Monday, March 27, 2017

Second week --

Today begins the second week of spring and of my renewed commitment to health.
I did manage to walk every day of last week and reached 10,000 steps in each of the first seven days of spring. I even managed a very little amount of running.

I also moved my weight machine into a different room in the basement to make way for furniture in the man cave. I did get a little use out of it, but I still have much work to do to make its new location more functional.

On the diet front --
I have become more aware of everything I am consuming and am doing better at restricting less healthy options and being more careful about when I consume certain types of foods. I did drop a couple of pounds, but nothing to brag about at this point. Although I haven't done it yet, I do plan on taking some body measurements this week and tracking that progression. I think that overall body composition is a better indicator of health than body weight.

There is lots of rain in the forecast for this week, so I'll have to see how the walking goes. I do have a recumbent cycle and a Nordic Track for indoor work if I run into a rainy day with no breaks.
I also need to finish getting my garden in as I will be gone next week.

Here we go!
Week two towards better healthy living!

John

Saturday, March 25, 2017

A five day streak!

I'm not sure how long it is that they (who are they, anyway?) say it takes to make a habit, but I truly doubt that exercise ever becomes a habit with me. In spite of that, I've managed a walk every day of spring.

Big deal, right?
No it is not, but it is a start.
Even when I was walking every day, it was something I decided to do every day. I think if it was a habit, I'd have to make the decision not to walk.

Yesterday, I moved the weight machine from one room to another. Chris wants to move our old living room furniture into the man cave so I moved the weight machine into the room where I keep all of my magic books and props. Even though I did clear a place for the machine, I'll still need to do plenty of rearranging and organizing to make it functional.

Just like walking ... one step at a time, right?

Diet wise I've been doing pretty well. I had a day of too much junk food, but it was only a day. I've been doing well other than that. I haven't gone back to logging everything, but I might. One article recommended taking pictures of everything you eat and drink for a visual record. I don't think I really want to do that, but it is a much quicker option.
I'll see how this goes. It's only been a week.

Simple steps.

John

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Make it three!

Yesterday wasn't a good diet day -- too much snacking.
I guess that's a hazards of inactivity and readily available goodies.

I did manage healthy meals and a walk, but I'm not willing to call it a good day.
I'll take the positives, acknowledge the negatives, and keep pushing onward.
I was up late pacing the house and walking outside to make 10,000 steps for the day.
Yeah, it's a small thing, but I figured, "Why not?"

Today is the fourth day of spring and I expect to keep up the short streak of walking and be more diligent about dietary intake.

Simple steps.

John

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Two in a row!

I had to get out before the rain this morning -- not a big deal for early risers and morning exercise people. I was up before the sun, but I start the day slowly with my coffee and internet or a cable news show. The rain is supposed to be on and off throughout the day, so I figured to just get my walk in early.

It was just over 2 1/2 miles and it was beginning to sprinkle as I finished.

I hit 10,000 steps yesterday. What was once a daily accomplishment has become a rare thing -- only two previous times this year (although I didn't count steps on our long beach walks).
Hopefully, it will become a daily habit, once again.

John

Monday, March 20, 2017

Spring and starting over...

It is the end of the first day of spring and time for a fresh start!
I decided that I need to get back in the good habit of some regular exercise and the first day of spring seems like a great time to re-start.

I walked a couple of miles this morning and will work on getting back up to 3-4 miles on a daily basis.
I've been very irregular on yoga and any resistance training over the past few months and haven't really made the mental decision to get back to something more regular in those areas.

I'm also getting back to a slow carb diet; limiting sugars and starches (fruits and grains) and paying attention to the time of day I eat them and the activities that surround them. The plan is to go heavy on the veggies and lean proteins, and to include plenty of fiber rich legumes.

When I turned 53 years old I set a goal to lose 54 pounds by my 54th birthday.
I did. I actually lost 60 pounds. Now, at three months before my 57th birthday, I am almost back to my starting weight -- not quite, but close enough.
I don't plan on stretching this out over a year this time. I'm not planning on anything crazy, but I do look to lose the weight at a steady rate by keeping track of diet and getting regular morning exercise.
I'm actually not as interested in the weight loss as I am in overall body composition and how I feel. I guess that means that I should take some useful measurements and figure out my body fat percentage.

To help with the summer diet and the healthy eating part, I am planting a garden this year. It won't be anything too big; lettuce, cabbage, onions, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and maybe some zucchini. I also want to plant some sweet potatoes.
For other produce, there are some good Farmer's markets in the area and a small grocery store with a decent produce section that is less than a mile walk if I want to have something fresh for dinner.

That's the plan.
Time to put it into action.

John