 2008. And as always, I fully expect to achieve half of them. It's guessing which half that's the challenge.

I'm going spell out a few of the targets for the first five months of 2008, which is basically how far in advance I have written out tangible plans. Of course, I'm looking forward to a lot more later in the year.

Professional - I will finish up my Performance Nutrition Certification through ISSA (completion date TBD). I am also going to get certified as a Group Fitness Instructor and a Group Cycling Instructor through AAFA (which is already scheduled for next weekend). My responsibilities at work continue to develop and expand, and I hope to add a few more personal training clients to my roster.

Running - I am scheduled for the following major races:
March 2nd - Northeast Road Runners 10k, Philadelphia PA
March 9th - Caesar Rodney Half Marathon, Wilmington DE
March 30th - Ocean Drive Ten Miler, Cape May-Wildwood NJ
April 20th - Penn Relays Distance Classic 20k, Philadelphia PA
May 4th - Broad Street Ten Miler, Philadelphia PA
May 18th - Delaware Marathon, Wilmington DE
I've decided to cut back on a lot of the shorter races this year, and will be focusing on quality rather than quantity. My training schedule is already set, and there's not a lot of wiggle roon to put in anything less than ten miles once the weather breaks.

Weight Training - I'm going to be more consistent with the iron in 2008. I've got access to a top quality gym on a daily basis, so I will take advantage of that fact. I've divided my schedule into three cycles of seven weeks, which will pretty much take me up to Memorial Day (and the opening of the swim club). I'm also going to give the Pushup Challenge another try (adding one pushup a day to the previous day's total - today I did one, tomorrow I'll do two, the next day I'll do three, etc.) and adding in a Slantboard Situp Challenge (starting with ten per day the first week, twenty per day the second week, thirty per day the third week, etc).

Nutrition/Supplementation - I really lost control of this aspect of my life in the second half of 2007, and I will admit that I have put on about thirty pounds since the JSF Cheat Meal in June. But with the help of several of the more astute JSFers, I have put together a nutrition and supplementation plan which will support my efforts to lose fat, gain muscle, lift weights, and train for a marathon... all at the same time. Right now, the plan is down on paper for the first seven weeks, at which point I will revise it based on my stats at that time and the projected activity level for the next cycle.

Personal/Other - We're planning on putting a new kitchen in our house over the next 2-3 months. How much of that work will fall into my hands is yet to be determined. I'd really rather contract all of it out to professionals, but depending on how the budget plays out, I might have to DIY at least part of it. I've also signed both of my kids up for "Snowboard School," so starting next week for the next eight weeks, we'll be going snowboarding every Tuesday afternoon/evening.

Well, I think that's pretty comprehesive for now... stay tuned.

Wishing you well on all of your goals, Philly :)

I'm going to follow your lead and try new things this year, become more involved with my interests, and keep myself busy (and know that there is more to life than food.)

That's cool that you're going to be snowboarding with your kids!
Sounds like a lot of fun, and opportunities for them to make fun of you :p

New Year, New Journal (if for no other reason than to piss off M@).


I'm also going to give the Pushup Challenge another try (adding one pushup a day to the previous day's total - today I did one, tomorrow I'll do two, the next day I'll do three, etc.)

A: Hooray! :spaz: ... :whistle:

B: Remember to donate your extra pushups to the needy. Which means the million pushup challenge thread, which needs them. :rolleyes:

Hey PhillyDude :wave:
Good luck with your goals :gl:

M@ and I could have helped on the nutrition part on Sunday. Ravens/Steelers game: All the beer and fried bar food that you can eat and drink. Then freeze your butt off at the game.....it was great!

Good luck to you.

I am running the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in DC, but might be changing it to the Ocean City half marathon if it is on the same day. N also signed me up for the Baltimore Half in October as a Christmas present. Since when did Christmas gifts torture you? Maybe this year, I won't crack my ribs.

I will probably also run the Annapolis 10 miler again. It is pure torture: August, Annapolis, 100% humidity, 85 degrees at start, oh an hills that suck!!! I will have to look at the apparel that they are giving out this year for finishing.

Yay for a new journal!!:tucool:

Good Luck achieving your goals PD!

Phil, good luck for a great 2008! As always I'll be following along.

That's cool that you're going to be snowboarding with your kids! Sounds like a lot of fun, and opportunities for them to make fun of you :p

I used to be a nationally ranked amateur snowboarder, so hopefully the laughing will be kept to a minimum. But there is always amusement in getting off the lift with two little kids. :nod:

A: Hooray! :spaz: ... :whistle:

I'm touched by your presence, dear. :dreamy:

Hey PhillyDude :wave:
Good luck with your goals :gl:

Thanks for the sentiments from across the pond. Cheers!

I am running the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in DC, but might be changing it to the Ocean City half marathon if it is on the same day. N also signed me up for the Baltimore Half in October as a Christmas present. Since when did Christmas gifts torture you? Maybe this year, I won't crack my ribs.

I will probably also run the Annapolis 10 miler again. It is pure torture: August, Annapolis, 100% humidity, 85 degrees at start, oh an hills that suck!!! I will have to look at the apparel that they are giving out this year for finishing.

My son and I will definitely be running Baltimore in October. :tu:

Good Luck achieving your goals PD!

Thanks. Today hasn't gone so well, but there are always challenges. :blank:

Phil, good luck for a great 2008! As always I'll be following along.

Thanks Paul. I would like to try and get together with you for a bike ride this summer. :claplow:

Thanks Paul. I would like to try and get together with you for a bike ride this summer. :claplow:

Sounds like a fun thing to do Phil.

Good luck with it all Phill!!! Sounds like a fun and full year planned ahead.

Happy New Year Phillydude ;) good luck with your new goals!!

hopefully we'll see you again this year at the annual JSF cheat ;)

Sounds like a fun and full year planned ahead.

It should be an excellent adventure.


Hopefully we'll see you again this year at the annual JSF cheat ;)

Well, my name's on the list for the cruise, if that's still happening. And if it's not, I'm sure we'll come up with something else. Worst case scenario, we can use my parents house out in Sebastian.

It should be an excellent adventure.

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/5289/billandted460uh3.jpg

Dude.

Best of luck with your new program :tucool:

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/5289/billandted460uh3.jpg

Dude.

The Dude Abides. :nod:

Best of luck with your new programme :tucool:

Programme. Makes it sound so continental. :tucool: (I caught that before you edited).

Programme. Makes it sound so continental. :tucool: (I caught that before you edited).

Great now everyone will see what a dope I am :doh:

Don't slack, we'll be watching.

http://www.whatdvd.net/WhatDVD-Graphics/main/394.jpg

Happy New Year PD!

Good luck with your goals!

Good luck with your goals!

Thanks J... I'm hoping to run a couple marathons this year.

Thanks J... I'm hoping to run a couple marathons this year.

Have you decided on which ones?

Have you decided on which ones?

Definitely planning on Delaware in May. And definitely trying to get into NYC again this year for a fall marathon. If I don't get into NYC, Philly is always an option, although I'd like to run a different one each time if I can. I hear there's one in Richmond in mid-November???

I should check and see what the status is for Disney for 2009, cause I'd still like to run the half/full combination weekend there in January. And I've still got the crazy idea of trying a 50 mile run sometime... that sometime might be this summer, depending on how things go.

(edit) Disney World 2009 opens for registration January 14th.

A quick recap of yesterday... for the record, my workouts and nutrition are being logged in the January 100 Challenge thread.

Due to some issues, I was unable to lift yesterday. The main issue was that I stayed up all night the night before playing Stuntman on PS2. Literally... I put the controller down when I heard my wife wake up at 5:30am and snuck into the kitchen to look busy (making egg salad) when she came downstairs so she wouldn't yell at me. I feel really stupid about that... especially after I started this journal with the "GET MORE SLEEP" comment.

Anyway, I ate my first meal at 7am and then took a nap from 7 to 9:30am, when I headed to work. Since I had to work until 10pm, I thought it would be better to get a little sleep when I could, as opposed to doing my first weight training workout on no sleep. But rest assured (no pun intended) I will NOT be doing the PS2 thing again for some time, especially when I get home from work late. It's too easy to get sucked into a game and lose track of time (and control).

On a more positive note, I had a successful day yesterday with the nutrition plan, although I did not drink enough water. But I got through all my planned meals, and did not do any extra snacking, which was key, especially when I got home from work at 10:30. I ate my last scheduled meal as planned, and then went right to bed (after checking JSF, of course).

I fully expected there would be some tweaks this week, and aside from the biggest one (moving the start of my formal weight training and running programs to next week) they are all smaller issues which just need some fine tuning. For example, on a whim yesterday, I mixed a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder into my oatmeal. Which was quite tasty (although I will probably cut it back to a teaspoon in the future) and only added 20 calories to my overall daily total. Or today, when I made my first shake, I added a tablespoon of instant coffee crystals, which was something I had done often before and enjoyed, but didn't think of when I was putting together the daily plan.

I'm leaving in a few minutes to take the boys snowboarding for the first time this season. Their "formal" snowboard camp starts on Tuesday next week, but I wanted to take them up to work out the equipment sizes and set-ups and give them a little "taste" of the snow before they get into the "classroom" environment of the eight weeks to come. It's also the coldest day we've gotten so far this year, so I'm totally ready to hit the slopes, and from the looks of the webcam, they've got a decent base to work with at the resort we're visiting (which is not the one where the snowboard camp is being held).

