So we are at the end of January and if you set any goals or resolutions, now would be a good time to assess how you're doing.
For myself, I gave myself a 30 pass of sorts to wait for my schedule to become more regular. That begins now. I have started to get back into an exercise routine but know that I need to build more slowly than in the past. Today is Day 4 of the 30 day squat and push-up challenge.
I am also on Day 4 of 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene. I've started with a little bit of weight work but prefer body weight exercises for most things since basic strength and fitness is the objective rather than bulking up. I am using the weight machine for lat-pull downs to build strength to do more than a couple of pull-ups at a time. I use dumbbells for some shoulder and arm work and a leg extension and leg curl for some added leg work.
I'm also thinking that I need to go back to keeping track of calories. I know that even healthy foods can pack on a lot of additional calories in a day if you're not careful. I think that is what has been contributing to my slight weight gain.
So my real health work for 2015 begins now. I'll be back at the end of February with my 30 day report.
How about you?
Still on track?
If not, you could always get started with me -- right now!
Breakfast smoothie:
apple, cutie orange (whole thing, rind and all!), spinach, ground flax seed, almond milk, 2 scoops whey isolate protein powder and a few ice cubes.
Time for yoga!
John <><
Friday, January 30, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
New 30 Day Challenge
Here we go again!
I'm getting back into the exercise routine. Nothing over the top; just a doable weekly routine of bicycling, weights and yoga.
Yesterday it was 30 minutes of circuit training on the weight machine in the morning and 30 minutes of yoga in the afternoon. I'll get some yoga in this afternoon or evening and plan on some early morning bicycling on my break during my final midnight shift at SGF-ATCT.
I'm going to add this 30 day challenge to my daily habit and am inviting you to join me. It may be that this will be an insignificant addition to what you already do, or it may be all that you do in the way of exercise for the next 30 days. Either way, you are invited to join in!
I've already got one to agree. Anyone else wanna play?
Be well,
John <><
I'm getting back into the exercise routine. Nothing over the top; just a doable weekly routine of bicycling, weights and yoga.
Yesterday it was 30 minutes of circuit training on the weight machine in the morning and 30 minutes of yoga in the afternoon. I'll get some yoga in this afternoon or evening and plan on some early morning bicycling on my break during my final midnight shift at SGF-ATCT.
I'm going to add this 30 day challenge to my daily habit and am inviting you to join me. It may be that this will be an insignificant addition to what you already do, or it may be all that you do in the way of exercise for the next 30 days. Either way, you are invited to join in!
I've already got one to agree. Anyone else wanna play?
Be well,
John <><
Saturday, January 24, 2015
It's Time. No More Excuses.
Even though it is a week before my official retirement, I've decided that it is time to get started (or restarted) on my weight machine routine.
My final work week is an abbreviated one and I only have to be to work early on one day. I know that I work with people that are more dedicated to exercise than I am and manage to workout regularly in spite of our odd schedules. For me, it was just too difficult to manage establishing a routine other than daily walking when I was losing weight.
Now, that is no longer the case. The main obstacle that I face is that I am not generally too active in the morning and I think that I am going to prefer a morning workout to one later in the day. I'll just need to find the will and discipline to make that happen.
This week it will be Mon/Wed/Fri with the Wednesday workout being in the afternoon due to working the Tuesday night/Wednesday morning midshift.
I still do not expect to be a P90X or Insanity kind of guy. I am going to have to lay off the running and long walks for a bit and use my bicycle (when the weather is nice) and indoor recumbent (when it's not). I think I may have injured my foot with a stress fracture during my recent running.
Weight machine and body weight exercises for strength training.
Cycling for aerobics.
Yoga for overall conditioning, balance and well being.
That's the plan.
Here we go!
Be well,
John <><
My final work week is an abbreviated one and I only have to be to work early on one day. I know that I work with people that are more dedicated to exercise than I am and manage to workout regularly in spite of our odd schedules. For me, it was just too difficult to manage establishing a routine other than daily walking when I was losing weight.
