Update + Camping Trip

So if you've "Liked" my Facebook page, you've already seen that I posted a picture today showing yesterday's read-outs from my Nike+ Fuel Band, my LiveStrong calorie counter, and my WeightBot app as well. This is something I want to do on a daily basis to keep myself accountable and also to show people my progress. I'll probably only be posting these pictures on my Facebook page (so all my Facebook friends don't get uber annoyed after a week and a half).

I've decided to do this because I have a tendency to avoid calorie counting on days that I mess up. I don't want to put numbers to the amounts of snacks I'm eating and the ounces of soda I'm downing. This way, I feel that I'll be forced not only to count my calories everyday, but to keep me more disciplined (since I have to report!). If you missed it, here's the picture:

I have a daily goal of 3,000 "Fuel Points" set for myself. Fuel points are more or less just a measurement of movement that Nike made up. (The band also counts calories and steps.) For me to hit my 3,000 goal, it usually needs a 30-60 minute jaunt on the treadmill in the morning, a couple pointed walks around the office and maybe a little extra walk or something at night. With a desk job, I feel this is a good number.

As for calories, I currently have my goal set at 1,800 calories per day. If that's averaged out over my three meals and snacks, it comes out to be about 450 calories each - not too shabby. Add in some burnt calories from exercise, and I'm in good shape! Definitely a number I can stick with.

Also, I get the privilege of going CAMPING this coming weekend! It's going to be fantastic to get away from the city and work for a while and just enjoy the great outdoors with my wife and some of our friends. Unfortuantely, the temperatures for the Indianapolis area are forecasted to be between 95-100 everyday...guess we'll be swimming a lot!

I'm really looking forward to being outside and utilizing the opportunity to be active and burn some major calories. A great majority of my workouts have been in the gym (except for a few outdoor runs), so it'll be nice to take advantage of it. I'm bringing a football along, we'll be swimming, and hopefully some hiking as well! Once I get back I'll make sure to share some pictures and stories! And the amount of weight I lost in the process!

P.S. Stay tuned for another HUGE giveaway today or tomorrow!

Weekly Update #2

If you haven't heard, I'm doing weekly progress updates on my YouTube channel. Now I've tried doing this type of thing before, but I would just cowardly fade away once I started doing poorly. Let's not let that happen this time around, shall we?

Anyway, I'm just about done with quite the whirlwind of a week, and unfortunately it took a toll on my activity levels and discipline along the way. Had a wrench thrown in my routine - had to take a personal day off of work due to a death in the family, was asked to work from home twice this week, and even worked from a different office for a day. All these things threw curveballs at me and I wasn't ready.

When I can settle into a routine and know ahead of time what I have coming up, it gives me a better chance to plan out my meals and gym times. When things get kind of hectic and are thrown off-kilter, it gives me less time and warning to plan things out. With less time to plan, I'm more susceptible to giving in to spontaneous temptations (snacking, sleeping in) and therefore sabotaging my goals.

But the B-Side of that is that when I DO give in to the temptations of immediate gratification, I continue to give in the next time, and the time after that - each instance where I display a lack of discipline makes it easier to give in the following time. That's where the change needs to happen.

I mean, let's face it - no one rarely anyone can keep on point 100% of the time. We all mess up at one time or another! It's how we respond to that lapse in discipline that defines our journey and self-control. For me, it's been a week of good, followed by a bad Saturday, followed by a bad week, which turns into two weeks... You get the point.

That is the piece of the puzzle that I need to figure out for when these lapses come. Once I learn to stop the bleeding once the cut occurs, I'll be in great shape when the next temptation comes around.

90 Degrees Ain't Got Nothin' On Me

So if you leave in, near, or around Chicago, you'd have to be an Eskimo living in some wonder-of-technology igloo to not know that it's mighty warm this week. I'm talking it's so hot, that you have no choice but to learn how to drive with two fingers because your car steering wheel is so hot. It's brutal.

Yeah, that's the kind of day that I decided to do some track runs at the local high school - out of doors. I got this grand idea on my drive home from work, for some reason, and fueled it by looking up some different types of workouts one can do on a track. Here's the one I decided to 'go' with:

1) Walk one, warm-up lap
2) Jog three laps very easy
3) Walk one lap
4) Run two laps at a fast pace
5) Walk one lap
* Repeat entire thing twice
6) Walk the curves and sprint the straights
*Repeat for two laps

So this routine looked mighty good on paper when I was sitting in the comfort of my home, but once my feet hit the track and sun beat down on me, things kind of changed. Here's what I ended up doing instead...

