Oh look it's another birthday cake

There's one thing I definitely don't miss about working, besides the obvious.  The inevitable breakroom treats.  Yes I know I should be happy someone was acknowledging my achievements along with my fellow workers , be it birthdays, baby's or even job advancement at the current work place or new employment somewhere else.  But OMG the temptations abound.  A typical work week could entail a birthday (possible offerings ranging from cake to cookies to ice cream to donuts with occasional veggies w/ranch dressing and even fruit) or a career advancement.  And then the good hearted managers on Fridays might decide to treat all the employees with pizza or some other type of reward for doing a great job. Probably the only time I was ok with the feedings was when management would do a Starbucks run.  Coffee is way easier to justify when I'd get on the scale the next day.

And don't get me started about the holidays.  Our customers/members would shower the workplace with all sorts of treats.  They would bake assorted cookies, cakes, and pastries, bring in the tins of popcorn and once they even brought each of us a big box of chocolates.  That one was rather humorous as they were obviously old as you could see some of the chocolates had that white tinge to them.  No we didn't eat any of those chocolates.  It's the thought that counts, right?

So of course I didn't have to eat any of these cookies, cakes, or other treats, but when you're looking at them every time you'd go into the break room it was like I was a lemming and more than happy to run off the cliff.

As hard as I tried I never was able to just walk by the treats and go about my business without at least having half a dozen cookies or a huge piece of cake.  And then if it was your celebration you could take it home.  So my birthday treat was cookies (they're my kryptonite) and of course I couldn't not take a few dozen home!  It was the worst and totally my own fault.  Dammit! No self control.  But like I said kryptonite.

And the Story goes to

As some (out of the Earth's population of 7.6 billion ) of you may know I retired earlier this year (2018 for those who are wondering.  So I started Social Security and in Dec I will be applying for Medicare.  I guess I'm becoming an adult, finally.  Heh, not really.  I started to think that meant I was getting old but then the little kid voice in the back of my mind started laughing and next thing I knew I was cranking up the Led Zeppelin and dancing around the room with a lamp shade on my head.  Of course I might have been drinking at the time so......

So yes, chronologically I'm getting up there in years, but if it's too loud you're too old has always been my mantra (yes I can be annoying at times).  Of course I do love the senior discounts.  

I'm still working out.  As a matter of fact I've upped my gym time, because I can.  Still fighting the good fight when it comes to eating but trying to be more aware of what and when and why I'm eating the food I'm eating.  Not doing lists of food eaten good or bad but how I feel when I overeat or eat something really bad (unhealthy) but delicious.  Dammit if you give up PIZZA you're not HUMAN!  And don't get me started on Bacon Cheeseburgers (w/guacamole) and seasoned curly fries! 

So far this week I've met with Lorinda (personal trainer for those keeping track) and we discussed many topics all related to ME.  Ha sorry couldn't help it.  

So no food lists just feelings about food?  If I start crying when talking about pizza I ate over the weekend I hope you'll just ignore the sobs and understand I'm getting better.  Before I would have eaten 2 pizza's so I'm improving.  What? you don't think I can eat 2 pizza's?  Ok challenge accepted!  Umm Lorinda we're going to have to kick it up a notch next week.....

Ok.  "They" say it's a journey and I'm willing to make the trip but I'm not going to skip any of the roadside attractions along the way.  That's not my job this life of mine.  

The Truth

Yes it's really me back again.  Lot's going on and at the same time just plain too lazy to write any entries, if I'm being honest.  And I am.

Here's an update.  Still working out but not as diligently as I probably could.  Now I do have an excuse but that excuse came about by me, truthfully, being less than smart.  I was hitting the gym and the fitness classes and of course trying very hard to gain muscle and lose weight.  Unfortunately I wasn't being as smart as I could and at the same time fooling myself.  I over extended parts of my body that, frankly are rather old and not quite up to the standards I'd set myself up for.  So I injured myself and then didn't do anything about it until it really hurt.

So I started to skip the gym.  Now I didn't fall off the wagon completely.  There's a certain trainer who was keeping tabs on me and motivating me to do something, anything but sit home on my butt.  She also started helping me focus on what I could do.  Which was good as I was focusing on the other stuff, the scale and how my clothes were fitting poorly.  And that was self defeating.  Also just dumb as I'm too smart to let that stop me from keeping sight of the big picture.  Remembering that it took 60ish years create this current body and it wasn't going to change overnite.

Finally I took some advice that I had chosen to ignore multiple times and seek out some professional help.  With that visit to a massage therapist came the realization that there was something really wrong.  There was also the enlightenment of what could be done to fix the problem and get back my health.

