Category: Health & Fitness

I’ve been trying to decide on my next mountain bike. I really like my old Tomac Six Shooter – a versatile, light, nimble all-mountain bike. However, for some of the trails I tackle, something a little heavier-duty is called for. Continue reading “Sinister Retrograde Chain Suck”

Whew! I did it! Week three is DONE.
Now for another exhaustion test and the dreaded week 4, which always kicked my butt the last time(s) around.

Do you like iced coffee? I do. And one thing I hate is watery coffee. Here’s a great way around that. Have some extra coffee left over in the pot after you’ve had your morning fix? Don’t toss it – freeze it! Just pour it into your ice cube tray and you get coffee ice cubes! They keep more of that great coffee flavor in your iced coffee. Enjoy!

After completely falling off the push ups wagon, last week, for no apparent reason, I decided to do an exhaustion test and see where I was at. I managed to bang out 50 push ups! Recall when I started last time, I only was able to manage 50.
So I resumed/restarted at Week 3, column 3, day 1, on Saturday, and continued on with day 2 today. So far, so good, and boy do my shoulders ache.

Last night I pitched the Medifast diet to my parents. They both seemed receptive. Before he can start, my father needs to review the plan with his physician (from whom we’re awaiting a call back), but my mom has already ordered her first month of food. So now I get to be the diet coach. This should be fun.

Last week I decided not to count calories anymore, and to just track my weight unless I felt the need to “diet” again.
That resolution lasted about 6 hours. I decided after 4 straight days of weighing in at 170#, enough was enough, and I needed to be more careful again, so I never stopped tracking my caloric intake. The result is, four days later, I was back down to 166.9# this morning. Still not exactly where I want to be, but back in my “comfort zone.”
I’ll stop counting again next week.
Maybe.

I am, quite literally, sore and stiff from head to toe this morning. My recipe for this wonderful feeling is as follows:

1. Start by moving large quantities of trash and recycling to the landfill Saturday morning. This works those lifting muscles in the back that you don’t use all that much if most of your daily activities consist of typing.
2. Attend a Karate class late morning to early afternoon. This works to exercise different muscle groups than your regular ones used in Aikido. (Note, if you normally practice a hard art, go to a soft art class instead.)
3. Move heavy furniture in the afternoon. This builds on that warm-up you got in the morning with the trash.
4. Drive a friend/family member’s vehicle to the dump. This is particularly useful if the vehicle is significantly different from what you normally drive (e.g. a van as opposed to a Subaru). This works different muscles to maintain posture or stretches you in somewhat different positions.
5. Sleep.
6. Sunday afternoon, hop on your mountain bike. Go straight up for 2.5 miles of class 4 road. Pause momentarily at the top, then plunge straight down something that Jeeps would hesitate to tackle because the mud, rocks, trenches, and logs across the road give them pause. Do not pause.
7. Arrive at family’s house and eat 2-3 times more in one meal than you have been in an average day. Feel the stomach muscles stretch in response!
8. Finally, wake up on Monday morning and regret everything that led up to this “wonderful” feeling.