Definitely planning on Delaware in May. And definitely trying to get into NYC again this year for a fall marathon. If I don't get into NYC, Philly is always an option, although I'd like to run a different one each time if I can. I hear there's one in Richmond in mid-November???

I should check and see what the status is for Disney for 2009, cause I'd still like to run the half/full combination weekend there in January. And I've still got the crazy idea of trying a 50 mile run sometime... that sometime might be this summer, depending on how things go.

(edit) Disney World 2009 opens for registration January 14th.

Yes, yes there will be one in Richmond in Nov. and the Running Man will be there!:D

Doing the goofy challenge is something I've thought about doing as well. I had a friend of mine do it last year and he loved it, tough, but he enjoyed it.

A quick recap of yesterday... for the record, my workouts and nutrition are being logged in the January 100 Challenge thread.

Due to some issues, I was unable to lift yesterday. The main issue was that I stayed up all night the night before playing Stuntman on PS2. Literally... I put the controller down when I heard my wife wake up at 5:30am and snuck into the kitchen to look busy (making egg salad) when she came downstairs so she wouldn't yell at me. I feel really stupid about that... especially after I started this journal with the "GET MORE SLEEP" comment.

Anyway, I ate my first meal at 7am and then took a nap from 7 to 9:30am, when I headed to work. Since I had to work until 10pm, I thought it would be better to get a little sleep when I could, as opposed to doing my first weight training workout on no sleep. But rest assured (no pun intended) I will NOT be doing the PS2 thing again for some time, especially when I get home from work late. It's too easy to get sucked into a game and lose track of time (and control).

On a more positive note, I had a successful day yesterday with the nutrition plan, although I did not drink enough water. But I got through all my planned meals, and did not do any extra snacking, which was key, especially when I got home from work at 10:30. I ate my last scheduled meal as planned, and then went right to bed (after checking JSF, of course).

I fully expected there would be some tweaks this week, and aside from the biggest one (moving the start of my formal weight training and running programs to next week) they are all smaller issues which just need some fine tuning. For example, on a whim yesterday, I mixed a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder into my oatmeal. Which was quite tasty (although I will probably cut it back to a teaspoon in the future) and only added 20 calories to my overall daily total. Or today, when I made my first shake, I added a tablespoon of instant coffee crystals, which was something I had done often before and enjoyed, but didn't think of when I was putting together the daily plan.

I'm leaving in a few minutes to take the boys snowboarding for the first time this season. Their "formal" snowboard camp starts on Tuesday next week, but I wanted to take them up to work out the equipment sizes and set-ups and give them a little "taste" of the snow before they get into the "classroom" environment of the eight weeks to come. It's also the coldest day we've gotten so far this year, so I'm totally ready to hit the slopes, and from the looks of the webcam, they've got a decent base to work with at the resort we're visiting (which is not the one where the snowboard camp is being held).

No comment on the all nighter, although I did find it amusing.

Phil, have a great time with the kids!

Yes, yes there will be one in Richmond in Nov. and the Running Man will be there!:D

Doing the goofy challenge is something I've thought about doing as well. I had a friend of mine do it last year and he loved it, tough, but he enjoyed it.

I'll definitely keep Richmond in mind. As for Disney, we'll be due for another trip there next winter, so that would work out fine.

No comment on the all nighter, although I did find it amusing.

Phil, have a great time with the kids!

Tonight was absolutely a great experience. It was Learn To Ski/Ride day at all of the major Pennsylvania ski resorts. The promotion was that a beginner package (lift ticket, rental, and lesson) was $10.00 per person. I picked up the kids at 3:30, it took us an hour to get there, and another half hour to get dressed and get the equipment. That timed us out to step onto the snow right when the 5pm lessons started. And as it was the "transition time" between the day pass skiers and the night pass skiers, the boys ended up getting a private lesson instead of the group lesson they were supposed to get. In fact, they had TWO instructors, as there was someone "shadowing" the primary instructor as part of his certification.

I figured it was going to be a one hour lesson, so I ducked out to take a few runs, but when I got back, the instructors said that they wanted to take the boys up the bunny hill for a few runs and that I was welcome to stay. In all, the instructors spent two hours with the boys (which earned them a tip equal to what they were being paid by the resort), and they both did great. I was especially pleased with my younger son's enthusiasm and progress, considering it was his first time on the snow and he has not shown much interest (or ability) in sports until now. But by the end of the night, he was cruising down the bunny hill with a little bit of control and grinning from ear to ear.

By this time, it was 7:00, and they were hungry. So while they were eating, I filled out the guest survey forms we had been given as part of the "first timer" package and dropped them off... and to my surprise, I was given three vouchers for a return visit (each good for an anytime lift ticket). So we're definitely going back again in February when the kids are on winter break and they have a few more lessons under their boards.

BTW... I stayed right on plan for nutrition tonight, altough I was still a little light on water (but better than yesterday). I rock socks.

I was especially pleased with my younger son's enthusiasm and progress, considering it was his first time on the snow and he has not shown much interest (or ability) in sports until now. But by the end of the night, he was cruising down the bunny hill with a little bit of control and grinning from ear to ear.

Years ago when I tried skiing, I spent more time on my butt than on the skis. And I got passed, several times, by little kids zooming past. :rolleyes:

Glad you and the kids are having fun with it, though! :tu:

it sounds like you and the boys had an AWESOME time Philly!! and it's really great that they gave you free lift tickets :claphigh:

I haven't been skiing in AGES... like 17 years :lol:

That's a great story Phil. Seems as if everyone had a wonderful time. And you won a prize to boot! :tu:

All is well. Today is a more relaxed nutrition day, but it's still planned out in terms of calories and macros and meal timing and such. Looking forward to some whole wheat pasta with ground turkey and red sauce for dinner. I'm done with work for the rest of the weekend, and will be catching up on some sleep, doing some projects around the house, preparing food for next week, and probably watching a few movies and playing some PS2 with the kids. Depending on the weather, we may also try and launch the model rocket my older son got for Christmas.

Speaking of movies, I cashed in a $50 gift card at Best Buy last night. Picked up the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie (which I have not seen yet), and several classics: Airplane!, a Steve Martin box set (The Jerk, The Lonely Guy, and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid), and Eddie Murphy's Raw (which I watched last night). I'm going to keep an eye out for Delirious to along with that last one.

Two movie "franchises" which I have not bought into yet are the Mission Impossible movies and the Ocean's Eleven series. I saw part of OE13 and enjoyed it. And since I am a big James Bond fan, I'd expect that the MIs would be a pleasant diversion. Any input on either of those two trilogies?

and Eddie Murphy's Raw (which I watched last night). I'm going to keep an eye out for Delirious to along with that last one.


Get Delirious. :nod: Pure genius... :lol:

I rock socks.

with or without banana hammock?

I'm sooo late in commenting (:o), but I wanted to wish you good luck with all the goals that you've set fourth to accomplish this year, PD! :tu:

Get Delirious. :nod: Pure genius... :lol:

I was surprised how well Raw has held up over the years... and how Eddie Murphy had a run of like five years where he OWNED the mass media. Dave Chappelle had nothing on Eddie in his prime.

with or without banana hammock?

:confused: I think I still have that somewhere... :confused:

I'm sooo late in commenting (:o), but I wanted to wish you good luck with all the goals that you've set fourth to accomplish this year, PD! :tu:

Hi Grace... :o

Hi Grace... :o

Hi Phil...http://www.extreme-physique.com/forums/images/smilies/wave.gif

Well, for as well as I did on Saturday, I pretty much let it go on Sunday. A bunch of running around doing errands followed by a kids birthday party at 5:30pm (who the hell schedules a kids birthday party for 5:30pm on a Sunday night?) with Pizza and Ice Cream Cake made for a pretty piss-poor day nutritionally.

And that kind of stellar resolve carried over into this morning, when I bailed on my weight training workout and elected to sleep in. So I'm writing off the weight training for this week (there was only one more session scheduled anyway), I'm going to focus on getting my running schedule underway, and will pick up the iron next week. Baby steps... nutrition last week, running this week, weights next week.

So I ended up the first week of the January Challenge with 98 points. And I'm already down a point for this week (the cancelled weight training session). So I'm going to have to be especially good this week. My SW for the week averaged 202.25, and my BF was 22.6%, so I've got a starting point to start determining what's working (or not).

It's warm here, so I brought the Harley to work. Going snowboarding again with the boys tomorrow night. That's it for now. Bye! :wave:

Two movie "franchises" which I have not bought into yet are the Mission Impossible movies and the Ocean's Eleven series. I saw part of OE13 and enjoyed it. And since I am a big James Bond fan, I'd expect that the MIs would be a pleasant diversion. Any input on either of those two trilogies?

I actually thought OE13 was the worst of the three. I thought the first one was by far and away the best of the lot, but enjoyed the second one. The last one I actually struggled to get through the whole movie.

The MI's are pretty much a distraction. If you like the high action, cool CGI and effects type films, they are worth the watch.

I actually thought OE13 was the worst of the three. I thought the first one was by far and away the best of the lot, but enjoyed the second one. The last one I actually struggled to get through the whole movie.