Now before you start wondering let me explain.  I'm not incapacitated.  What has happened is that my shoulder (left) decided that certain motions (that are not everyday positioning ) were on the fringe of painful.  Especially when lifting heavy kettle bells, dumbbells, or barbells.  As I said I'd been ignoring those pains when doing these lifting motions. So guess what, I am now avoiding those particular motions.  And working on other motions that will strengthen the weak parts of my shoulders.

So it's been over two months since I started realizing that there was a problem.  Waking up in the morning and jerking awake from a painful movement of my arm wasn't what I really looked forward to on a daily basis.  Getting rid of the pain is paramount to continuing the struggle to be healthy and live longer. 

One last thought.  Everything is fine.  I'm doing stuff that is making a difference and gaining insight into what works and doesn't work for my 61yr young body.  I'm on the right track and plan on staying on that track for the duration.

Wow was it really 5 weeks?!

Yes it was a whole five weeks before I got back to the gym.  As we know the last entry was about my falling hard and fast off the wagon.  I was burned out on exercise and eating the right stuff. 

A week ago I finally made it back to the gym and the equalizer: Kettle bell.

It felt right and I didn't secretly hope the instructor would cancel at the last minute.  I was glad to be at the gym, again.  I accepted the punishment that is kettle bell and it felt good.  My shirt was soaking wet at the end and I knew the next day I'd be sore, but I didn't mind.  That was good as it hadn't been that way for a few weeks before I took my break.  New lesson learned.  I was trying to make these life changes too fast.  I was not listening and it ended up breaking down the good work and making it impossible to succeed.

So note to self.  For now continue to stick to the previous schedule but make some adjustments.  I'll still be going to Kettle bell twice a week but for the summer will be spending more time outside on the other days.  Walking and biking mostly with the occasional home workouts.  These workouts could be lifting weights or doing body weight stuff such as planks or Turkish get-ups.  Still meeting Lorinda on Saturdays and then hoping to once a week work out to the program we did on Sat.

Making a small change to the food program.  I've stopped eating the container of yogurt between breakfast and lunch.  Also I've added beans to the frittata that is eaten at breakfast.  Mondays have changed to the lite eating day.  I am starting off with a protein smoothie (protein powder, 2-bananas, some frozen strawberries, blueberries, and black cherries with chia seeds thrown in for fun).  I drink half of that and then take the rest to work for the morning break. I follow that up at lunch with a Mexicali salad from Trader Joes.  Then for dinner I have a Greek yogurt, mixing in more chia seeds and maybe some peanut butter.  This food plan starts the week off on the right foot and helps me make better decisions the rest of the week, at least until the weekend.

I'm experimenting with Myfitnesspal.  This is a website where you can enter in your workouts and food eaten during the day and it puts all together and lets you know how you're doing according to your goals.  Not exactly perfect but I'll give it a shot and see if it helps any.

Here's' the latest workout we did:

These are combination exercises.

So 10 reps of each then rest and repeat a total of 3 or 4 times then rest before the next exercise:
Squat holding a kettle bell  20lbs
Upright row kettle bell 20lbs  Hold the kettle bell with both hands facing your body then lift from the waist to your chest
Front raise kettle bell 20lbs again holding the KB with both hands extended raise to shoulder level

Next: again 10 reps each
Lunges (either stepping forwards or backwards) with a bicep curl at the bottom of the lunge.  Hold a 12lb dumbbell in each hand and in the bottom of the lunge curl the weight.  These a fairly tough, I started with 15lbs which is a standard weight for me doing bicep curls but changed to 12lbs after the second set.  Rest and get ready for the last set.

Last set:
Again this is a 10rep set.
Squat this time with the kettle bell held by the "horns".
Next holding the kettle bell in two hands press it overhead into a shoulder press,
then keep the kettle bell extended over head and do a triceps extension bending at the elbow with the kettle bell going behind your head.  Keep your elbows pointing forward.

So there we go another workout.

What the heck has been happening??

So the wheels have really gone off the wagon....okay that makes no sense.  I've been going thru a bit of a rough patch these last few weeks but seriously not a really bad thing.  Yes I've been skipping the gym and not being bothered to think before eating whatever I feel like.  I'm currently flirting with the 250lb area of the scale.  Ah well just means I gotta re-set and get after it again.

So this last weekend I was in Seattle for a gaming convention.  Five days of doing nothing but sitting and moving my hands and arms just enough to make dice roll. ;)  In addition to that heavy amount of physical activity I was eating at all hours of the night and then not eating very healthy.

Let's see, there was JackintheBox late night (haven't done that in over 20yrs, maybe 30yrs).  Ate twice at Denny's, once was after midnite.  And then there was the "wonderful" hotel food, actually not that bad but certainly at a premium price for so so food.  Finally on the way home we hit a buffet at a local casino and I stuffed myself to the hilt (gotta get your money's worth!).

The one "bright" spot was the fact that I felt like working out on Sunday.  So took advantage of the hotels workout room and had a good workout.  30min of cardio on the treadmill and threw some iron around for 20-25min.  It was a bit of a surprise that I actually worked out but there it was, a rather sweaty t-shirt.  So it must have happened.

