My blog has moved!

You should be automatically redirected in 6 seconds. If not, visit
http://journeytosanctification.wordpress.com
and update your bookmarks.

2004-2010 (or the last 7 years)

So, I've got to admit.  I've been pretty bummed recently.  This is really probably the point in my journey where I'm getting really tired.  No, I'm not in a quitting mood, I'm just exhausted.  And I want to relax.  But I know this is my life.  And it's a good life. 

In order to jump start myself, I thought it would be a great idea to reflect on how far I've come in the last 15 months; on how much I've actually changed.  So, here are pictures from each of the last 7 years to show (mostly me, but also all of you) just how much I have grown shrunk:

2004
09.04.2004

2005
05.15.2005

2006
05.23.2006

2007
07.02.2007

2008
05.28.2008

2009
02.21.2009

2010
06.11.2010

Notice how I'm wearing the same shirt in like half of my photos?  Yeah, when you're fat, you try to make your shirts last as long as possible!  In the first 5 pictures, I'm in a XXL.  In the 2009 picture, I'm in a XXXL.  Now, in 2010, I'm in a Large (and sometimes a Medium).  That's progress.  Who cares if I gain and lose 5 pounds over the next couple of months--I'm getting used to this new normal! 

Friday:
4.5 miles ran
50 sit ups
50 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna

Total:
60 minutes on the exercise bike
75 minutes on the elliptical
12 miles walked/ran
7 miles biked
250 situps
250 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
fast
3 dates with Anna

Roasted Hazelnut Spread

Okay, gang!  I finally "perfected" my faux Nutella recipe.  It doesn't taste just like Nutella, but I really do like it!  I'll do a little step-by-step photo montage (sorry, but my camera's not a food-quality camera--I mean, it could be but I'm too lazy to learn right now...), then I'll post the tighter recipe and nutrition facts.

Roast 350g of raw hazlenuts in 350 degree oven for 16 minutes, stirring every 4-5 minutes.

Add 100g Natural Unsweetened Cocoa to a food processor

Add 225g Powdered Sugar to the food processor

Add 75g Instant Nonfat Dry Milk Mix

Blend until fully mixed

Allow Roasted Hazelnuts to cool (about 20 minutes) and rub as much of the skins off as possible

Add Roasted Hazlenuts to the food processor; blend until the mixture looks like sand.

Pour 1oz of vanilla into spinning blender.

Pour 8oz of canola oil into spinning blender.

And it's done!

This recipe makes 3.5 cups, or 56 Tablespoons, or 28 Servings

Roasted Hazelnut Spread

Ingredients:
350g Raw Hazelnuts
100g Natural Unsweetened Cocoa
225g Powdered Sugar
75g Instant Nonfat Dry Milk Mix
8oz Canola Oil
1oz Vanilla


If you try making this, let me know what you think!


Thursday:
4.5 miles ran
7 miles biked
50 sit ups
50 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna

Total:
60 minutes on the exercise bike
75 minutes on the elliptical
7.5 miles walked/ran
7 miles biked
200 situps
200 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
2 dates with Anna

Quick post...again

Not sure what's wrong, but it's been tough for me to come up with things to say.  Not that life isn't going well--it really is, just that I've been busy with, well, life.  But I've still be happy with the majority of my decisions. 

And though I've been reading evenyone's blogs, it's just been tough to comment.  But know that I'm readign it all and loving how you are all doing.  Especially Mary and Kepa.  Congrats!!

Wednesday:

15 minutes on the exercise bike
30 minutes on the elliptical
50 sit ups
50 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Total:
60 minutes on the exercise bike
75 minutes on the elliptical
3 miles walked
150 situps
150 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna

Out at gdgt

Quick post, but wanted to say that I had a great night today at the gdgt Seattle event.  It was a ton of fun!  There were many booths there, but my top three had to be T-Mobile, HTC, and WindowsPhone.  I do love my gadgets, and I even won a new cell phone (though it's on Verizon and I'm on T-Mobile, but I should be able to sell it and maybe get a Garmin Forerunner?  We'll see what happens)!  Fun night.  Light exercise, but fun day.