The MI's are pretty much a distraction. If you like the high action, cool CGI and effects type films, they are worth the watch.


Thanks for the feedback. I'll probably gather the OE's first, since the wife will probably be more interested in those than the MI's.

In the interest of full disclosure... I signed up for the Gold's Gym Challenge (http://www.goldsgymchallenge.com) today. :o

I know... I know... I work for Gold's Gym. But there's no reason I can't make improvements and changes in my life just like everyone else.

And as part of the entry process, I was asked to submit three goals that I want to achieve over the course of the challenge. For all intents and purposes, this covers the range from January 21 (the first official day of the challenge) to March 21st (voting for the finalists takes place March 18th through March 23rd. So here's what I wrote:

1) Lose 25 lbs of scale weight (15 lbs of fat) by March 21st, decreasing my body fat percentage to 18%

2) Complete a half marathon on March 9th in less than two hours.

3) Be able to bench press my body weight once and complete one unassisted pullup in the same workout.

So let's review this one step at a time. The weight loss/fat loss goal is a realistic one. That would put me at 183 at the end of the challenge, which would set me up to be around 175 when I tackle the marathon in mid-May. But I'd say that this is the biggest hurdle I'll face... 2.75lbs per week is a pretty big number. Then again, I put down 208 as my starting number, so I'm already a few pounds ahead of the game.

The half-marathon time is definitely achievable. I ran this particular race last year in 1.56.56. I'd like to be sub-1.55. Is sub-1.45 possible? Perhaps. A lot will depend on the weather and how much outdoor training I will be able to do, especially in the hills.

The last one is something I've been wanting to do. I think right now my 1RM for the bench is probably around 150. So 185 would be in the wheelhouse, but that's dependent on reaching the body weight goal. As far as the pull-up, I think that will come around faster. (EDIT - I just hopped on the bench here at work. Put up 155 for three... which calculates out to a 165 1RM right now. I was also able to do one pullup with 45lbs of assistance, which means I'm capable of an unassisted at 160 right now.)

So there you have it... some tangible and objective goals for the first three months of the year.

Good luck with achieving your goals Phil. Have you formulated a specific macro based plan (x% carbs, x% fat, x% protein, etc.) to lose 2.75 pounds per week or is a more generic combination of eating less and exercising more?

Good luck with all that Phil!! Very doable if you can stick to it all. Though I got nice chuckle as they are similar goals to mine, 20lbs by end of March and benching the body weight by then. Of course, if I lose the 20lbs, I won't have to worry much about the BP.

Good luck with achieving your goals Phil. Have you formulated a specific macro based plan (x% carbs, x% fat, x% protein, etc.) to lose 2.75 pounds per week or is a more generic combination of eating less and exercising more?

The meal plan I'm working with has me dialed in for two pounds of weight loss per week. As for the other 6.75 lbs... I've already dropped five to seven from my "starting weight" on January 1st, so that is the "head start" I gave myself when I started.

Good luck with all that Phil!! Very doable if you can stick to it all. Though I got nice chuckle as they are similar goals to mine, 20lbs by end of March and benching the body weight by then. Of course, if I lose the 20lbs, I won't have to worry much about the BP.

Thanks Chick. I'm not really "competing" in the challenge, which appears to be not much more than a popularity contest, since the entire thing is decided by internet voting. On the other hand, I know LOTS of people on the internet... :confused:

Got three miles in thirty minutes on the treadmill this morning, went snowboarding this afternoon. Ate all my meals, drank my water, took my vitamins and said my prayers. Good night.

Good good good... ran five miles on the treadmill when I got done with work at 9:30 tonight. Feeling like the groove is getting it on now.

Feeling like the groove is getting it on now.

Agreed! :nod:

Agreed! :nod:

The numbers are validating that fact too. I've dropped 2lbs of fat and 3lbs of "everything else" since January 1st. Given that I dropped those 3lbs on January 2nd (water weight), I'm pretty pleased with the progress so far.

Those are quite some goals. I wish you good luck with them. :gl:
Also, I read you ride a harley. Nice. It's not a Ninja, but, nice :nod:

Also, I read you ride a harley. Nice. It's not a Ninja, but, nice :nod:

Yep... it's nice it's not a Ninja. :lol:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Photos/Web/2008_Kawasaki_ZX-10R_R.jpg
:dreamy:

Knocked out three miles on the treadmill last night after work, which made it three straight days for running. I'm scheduled for an eight miler on Sunday, which will be done outside, no matter what the weather.

Speaking of weather, we're getting rain and fog here today, although it's still warm out... which is a drag since I took the day off from work to go snowboarding. So I'm home alone all day... but there's lots of things on my "to-do" list around the house, and I'll pick up the kids early and maybe even hit the movies with them if the wife is not taking a half day (which she mentioned she might do since she has some kind of eye appointment where they will probably dilate her and she won't be able to see very well after that).

I'm also going to head to the music store and pick up my new guitar, which has been there since the day after Christmas (I dropped it off to have it set up, and it took him longer to get to it than he thought it would). So I'll definitely spend an hour or so playing it this afternoon... I think this guitar will only be used to play BritPop songs, so expect me to grind through quite a bit of Oasis.

I was scheduled to take a Group Fitness Certification class on Saturday and a Group Cycling Certification class on Sunday this weekend. I've decided not to do it, however, as I honestly do not see myself as a group instructor any time soon. It was more so that I could be a "back-up" if one of the regular instructors didn't show up at work, but that's really not my responsibility.

Another reason is that I was able to schedule a consultation for Sunday morning with the contractors we are considering for our kitchen remodeling project, so that's going to be underway sooner rather than later... or at least we'll know if we can afford what we've planned and can move forward from there.

Finally, since I'm going to be home all day, I switched my "relaxed" nutrition day from tomorrow to today. That will leave me some flexibility in case we decide to go out for dinner or something tonight.

I tried to post a couple times this weekend, but my internet connection here at the gym is a bit wonky and they didn't go through. Meh. :blank:

Things are going well, for the most part. Little hiccups here and there, but nothing that leads me to believe there's something not right with my programs as they are being executed.

Today is the end of the second week of the year, so a recap is in order.

I started off the year at 208lbs and 23.3% BF, with 48.46lbs of fat.
As of this morning, I am 203lbs and 22.1% BF, with 44.86lbs of fat.
That's a net loss of 5lbs, 3.6lbs of which was fat. Good progress.

I carpeted the playroom on the third floor of our house yesterday, which meant humping a 15' x 20' remnant up two flights of stairs, and then spending several hours shoving it around the room on my hands and knees. It's done, but it was quite a workout and I'm a little sore today. I moved my weight training workout to this evening to give myself a little bit of recovery time.

I also went to the track yesterday and calibrated my Nike+iPod system, so I ran a mile. I had hoped to get in a longer run, but the contractor I had planned my day around was delayed and borked my schedule. Fortunately, the initial estimate we got from him was within our budget, give or take a few items, so we're moving forward at this point and hope to "break ground" in mid to late March, with the hope that it will all be done by Memorial Day weekend.

That's some very nice progress you've made to start the new year and it's a validation of the effort you've put in. Nicely done!

Good luck on the kitchen renovation. Will you lose all cooking ability or will you be able to set up a rudimentary temporary kitchen while the construction is going on?

Will you lose all cooking ability or will you be able to set up a rudimentary temporary kitchen while the construction is going on?

Considering my wife's cooking skills, it'll be no loss at all. :lol:

We'll still have a fridge and a microwave and a Foreman grill (moved into in the dining room), so we're good there. The only thing we'd need is someplace to boil water for pasta/mac and cheese/etc for the kids, but really a single burner would be adequate for that, so I'm going to pick one up when we get closer to the actual tear-down.

Great progress so far!!!

I carpeted the playroom on the third floor of our house yesterday, which meant humping a 15' x 20' remnant up two flights of stairs, and then spending several hours shoving it around the room on my hands and knees. It's done, but it was quite a workout and I'm a little sore today. I moved my weight training workout to this evening to give myself a little bit of recovery time.

You wanna come do mine next??? We just stuck that same project in our budget with me trying to convince the hubby we could do it ourselves.

Good luck on the kitchen renovations!

keep kickin ass and taking names :)
good progress so far, PD! rockin!

You wanna come do mine next??? We just stuck that same project in our budget with me trying to convince the hubby we could do it ourselves.

Trust me, you wouldn't want me to work on your house. :D

We bought a big piece of remnant carpet and I chopped it up to fit. We didn't do any padding underneath (it's on top of linoleum tile). And while I'm pretty good with a razor knife, there are a couple places where there is up to an eighth inch gap at the baseboards. While I had hoped to do the whole room in one piece, because the stairway opens into the center of the room, I ended up cutting it into two pieces, which I had to seam (two 2' runs of carpet). Those are pretty good and tight, but certainly not perfect. The whole project cost less than $150, however, so for that cost it'll certainly be sufficient for the kids.

Yesterday's attempt at weight training was pathetic at best. I was totally fried after just two exercises (BSQs and RDLs) and struggled through a couple sets of DB Bench before realizing I was putting myself in harm's way. 1) I need to NOT push my lifting back to the "after work" timeslot. 2) I need to rework my program so there is not as many sets/exercises in each session. 3) I need help.