1) Walk one, warm-up lap
2) Run 3 laps at a pace faster than I'm used to (since I can't run a steady pace outdoors)
3) Suck down some water
4) Walk one lap
5) Run 2 laps at the same pace as #2, maybe slower
6) Walk one lap
7) Down more water
8) Run one lap
9) Walk one lap
10) Walk straights and "sprint" curves (for 3 laps)
11) Run one lap at 7.5 mph
12) Drink more water
13) Stumble to car and drive home
14) Take freezing cold shower

Ok, so maybe things didn't work out as I had planned, but I was glad to do something different for a change. Running on the treadmill day in and day out gets a little monotonous after a while, and apparently running in the comforts of a building with AC was getting old too.

This was also the first time I synced my Nike+ GPS app to Facebook and had friends 'cheer' me on as I ran. It was kind of cool that whenever someone commented on my post online, it played applause and cheering into my headphones - so thanks to those who did so!

Also, I made a stop at the local Jewel and scored some protein powdah (Boston accent). Looking forward to seeing what benefits I can reap from using that!

I know some of you have been braving the heat to get some runs here and there - more power to you! I now know what that all entails - whew!

Win Free Mizuno Shoes...Maybe

So Mizuno contacted me and sent me a link about this new project they're doing. Instead of spending millions in advertisement dollars, they're going to be giving away thousands of pairs of Mizuno running shoes to runners from now until the end of the year in hopes of giving runners a "mezamashii" feeling while running (Japanese for 'eye-opening, brilliant').

They're also wanting bloggers and social media enthusiasts (like me) to get the initial word out about the project.

My current running shoes - Mizuno Wave Inspire 6

Since the only pairs of running shoes I've ever owned have been Mizunos (no, seriously), I applied for a free pair in hopes of being a part of the project. And you can too!

If you're interested in possibly scoring a free pair of shoes (I mean really, who wouldn't?), here is the link to follow: www.mezamashiirunproject.com Also, those who receive invites into the secret club and get some free shoes also get to send out invites to others!


So really what I'm trying to say is, "If you've already received an invite, PICK ME, PICK ME!"

15 Down, 65 to Go!

Let's say you're on a cross-country road trip. It's a long drive, right? So naturally you find little things along the way to make the trip feel shorter. For me, I would celebrate whenever I crossed a state line. A few summers ago I took a three-month road trip for my alma mater and covered 18 states and one Canadian province. And along the way we took pictures of each, new state sign we encountered. It broke up the trip, made it more fun and made it MUCH more manageable.

And there's something to be said about this for weight loss as well. When you're staring down the barrell of a huge number of pounds that you want to lose, it's quite easy to feel intimidated, hesitant and scared. But when you set checkpoints along the way where you can celebrate, it makes the journey (as I said in the last paragraph) more manageable.

Which is why I'm writing this post! I hit the 15 pounds lost mark this morning, and it makes me feel really, really good. Sure, I've been lighter than this before during my weight loss efforts, but it's very affirming to see that my hard work is paying off once again. Now I just can't wait to see 20! Hopefully I'll have a good update for you on that number again next week.

Every five pounds lost is definitely something to celebrate, and I hope you're able to do that as well if you're on a weight loss journey. Heck, every pound is a success! What are some of your checkpoints and 'state signs' along your way? How do you celebrate these smaller accomplishments on your way to your final goal? Or if you've already reached your goal, what tools and rewards did you use to keep yourself motivated and moving in the right direction?

Setting Up My Summer Plan

Well now that my 'big race weekend' is behind me, it's time to focus on what REALLY needs the appropriate attention - losing the weight.

I've actually set sort of an 'unofficial goal' of September 1st as the date that I'd like to really make strides in my weight loss efforts. I don't want to assign a specific goal weight to this date, but since that is me and my wife's anniversary weekend, I'd love to be able to look back on our first year of marriage and see the healthy changes that I was able to make - for the better. And I want to be able to share a 'before and after' comparison with you using my wedding photo!
So what kind of plan am I going to put into place to make 'skinny Jordan' a possibility? That's a good question...

I think I've gotten to the point where I've almost read TOO much material on workout plans. Like dieting, it seems like everyone has their own method that's worked for them, and swears that it'll 'work for everyone!' So understandably, I'm kind of confused as to what might work best for me.