Now, that is no longer the case. The main obstacle that I face is that I am not generally too active in the morning and I think that I am going to prefer a morning workout to one later in the day. I'll just need to find the will and discipline to make that happen.
This week it will be Mon/Wed/Fri with the Wednesday workout being in the afternoon due to working the Tuesday night/Wednesday morning midshift.
I still do not expect to be a P90X or Insanity kind of guy. I am going to have to lay off the running and long walks for a bit and use my bicycle (when the weather is nice) and indoor recumbent (when it's not). I think I may have injured my foot with a stress fracture during my recent running.
Weight machine and body weight exercises for strength training.
Cycling for aerobics.
Yoga for overall conditioning, balance and well being.
That's the plan.
Here we go!
Be well,
John <><
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Today's Plan for Fitness
I was up early and made another variation of my protein power cookies. I had a three egg omelet with baby 'bellas, spinach, onions and cheese. I'll wait until it warms up a bit and go for an afternoon bicycle ride.
My butt's a little sore from my short ride on Monday. The ride around home has a lot more hills than riding around the airport terminal. My RunKeeper app said nearly 1000 feet of elevation. The grades were generally long and not too steep, but they really wore me out. Guess I'll have to keep at it until it isn't such a killer ride.
The weather is supposed to be pretty mild for the time of year. Hopefully I can get out on a regular basis. I'm trying to limit the impact on my foot for a little while. Even a short walk has a negative effect and causes a little bit of pain.
I just gotta keep movin'.
Be well,
John <><
My butt's a little sore from my short ride on Monday. The ride around home has a lot more hills than riding around the airport terminal. My RunKeeper app said nearly 1000 feet of elevation. The grades were generally long and not too steep, but they really wore me out. Guess I'll have to keep at it until it isn't such a killer ride.
The weather is supposed to be pretty mild for the time of year. Hopefully I can get out on a regular basis. I'm trying to limit the impact on my foot for a little while. Even a short walk has a negative effect and causes a little bit of pain.
I just gotta keep movin'.
Be well,
John <><
Monday, January 19, 2015
Weekend Recovery
Oh my!
It was a weekend of over-indulgence!
Weekend guests and a small pre-retirement celebration made for way too much in the way of calorie intake and way too little in the way of calorie out-put. And now the work week arrives and it's time to make up for all of that.
Refocusing the diet is really the easy part. It so happens that I like fruits, vegetables and good for you foods as much I like the sweet, salty, high fat decadent foods.
The exercise part might prove to be a bit of a challenge, though. I somehow injured my left foot. I'm not sure how or when, but I'm self diagnosing a stress fracture or similar type injury in my left ankle. No running for a few days to see how it feels. I plan on getting outside on my bicycle later today since the weather is so very nice. I figure a little low impact aerobic exercise is in order. I don't plan on pushing too hard; just want to get out and get some work.
The weekend pass is expired.
Back to healthy living!
Be well!
John <><
It was a weekend of over-indulgence!
Weekend guests and a small pre-retirement celebration made for way too much in the way of calorie intake and way too little in the way of calorie out-put. And now the work week arrives and it's time to make up for all of that.
Refocusing the diet is really the easy part. It so happens that I like fruits, vegetables and good for you foods as much I like the sweet, salty, high fat decadent foods.
The exercise part might prove to be a bit of a challenge, though. I somehow injured my left foot. I'm not sure how or when, but I'm self diagnosing a stress fracture or similar type injury in my left ankle. No running for a few days to see how it feels. I plan on getting outside on my bicycle later today since the weather is so very nice. I figure a little low impact aerobic exercise is in order. I don't plan on pushing too hard; just want to get out and get some work.
The weekend pass is expired.
Back to healthy living!
Be well!
John <><
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Another Cookie Recipe
Here's another healthy option cookie recipe. (I say healthy option because there is no added sugar and no flour. However, they are still cookies and while chocolate and peanut butter taste great, they are not exactly health foods!)
As with the last one, I modified this to suit my needs and taste by adding chocolate flavored whey isolate protein powder by Body Fortress and substituting Ghirardelli dark chocolate for the chocolate chips. I was also more generous with the peanut butter.
