"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else
is the greatest accomplishment." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Diary:
b: eggs and turkey sausage
s: protien bar
l: turkey, wild rice, vitamins
s: mixed greens and hard boiled egg
d: 2 hot dogs and soda (at Twins game)
s: peanut butter sandwich and orange
s: small bowl natural cereal and soy milk
g: elliptical 2.21 miles, walk 1 mile, sauna, walk outside,
g2: walk at and around metrodome
Notes:
I had a great conversation with my friends during the Twins game. While Lohse was stinking up the field, (hey, that is where the StarTribune stench went...) and Tigers were hitting balls left and right, I was having good discussion about what I am doing and where I am going. I enjoyed it, but maybe it was a little too much 'me centered'. Oh, Twins lost - 9 to 6. Torii Hunter bobblehead day, and luckily enough, we got bobbleheads. (odd) Also, Torii hit a sweet home run (too bad more people were not on base.)
The increased workout time this week really has made an affect. I feel my body responding to the additional 3 minutes of elliptical. I think that I am really putting more effort into the workout as well, and will continue to do so as I lose lbs. I am feeling a "tired" feeling in my back, shoulder and legs. They feel like they have lost all their energy, but it is not a painful feeling, and it goes away after a good rest.
My sleep used to be irratic, tossing and turning, and waking up for no reason. I am finding now that I am sleeping through the night without much interruption, and some days, after a lot of work, I experience what feels like 5 minutes between my head hitting the pillow to the sun coming up and the day starting again. It is kind of akward, feeling as if "I just went to bed, how can it be morning already?", but I feel refreshed. (There was a StarTrek Next Generation episode, where the aliens would take the crew in their sleep and do experiments on them. The "Clicky People" is how I describe this episode. My sleep lately reminds me of this, because I don't feel like I was in my bed for a full 6-7 hours. ) But, It is maybe a sign that my body is really tired and squeezing every last drop out of my down-time.
I think I already mentioned about my breathing becoming more free. I am really feeling good about my breathing.
I also haven't had a stomach ache for a while. I don't remember having a stomach-ache since I started working out. This is somewhat of a liberating feeling, because I would tend to have stomach problems every day, and this would affect what I could do, where I could go, and how I felt around other people. I felt really good yesterday, and wondered if "this is how life is supposed to feel" I feel like I am really making a good step with my health.
HOWEVER, I am becoming increasingly frustrated by my gut fat. The old me just dealt with being huge, and not much thought put into being embarrased or upset with myself. I just figured this is it, and lived with it. I was bigger then, but now that I am a little smaller, I am being very critical about my gut. It is in the way, frankly. It is the lower gut area that is the "dunlop". It is like a mosquito that serves no purpose but to annoy me during my workouts, and when I am getting dressed. Yet, this is going to take forever to get rid of.... AAAAGGGHH. Make it go away. It becomes more evident on days that I have to be in a confined space, such as an airplane, golf cart, or baseball stadium seats. my ass now actually fits into the seat, but my overhang is taking up the rest of the space. What an embarrassing tub-o-lard. I get self-concious and want to make sure people around me aren't so grossed out sitting by me that it affects their enjoyment of the game.
I think it is reducing, but it is taking too long. I hope that this goes down by October, because I really don't want to have such a huge gut when running the 5K. Funny that now that I have been working out for 4 months, now I am noticing how fat I am. I have to remind myself that I am less fat than before, but still very obese. It is hard to imagine what losing another 70 lbs is going to be like, and I am curious to see if this gut fat can be coaxed to move.
venting over!
I had a really good conversation the other day on accident. I called up a good friend of mine the other day, but he wasn't home. His wife answered, and I spoke with her for a while. Turns out, she is training for a 5 mile run! I was interested to hear her thoughts and concerns regarding her training. I will have to keep my radar on to see if she is successful in her training. I am sure she will be. Good luck! I am very much pulling for you.
Saturday night - the first 5K timing. Wish me luck.
More "fun facts" from Men's Health:
Exercise may rejuvenate your brain, according to a Salk Institute study.
There's more proof slow-digesting foods provide the best fuel for endurance runners. At England's Loughborough University, nine men ran for 90 minutes at 70 percent of their VO2 max, then ate three equal meals and snacks from either a low or high glycemic-index diet. (Glycemic index is the rate at which carbohydrates convert to blood sugar.) the next morning, the low-GI group ran about 13 minutes longer than the high-GI group. Low-GI group burned more fat and kept more carbohydrate fuel in reserve. The meal: beans, cheese, and lettuce on a whole-wheat tortilla.
Overweight men trying to improve their cardiovascular health should be more concrned with the amount of exercise they do and not its intensity, according to a study in the journal Chest. Duke researchers working with 133 people for 9 months found that among unfit overweight people, increasing the amount of exercise leads to significant improvements in fitness, while raising intensity doesn't. Jogging or walking 12 miles a week at 40 to 50% of your peak heart rate is recommended. As time goes on, slowly raise to 20 miles per week at the same intensity.
more later,
Chazz..