I talked to one of the other trainers, and he is going to work with me two days a week. We'll probably go with a three day split in a four day week so that we're not training the same routines together each week. It will be good to have someone to mentor and motivate me at this point in my program.

I watched MI1 last night... it was OK, although I thought it was a little contrived in terms of realism. But it was entertaining enough that I will try and pick up MI2 sometime soon.

Right now, I'm sitting in the ski lodge on my laptop while the kids are taking their weekly snowboard lessons. I didn't feel like riding tonight... and I have couple of programs I need to develop for a few clients.

After we get home, I'm going to jump back in the car, head back to the gym, and get in a half hour run on the treadmill. Or maybe not, depending on whether or not the wife is still awake (or even home... she was going out with her sister after work).

Had a good conversation with my new "trainer" (actually we're going to be workout "buddies") yesterday, and we came up with a plan we can live with... we're starting on Monday with the following split:

Monday: am Back and Biceps
Tuesday: am Chest and Abs / pm short run (3-5mi)
Wednesday: pm medium run (5-8mi)
Thursday: am Legs (Back) / pm short run (3-5mi)
Friday: am Shoulders and Triceps (Chest)
Saturday: off
Sunday: am long run (6-20mi)

The latter part of the week will highlight the two "power moves" I'm working on... bench and pullup. I'm curious to see how I hang with this guy... I've seen him lift and he's pretty intense. Obviously the running distance increases as I get further into the marathon program. I think this is a good overall program.

My scale weight has remained the same all week, but my BF% is continuing to drop. Just sayin'. :whistle:

I picked up the ball I dropped on Tuesday night and ran three miles last night. I'll get in the five from yesterday today, bang out three tomorrow (Friday), and be back on track for my first "long" run this Sunday (six). I'm focusing on decreasing my mile time by :15 per week until I get to my race pace goals.

My scale weight has remained the same all week, but my BF% is continuing to drop. Just sayin'. :whistle:

:claphigh:

went snowboarding this afternoon.

Jealous! :mad: I was going to be snowboarding today and tomorrow except for my knee. I will try to get some in before the season is over I guess...probably better I am working anyway...lots to do!

Way to go on the progress YTD.

Maybe I missed this somewhere, but what kind of guitar did you just pick up?

My scale weight has remained the same all week, but my BF% is continuing to drop. Just sayin'. :whistle:

Awesome. :tu:

My scale weight has remained the same all week, but my BF% is continuing to drop. Just sayin'. :whistle:


Then good things are happening!

Jealous! :mad: Maybe I missed this somewhere, but what kind of guitar did you just pick up?

I'm guessing I will get in about ten days of riding this season. And as far as the guitar(s)... I bought the pink one for myself right after Thanksgiving, and my wife bought me the Def Leppard limited edition one for Christmas. I'm not a very good guitarist, but I'm having fun learning.

Current temperature: 22F Real Feel temperature: 4F
Distance: 6.0 miles Time: 59.12 Pace: 9.49 Calories: 921 (http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=runners,runs,820525900,runID,15039545)

Ha... I laugh in the face of Old Man Winter!

After a less-than-compliant few days at the end of last week, I started the new week this morning with a nice long run. Let me say this: I LOVE the Nike + iPod system. No need to worry about what route to take, just set it for the distance you want and run. Need info on how much further you have to go or how fast you are currently running? Press the button. And it even calculates how many calories you burninate.

I'm lifting with my new training partner tomorrow. This should be interesting. Other than that, stuff to do around the house and maybe a little football on the television later today. Time for a shower and then off to church... have a great day!

Current temperature: 22F Real Feel temperature: 4F

i am so jealous :(

i am so jealous :(
Feel better Z. Build a fire!
http://wallpapers.dpics.org/wallpapers/21/Roaring_Fire.jpg

-9 feels like -21. :dance:

Well, that's like 15 F, feels like -9 F.

Ha... I laugh in the face of Old Man Winter!

I think you're just too crazy to know better. :neener:

I'm guessing I will get in about ten days of riding this season. And as far as the guitar(s)... I bought the pink one for myself right after Thanksgiving, and my wife bought me the Def Leppard limited edition one for Christmas. I'm not a very good guitarist, but I'm having fun learning.

Can you play Guitar Hero with those?? :eek:

Can you play Guitar Hero with those?? :eek:


I also got guitar hero for christmas. :o

I also got guitar hero for christmas. :o

but have you made it to a million points yet?


http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/resources/2007/11/SPGH.jpg

but have you made it to a million points yet?


http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/resources/2007/11/SPGH.jpg


i like... totally... suck... :o

On January 1st, I was 208lbs at 23.3%, with 48.46lbs of fat.
On January 21st, I was 204lbs at 21.5%, with 43.86lbs of fat.

That's a net loss of 4.6lbs of fat in 20 days. Good times... good times.

i like... totally... suck... :o

It's really hard :(

We got my son Guitar Hero for the holidays and while he and his sister have gained some decent proficiency, I have thus far resisted their prodding to play lest I totally embarrass myself.

I have been sidelined from running this week due to a slight medical issue, which seems to be resolving itself. I should be fine by the weekend. It gave me no trouble snowboarding, but I can feel it when I walk, so I thought it best to not try and run with the discomfort. Nuff said.

Without the extra cardio, my weight and BF% has stayed pretty much steady for the past few days. The low reading on my weekly check-in date was just that... a blip on the screen. It looks like I am realistically down almost four pounds of fat and one pound of lean since Jan 1st, however, so there is no doubt that I am making progress.

I'm rapidly losing points in the January Challenge... I had a cocktail on Tuesday night when I got home from the mountains, and I had some ice cream last night, which was definitely not in the plan. But I'm still perfect with the sit-up/push-up challenge, and will have completed 300 pushups and 540 situps YTD when I do today's workout.

We booked a snowboard weekend for the family for mid-February. The boys decided they would rather do that than have a big birthday party where they invited all their friends. Should be a nice getaway for a few days.

We booked a snowboard weekend for the family for mid-February.

Where at? :spaz:

I used to ski quite a bit, but have never snowboarded. My girlfriend is wanting to go somewhere in March. We just can't decide where. I'd say Utah :spaz:

We just can't decide where. I'd say Utah :spaz:

Whistler - BC
Breckenridge - CO
Park City/The Canyons - UT

...in that order. :nod:

Whistler - BC
Breckenridge - CO
Park City/The Canyons - UT

...in that order. :nod:

My sister won a trip to Whistler last year, and Vail before that (she enters contests as a hobby).

My sister won a trip to Whistler last year, and Vail before that (she enters contests as a hobby).

I love Vail for the town but there's much better snowboarding just down the road at Breck. :nod:

My buddy's little brother always used to enter contests when he was a kid. He had all kinds of crazy shit, including two jet-skis. :lol:

No idea how he got around the over-18 thing. :confused:

Where at? :spaz:

No place too exciting... Bear Creek (http://www.skibearcreek.com)

We got a sweet deal though... staying over on a Sunday night in a slopeside room with two queen beds. The kids get rentals, lessons, and beginner lift tickets for Sunday afternoon/evening and all day Monday. My wife gets a 30 minute massage in the spa (they also have indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs) since she doesn't ski or ride. We get a $50 gift card towards food at any of the restaurants or snack bars. And since I already got three free all mountain lift tickets from them the last time we were there, I don't really need anything else to cover me for the weekend. Total for the whole deal was $275, which is really cheap for four people to stay, two days of complete hookups for the kids, and about $100 worth of food and services thrown in. And it's about 75 minutes from our house.

No place too exciting... Bear Creek (http://www.skibearcreek.com)

We got a sweet deal though... staying over on a Sunday night in a slopeside room with two queen beds. The kids get rentals, lessons, and beginner lift tickets for Sunday afternoon/evening and all day Monday. My wife gets a 30 minute massage in the spa (they also have indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs) since she doesn't ski or ride. We get a $50 gift card towards food at any of the restaurants or snack bars. And since I already got three free all mountain lift tickets from them the last time we were there, I don't really need anything else to cover me for the weekend. Total for the whole deal was $275, which is really cheap for four people to stay, two days of complete hookups for the kids, and about $100 worth of food and services thrown in. And it's about 75 minutes from our house.

Sweet deal!!! Though funny thing, this was the resort I went to the last time I went skiing, which unfortunately was back when the resort changed ownerships and got the new name. I miss skiing!

No place too exciting... Bear Creek (http://www.skibearcreek.com)

We got a sweet deal though... staying over on a Sunday night in a slopeside room with two queen beds. The kids get rentals, lessons, and beginner lift tickets for Sunday afternoon/evening and all day Monday. My wife gets a 30 minute massage in the spa (they also have indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs) since she doesn't ski or ride. We get a $50 gift card towards food at any of the restaurants or snack bars. And since I already got three free all mountain lift tickets from them the last time we were there, I don't really need anything else to cover me for the weekend. Total for the whole deal was $275, which is really cheap for four people to stay, two days of complete hookups for the kids, and about $100 worth of food and services thrown in. And it's about 75 minutes from our house.

That sounds not only like a really fun time, but a super deal!

Sweet deal!!! Though funny thing, this was the resort I went to the last time I went skiing, which unfortunately was back when the resort changed ownerships and got the new name. I miss skiing!