My goals are to not only lose six dozen pounds, but also to slim down my wasitline, flatten my gut, deflate my thighs and get some solid arms and shoulders. I also want to vastly improve as a runner!

But first things first. One day at a time. Sure, I have lots of goals, but they're all going to take time to accomplish. Another goal is to make weekly videos updating you on my progress. I'll videotape my weigh in, talk about my week's accomplishments and failures and give you an insight into my mind and how I'm handling the hard work that lies ahead of me. I'll also take measurements every few videos and post them here as well.

So I would love it if you checked back here on a weekly basis to see the progress that will be happening on this site. I'm excited to share my journey with you and show you what I'm capable of. And if you have any workout program tips, please let me know!

Karhu 5k - June 9, 2012

Well race day was Saturday, and as some of you may know, I decided to downgrade to the Karhu 5k, which was the partner race of the Allstate 13.1 Marathon. While I use the heat warnings as my first reason for switching, the reality is that I simply wasn't prepared to run a half marathon - heck, I even struggled at the 5k. And while I may say that I was given short notice that I would be able to register for the half, the truth is that I didn't put in as much time/miles as I could have.

But I'm also using this weekend as a learning experience.

When a challenge is thrown your way, sometimes you can't afford to doubt, second-guess or delay. Sometimes you need to get your helmet on, lower your shoulder and plow forward towards whatever challenge awaits you. When I registered for the half marathon, I knew it was less time than the 12-week training plan I have, and I knew I'd have to bust my rump to get my miles in.

So I think I caved under the knowledge that I'd have to work hard, which isn't a good thing. I seem to have treated my training as a lost cause - even before I began. Reality is that I definitely could have gotten in shape to run 13.1. Maybe not well enough to run a good time, but to at least finish.

So what's the answer to this problem? I think I'm just going to 'simply' work my tail off to get this weight off, get my running legs in good shape and be ready for whatever challenge is thrown at me next.


Mark (30:05), Jacob (30:13) and I (33:21) before the Karhu 5k

But enough of my rambling introspection, I'm sure you're wondering how the 5k went, right? Well, I didn't set any records by any means, but I finished in 33:21. And all in all, I had a great time with Mark and Jacob - the two guys I was able to give the free registrations to (Mark: half marathon but also switched to 5k; Jacob: 5k). The race course was so-so (we literally flipped a U-Turn on the sidewalk/running trail), but the after-race party was fun! The cover band was entertaining, the free Michelob Ultra was tasty and the Lou Malnati's pizza was a great breakfast!

Once I edit it together, I'll post my video from the day as well.

On the negative side, I was quite bummed that I missed the blogger meet-up by only a few minutes! I was hoping I'd be able to add a picture of all of us in this post as well, but alas... it didn't happen. I also wasn't able to catch any of you on the course in the half hour I stood around and watched more runners come in. Seems like you all had a great time, though! (Also, it turns out that Sara finished about 30 seconds ahead of my wife's uncle!)

My congratulations go out to everyone who finished the half marathon or 5k on Saturday! And I hope to meet up with some of you sooner than later!

Time to Get A Raise!

I was reading this article on Yahoo! and I knew I just had to say something about it, especially due to recent observations at an on-site gig I had for work. I won't go into everything in the article because I think it's an interesting piece to read for yourself, but I'll touch on a couple things.

First off, I went to a Chicago company this week to do an on-site video gig for work. (I obviously am not going to give details since what we do is 100% top secret and confidential...not really.) The is my second time we've visited this company, and the first time I was there a co-worker and I both commented on how fit and attractive 90% of the employees are.

We wondered: "Are there health/fitness incentives at this business?" "Do they only hire beautiful people?" "All they do is sit on the phone all day, why does it matter how attractive the employees are?"

We were baffled at what we saw. But after reading this article, maybe this company knew a thing or two about who to hire and why.

Fit, attractive people tend to be more confident than overweight, self-conscious people. FACT. Being healthy boosts mental function. FACT. In shape people are usually in a better mood. FACT

So why wouldn't a company want to hire people like this? It makes perfect sense! And it makes sense that if someone were to go from "flab to fab" while employed at a company, that their productivity and attitude would increase, thus possibly earning them a raise.

