7, 7, 5, 4, 16

The title reflects the new exercise I am embarking on. In this case, it is a challenge that in 6 weeks, you can train to do 100 pushups. I ran across a link to the website in a LifeHacker post the other day, and it intrigued me, so I figure I will give it a shot. Ironically I told one of my project managers at work about it, and so he's going to do it as well.

There are many reasons I want to do this:

1. 1. I could use more upper body strength
2. 2. I have never done 100 pushups at once...hell, I don't think I ever did much more than 20 at once, so this would be a good challenge.
3. 3. It would help tone up the muscle and get rid of the fat on my chest.
4. 4. It will help give me the discipline to be able to stick with an exercise program.
5. 5. The potential to gain muscle from this means I'll look hot (yes I'm vain!).

I did the initial test the other day, and could only do 10 pushups, that's pathetic, I know I can do better. In fact, I did 16 when I was supposed to max out at the end of the workout, but perhaps that's because I was already pumped up from exercising?

So this should be fun as well. I look forward to completing it, and I will be logging my progress here. I will be able to do at least 100 pushups on September 2.

Once I am done with it, I'll move on to ShovelGlove

Two Wheels Instead of Four

One of my goals is to exercise more. I'm at a decent weight, but the body fat could stand to be less, and quite frankly, who wouldn't want to be toned up?

Last September when I moved into my place, I actually had done a dry run of riding to the Metro station from my apartment, and to my surprise it was possible. However, with the cold weather coming on, that idea was put on the backburner. I'd rather be warm and dry on the bus than out there in the elements ;-)

However, with summer coming on, there was really no excuse not to ride. Add on that I dropped a good chunk of change to refurbish my bike and I want to get my money's worth, it was time to put it all to use. I finally moved past my self-sabotage this past Wednesday and started riding my bike to Metro and back. The way I see it, unless it's pouring outside, I'm going to be on the bike until at least fall, then I'll re-evaluate my options.

The ride itself is fine, it's mostly over sidewalk and bike lanes, the only two snags in the equation are crossing Kenilworth Ave, and Cherrywood Lane. At least Kenilworth has a crosswalk light; Cherrywood I am more at risk because it's crossing the road on a curve, and you know how some people can be when they're in a rush to get to work or get home. Still, I'm getting some great exercise out of it, and it doesn't take much longer than taking the bus. The best part is not having to wait for the buses.

Resolutions

I'll be frank, I'm not big on making resolutions for the new year because for me I don't just make a resolution because it's expected of me for a certain time of year. I make resolutions and reevaluate them throughout the year.

But since everyone is talking about it, here's what I'll lay down as my current and future resolutions:

1. Continue to eat healthy and exercise more: This is rather simple for me because I have been more conscious of what I eat for the last 3-4 months, and I can already see a difference. I am exercising more, and I will continue to do so throughout the year. It is my goal to become disciplined to an exercise routine enough that I can buy a membership to the local gym and actually use it rather than waste it.

2. Travel More: Make no bones about it, I love to travel and see new places. I don't think I have been doing enough of it in the last two years so I am resolving to do as much as I possibly can. I know that there will be a few months where it will be crazy-difficult to travel because of work obligations, but I will find a way. It also doesn't hurt that JH and I are discussing making trips to various parks for rollercoaster riding. It is nice to have someone that will go with you on the rollercoasters, it will give me someone to talk to while waiting in line ;-)

3. Have Fun: After a rather tumultuous 2007 for the first nine months, things are settled down and it's time to have a blast. I got a good taste of what I could be doing this past summer and fall, and it's time to expand on it. I'm young, and this is my time to party and enjoy the life that is before me.

That's it, it's all I really need to have for the new year. I can't wait to see what is in store because I get the feeling that 2008 is going to be a great year for me.

Straightening Things Out

I have a few other plans in mind for the next month or two.