I hadn't been there since they were Doe Mountain... but I was really impressed with the changes when we went there earlier this month.

Whistler - BC


:nod:

But a bit more pricey than the $275 that PD found. I think that's about how much it is per night.

Evidently GoogleAds suggests snowboarding in Alberta Canada. :confused:

I don't know of anyone who's specifically gone to Alberta for the snow.

Except for that one time I played the flute at the Olympics.



I'm going snowboarding in Ontario.

I get to supervise 12-year-olds! :spaz:

Except for that one time I played the flute at the Olympics.

That didn't have anything to do with band camp, did it? :confused:

That didn't have anything to do with band camp, did it? :confused:Not really band "camp" but we did sneak into each other's hotel rooms, and fall asleep on our neighbour's shoulders on the bus.

Not really band "camp" but we did sneak into each other's hotel rooms, and fall asleep on our neighbour's shoulders on the bus.

pix please.

I used to ski quite a bit, but have never snowboarded. My girlfriend is wanting to go somewhere in March. We just can't decide where. I'd say Utah :spaz:

I'd hit up Vail if money is no thang. A-basin just opened up about 50% more terrain, copper is good, Eldora is good, keystone was good the only time I went this year.

edit: for M@, Vail is so much better than Breck it's outrageous. You just gotta hit the right runs.

I was a little light on my water consumption yesterday, and the Omron showed it, with my first sub 21% BF reading of the year this morning. Again, I don't put much stock in day-to-day flucuations, but it's always nice to cross off another number on the list. We'll see how the rest of the week plays out.

I talked to the wife this morning, and I decided that the Goofy at Disney World is going to have to wait until 2010. With the Orlando trip for the Cheat Meal Cruise in August (which I will be solo for, although there is a good chance the family will come down for either the week before or the week afterwards), and then either New York City (which the family would attend) or Richmond (which would be solo) for the fall marathon, another trip to Florida in January (which would be solo since we wouldn't want to take the kids out of school for it), it's too much in a short period of time.

I talked to the wife this morning, and I decided that the Goofy at Disney World is going to have to wait until 2010. With the Orlando trip for the Cheat Meal Cruise in August (which I will be solo for, although there is a good chance the family will come down for either the week before or the week afterwards), and then either New York City (which the family would attend) or Richmond (which would be solo) for the fall marathon, another trip to Florida in January (which would be solo since we wouldn't want to take the kids out of school for it), it's too much in a short period of time.

:eek: wow, that's a lot of traveling. i'm exhausted just reading about it! lol!

it's the running that makes me tired!

Current temperature: 39F Real Feel temperature: 30F
Distance: 8.0 miles Time: 1.17.17 Pace: 9.37 Calories: 1227 (http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=runners,runs,820525900,runID,1021450418)

Another long Sunday run in the books. I waited until mid-afternoon to take advantage of the warmth of the sun. Very pleasant conditions, and the Nike+iPod makes it so much more enjoyable to run.

I was a little slower than the 9:30 pace I was targeting, but I was probably aggressive in setting my goals at the beginning of the year. It was still faster than last week's long run by about :10 per mile, so it's definitely an improvement considering it was a longer distance too.

Current temperature: 39F Real Feel temperature: 30F
Distance: 8.0 miles Time: 1.17.17 Pace: 9.37 Calories: 1227



Nice run PD:) But that's how many calories i burnt for 21 km on saturday:(

Nice run PD:) But that's how many calories i burnt for 21 km on saturday:(

Yeah, but I weigh like twice as much as you do (once you factor in the metric conversion and the exchange rate) :)

Just a few things to report today...

1) With several missed running sessions this past week, a banquet luncheon on Saturday, and Sunday dinner out with the family, I had some unstable readings in my stats tracker which kind of threw this week's numbers off. According to the charts, I lost no fat but gained a pound of lean. Probably just water weight. :rolleyes:

2) We decided to make a family vacation out of the JSFCruise trip, so we'll all be heading down to the Disney Resort in Vero Beach for the week before the cruise, and the wife and kids will drop me off at the boat on their way to the airport (I'll fly back solo on Monday). :cool:

3) I'm toying with the idea of doing a duathlon in August. It would involve getting back on the bike... something I didn't do at all last year. I'm still working on adding the training required for that to my plan... but at this point, it looks like it could work. As a result, I'm virtually finished with my training plan for the entire year. :tucool:

talk about planning ahead...

As a result, I'm virtually finished with my training plan for the entire year. :tucool:

:madpimp:

La la la lovely... :whistle:

Dragged myself onto the treadmill for a quick three miles last night.

Lifted weights this morning. Taking the kids snowboarding tonight.

Some core work when I get home and that'll be my day. :neener:

I finally started my Performance Nutrition certification last night. :) It's going to be a lot of work. :(

In other news, I tweaked my elbow a few weeks ago (I think it was the day I hauled the carpet up to the third floor. It hasn't gotten any better, so I had the chirpractor here at work take a look. Tendonitis. Treatment started today... we'll see where that goes. It really only hurts when I grip too hard with my left hand. Good thing I'm a righty.

Five miles on the treadmill after work. Done. :neener:

End of the month. Here's the damage.

Jan 1 - 208 @ 23.3% (46.46)
Jan 31 - 203.5 @ 21.9% (44.57)
4.5lbs lost (-3.9lbs fat, -.6lbs lean)

End of Week 1 (Jan 7) - 205.29 @ 22.74% (46.69)
End of Week 4 (Jan 28) - 204.50 @ 21.76% (44.49)
.79lbs lost (-2.26lbs fat, +1.41lbs lean)

Interesting to note the difference between the first set of figures (which simply capture data from a singular specific date) and the second set (which represent averages of all the data on a weekly basis, compared over a four week period).

I think the second set more accurately represents what's happening with my body, even though the first set is more impressive to toss out at the water fountain.

Both are clearly moves in the right direction. What a great way to start the year! Well done. :tu:

Both are clearly moves in the right direction. What a great way to start the year! Well done. :tu:

Thanks E... I'm feeling a lot better about my appearance these days, and that counts for a lot in my overall outlook.

I took the day off from training yesterday... including the push-up/sit-up challenge. I had another session with the chiropractor to treat my tendonitis, and she asked me to try and minimize any weight bearing activity involving that elbow for a few days. Since I'm not scheduled to lift again until next Tuesday, by skipping yesterday's session I will be able to give it a rest while being treated for an entire week. I'm going to resume the push-ups today, however, as the elbow does feel a lot better already, and it's not like I'm racking out hundreds of them. I'm going to just resume the progression as if I had done yesterday's workout, so I'll be at 32/50 tonight.

End of the month. Here's the damage.

Jan 1 - 208 @ 23.3% (46.46)
Jan 31 - 203.5 @ 21.9% (44.57)
4.5lbs lost (-3.9lbs fat, -.6lbs lean)

End of Week 1 (Jan 7) - 205.29 @ 22.74% (46.69)
End of Week 4 (Jan 28) - 204.50 @ 21.76% (44.49)
.79lbs lost (-2.26lbs fat, +1.41lbs lean)

Interesting to note the difference between the first set of figures (which simply capture data from a singular specific date) and the second set (which represent averages of all the data on a weekly basis, compared over a four week period).

I think the second set more accurately represents what's happening with my body, even though the first set is more impressive to toss out at the water fountain.
:tu:
great job PD! very nice!:nod:

I had a most excellent day snowboarding with my older son. It wouldn't be capable to write down how much fun we had, but more importantly, I could tell how proud and happy he was that I was his dad. Or as he put it, quoting Spongebob... "It was a Best Day Ever."

A little late, but good luck with your running this year Philly.

Current temperature: 50F Real Feel temperature: 48F
Distance: 10.0 miles Time: 1.37.05 Pace: 9.42 Calories: 1531 (http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=runners,runs,820525900,runID,618913154)
Five seconds a mile slower than last week. I'll reserve judgement until I can upload my run to the Nike+ website and compare my pace at various parts of the course (I ran almost the same route as last week with a couple extra miles thrown in at random points). Other than that, it was a beautiful day for a run... I was able to go out in track pants, a long sleeve running shirt, and a baseball cap. Now to settle in for the Super Bowl...

Current temperature: 50F Real Feel temperature: 48F



Other than that, it was a beautiful day for a run... I was able to go out in track pants, a long sleeve running shirt, and a baseball cap. Now to settle in for the Super Bowl...

:dreamy:

:dreamy:

:whistle:

Looks like my performance on yesterday's run tailed off just after the three mile point. Same thing on last week's run. Not sure what the deal is there, but it warrants a little research.

EDIT: I figured out how to paste the run data from the Nike+ site for each run. I'm going back through this journal and adding it into each post where I logged a run. So check yesterday's post for the ten miler...

Between the time I finished my run and the time I went to bed, I drank a whole gallon of water, but only used the bathroom once. Plus I had a bowl of pasta with sausage for dinner, and some tortilla chips with ground beef and cheese during the game, which meant a lot of extra sodium in my system. So as I expected, my scale weight is up two pounds from yesterday, which threw off the whole week on my stats tracker. It's showing virtually no change in my weight and BF% from last week.

I'm not concerned at this point, however... I only missed one workout last week (doctor's orders), I did all my scheduled runs, I'm feeling great, and I think I am seeing changes in my physique (the progress pictures will tell the tale on February 20th). And I'm back to the point where I can run ten miles without really feeling any negative effects, which is good considering I've got five weeks until the first big race of the year (half marathon).