Here's my modified recipe.
2 ripe bananas
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 scoop Body Fortress chocolate whey isolate
4 squares Ghirardelli Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree (chopped)
1 heaping tablespoon natural peanut butter (be generous)
Mix all ingredients (I started with the bananas and peanut butter, then added the others), spoon onto greased cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
I used a 1/4 c scoop and it made 1 dozen cookies.
I haven't put the ingredients into an app to determine nutritional information yet. I may try it again with some PB2 (powdered peanut butter) to add some more peanut butter flavor without the added fat.
Enjoy!
and Be well,
John <><
As with the last one, I modified this to suit my needs and taste by adding chocolate flavored whey isolate protein powder by Body Fortress and substituting Ghirardelli dark chocolate for the chocolate chips. I was also more generous with the peanut butter.
Here's my modified recipe.
2 ripe bananas
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 scoop Body Fortress chocolate whey isolate
4 squares Ghirardelli Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree (chopped)
1 heaping tablespoon natural peanut butter (be generous)
Mix all ingredients (I started with the bananas and peanut butter, then added the others), spoon onto greased cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
I used a 1/4 c scoop and it made 1 dozen cookies.
I haven't put the ingredients into an app to determine nutritional information yet. I may try it again with some PB2 (powdered peanut butter) to add some more peanut butter flavor without the added fat.
Enjoy!
and Be well,
John <><
Monday, January 5, 2015
A healthy treat
I made these cookies this weekend with a few variations.
Pretty good!
For my cookies I did add the 1/2 c of raisins. I also added 1/2 cup of walnuts, 1/2 cups of organic toasted coconut flakes and one scoop of vanilla whey isolate protein powder. (I use Body Fortress protein because I like the flavor better than other powders I've tried.)
I used a 1/4 cup scoop to measure out the mix for each cookie and pressed them slightly on the cookie sheet. This recipe made just 14 of these 1/4 cup cookies.
Putting the recipe into My Fitness Pal puts each cookie at 136 calories with 5 grams of protein.
Let me know if you try them.
Be well,
John <><
Pretty good!
For my cookies I did add the 1/2 c of raisins. I also added 1/2 cup of walnuts, 1/2 cups of organic toasted coconut flakes and one scoop of vanilla whey isolate protein powder. (I use Body Fortress protein because I like the flavor better than other powders I've tried.)
I used a 1/4 cup scoop to measure out the mix for each cookie and pressed them slightly on the cookie sheet. This recipe made just 14 of these 1/4 cup cookies.
Putting the recipe into My Fitness Pal puts each cookie at 136 calories with 5 grams of protein.
Let me know if you try them.
Be well,
John <><
Thursday, January 1, 2015
The End of the Holidays!
I'm declaring the holiday season over!
With this declaration it is time to get back on task when it comes to clean eating and good exercise. No more over indulgence in sweet treats. No more excuses for not being active.
Even though I still have a month of work left, that's not going to be a reason to continue to put off establishing a regular fitness program.
I know that it should be easier once I've retired, but that doesn't mean I should wait.
This is NOT a New Year's resolution. It is simply getting back to being serious about good health. I don't know if your good habits have taken the holiday beating or not, but if you're ready to get back to livin' lean and workin' mean, let's do it together!
Good eats today. Take care about those football game snacks and drinks. Maybe take a walk at halftime or between games. Enjoy the holiday, but be healthy!
Be well,
John <><
With this declaration it is time to get back on task when it comes to clean eating and good exercise. No more over indulgence in sweet treats. No more excuses for not being active.
Even though I still have a month of work left, that's not going to be a reason to continue to put off establishing a regular fitness program.
I know that it should be easier once I've retired, but that doesn't mean I should wait.
This is NOT a New Year's resolution. It is simply getting back to being serious about good health. I don't know if your good habits have taken the holiday beating or not, but if you're ready to get back to livin' lean and workin' mean, let's do it together!
Good eats today. Take care about those football game snacks and drinks. Maybe take a walk at halftime or between games. Enjoy the holiday, but be healthy!
Be well,
John <><
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