Irregular schedule
8 days ago my wife had a significant surgery on her throat. What was to be a same day surgery resulted in us leaving about 30 hours after the surgery. She's been recovering slowly at home, but it has meant my not going to the gym to make sure she is well taken care of. It even meant shipping our 2 year old son off to his grandparents for a few days this week just so my wife could rest and heal. Thankfully she's been slowly improving, and I was able to make it to the gym Monday night and then again last night. It had been a full week since I last went, and I could definitely feel I needed it. My bench press workout was tough and I wasn't as strong. My legs were tired the next day following cardio. But I'll get back into a more patterned workout schedule again soon with her continued improvement. Excited for both of those things to happen.
Give Thanks!
Other than trying to eat half my body weight in turkey today, I ate pretty healthy, avoiding desert other than a couple of bites of pumpkin pie, and staying away from most of the other diet landmines that come with the holiday. Though, as I said, I did eat a LOT of turkey.
Good to get back to the gym again
After my travels this past week - and a lot of eating out - it was nice to see that I was only up about 1 pound in weight. Got back into the gym last night and it felt good to be there again. This week again will be a strange schedule for me, but I should have good access to the gym, so no excuses there.
A great week of mental growth
I am fortunate to get to be part of Ed Stetzer's pet project called Church Planting Leaders Fellowship, and because of that I spent the last two days in Nashville learning some challenging ideas on planting new churches. We learned from Alan Hirsch, Neil Cole, Hugh Halter, Bob Logan and Ed Stetzer. The mind was stretched in many new directions.
But unfortunately the body wasn't. I went to the gym Monday night. Went to bed "early" Tuesday night because I had to get up at 3:45AM to catch my flight. Did a bit of walking in the airport, but for the most part spent the last 2 days on my butt. Ate fairly well with the exception of Jack's BBQ in Nashville last night, but the brisket was worth double whatever calories were in it! Tonight I'm trying to rent out a rental house we own, but if possible I'll try to sneak to a gym. Tomorrow isn't looking good either because I have a showing of the house again, and then have to get back to work to wrap up my sermon for Sunday. So all in all, the worst exercise week I've had since starting my efforts to lose weight. But I'll keep at it.
But unfortunately the body wasn't. I went to the gym Monday night. Went to bed "early" Tuesday night because I had to get up at 3:45AM to catch my flight. Did a bit of walking in the airport, but for the most part spent the last 2 days on my butt. Ate fairly well with the exception of Jack's BBQ in Nashville last night, but the brisket was worth double whatever calories were in it! Tonight I'm trying to rent out a rental house we own, but if possible I'll try to sneak to a gym. Tomorrow isn't looking good either because I have a showing of the house again, and then have to get back to work to wrap up my sermon for Sunday. So all in all, the worst exercise week I've had since starting my efforts to lose weight. But I'll keep at it.
Weekends are killing me
Or at least my diet. I'd probably be 5lbs lighter if weekends didn't exist. But the calories were sooo worth it. I ordered a Red's Savoy Pizza Saturday night with sausage (hand made) and pepperoni. The cheese was deep and the flavor delightful. I ate leftovers for lunch Sunday after church while watching football - AKA recovery. :-) Savoy Pizza is the best in the Twin Cities in my opinion. Since we no longer live there, it really was a treat to get one to go on my way out of town heading back home.
I did make it to the gym Sunday night and did some cardio for 30 minutes. I probably should've done some lifting but it was getting late and my motivation was waning. So tonight I'll hit it hard. I'm watching the Vikings vs. Packers game, and will likely finish watching it at the gym so I can get my workout in. I'll hit the gym again tomorrow and then the rest of the week will be more challenging, but more on that later.
Weight down, bench up
I'm at over 15lbs down in weight since I've started this adventure, which is awesome, though just the tip of the iceberg. Always nice to see a smaller number on the scale, even if it is just in tenths of a pound.
Decided to push it a bit on bench press tonight. Put 225lbs on and did it 6 times and really felt good. So I put on 250lbs and it went up twice with no problems. Put 265lbs on (and got a spotter for this one) and that went right up with no help as well. Considering just 8 weeks ago or so I could barely do 185lbs, that is a lot of improvement. I can't emphasize enough, I love being strong. Just something about how I feel when I'm stronger - it lets me be comfortable doing so many other physical things. I certainly wouldn't say I'm strong yet, I'm not there, but I'm really making progress.
Hit the legs some tonight too in the hip sled. Definitely was still sore this morning from my last leg workout, though not painful, just dull soreness left in the muscles.
Decided to push it a bit on bench press tonight. Put 225lbs on and did it 6 times and really felt good. So I put on 250lbs and it went up twice with no problems. Put 265lbs on (and got a spotter for this one) and that went right up with no help as well. Considering just 8 weeks ago or so I could barely do 185lbs, that is a lot of improvement. I can't emphasize enough, I love being strong. Just something about how I feel when I'm stronger - it lets me be comfortable doing so many other physical things. I certainly wouldn't say I'm strong yet, I'm not there, but I'm really making progress.
Hit the legs some tonight too in the hip sled. Definitely was still sore this morning from my last leg workout, though not painful, just dull soreness left in the muscles.