I got so wrapped up in watching the Super Bowl last night that I forgot to do my pushups and situps. :doh: I'm going to do yesterday's set at lunchtime, and tonight's set after dinner. I'll be doing three miles on the treadmill to loosen up the legs after work. Have a super day!

I forgot to do my pushups and situps. :doh:

What's wrong with forgetting to do situps?

What's wrong with forgetting to do situps?

I'm trying to stay with the program as outlined... but I can see your point. :D

EDIT: done

I tried to run tonight... I got my running shoes on, I put on a decent movie in the Cardio Cinema, and I fired up the treadmill. But I felt like crap, and I really thought I was going to puke after only 1/10 of a mile. So I bailed. Live to run another day (wasn't that a Bond film?)...

I tried to run tonight... I felt like crap, and I really thought I was going to puke after only 1/10 of a mile.

I tried to warn you not to do those situps.

So I bailed. Live to run another day (wasn't that a Bond film?)...

Better than puking on the treadmill. :nod: I hope you're feeling better today.

Better than puking on the treadmill. :nod: I hope you're feeling better today.

I managed to fight it off... my younger son puked pretty much non-stop for 24 hours on Saturday, and I thought I was getting that.

I got another treatment for my tendonitis yesterday, and the doc asked me if I could hold off for a few more days on the weights. I'm definitely lifting on Thursday, no matter what she says when I see her on Wednesday.

And on that note... I'm off to go snowboarding. See ya later tonight!

Haven't posted lately because there is nothing positive to report in my progress. Going away this weekend to eat restaurant meals and regroup. Have fun!

I see I was missed. :blank:

Had a fantastic weekend at Bear Creek. My wife even had a great time... so much so that we booked another weekend trip for early March as soon as we got home. Here's some video of my kids...

l5wZi5bzJgg

HQTQ3q3JX-A

We got a nasty storm here yesterday, which didn't stop us from going snowboarding again last night. I didn't ride, however, as I slipped on the ice and slightly hyperextended my left knee. I'm going to have the doctor here at work check it out this afternoon and see if there's any real damage... I can definitely feel that something's not right.

Other than that, not much to report. Weight and BF% are hovering around the same as they have been for the past few weeks, which is no real improvement. I'm really not motivated to work out, I have abandoned the February Challenge as well as the pushup/situp challenge, and I'm kind of meh about the upcoming running season at this point. Of course, that could all change tomorrow... get back to me.

I see I was missed. :blank:

We got a nasty storm here yesterday, which didn't stop us from going snowboarding again last night.
Well, I didn't have anything positive to say. :blank:

I'm going on my daughter's ski trip, but I haven't been on skiis in years and years. I think we'll have to practice first. I don't know if I should get some lessons, or just go ahead and launch myself down that hill. :confused: Advice?

Maybe you could move on to something different other than running. How about inline skating? You could even build a ramp. :D

Well, I didn't have anything positive to say. :blank:

Understood. But thanks for thinking of me. :)

I'm going on my daughter's ski trip, but I haven't been on skiis in years and years. I think we'll have to practice first. I don't know if I should get some lessons, or just go ahead and launch myself down that hill. :confused: Advice?

If you previously skiied with some proficiency, then you should be fine to get right back out there. If you were only a beginner in the past, it's probably best to consider yourself a beginner once again and take a lesson.

I see I was missed. :blank:

We were giving you quiet time to enjoy your weekend. :nod:

Had a fantastic weekend at Bear Creek. My wife even had a great time... so much so that we booked another weekend trip for early March as soon as we got home. Here's some video of my kids...

Glad you had fun. But, more importantly, thank goodness you're back! ;)

Other than that, not much to report. Weight and BF% are hovering around the same as they have been for the past few weeks, which is no real improvement. I'm really not motivated to work out, I have abandoned the February Challenge as well as the pushup/situp challenge, and I'm kind of meh about the upcoming running season at this point.

Why? :confused:

Why? :confused:

I think it's just a general malaise right now. And I'm really worried about the knee now... I just tried jogging (I think that's how it's pronounced... maybe it's a soft "J"?) and it was tender. I'm definitely favouring that leg when I walk. We'll see what the doc has to say.

Well, okay then. But only for a little while longer.

Ah, that was a cute video of your kids. Is your wife at all worried about when they start wanting to do those extreme snowboarding stunts like flying flips off giant slopes?

I know you're kinda down right now, but surely all those great upcoming trips are something to rekindle a yearn for physical activity. Spring is just around the corner too :)

OK... I'm back... kinda.

After two days of treatment, my knee is back to 98%. My chiropractor really knows what she's doing, and while the therapy was incredibly painful, it worked. So my mood has improved a good deal.

I've picked up a lot of new clients lately... word is getting around that I'm the guy to go to when you want to take that next step in your fitness level. Most of them are "buff moms" who already train several times a week, but want to really get into top shape for the summer. So I'm having fun at work.

It's Friday night, and aside from working tomorrow morning, I've got no plans until I take my older son snowboarding on Sunday afternoon. So that will be a nice way to spend the weekend.

And who knows... Monday morning is President's Day, and that sounds like a perfect opportunity to get back on track with my workouts and nutrition. So that's what I think I'll do.

Ah, that was a cute video of your kids. Is your wife at all worried about when they start wanting to do those extreme snowboarding stunts like flying flips off giant slopes?

No, she's used to it by now... I'm prone to take giant leaps of faith too.

Seriously... I've done my share of the "extreme" snowboarding stuff... or at least what was "extreme" when snowboarding itself was considered "extreme." I will admit that I wouldn't want to try a lot of the stuff that the kids are doing these days. But if my kids want to do it, I'll be right there with them.

I'm really not motivated to work out, I have abandoned the February Challenge as well as the pushup/situp challenge, and I'm kind of meh about the upcoming running season at this point. Of course, that could all change tomorrow... get back to me.

February has the tendency to be a really meh kind of month. February and August are the most depressing months of the year, for instance, if you have to work on obit files.:(

I think it's just a general malaise right now. And I'm really worried about the knee now... I just tried jogging (I think that's how it's pronounced... maybe it's a soft "J"?) and it was tender. I'm definitely favouring that leg when I walk. We'll see what the doc has to say.

When you call it malaise, it sounds much more enjoyable, in a languidly melancholic sorta way.:nod:

OK... I'm back... kinda.

After two days of treatment, my knee is back to 98%. My chiropractor really knows what she's doing, and while the therapy was incredibly painful, it worked. So my mood has improved a good deal.

......

And who knows... Monday morning is President's Day, and that sounds like a perfect opportunity to get back on track with my workouts and nutrition. So that's what I think I'll do.

Hooray for a working knee and President's Day!!:tu:

La la la... that's all I have to say to you.

We went snowboarding yesterday, and got a couple good hours in before it started raining. I am AMAZED at how quickly my son has picked it up... both from the standpoint on being able to navigate down the mountain (he's solidly running the long "blue" trails now, top to bottom, without falling, and he's carrying his speed nicely) as well as his ability to start doing tricks (he hit a couple nice jumps yesterday, actually got some air under his board, nailed the flat box a bunch of times, and did a rail grind for the first time). Of course, I got it all on video, but because of the overcast conditions and the darkness/artificial lighting, they are spotty at best. I'll try to cobble something out of it anyway...

We'll see where today goes on the fitness and nutrition side of things... so far so good. I think I'll hazard a few pushups and situps, and try to get a couple miles of running in on the treadmill tonight. Back on the slopes tomorrow... the kids are off from school, so we'll be able to get up there much earlier than usual for a Tuesday and I should be able to get some footage of both boys.

Well, the running didn't happen on Monday night, and tonight's not looking real good either. I need to refocus my goals a little. Nuff said.

Excellent snowboarding last night. With as far as my older son came in the previous week, my younger son came just as far this week. Here's his new video... the kids LOVE having these clips so they can show off to their friends at school... "I'm on YouTube!"

JrYyC5EhokQ

I've been having fun editing the videos I shoot when I'm snowboarding with the boys. Here's one from this past Sunday. I need to find a good source for free mp3 files that are instrumental tracks about 1:00 in length.

OqEf2gw3wtA

I've been having fun editing the videos I shoot when I'm snowboarding with the boys. Here's one from this past Sunday. I need to find a good source for free mp3 files that are instrumental tracks about 1:00 in length.

OqEf2gw3wtA


It's funny you mention that... I was watching your son scream down the slope and YYZ by Rush popped into my head!

Yeah Griffin looks to be pretty proficient at handling the snow board :nod: Is he older than Palmer?

It's funny you mention that... I was watching your son scream down the slope and YYZ by Rush popped into my head!

What sucks is that I have all my iTunes files on one computer, and all my video files and editing software on another... and neither one has the capacity to hold both (I use old computers).

Yeah Griffin looks to be pretty proficient at handling the snow board :nod: Is he older than Palmer?

Palmer turned seven last weekend, and Griffin turns nine next weekend. Griffin's generally more "active" than Palmer too.

We got a few inches of snow last night, and it's still snowing. Both the boys are off from school, and as soon as I woke up, they were like "Can we go snowboarding today?" Sucked to have to say "No..."