Met with Lorinda on Sat for the first time in a couple of weeks, we've both been busy.  I'd let her know that I'd fallen a bit off kilter so she was prepared to make me sweat:

No rest do as a superset
Chest press: 20lbs x 10
Squats: no weight x 10
Bent over Row: 20lbs x 10
Squats: 10
Biceps curls: 20lbs x 10
Squats: 10
Shoulder press (palms facing each other): 20lbs x 10
Squats: 10
Triceps Kickbacks: 15lbs x 10

Repeat 3-4 times

Then we did some abs:
Legs raises with knees bent x 15
Crunches x 15

It felt good to get back to really working out so I guess the "vacation" is over and time to get those wheels back on the wagon.  Moving onward and upward!
 

Not feeling it or I ate a McDonalds hamburger and fries tonite

So just not feeling it this week.  Huh?  I'm not sick but I just don't feel like being myself.  I was good all last week (after vac) but this week not so much.  And next week is my annual game convention weekend.  It's going to be one long bad for my health time.  For five days I'll drink booze, eat until I can't eat anymore (at times) and spend hours sitting at a table doing nothing but rolling dice.  Not a very healthy life style.  Fortunately it's only for five days.

This week though I've only gone to the gym once (kettle bell yay) and will meet with Lorinda on Sat to at least get one more workout in.  Then Sunday I'll do something I hope, followed by a Tues kettle bell and then it's over until the following week.

I will say that I just haven't felt that drive that keeps me going to the gym.  Maybe it's time for a break and of course the coming week would qualify as a break.

I did buy some new shoes specifically for riding my bike so I am looking forward to trying them out.  My hope is that they will help me push myself to ride better and more efficiently.  I'm looking forward to better weather as I'm really not a fan of rainy bike riding. 

So definitely feeling a bit of guilt over not working out but at the same time I know it's not the end of the world.  I just need to re-focus.

Here's a workout that Lorinda put together for me:

This is a mix of weights and abs.  I suggest doing these as supersets.  Do each exercise once all the way thru and then repeat.  If you're short on time just one time thru is a good workout.

Bench press: 10-12 reps with a heavy weight  ( I used 25lbs)
Lat pull down: 10-12reps  again a heavy weight ( I used 80lbs)
Now do abs (any abs exercise that will allow you to do 25 reps)
Bicep curls: 10-12 reps (I used 20lbs)
Overhead press: 10-12reps (20lbs)
Abs: 25reps
Lateral raise: 10-12 reps ( I used 10lbs) standing with your arms at your sides palms facing each other raise your arms vertical to shoulder height and back down that's one rep.  You'll want to use a lighter weight for this.
Kettle bell high pull: 10-12reps (25lb KB) stand with the kettle bell directly in front of you and grip the "horns" over hand (palms facing down) pull the kettle bell up with your elbows extending out to the sides stop when the KB is chest high.
Abs: 25reps
Hammer curls: 10-12reps (15lbs) curl like you did for the bicep curls but with your palms facing each other.  Like you are hammering a nail.
Triceps extensions: 10-12reps ( 12lbs) you should be a bit tired by now so the weight should be lighter so you can keep your form.  Standing up, hold the weights over your head with your arms extended.  Now lower the weights behind your head bending at the elbow.

If you choose to do another set you should do a set of abs here and then rest before repeating the workout for another superset.  You can repeat this up to 4x.  So far I've made it thru just one superset. 

Vacation Time pt 2

So I'm going to cheat and just tell the story of the rest of the vacation without any details except the important ones.  Huh, you might say?

Here's the deal.  I failed the food choice test and jumped the shark on the scale.  Friday morning weigh in was a bit disappointing as it rang in at 240lbs. 

I did workout on Wed and Thurs but then the rest of the vacation was a bust when it came to getting any exercise.  Weds was a meeting with Lorinda, we threw some iron around.  Thurs was cardio walking with the weight vest for two miles at a quick pace.

I indulged in a fish burger with curly fries one day, and a rice bowl another.  There were roast beef and turkey sandwiches.  Even a chili cheeseburger made an appearance.  I did go to friends for a game day but was actually somewhat conservative compared to past gatherings.  I did go for a meal that I've had on my list of "want this but shouldn't eat this", chicken teriyaki.  So I got that out of my system for another year or so.  And then on the Sunday game day I did fairly well but still over did it a bit.  I try not to eat a big meal Sunday evening and I did okay but I could have made a better choice.

So what did I learn this time?  Not much frankly other than I know what I did wrong, but still it felt good.  I will have to get back on the wagon and then work my way back to doing the right thing.

Ah well new month and new attitude to work on.  Of course it doesn't hurt that kettle bell is only a day away.  Bring it!