After Godspell, my focus will be on getting everything of mine packed. As I go through items, I will decide whether they need to go with me, they should stay behind with Mike, they need to be donated to charity, or they simply need to be thrown out. I have already donated nearly an entire bookshelf of books, and I will be going through my clothes (especially the smoke filled ones) to make donations. My goal is to take only the basic stuff that I need. I don't have a huge amount of space in my new apartment, and the last thing I want to do is fill it up with things that I'm not going to use. I am also making a list of things I will need to buy for the new place. It's all the simple stuff; dish soap, a broom, a vacuum cleaner, a mop, hand soap, bath soap, etc.

I have already made my change of address request to the post office. My cell phone is now in my name, the newspaper is now in my name and the change of address is on file with them. I will be picking up my DSL kit either tonight or tomorrow so I have that ready to plug in when I move over to the new apartment. The only other thing I need to get my own account for is Netflix, and I will do that as soon as I move.

For a mid-week treat, if I can get a lot of things packed before next Wednesday, I'll go to Six Flags, but if I don't get enough done, I won't go and I will continue to pack. Thankfully my nights will be free after Sunday.

September 8, I am getting those keys to the new place and getting the hell out of Dodge. Hopefully I have enough help to get everything out, but the prospects are looking good right now. I have a moving dolly lined up to use, which will definitely be needed, especially when those crates of books are moved. After I get things into the new place, I will spend the rest of the weekend and Monday unpacking. If I focus on getting unpacked I can have it done quickly.

After that, it's my time to get settled. As of now I am basically on hiatus from dating for at least a month because I really do need to get things settled and consider just what it is that I want to do. I already have plans forming in my head, and right now they're all about me; and you know what? I'm just fine with that. I will be joining the local fitness center because it's cheap for residents to join ($190 for the whole year! It's not on the website) and I know there's a lot I can do to get in shape there. I'm going to go out and do the things I want to do, whenever I want to do them. No it doesn't mean I'm not going to see my friends, I will still keep in touch with them as well.

Beyond this next month, we'll see what happens. For now, it's time to concentrate on work, this weekend, and moving.

It's All A Mental Game

It's amazing how much discipline I can have for myself. It gets easier and easier to think towards the goal of eating better. I'm being realistic about just what it is that I want to do.

I'm not just making a goal that I am losing weight. It's broad and unrealistic, especially if I am going to measure just by how much I weigh. We hear over and over again that your weight will go down then up if you exercise because you drop fat and then start gaining muscle. So my more realistic goal is that I want to drop body fat. Currently I sit at 20%, which isn't terrible, but it's not great either, especially because I have risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. I would like to get it down to 15%, which is about what an athletic man should be at.

I find that I am not craving sugar as much as I used to. That was actually something I used to do when I was younger was cut back on the sugar (sodas especially) and I would drop off some of the weight. Well I'm combining that with eating a lower fat diet, and I find that mentally I'm not trying to reach for the cookies, cake, and other sweet stuff. I still crave sometimes after a meal, but a stick of sugar free Orbit gum takes care of it. Anything to trick the body a bit, and I get fresh breath as well, it's a win-win.

I whipped up a great stir fry last night, I took some cooked chicken and threw it into the wok with green peppers, green onions, bean sprouts, some cilantro, and salsa. It was great, especially wrapped up in a tortilla. For a side dish I had some Mac n Cheese. I'm not totally beating myself up over eating the mac and cheese, simply because I treated it like a side dish and did not eat the whole box like I would in the past. I even had some for lunch today, and there's enough leftover for another meal.

That's the one thing that's going to suck about being in the new apartment, the stove is electric, and my wok is for a gas stove. Maybe I'll have to find someone nearby that I can have dinner with often. I do have a propane gas burner that was supposed to be used with a turkey fryer, but obviously I can't use it inside nor anywhere near my apartment.

Besides the nutrition, I am saving money because I'm not eating out as much as I used to. I have started tracking my expenses by using Wesabe. It's easy to put my bank transactions into the system, and I can tag the transactions to see where they're going. They also let you set goals, so I actually have a goal about spending less than $50 a month on eating out, and a goal to spend less than $20 a month in the cafeteria here at work. So far I'm doing well towards meeting those goals.

There's more to say, but this has gone on long enough so I'll leave it here for the moment.