What sucks is that I have all my iTunes files on one computer, and all my video files and editing software on another... and neither one has the capacity to hold both (I use old computers).





You and me both. I built my pc in the spring of 1999. It's got a 667 mghz processor :o

Twelve Weeks. Eighty Four Days. Today is Day 1.

No need for scales, or BF monitors, or pictures.

No need for fixed workout programs, nutrition plans, or supplement timing schedules.

Shit, if I can't even stick to the basics for twelve weeks...

Anyway, the guidelines are simple. Eat right and exercise every day.

I need you all to keep me on track with this, because without you I'm nothing.

I need you all to keep me on track with this, because without you I'm nothing.

Good luck with Day 1! (And day 2, day 3, etc...)

:tucool:

Anyway, the guidelines are simple. Eat right and exercise every day.

I need you all to keep me on track with this

Aye, aye, cap'n. :tu:

without you I'm nothing.

:dreamy:

the guidelines are simple. Eat right and exercise every day.Does the definition of "right" change every day? Do you have forbidden foods or minimum nutrient targets?

I think if your goals are too loose, you'll be too tempted to go off course....

But I'm behind you anyway. :tu: :claphigh:

:tucool:

:eek: :heart: :o

:dreamy:

:eek: :heart: :o

Does the definition of "right" change every day? Do you have forbidden foods or minimum nutrient targets? I think if your goals are too loose, you'll be too tempted to go off course...

That's the whole point. I can't go any further off course than I have in the past few months. So by keeping the definitions loose, I probably have a better chance to actually achieve something.

I have a more thorough understanding than most people do when it comes to what it takes to lose weight, build muscle, and become healthier. My problem, I think, is "paralysis by analysis"... I am capable of creating such a detailed plan for myself that it becomes almost impossible to maintain.

For the next twelve weeks, I'm going to let one guiding principle dictate my training and nutrition: "Is this going to take me closer to my goals or further away from my goals?"

"Is this going to take me closer to my goals or further away from my goals?"
:claplow: That's what I ask every day. And the only reason I'm not consistent is because I keep changing my goals. :doh:

So, um, DO GOOD. Go out there and meet those goals! :jumping:

How come I didn't get a heart and a blush? :cry:

You can do it!:claphigh:

And if you don't::spank:

:claplow: That's what I ask every day. And the only reason I'm not consistent is because I keep changing my goals. :doh:

I thought a lot about the way you train (and eat) when I was mulling over what I want to accomplish.

How come I didn't get a heart and a blush? :cry:

My feelings for you are deeper than that. More like :love: :drool: :evil:

You can do it!:claphigh:

And if you don't::spank:

:eek: :heart: :o

I was hesitant to post anything encouraging coming from a loser like myself, but what the hey.

You've done it before and know how wonderful it feels.
You can do it again!

Good luck Phil. I'll be keeping an eye on you.

:eek: :heart: :o

:o

coming from a loser like myself



Hey!!:spank: Be nice to Naturegirl!
:D

Are you having a good, on track kinda day phillydude??

You've done it before and know how wonderful it feels. You can do it again!

:eek: :heart: :o

Thought for the day: Learn from your mistakes.

I had a real good day going yesterday... UNTIL around 1am, when I ate the last of the cookies that were in the house.

Lesson for the day: GO TO BED EARLIER. You can't eat while you sleep.

Other than that, I did 50 pushups and 50 situps yesterday.

Good luck Phil. I'll be keeping an eye on you.

:eek: :mad: :o

Are you having a good, on track kinda day phillydude??

Well, let's see...

Day 2.

Snowboarding was cancelled tonight since we're getting rain. That sux.

So far today I've had a 24oz coffee, a breakfast sandwich (egg white and turkey sausage with American cheese on a small bagel), and nothing. I guess I should drink some water, but that would mean going next door to the grocery store.

OK, I know... stop being lazy. I'll be right back.

edit: OK... I'm back. Starting my daily gallon of water now. I'll get it done before bedtime.

Of course, all the Valentine's candy is 75% off and right at the front of the store. :bang:

OK let's try that again, "Take 2" !!:D Right behind your PD:nod:
By teh way, what has really worked for you in the past?

:eek: :mad: :o




Of course, all the Valentine's candy is 75% off and right at the front of the store. :bang:


But did you buy any?

Good luck on the "new" goals! Actually sounds like a pretty good long term plan!

Of course, all the Valentine's candy is 75% off and right at the front of the store. :bang:

My girl scout cookies just got delivered today, just as I'm finally getting back on track!:mad:

I guess I should drink some water, but that would mean going next door to the grocery store.:confused: You don't live in Walkerton, do you?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060923.WATER23/TPStory/Environment

Philly,
I'm late in posting (as usual :o), but I really wanted to say that I absolutely love those videos that you made of your boys snowboarding! So adorable! :dreamy:

Of course, all the Valentine's candy is 75% off and right at the front of the store. :bang:

Cheap garbage that's filled with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup and tastes mostly like wax? Pssht. :nono: You're better than that. :nod: Drink your water.

I expect a stellar report for today, lad.

:eek: :mad: :o


WTF, I don't get a :heart:? I guess you don't love me as I thought you did. :lol: :lol:

OK let's try that again, "Take 2" !!:D Right behind your PD:nod:
By teh way, what has really worked for you in the past?

:eek: :heart: :o

What's worked for me in the past has been a desk job that allowed me to structure my time in such a way that no matter when I was supposed to eat a meal, I was sitting down and ready to eat. One that encouraged me to pack all my food for the day because there was no place to go to get anything else. And one that required me to take an hour break in the middle of the day (which in turn forced me to go to the gym during that hour and lift). And of course, one that gave me the evenings free to go outside and run, either alone or with the club.

I don't have any of that anymore. :cry:

But did you buy any?

:mad:

Good luck on the "new" goals! Actually sounds like a pretty good long term plan! My girl scout cookies just got delivered today, just as I'm finally getting back on track!:mad:

:eek: :heart: :o

Girl Scout Cookies are evil. :blank:

:confused: You don't live in Walkerton, do you?

I have no problem with tap water. But I find that if I have a "physical" gallon bottle of water, I am much more likely to drink it.

Philly,
I'm late in posting (as usual :o), but I really wanted to say that I absolutely love those videos that you made of your boys snowboarding! So adorable! :dreamy:

:eek: :heart: :o

Thanks Grace... they are pretty amazing kids. I consider myself blessed.

WTF, I don't get a :heart:? I guess you don't love me as I thought you did. :lol: :lol:

Don't get me wrong Paul... I love you like a brother... Big Brother. :cool:

Cheap garbage that's filled with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup and tastes mostly like wax? Pssht. :nono: You're better than that. :nod: Drink your water.

I expect a stellar report for today, lad.

Cheap garbage that tastes like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup? :drool: :whistle:

Day 3.

How did I fail yesterday? Let me count the ways.

1) I didn't finish that gallon of water I bought. I'm working on it now.

2) I went to Old Country Buffet for dinner. Which wasn't as bad as it usually is, since my wife went with us (she usually doesn't), which meant that I didn't overeat (the way I usually do). Still, roast beef, pasta with meatballs, salad, and a piece of coconut cream pie .

3) Aside from that Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (which, in my defense, was the "double the peanut butter" kind), I also inhaled a whole package of Peeps. Literally. Pink sugar on the tip of my nose and everything.

4) No workout at all. Just didn't do it.

5) Fill in the random suck here.

What I learned: Stay out of the candy. Stay away from the buffet.

My husband and I call the Old Country Buffet the Belly Bomb restaurant because we always are racing home to the toliets from eating so bad there. :lol: I hate buffets (actually I love them but it does me so much damage...I seem to have absolutly NO will power at one of those joints especially breakfast!):mad:

Get back on track! We're all reading your journal. NO more PEEPS...:D Reese's peanut butter cups are my favorite! They taste so good in icecream.:drool:

:eek: :heart: :o

What's worked for me in the past has been a desk job that allowed me to structure my time in such a way that no matter when I was supposed to eat a meal, I was sitting down and ready to eat. One that encouraged me to pack all my food for the day because there was no place to go to get anything else. And one that required me to take an hour break in the middle of the day (which in turn forced me to go to the gym during that hour and lift). And of course, one that gave me the evenings free to go outside and run, either alone or with the club.

I don't have any of that anymore. :cry:



mmm yep its much more of a challenge now and requires more discipline, creatvity and dedication, no doubt, but you have all that PD, I know you have. as you said one day at a time ;)

: have no problem with tap water. But I find that if I have a "physical" gallon bottle of water, I am much more likely to drink it.
http://www.sportsbottleworld.com/images/005551m.jpg (http://www.sportsbottleworld.com/rc.htm)

How did I fail yesterday? Let me count the ways.

snap out of it, philly. cowboy up, or whatever somewhat inappropriately erotic expression of affection you care to insert ->here<-.

(but just so i don't completely mix metaphors) get back on the horse! :spank:

My husband and I call the Old Country Buffet the Belly Bomb restaurant because we always are racing home to the toliets from eating so bad there. :lol: I hate buffets (actually I love them but it does me so much damage...I seem to have absolutly NO will power at one of those joints especially breakfast!):mad:

:eek: :heart: :o

They have BREAKFAST at Old Country Buffet? :drool:

snap out of it, philly. cowboy up, or whatever somewhat inappropriately erotic expression of affection you care to insert ->here<-.