Tuesday:

30 minutes on the exercise bike
15 minutes on the elliptical
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Total:
45 minutes on the exercise bike
45 minutes on the elliptical
3 miles walked
100 situps
100 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna

I'm a member

Yesterday was a big step for me.  Was it a weight-loss change?  Did I hit my 150 pounds lost?  Nope.  But it was a big step on my Journey to Sanctification.  Anna and I became members at our church.  It probably doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but for me, it really is.  I have never been an on-the-books member of a church.  I've been a regular attender at a few churches--even helped build the stage of one of my old churches--but never have I been fully committed to a community of believers.  But that changed yesterday: we got up on the stage with about 10 other people and announced our intention to join the mission of Bethany Community Church.  I'm really excited to see how God is going to use us in this community.


Up to Monday:
15 minutes on the exercise bike
30 minutes on the elliptical
3 miles walked
100 situps
100 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna

Week 68


Weight: 219.6

Weekly Weight loss: 1.0
Total weight lost: 148.8
Average Weekly Loss: 2.19

Not quite what I wanted to see (still trying to get to that 150 pounds lost milestone, which I should have hit about a month or two ago).  But it's in the right direction, I guess. 

I must say, though, I still need to kick up my dedication to both the eating and working out.  I've been working on eating intuitively, but I also have to make sure that doesn't turn into eating whatever I want whenever I want, you know?  And my working out needs a push, too.  I've been hitting the work gym regularly, but my running and biking have been a little low.  Of course, a lot of that was because fo my sore Achilles, but that's feeling much better now, so I can't use that as an excuse anymore!

This was my last weigh-in of July.  But I'm going to do my best to make my first weigh-in in August a milestone!

Oh, and I found my tape measure.  So the chart's back on!  Of course, the numbers will fluctuate a little bit as I work toward getting back to where I'm measuring in the same location each week.

Great Day

Today was a great day!  A good workout at work.  A great bike ride.  And some yummy beef and cabbage soup.  Who could ask for more?

Not me, that's for sure!

Plus, tomorrow, Anna and I get to babysit my nephew, Matthew and niece, Allyssa.  Overnight.  Can't wait!!

Thursday:
30 minutes on the exercise bike
15 minutes on the elliptical
6 miles biked
50 situps
50 push ups
2 60-second front planks
2 45-second side planks
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Total:
75 minutes on the exercise bike
60 minutes on the elliptical
10 miles walked/ran
6 miles biked
200 situps
200 push ups
2 60-second front planks
2 45-second side planks
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
fast
date with Anna

Quick Post

Not much to talk about, but I did get at least some activity in!  And tomorrow, I'll be adding back in the bike riding.  Looking forward to that.

Wednesday:
4 miles walked
50 situps
50 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Total:
45 minutes on the exercise bike
45 minutes on the elliptical
10 miles walked/ran
150 situps
150 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
fast
date with Anna

Eating Intuitively Project

Thats right.  I may have a Triathalon to train for, but I also have this whole "healthy living" thing going on.  Not a diet.  Not a fad.  Not a flash in the pan.  Nope.  A healthy lifestyle.  A long and healthy life.  And I know I can't do the whole counting Calories thing.  So I need to learn how to eat for life.  I need to learn how to eat like I know what I'm doing.  I really think that I need to look at things in a different light.  Kinda like how Steve does, with his "weight-loss portions" and "maintenance portions" classification.  I know how much I should eat--I just need to eat that way.  Maybe soon, I'll be posting my eating like that.

What about you?  How do you track the intake?

Tuesday:
15 minutes on the exercise bike
30 minutes on the elliptical
50 situps
50 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna

Total:
45 minutes on the exercise bike
45 minutes on the elliptical
6 miles ran
100 situps
100 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
fast
date with Anna

Triathalon Training

So this week, I start my Triathalon Training.  That's right.  I'm not giving up or in.  I will not let the Sprint Triathalon beat me. 

Looking back over the results from yesterday's event, it looks like I'm not the only one who didn't finish.  Of course, I can't tell how many people didn't even show up, but the event recap said that they had almost 2,000 participants.  And the results show that only about 1,200 people finished.  40% of the people didn't finish.  Yeah, I'm part of that group...guess misery loves company, huh?