Not that I'm complaining concerned about how much I'm currently making (especially since my amazing wife just landed a great job of her own - so proud of her!), but if getting to the gym and losing some weight magically makes the numbers on my paycheck higher, than I think it's worth trying!

What do you think? Do you think that this supposed link between fitness and salary is legit? Or even better, have you been a beneficiary of this study as a result of your fitness?

My (Slightly Belated) June Goals

One of my reoccuring downfalls on my weight loss journey has been setting all my final, big picture goals up front and then rarely setting smaller, more bite-sized goals along the way. As a result, every time I stumbled on my diet or gain a few pounds here or there, I saw my progress through the lens of the larger goal and found myself getting discouraged because I had "such a long way to go", and would forget that one, bad day doesn't ruin everything and that I just needed to forget yesterday's failure and focus on winning today. I've never been good at that...

So in an attempt to combat this cycle from rearing its ugly head anymore, I'm going to take some time at the beginning of each month to set some goals for myself for the upcoming 30 days. I think I'll give a few, different kinds of goals: weight, nutrition, activity and maybe something unrelated to weight loss.

Before I get into my June goals, let me backtrack a little and talk about May. My efforts - on a scale of 1 to 10 - probably registered only about a 4.5 last month. I had a couple weeks where I ate well and got to the gym 4-6 times a week, but the other half of the month I avoided the gym, at donuts for breakfast and enjoyed way too much soda. However, I still managed to lose 8-10 pounds last month despite my efforts not to, haha.

For June, I've found a new source of motivation to help me through the summer. Some of the women at work started a Biggest Loser type of contest and asked me to join! The prize is yet to be determined, but I'm still really excited about it. I'll get more into that at a later date. On to the goals!

By July 1st, here are some things I want to say I've accomplished:

- Lose 15-20 pounds so I can get myself back into the 250s
- Avoid all non-diet soda
- Be able to run 5 miles without stopping
- Gain 50 combined Twitter followers/YouTube subscribers/Facebook page 'Likes'
- Blog at least once a week
- Read one Runner's World and one Men's Health

I like the list I've put together here! They encompass a lot of the different areas I want to work on and allow me to make smaller steps forward in all of them! I'll lose weight, develop healthier habits by dropping soda, work towards my goal of 'being a runner,' improve my online presence and gain knowledge my reading! Man, I love these!

So there ya go! Let me know your thoughts on my goals, and I want to know what YOU want to accomplish in June! I'm real pumped about this, can't you tell? :)

5k Giveaway - For You!

UPDATE: Congrats to Jacob Smith (no relation to Will) on claiming the free 5k registration for Saturday! Hope to see you there!

So I'm not kidding when I say that this needs to be taken care of A.S.A.P! If the title drew you to my post, then you're obviously interested in running a FREE 5k - so read on!

On this Saturday, June 9th, not only will the 13.1 Marathon Series kick off in Chicago at 7:00am, but the Karhu 5k will follow soon after at 7:40am! And I have one, free registration coupon for anyone who is up for the challenge!

So if you're interested in grabbing up this free and fun race, I will give the registration away to the FIRST PERSON who sends me an email at jordan.huenink@gmail.com - so hurry! Once I receive your email, I will promptly send you the registration site and coupon code so you can sign up. Keep in mind - you must register before Wednesday! So do it right away! Here's a short clip from last year's Karhu 5k in Chicago. I'm not sure how this guy (I'm assuming it's a guy) could run a race in that costume. It's gotta be muggy in there!

Also, not only is the half marathon and 5k occurring this weekend, but Allstate's partnering with the non-profit organization Give Your Sole to give runners a chance to touch others' lives by donating moderately-used running shoes. The shoes will then be passed on to Breakthrough, an organization that provides shelter, meals and other services to homeless men, women and families throughout the city.

If you're interested in donating some shoes, you may drop off your old 'kicks' at Fleet Feet Chicago when you pick up your race-day packet, or at the Finish Line Festival following the half marathon. Also, if you're a Chicago Bears fan (which I am not - Go Pack!), rookie Shea McClellin will be at the Finish Line Festival encouraging donations from runners and spectators.

All in all, Saturday is gearing up to be a great day! Although, I do see that the forecast does call for upwards of 90 degree heat... As a not-in-good-enough-shape guy who has to trudge 13.1 miles, this forecast is quite scary and daunting. But as always, that temperature number could change before then!

Can't wait to see who I can give the free 5k registration to!