Rubber band legs
Worked out hard tonight. Hit my legs hard for the first time, and am quite confident I'm going to be sore tomorrow. Lower back was also barking a bit - even after stretching, so that's going to take some work and attention. Last thing I want is back problems.
Followed up the legs with bench, back and arms. Might as well hit it all I guess. Not normally what I'll do, but I chose that route over doing any cardio tonight. Tomorrow night I'll skip lifting & put some miles on.
Add to that muching/mowing my leaves and my neighbor's front lawn yesterday (and it's a BIG front lawn) and preaching this morning, and swimming Friday night and it has been a very active weekend.
Definitely thankful for the extra hour of sleeping last night. Preached with extra energy today!
Followed up the legs with bench, back and arms. Might as well hit it all I guess. Not normally what I'll do, but I chose that route over doing any cardio tonight. Tomorrow night I'll skip lifting & put some miles on.
Add to that muching/mowing my leaves and my neighbor's front lawn yesterday (and it's a BIG front lawn) and preaching this morning, and swimming Friday night and it has been a very active weekend.
Definitely thankful for the extra hour of sleeping last night. Preached with extra energy today!
TV's in the gym are great for this big man
I've watched too much TV in my adult life. I could blame it on all kinds of things in my childhood (like not having a TV for part of it), but I won't. It is my laziness, pure and simple.
But having TV's at the gym are a blessing. When I get to the gym, if there is a good game on I can just go and go and go on the various cardio machines. Helps burn quite a few extra calories a week because I want to see the end of a show or game that I started watching. And it helps take my mind off the exercise, which for the most part is good.
For the most part. I suspect I have ups and downs in speed often corresponding to what I am watching. I first noticed this years ago when I was watching a UFC fight while working out on a recumbent bike. All of a sudden I realized I was doing about 200mph and my heart rate was about that same number as well! It does really help to have the distraction of the TV though when I start to up the resistance on the machine I am using. I notice it at first, but once I get back into what I am watching I am able to soldier on while my legs keep pumping.
Had a good workout tonight watching LSU defeat Alabama in football. Alabama really shot themselves in the foot, and might be shooting their kicker in the foot! They're likely out of the national championship running unless a lot more strange things happen. It could happen, but I don't expect it will.
Preaching on Revelation 4 tomorrow, and hoping that gets my heart pumping in the morning. Then I'll be back to the gym tomorrow night & will be lifting then.
But having TV's at the gym are a blessing. When I get to the gym, if there is a good game on I can just go and go and go on the various cardio machines. Helps burn quite a few extra calories a week because I want to see the end of a show or game that I started watching. And it helps take my mind off the exercise, which for the most part is good.
For the most part. I suspect I have ups and downs in speed often corresponding to what I am watching. I first noticed this years ago when I was watching a UFC fight while working out on a recumbent bike. All of a sudden I realized I was doing about 200mph and my heart rate was about that same number as well! It does really help to have the distraction of the TV though when I start to up the resistance on the machine I am using. I notice it at first, but once I get back into what I am watching I am able to soldier on while my legs keep pumping.
Had a good workout tonight watching LSU defeat Alabama in football. Alabama really shot themselves in the foot, and might be shooting their kicker in the foot! They're likely out of the national championship running unless a lot more strange things happen. It could happen, but I don't expect it will.
Preaching on Revelation 4 tomorrow, and hoping that gets my heart pumping in the morning. Then I'll be back to the gym tomorrow night & will be lifting then.
BMG - Big Muscle Groups
Was planning on adding in some other big muscle group lifts, but honestly was too spent to do it. I was pretty dehydrated yesterday and by late in the evening it had sapped me of all energy. I still put in 32 minutes on the recumbent bike.
Big muscle group lifting is really the way to go for overall strength. I'd like to some day do deadlift and squats again, but I'm going to start out on machines first to build some baseline strength before getting to that. Maybe eventually I'll add the dreaded power-cleans as well. I say dreaded because when you do them, they kick your butt.
Big muscle group lifting also is more effective for burning calories. Lifting my arm up and down can get tiring, but it won't burn nearly as many calories as using my quads & hamstrings to move up and down.
Halloween Monday Night Football - helping me lose weight!
A great Monday Night Football game between the Chiefs and Chargers tonight. I started out on the treadmill planning on doing 25 minutes. Then 30. Then 35. Then Phillip Rivers fumbled, and I had to move to the recumbent bike so I could keep watching! Wasn't planning on doing any recumbent, but ended up putting 25 minutes in on that as well!
We don't get many trick-or-treaters where we live. Houses are too far apart, the sidewalk is across the street and there are only houses on our side of the street (lake on the other side). So we got a handful of kids from our church and just a couple others all night long, much to my 2 year old's disappointment. He stood most of the night at the door looking out asking "Where's kid?" as only a 2 year old can.
But that means there is dangerous leftover candy. Normally I'd feed it to my youth groups on Wednesday, but we don't have it this week! So if you need candy, come by my house & I'll hook you up so we don't eat it all, because none of us need it.
But that means there is dangerous leftover candy. Normally I'd feed it to my youth groups on Wednesday, but we don't have it this week! So if you need candy, come by my house & I'll hook you up so we don't eat it all, because none of us need it.
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