Fitness

I'm not a runner, but I play one on the Internet

Keith — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:56:00 GMT

Not really. I wish I were a runner but I'm not. Not yet anyway. Years ago, (God I sound old when I use that phrase) I think it was in the 80's, I watched one of the first Ironman Triathlons on ABC's Wide World of Sports. I was fascinated by it. It was well before the race had the popularity it has today. I can remember the people literally crawling over the finish line. I was just awestruck (is that a word?) at the dedication and passion that those people had. It was just amazing. A little while after that I actually told a guy I worked with that I was going to train for one. Yeah right. I don't think I took one step towards that goal. I suck.

Anyway, now I read about triathlons and marathons and the people who compete in them on their blogs on the Internet. I must say that I think these people are just awesome. They are so passionate about their sport and it is so inspiring. Who knows, maybe one day...Yeah right. Right now I get winded putting my socks on. I suck.

I am however, starting "The Abs Diet" tomorrow. I read the book months ago but never really got going on the diet. Hmm. I've only done that about 100 times before. I suck. Anyway, I've been talking with my wife lately about my eating habits and she's going to help me out. We went shopping this morning and spent a lot on the food. Gotta have the food in the house or you're in trouble! Who knows, I might even be able to meet some of my goals. I really need to do something about this. And then? Maybe I won't suck anymore. ;)

So Far So Good

Keith — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 16:06:00 GMT

Had another good workout today. I changed my work on the treadmill a little bit. Instead of just going for 30 minutes, I decided to go for 2 miles. I also upped the speed from 3.5 mph to 3.7 and then again to 4.0 mph. I did 4.0 mph for the last 7 minutes and worked up a really good sweat. I'll try to increase the time at that speed next time.

I did some more lifting today too. Another circuit hitting each muscle group but today I did 3 sets of every exercise although still very light on the weight. It was a pretty good workout and I'm tired right now but I don't think I over did it. I'll take tomorrow off as far as lifting and probably lift again on Sunday.

I stepped on the scale today. I probably shouldn't have because it's only been a couple of days. Today I weighed 211. That's a 2 pound loss in 2 days. I'm suspicous about that even though I have been eating better. I was basically wearing the same clothes so I don't think that was it. My metabalism has always been pretty fast but that was when I was a lot younger. I don't think I'll weigh myself again until some time next week.

Baby Steps

Keith — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 15:04:00 GMT

Today's workout was good. Another 30 minutes on the treadmill with increased speed. I did the first 15 to 20 minutes at 3.5 mph and then upped it again to 3.7 mph. The 3.7 mph felt really good. I doubt I'll go lower than 3.5 anymore.

After the treadmill I did a quick circuit to hit all the muscle groups. I went very light. I mostly just wanted to stretch all the muscles out because I have to bowl tonight and since I'm so out of shape I didn't want to tire my muscles out too much.

I know it's still early, but it really feels good to get moving again. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Day One

Keith — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 15:17:00 GMT

Went to gym today for my first walk. I'm going to take it really slow and easy. I walked 30 minutes at 3 mph for 1.5 miles. Felt pretty good and wasn't hard at all. Duh. I might up the speed tomorrow.

It's Time

Keith — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 14:30:00 GMT

So we had some freinds and family over last Saturday for the "I can't believe it's already Labor Day Kari's birthday Michigan football Keith got a new job why haven't we done this sooner!" party/BBQ. We had a great time and think everyone else did too. Gayla's brother took some nice pictures of the event and gave them to me the next day. As I looked through them, I couldn't believe what I look like. My hair is nearly all gray. I have no neck at all. And it's now apparent to me that I cannot hide my @#$%@$% belly under a big shirt. In my opinion, I look 10 years older than I am. I can't stand it. So once again, I am going to ~~try to~~ make some changes.

I am going to use The Abs Diet from Men's Health as a guide. I already have the book and I think it makes a lot of sense. I need to read it again so I'm up on the concepts and for some inspiration.

Here are some numbers that I want to target. I'm not going to measure my arms or legs. I don't really care about those numbers. These are the one's that really matter to me...

Age:	45
Weight:	213
Resting Heart Rate:	80
Neck:	19 inches
Waist:	42.5 inches

I should probably set some goals so here goes. My birthday is November 29th so I will use that as the deadline for my first intermediate goals.

I want to be under 200 pounds by November 29, 2005.
Obviously I want to lower my resting heart rate. I don't know enough about that to set some number. Hopefully by November 29, 2005, it will be lower than 80.
My ultimate goal is to take at least 2 inches off my neck. I'll settle for 1 inch by November 29, 2005.
My ultimate goal for my waist is 34 inches. By November 29, 2005, I want my waist to measure less than 40 inches. That should definitely be doable.

Here we go...