This morning, though, Anna found a really good looking 22-week training program.  She's crazy good at navigating the web.  Seriously, last night I searched for a while for a good "couch to sprint triathalon" program.  And, actually, I found the offical C2ST program, but I'm too cheap to pay for it!  But other than the C2ST, all the other ST training programs had this caveat: "All of these programs assume you can already consistently do the following: 20min Swim, 40min Bike, 20min Run" Sure, if I could swim 20 minutes, I don't think I'd need a training program, you know?  But Anna found what I needed (and it probably only took her like 10 minutes).  Granted, I probably won't attempt another Tri until 2011, but I'm sure I can just get to week 22 and stay at that level, you know?

And I really think I started the week out really well!  That's so important.

Up to Monday:
30 minutes on the exercise bike
15 minutes on the elliptical
6 miles ran
50 situps
50 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
fast

My First Triathalon

Today was the day of my first Triathalon.  I'd been looking forward to this for a couple of months.  I rode over 100 miles, I ran a ton, I swam a couple of hours.  Going into it, I figured that if I could get through the 1/2 mile swim portion, I'd be okay; I could finish the biking and running just fine.  How right I was.

We went to bed early last night.  And woke up at about 4:30.  Right on time.  Before we left, I made some coffee:


When we arrived at the park, I got my bike into the transition area and got it all set up.


Then I did all my stretching:


And got into my swim cap:


And got into the water (64 degrees):


And at 6:56 am, the airhorn went off and I started swimming at the back of the pack.  And after about 100 feet, I switched to a back stroke...And then I realized how right I was about the lynch pin being on the swim leg.  Let's just get to it:


That's right.  I didn't finish.  But I'm not upset about it.  I am frustrated with myself, yeah, because I didn't apply myself enough.  I didn't train enough for the swimming portion.  And I should have.  And Anna encouraged me to.  But I didn't. 

But I'm not giving up.  I'll start training for another triathalon and will finish one. 

My biggest lesson from all of this?  Failing at something does not make one a faulire.

Week 67 (a day early)


Weight: 220.6
Weekly Weight loss: 3.8
Total weight lost: 147.8
Average Weekly Loss: 2.21

Yes!!

So yeah, I'm doing my weigh-in a day early, but that's on purpose.  I plan on eating a little heavy (very little extra, to be honest) in preparation for my Triathalon tomorrow.  I don't think I really need to carb load or anything for a Sprint Tri, but I also don't want to have the extra stress of having to weigh-in before my race.  So today it is.

And I'm really excited about the progress.  3.8 pounds!  I really wanted to be under 220, but this is even more motivating.  And it happened with me missing a lot of my organized workouts, but I got some non-traditional activity in: mowing the lawn, and more fun (going to Sky High Sports, an indoor trampoline "gym" last night for part of a bachelor party).  I mean, have you even jumped on a trampoline?  For an hour?  I'm not sure, but I think that burns a ton of Calories! 

And no chart again--I seem to have misplaced my tape measure...perhaps I'll have to buy a new one.

Hope you all have a great weekend--and I'll post a recap of my race tomorrow (I hope).

Team Building Event

Today was a short day at work; we all got to leave at noon to head on out to a park by our work for a BBQ Grilldown.  (I think our team won, but all the teams won a category...).  The day was beautiful and the park was fun:


And we got our grill on:

(Can you see my Vibrams?)

But then I got distracted, and didn't take any more pictures...Oops! 

But our menu was awesome.  Oh, and there had to be a grilled component in each dish--we went overboard.  Here's the menu:

  • Trio of Salsas with a Duo of Tortilla Chips

    • Grilled Pineapple and Cucumber Salsa 

    • Grilled Tomato and Grilled Jalapeno Salsa

    • Grilled Corn and Grilled Tomatillo Salsa 

    • White Corn Tortilla Chips

    • Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips

  • Shrimp Tacos

    • Choice between spicy or mild shrimp and corn or flour tortillas

    • Tostones with Garlic Tomato Dipping Sauce

    • Grilled Corn with Cilantro Cumin Compound Butter

  • Nachos Dulce

    • Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips

    • Mexican Ganache (Cocolate Sauce with Vanilla, Cayenne, New Mexico Chile, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Orange Peel, and some other spices...)

    • Diced Strawberries

    • Diced Grilled Pineapple

    • Whipped Cream

Oh man, it was so delicious--and that was only one group's food; there were four groups!

But I'm proud to say, I didn't indulge; I didn't overeat; I didn't go crazy.  And I was able to finally mow the lawn and get a good bike ride in.  Yay!

Thursday:
8.5 miles biked
50 situps
50 push ups
1 60 second plank
1 40 second plank on each side
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Calorie Counts:
I think I'm not counting Calories this week.  I'm trying to see if I can do this intuitively--of course, I'll need to do that eventually, so might as well try!

Flexibility

No, this won't be a post about my trying the Intu-Flow Joint Mobility Routine that Steve does--though I will try that sometime (I seem to get all my ideas from him).  No, this will be about how plans don't always go as planned.  I planned on getting a lot done today: mowing the lawn, testing out tostones, jogging, and hitting the elliptical.  But all I did was try out the tostones. ANd they were tasty!  I think they may be my new favorite snack--though I know they're not all that good for me.

Why didn't I get all my to-do's done?  I had visitors and interruptions.  For instance, I took out my mower to mow my lawn, and got caught in a great 1/2 hour conversation with a neighbor.  I loved that, and I think that building those relationships is more important than mowing a lawn for a day--you know?  And, we also had my friends come over and hang out for about an hour.  It was great to see them and I really enjoy having people come over--again, it's better to spend time with friends, catching up, than mow a lawn. 

Of course, I really should have spent some time to exercise, but I'm good with that, too, for some reason.  Not because I'm feeling lazy.  I guess I'm just feeling flexible.  I'm loving this.

Wednesday:
50 situps
50 push ups
1 60 second plank
1 40 second plank on each side
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
fast

Calorie Counts:
I think I'm not counting Calories this week.  I'm trying to see if I can do this intuitively--of course, I'll need to do that eventually, so might as well try!

Inspiration

I was reading an awesome post over at Seattle Running Girl, and I thought it would be fun to post my favorite quote.  And I think it can help all kinds of people get through struggles:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes. ”
~ Charles Swindoll

What do you think?  Do you have a personal quote?  One that's gotten you through how ever far you've come through your journey?

Oh, and sorry, but as a little aside, I think that new iPhone4 commercial highlighting FaceTime with the guy who's finding out from his wife/girlfried that they're having a baby is a really lame commerical!

Tuesday:
30 minutes on exercise bike
15 minutes on elliptical
50 situps
50 push ups
6 miles biked
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Calorie Counts:
Sunday: ?,??? Calories
Monday: ?,??? Calories
Tuesday: ?,??? Calories

Okay, this not counting Calories for the full day sure has to stop...ugh!  (But my scale has been going the right way...)

Quick Hit

While I am back, I have been very busy at work today.  I missed the gym, but am committed to making it at least 3 times this week (I'm busy on Thursday, too).  I'm looking forward to this week and successful choices!

Make this next week the best yet!

Goals:
90 minutes on elliptical
60 minutes on exercise bike
350 situps
350 pushups7 60 second front planks
7 40 second side planks (each side)
10 miles jogged
15 miles biked
2 hours swam
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna
fast

Up to Monday:
100 situps
100 push ups
3 60-second front planks
3 40-second side planks
3 miles jogged
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Calorie Counts:
Sunday: ?,??? Calories
Monday: ?,??? Calories

Week 66


Weight: 224.4
Weekly Weight GAIN: 1.8
Total weight lost: 144.0
Average Weekly Loss: 2.18


I'm sorry this is late.  But, I have to say that I'm glad it is.  I'm glad I waited until after church to do this post.  You see, I was pretty frustrated to log a gain this week.  I knew it was coming, but I couldn't beat it back enough.  I'd like to say it was because I had to rest my foot--but I could have limited my consumption.  I'd like to say it's water retention--but really, I'm pretty sure it's Calorie retention. 

And I was embarrased.  I wanted to fudge the scale reading; to somehow make the scale show a loss and then make sure it stuck the next week.  But I couldn't and I didn't.