(but just so i don't completely mix metaphors) get back on the horse! :spank:

:eek: :heart: :o

Gosh, who knew I had so many female readers? :spaz:

How did I fail yesterday? Let me count the ways.

Go pick up some heavy-ish iron things and shake them up and down for a while, OK?

I mean really, dude, you know where the buttons are. Push a couple.

Gosh, who knew I had so many female readers? :spaz:

And we're watching you!


3) Aside from that Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (which, in my defense, was the "double the peanut butter" kind), I also inhaled a whole package of Peeps. Literally. Pink sugar on the tip of my nose and everything.

Now Peeps are much more evil (and soo good!) then girl scout cookies! My only saving grace is that my daughter likes them even more then I do, so if I buy a package.. she saves me by eating at least half the package faster then I can!

Go pick up some heavy-ish iron things and shake them up and down for a while, OK?

I mean really, dude, you know where the buttons are. Push a couple.

I need to workout with you and Mastover. Let's set that up. :nod:

I need to workout with you and Mastover. Let's set that up. :nod:

Give me a shout next time you're coming to NYC and you're on.

Give me a shout next time you're coming to NYC and you're on.

I'm assuming you work out late afternoon/early evening in mid-town?

If so, how does Tuesday April 1st sound?

Gosh, who knew I had so many female readers? :spaz:

What are the rest of us, chopped liver?!? :mad:

I was about to give you advice, but that'd be stupid. You're smarter than the average bear. Rediscover your motivation.

What are the rest of us, chopped liver?!? :mad:

That sounds like a pate! :dance:

I was about to give you advice, but that'd be stupid. You're smarter than the average bear. Rediscover your motivation.

Apparently, my power animal is a kitten. :rolleyes:

Apparently, my power animal is a kitten. :rolleyes:

your kitten looks about as scared as my dog:lol:

I'm assuming you work out late afternoon/early evening in mid-town?

If so, how does Tuesday April 1st sound?

I usually work out late afternoon/early evening in mid-town.

April 1 is OK as far as I know now. I usually do MWF, but I can always move it around. Want to go to dinner afterwards?

Apparently, my power animal is a kitten. :rolleyes:

Well change it to the kitty's cousin, this bad boy...

Well change it to the kitty's cousin, this bad boy...

kitty :dreamy:

hey Philly... I recently pulled myself out of my funk... come on and join the party!! :dance:

now if only you lived a bit closer :confused: I guess we'll have to wait for the cruise to workout together ;)

I usually work out late afternoon/early evening in mid-town. April 1 is OK as far as I know now. I usually do MWF, but I can always move it around. Want to go to dinner afterwards?

Tues and Thurs are my best options, as I get out of work early on those days. 4pm seems like the earliest I would be able to get there. Dinner afterwards is an excellent idea.

Well change it to the kitty's cousin, this bad boy...

Meow. :blank:

WOAVgXiR8RY

hey Philly... I recently pulled myself out of my funk... come on and join the party!! :dance:

I guess we'll have to wait for the cruise to workout together.

:eek: :heart: :o

I'm already planning a workout for the whole group on the cruise.

Day 4.

Yesterday's lesson: Don't eat out of a bowl bigger than your head. :bang:

But I'm not going to focus on yesterday, because I feel good about my chances for today. Drumroll please...

I took a Yoga class this morning. :claplow:

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, something I've never done before, and definitely a different way of working out. I don't think I did too badly... I was definitely better at the poses which required strength and balance (it was a Vinyasa class).

I'm not going to commit myself to doing it on a regular basis quite yet, but I did it today, and that's a start. Saturday is March 1st... and I think that by then I should be back into a good groove. Thanks to all of you for the good wishes this week.

:eek: :heart: :o

I'm already planning a workout for the whole group on the cruise.

Day 4.

Yesterday's lesson: Don't eat out of a bowl bigger than your head. :bang:

But I'm not going to focus on yesterday, because I feel good about my chances for today. Drumroll please...

I took a Yoga class this morning. :claplow:

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, something I've never done before, and definitely a different way of working out. I don't think I did too badly... I was definitely better at the poses which required strength and balance (it was a Vinyasa class).

I'm not going to commit myself to doing it on a regular basis quite yet, but I did it today, and that's a start. Saturday is March 1st... and I think that by then I should be back into a good groove. Thanks to all of you for the good wishes this week.

yoga can be an awesome workout... ashtanga/vinyasa/flow (all the same) can be a kick ass workout, it moves fairly quickly and incorporates a lot of stength moves :nod: the classes I've been taking at the gym downtown are ashtanga classes... my suggestion would be to try to get ONE yoga class in a week if you can... more if you feel like it... but with at least one a week you'll really see your flexability, focus, ballance and energy increase :nod::tucool:

I took a Yoga class this morning. :claplow:

:spaz:

How long was the class? Did you start with easy stretching and then work into challenging poses? Was there meditation at the end?

Yoga rocks. I can see you really getting into it. :nod:

Tues and Thurs are my best options, as I get out of work early on those days. 4pm seems like the earliest I would be able to get there. Dinner afterwards is an excellent idea.

Usually I work out at 4:30 or a little later. How about 5:00 on April 1?

:spaz:

How long was the class? Did you start with easy stretching and then work into challenging poses? Was there meditation at the end?

Yoga rocks. I can see you really getting into it. :nod:

It was a 75 minute class. There were five women in the front row, three of whom have been taking yoga for years, and two other beginners... and then I snuck into the back of the room.

We started with some kind of sun salutation routine. The downward facing dog was hard on my shoulders until I got a little warmed up. But I could do the "narrow pushups" with no problem, which I thought was pretty good. Unfortunately, I didn't stretch before the class... but I definitely should have.

Then we did some things where you stood on one leg and different balance poses while in a quarter-squat position. I was fine with those... better than the other beginners, who kept falling over.

Then we did some poses from the "crow" position, which is one of the few yoga things I knew about going in. I rock at those. Even some of the more experienced people seemed to have trouble with that move.

We finished up with a bunch of backward arching things and twisty things and stuff that stretched your hips and legs (like splits). I was kind of mad because I used to be able to do a lot of them (like that bridge thing and the one where you round your back to touch your toes on the ground behind your head) but couldn't today. I bet with some practice I could be pretty good... and I would definitely get into it.

If there was meditation at the end, I missed it, as I got paged to the front since the shift was changing and the desk person who was coming in had gotten a flat and was running late. I actually misread what you wrote at first and was thinking I had left before they passed out the MEDICATION.

Oh yeah... the breathing thing is hard.

Usually I work out at 4:30 or a little later. How about 5:00 on April 1?

That will work for me. Have you talked to Mastover about this, or shall we take the planning to his journal now?

I picked up some heavy-ish iron things at lunch time. Check my downstairs journal for details. :bb:

Day 5.

Yesterday was the best day of the week so far.

Today will be better. :tu:

Yesterday was the best day of the week so far.

The dude abides. :cool:

Nice work, Philly m'boy. :tucool:

Day 6.

Overall, not a bad day yesterday. Not much in the way of exercise, but a relatively good day nutritionally. At least compared to what it's been.

I've been doing some thinking about my career and where I want to be in 2010. It's always exciting to consider the possibilities and think "outside the box." And as those of you who know me (or have been following along for the past few years) know, I don't stay in one place too long or hesitate to make changes in my life. So stay tuned.

A cliff hanger....

I've been doing some thinking about my career and where I want to be in 2010.

The mind reels! :spaz:

Day 7. Celebrated my son's birthday. Nuff said.

Week one is history. I'd give myself a D for last week, as I intended to accomplish a lot more than I did. But I didn't fail completely, and I was much more aware of what I was doing (or not doing) so that's a plus.

I've been up to my eyeballs with training clients these days. I have been working diligently to build my roster, and it's getting to the point where I am spending half of my workday doing one on one work with my people... which is the way I want it to be.

I'm going to run tonight, and I'm going to lift tomorrow. :nod:

Hey P'dude, there's less than one month until you have to lift with Zen. If that doesn't spur you on, I don't know what will. :)

Have a good run tonight. If your weather is close to what I'm experiencing, and I'm confident it is, then you should have great conditions to hit the pavement.

Hey P'dude, there's less than one month until you have to lift with Zen. If that doesn't spur you on, I don't know what will. :)

Have a good run tonight. If your weather is close to what I'm experiencing, and I'm confident it is, then you should have great conditions to hit the pavement.

Thanks Paul... unfortunately, that run's gonna be around 9:30-10:00, which means it will be the treadmill for me.

I've been up to my eyeballs with training clients these days.

That's wonderful. Glad to hear you're having such success with it :)

That's wonderful. Glad to hear you're having such success with it :)

TnxNG. :)

3 miles. 30 minutes.

If your weather is close to what I'm experiencing, and I'm confident it is, then you should have great conditions to hit the pavement.

...on two wheels. :cool:

Phil -- My buddy's lookin' at getting a bike. His roommate's got a connection who's selling an HD Sportster Hugger 883 - 2002 - with new pipes, windshield, new tires, and 16K miles. Looks to be in mint condition. They're askin' $4500. Sounds like a great deal to me (it's his first bike).

Your opinion? :confused: