Yikes… June’s gonna be a pain

Remember I wanted to be 178lbs by the end of June? I’m here to report that I’m NOWHERE close to that target. I’m still comfortably sitting at 186 – The number I was at at the beginning of June.

But I’m not feeling too bad about it. I’ve been eating well, the exercise has taken a bit of a hit as we went camping last weekend and somehow I never really got into the workout routine this past week. Today is Monday and I’m starting again.

And folks, here’s what I’m really looking forward too…. My 13year old son, (who is a bit on the chubby side), has agreed to join me for my runs. Now this is a huge departure from his video game playing routine and I’m thrilled that we’ll get to spend some time together.

This evening, we have a 2.5 km walk/run planned.

I’ll be posting my workout routine for the next 45 days on this blog very soon.

Take care

Ro

When does one say “Enough is Enough?”

I think I said it yesterday. And I have some mixed feelings about this.

Over the past 4 months, I happily went back to my old habits of leading a terrible, sedentary life with no control, over what I eat or how I treat my body. The only saving grace was that I quit smoking and I’m still a non-smoker.

But there’s always a price to be paid for everything, isn’t it?

So while I’m religiously following a strict regimen of exercise and diet, I can’t take the credit for having taken the decision to do it. It was forced on me.  My body forced action by giving me pain that I can no longer tolerate. The “Piriformis Syndrome” in my leg has become painful beyond belief. And the lower back pain hasn’t helped things as well.

So here I am… doing everything to reduce the pain I’m in. The stretching is the worst as the pain is really bad. But the rest of the exercise routine feels great.  I’ll be in touch as I go along. I was 190 lbs 2 weeks back. I want to lose 2lbs each week till I hit 170lbs at the end of July. So the target for June-end is 178lbs.

Its gonna happen !

Ro

Step 1 – I quit smoking today

I’ve been smoking for 20 years… And have been married for 15! So I’ve known that stick for longer (and more intimately) than my wife!

They say quitting smoking is harder than quitting cocaine. I wouldn’t know as I’ve never gone the cocaine route. But I do know that its bloody hard. In my case, the problems isn’t the withdrawal symptoms – those I can handle. The problem is that I don’t WANT to quit smoking. Crazy, isn’t it?

It had to be the first step I took – it impacts everything else from here on.

1. I feel better instantly, knowing I’ve made progress. (that belly isn’t likely to give me any joy for some time)
2. I have more stamina for the cardio sessions I’ve planned
3. Thanks to the friggin’ withdrawal symptoms, I’m always aware that I have made a major commitment to myself.
4. If smoking goes out of the door, so does its loving mistress – Alcohol. If I fix a scotch, there’s no way I’m not reaching for a smoke. Call me weak, but that’s the way I roll. I’d rather be without those two than with them.

I plan on quitting two ways:

1. Nicoderm patches
2. Announced it on Facebook. Since I did it last night, I’ve already got 19 comments (18 encouraging ones and 1 cynical one). Frankly, there’s no going back without being massively embarrassed.

3. The money I save on cigarettes & booze ($300/month) is going into a fund and I’ll spend that on some really nice gym wear. (No, I’m not gay… I just don’t have any decent gym clothes at all)

I’m working on my workout schedule for next week. In the meantime, I walked on the treadmill for a hour today – covered 3 miles. I’m not rushing into a “Dud to Stud in 2 Weeks” kind of routine. As I said, I’m being patient with myself this time… very patient.

Wish me luck.

Ro