And then I went to church.  And listened to an inspiring message.  I can't remember all of the information, but what I came away with is this: I can't do this.  I can't lose weight.  I can't make the healthy choices.  But God can.  God wants to shape me.  And He has been shaping me.  I think I forgot that.  I started thinking that I was the one who was having all this success.  But I'm not.  All this success was happening to me--not because of me.  And then, to top it all off, the worship band started playing Marvelous Light.  My Anthem.  If that wasn't God talking to me, I'm not sure who was. 

I'm back. He's Back!

Mobile Chowdown

Today, Anna and I took a trip into Seattle to eat food from some of the area's best food carts. Most were from Seattle, but 3 were from Portland, Oregon. What a blast we had! The event started at 11--we heard that the lines get crazy long, so we showed up at 10:30.


I started out with a nice doppio espresso:


Then we got in line outside of Koi Fusion. There were already six people in front of us.


And one of the people in front of us just happened to be an owner of one of the sponsors. And she even used to be a the food editor at our a major Seattle Newspaper. And she even was on No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain! We met a famous person--and she bought us tacos!

So, let's start with all the food we had at Koi Fusion: BBQ Short Rib Burrito:


This was delicious--not super bright flavors, but perfectly balanced. Loved it!  Next, we had Bulgogi Tacos:


These were tasty--a nice example of the Korean/Latin fusion the cart is known for. I forgot to pick up the limes, which would have completed the dish, but they were tasty!

While I was standing in line at Koi, Anna went over to Potato Champion (also from Portland). And we had our first Poutine:


Kim, I have to admit, these were tasty. I would have liked smaller cheese curds so that we could have had them in more bites. While these were tasty, we probably could have done without them--there were just too many great things to eat.

We walked over to find seating to enjoy our first haul, and ended up next to Marination--the Seattle "equivalent" of Koi Fusion--and the line was actually pretty short. (We were told that both Koi Fusion and Marination were the two longest lines last time). Marination was even named the Best Food Cart in America by Good Morning America. I can see why. We got two delicious sliders from them. An Aloha Slider (with Kalua Pork) and a SPAM Slider:


The SPAM Slider was probably the best food we had all day. Oh, wow, that was perfect!

The, we walked around to Skillet. Skillet's an awesome--and more expensive--food cart specializing in high-end offerings like burgers with cambozola and their famous bacon jam. We knew we could try that amazing burger later, since they're in Seattle, so we bought their Lamb Sloppy Joe and Strawberry Lemonade:


The Lemonade was pretty good, but that Lamb Sloppy Joe was amazing! Holy Moses, look at all that "slop" on that little bitty bun!! And they even gave me a little off, since we didn't get the fries that came with the lamb--it was just too much food otherwise, you know? I will certainly try to find that Airstream Trailer in the future.

Nope, that wasn't enough food--we still needed dessert!

So Anna and I headed over to another Portland visitor, Whiffies. All they make is fried pies, and today they brought 2 sweet and 2 savory options (Mixed Berry, Chocolate/Coconut, Vegan, and Beef Brisket). I wanted the Mounds-like creation, but Anna won out with the Mixed Berry:


So glad she did, too, since it was delicious! We'll have to go visit them next time we're in Portland, for sure!

Finally, we ended our food extravaganza an hour and a half later at Street Treats. They make homemade baked daily cookies and brownies. And Ice Cream Sandwiches:


 I chose a Lime Poppyseed Cookies with Berry Ice Cream Sandwich--so delicious. The cookies were big and just soft enough. The ice cream wasn't too hard, either; perfect for an ice cream sandwich. The cookie was very flavorful; the ice cream wasn't too flavorful--but the combination was delicious.

So, that was the food:
2 Bulgogi Tacos; Koi Fusion (we gave the thrid one away)
1 Beef Short Rib Burrito; Koi Fusion
1 Aloha Slider; Marination
1 SPAM Slider; Marination
1 Lamb Sloppy Joe; Skillet
1 Strawbverry Lemonade; Skillet
1 Mixed Berry Pie; Whiffies
1 Lime Poppyseed Cookie with Berry Ice Cream Sandwich; Street Treats

All in all, I'd say that it really wasn't too much food--really--we had no breakfast, and split everything. And we walked around for about two hours. Good time.  This Mobile Chowdown is an awesome experience, and we'll definitely go to the next one--and try out some more places in the meantime!

Saturday:
7 miles biked
100 situps
50 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Calorie Count:
Saturday: ?,??? Calories

Busy Day

Today was a busy day at work, and I didn't do as much as I planned.  But I got a good walk in and a bike ride.  And I'm feeling great!  No pain!  On, and don't worry, Steve, I'm definitely not pushing myself too much--and man, it's frustrating! 

Friday:
9.5 miles biked
3 Miles walked
100 situps
50 push ups
2 60 second planks
2 40 second side planks
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Calorie Count:
Wednesday: 2,033 Calories

Update & Link

So, I pushed myself a little bit on the exercise bike, and I think that my leg is getting better.  I'm still trying to take it easy, but I'm testing it, and pushing it, and liking the results.  This weekend will be a big push to see how I'll do next weekend.

I also wanted to send a little link love out to Ben.  He's a new blogger in our community and he's been kicking butt out there.  So go check out his site, and give him a welcoming! 

Thursday:
45 Minutes on exercise bike
6 minutes on stairstepper
100 situps
100 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
fast

Calorie Count:
Wednesday: 920 Calories (it was my fasting day)

Membership

Tonight was date night, and we finally got the chance to watch Toy Story 3.  Wow.  Those people at Pixar still can rock it!  I'm constantly amazed at their creativity and level of storytelling and execution.  Um, yeah, go see it if you haven't.  But we didn't see it in 3D.  And I never will.  Honestly, I can't stand the darned 3D fad right now--seriously, of the 6 previews we saw, 6 of the upcoming movies were in 3D.  Ugh.

Also today, I finished my church application.  It's all in draft email format and ready to send off tomorrow.  I thought it would be fun to show you all my answer to this question: "Please describe your spiritual pilgrimage; including your conversion experience and current relationship with Christ"


That's just a little glimpse into another aspect of my Journey to Sanctification

Wednesday:
100 situps
100 push ups
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna

Calorie Count:
Wednesday: 2,327 Calories

Listening to my body

Wow, with all the success I've had for so long, it's really weird to have struggles.  And more than that, it's really weird to have to slow down.  I've been running a lot this year. And pushing myself harder and harder.  And I think my body just said, "No."  So, this past weekend and today, I've been going easier on my body.  Here are some changes I'm incorperating this week:

  • I am back to walking for the rest of the week.  No running.  No jogging.  Just walking.
  • I am cutting back on the stairstepper (I just was going too crazy with it).
  • I am foregoing the jumping jacks for now

Really, I'm just trying to not put too much stress on my Achilles.  I'm still trying to be active, and I'm trying to watch my eating like a hawk. 

I know that I have a triathalon coming up--and I will still complete it--but I'm not willing ot do any long-term damage to my body in a quest to build better health.  I mean, what's the point of working so hard on a healthy body if I end up broken anyways?

So, what else should I add in to boost my exercises without adding stress to my Achilles?  Any thoughts/hints?

Goals:
90 minutes on elliptical
90 minutes on exercise bike
20 minutes on stair stepper
350 situps
350 pushups
5 60 second front planks
5 40 second side planks (each side)
10 miles walked
15 miles biked
2 hours swam
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna
fast

Up to Tuesday:
20 minutes on elliptical
25 minutes on exersice bike
5 minutes on stair stepper
10 situps
50 push ups
2 60-second front planks
2 40-second side planks
3 miles walked
1 hour swam
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Calorie Counts:
Sunday: ?,??? Calories
Monday: ?,??? Calories
Tuesday: 2,075 Calories

Average Daily Calories: 2,075 Calories

Back in town


So, we made it back okay. And I'm primed to push through starting tomorrow.

Thus weekend was a great chance to recover and reorient myself. Yes, there was some tasty eats, and yes, I indulged, but I feel that I needed this reset weekend!

Normal post coming tomorrow.  And more fun ahead--though my Achilles is still sore (it MAY have been the tennis on Saturday that got it going again...). 

Hope you've all been great!

Week 65



I'll update all my stats tomorrow, but I did gain 1.2 pounds this week. That's actually not as bad as I thought--since I started Monday at about 230 for some reason. So I'll take that little gain ad do my best to not got too crazy the rest of this retreat.

Let's see a good week ahead!

UPDATE: So, I guess I didn't have the time to actually chart my measurements--guess I was too tired--but the scale doesn't lie.  Gonna have to live with that!

Couples Retreat



So, I'm writing this on my phone, and it's my first try. We'll see how it goes...

It's been a great day of road-tripping and spending time with Anna and our friends.

Some highlights:

We went to a little 50's-ish soda fountain in Port Townsend, and I got a Green River float.  Yum!!!

So delicious. And we found a great little coffee shop to visit next time.   Best part, though, is the relaxation and fellowship we're experiencing.

I brought my scale, and am fully expecting a gain, but I'm not worried about that at all--I've already passed my original goal of 240 and my second goal of 225, so if it takes me longer to hit my goal of 215 (or 199), that's just fine, you know? 

Exercise

5 miles walked

50 pushups

50 situps

1 hour light tennis

Calories: 2,354

Take It Easy

I'm running down the road trying to--nah, no I'm not.  I didn't run today.  I didn't swim.  I didn't bike.  But I'm happy with my day.  I got SO much accomplished.  I got off work early and was all prepared to relax, go for a run and add in a swim. 

But that didn't happen. 

Instead, I swapped cars with my mother-in-law and took hers in to get a rock chip fixed.  And it had to be tonight. 

Then I took our car in to get the oil changed and washed it. 

And then I made up some food for our weekend Couples Small Group Retreat.  And I have to say I now have the best potato salad I've ever had!  I'll have to recreate it and actually write the recipe for my Carmelized Onion and Bacon Potato Salad.  Yum!

So yeah, no additional working out, but lots accomplished--now that's some great balance!

Friday:
30 minutes on elliptical
50 situps
50 push ups
1 60 second front plank
1 40 second side plank (each side)
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Total:
90 minutes on elliptical
60 minutes on exersice bike
60 minutes on stair stepper
350 situps
350 push ups
300 jumping jacks
7 60 second front planks
7 40 second side planks (each side)
9.5 miles biked
6 miles ran
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna
fast

Calorie Counts:
Sunday: ?,??? Calories
Monday: 1,401 Calories
Tuesday: 2,056 Calories
Wednesday: 2,098 Calories
Thursday: 2,101 Calories
Friday: 2,430 Calories

Average Daily Calories: 2,017 Calories

whew

I'm beat.  I've been trying not to push myself too much these past couple of days, since I swear I'm falling apart!  I had that shoulder problem last week; I've been dealing with a tight Achilles Tendon; I have some weird kind of bruise on my bicep, too.  Is this what happens when you turn 30?  I mean, come on!!  Hehe. 

So yeah, I'm beat.  In order to "take it easy", I slowed down on the stairstepper.  That seemed to go okay.  And I tried to slow down on my run this evening.  I thought I was going slower, but when I got home and tracked my route, it turned out that I did 5.8 miles in 58:00.  That's my normal 10:00 pace...and I thought I was going slow!!  Does that mean that I'm quickening my pace?

Tomorrow, though, I'm planning on hitting the beach/pool tommorrow.  Gotta get some water time.  We'll see.

Make it a great day! 

Thursday:
15 minutes on elliptical
15 minutes on exersice bike
15 minutes on stair stepper
50 situps
50 push ups
100 jumping jacks
1 60 second front plank
1 40 second side plank (each side)
6 miles ran
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion

Total:
60 minutes on elliptical
60 minutes on exersice bike
60 minutes on stair stepper
300 situps
300 push ups
300 jumping jacks
6 60 second front planks
6 40 second side planks (each side)
9.5 miles biked
6 miles ran
prayed
read the bible
read my devotion
date with Anna
fast

Calorie Counts:
Sunday: ?,??? Calories
Monday: 1,401 Calories
Tuesday: 2,056 Calories
Wednesday: 2,098 Calories
Thursday: 2,101 Calories

Average Daily Calories: 1,915 Calories