26.2 - A Beginner's Tale

I've done it. I've registered for a full marathon. Frankly, I have no idea why I let myself be convinced this would be a good idea. I have a ridiculous amount of work ahead of me. And honestly, it makes me quite fearful.

26.2 miles is TWICE as far as I've ever run at one time in my entire life. I remember finishing my half marathons in the past and thinking, "so I'd have to turn around and do this again? Oh, heck no." Now here I am, already paid for the race, and unable to take it back.  **GULP**

The realization of this possible mistake has rattled me so much that I've restarted this blog post four times. For someone who sure seems to have a lot to say on lots of topics, I'm really at a loss when it comes to this. The fact that I've registered for and will be participating in a full marathon in November evokes all sorts of emotions within me - most of which I still haven't completely worked through (as you can see below).

I feel very intimidated. I am doubtful. I am pessimistic about my ability to complete it and therefore am procrastinating when it comes to training.

Yet I am excited. I see my potential. I see this as a mountain to be climbed. I know it will be a life-changing experience both mentally and physically.

I don't understand how so many negative feelings can exist in my mind about this, yet I am still so excited to tackle this challenge. You'd think it would be one or the other. Either way, I better stop typing and lace up my Mizunos.

In the coming weeks and months, I will be documenting my journey and progress as I train for my first full marathon. I hope that you'll read along with me. Any tips and tricks for training are much appreciated!

Painful Reminders

If you often find yourself enduring peaks and valleys when it comes to healthy living and working out (like I do), then you know the feeling. The feeling of those eye-opening, post-work out/run muscle aches and pains that come with restarting a fitness regiment. Oh. My. Goodness.

I won't lie to you guys - I've recently found myself tipping the scales at my new highest weight ever. Not proud of it. Not looking for sad panda faces or your typical "you'll do it this time!" comments. Just stating a fact. And when one sees a number they've never seen before, it usually springs them into action. Hence my return to the gym and the blog-osphere. Time to tighten it up and get my mind focusing on the right things (healthy foods, helpful reading materials, supportive environments, etc)

Well, when one sits on their rear for a month straight, it's a hearty wake-up call when they start working those dormant muscles again. Take this morning for instance. Today I decided that I would 'do legs' - which is a weird way to put it, but you all  know what I mean. I have a weight routine that was provided to me by a dear friend and today it had me scheduled for a handful of leg workouts using some of the machines.

I get to the first machine - taken. I head over to the second - occupied. And since these workouts are supposed to go in a certain order, I found myself aimlessly walking around the gym playing the waiting game. It then finally dawned on me - "hey, I don't need machines to work my legs - let's do some lunges." Well I did not know what I was getting myself into. Apparently I forgot how much I weigh because when I got to the end of 60 lunges - 30 on each leg - my legs were noodles. I mean, it was terrible. As a result, I unfortunately abandoned all my other leg workouts.

But instead, I thought it'd be a splendid idea to hit the treadmill for 30 minutes. Let's just say I'll probably be paying for it tomorrow... It's a long road, but it's gotta start somewhere, I suppose. But hopefully these painful reminders will make me realize the need to continue moving forward rather than sitting on the sideline and allowing a month to go by and watching the progress I'd made fizzle out and disappear.

After enduring this same cycle probably 10 times a year for the last 4 years, you'd think I would have put this all together by now. I see a lot of stories of people who decided to lose 50, 75 or 100 pounds and they just did it, and I find myself saying, "wow, I wish I could do that." Well...why don't I? Why do I assume that's something I can't accomplish? It's that mindset I tell ya...it's crucial.

Just thought I'd toss this lunges graphic in here. Also thought it was interesting that I was wearing the same thing during my lunges this morning!

Come Along With Me

I hope this doesn't come off as being overly vain, but since I started my weight loss journey back in January of 2009, I've wanted to be able to document my progress (actual progress, not treading water) as I lose weight, and show people what I'm accomplishing, how I'm changing, and hopefully inspire some people along the way.

At first I tried doing weigh in updates on YouTube and then those eventually fell off when my progress slowed and eventually reversed. I tried joining challenges and contests on YouTube as well, thinking that it would provide a new kind of motivation and encouragement in an 'online community' sort of environment where like-minded people would push me in the right direction. Those would start off with enthusiasm and effort (and results!), but then also taper off before the contest would finish.

I've also joined weight loss Facebook groups with friends, hoping that our words of support and personal challenges would get me over the hump - but that just turned into a place for people to feel less guilty about admitting they had a terrible weekend (and gained 5 poiunds) and then still just recieved the "aww, you'll get 'em next time" type of response. Not helpful. And now finally, I've been using this blog as a means of sharing this part of my life with you.

To date, my progress during the life of this blog has been up and down at best. I'd sign up for races and then slack during my training, only to downgrade the race distance the week prior. I'd let you all know about how I'm embarking on this huge, 365-day transformation journey only to fizzle out in less than a week and hope you forgot about the original post.

So I don't blame any of you if you've stopped reading or paying attention to my sorry attempt at weight loss.

But this time it feels different.

Rather than trying to put myself on a diet that doesn't allow me to eat certain things (Atkins, South Beach, etc), I've begun making smart, lifestyle choices in my nutrition that I find to be much more sustainable and less restrictive and suffocating. Most of the time I try a diet, I find that the fact that I cannot eat certain things, makes me crave them even more. And as the pressure builds up, it's only a matter of time before I erupt and binge on things like fast food, soda, chips, etc. But now I realize the need for moderation and if I have chips, I just grab a handful, or I make a smart choice at the fast food restaurant (something I haven't had to face YET), or I just drink water instead of hitting up the break room fridge for Pepsi!

And making these smart, small choices every day gives me confidence in its potential sustainability. It also gives me a sense of pride that I can in fact do this without breaking, and momentum to keep moving in the right direction. And as you can see by my "Progress" stats below my picture on the right, so far so good!
The key will be to see how things continue once I'm two, three, six weeks down the road. It's been quite a while since I've been able to sustain constant weight loss for more than two weeks, so the moment of truth is still ahead of me. And if the day comes where I do end up binging on something, I need to have the control to realize it's only one day and get back on track right away. Unfortunately, I'm used to letting one bad day turn into a week of bad choices...

But I hope that your waning faith in me can be restored in the near future as you read about my progress - and hopefully see it physically as well (I'll be adding a stats page to this blog soon)!

September Goals

Well here we are, with yet ANOTHER month behind us in 2012, and ANOTHER month closer to the end of the world as we know it (if you're Mayan). That means we're also at that time where I lay out my goals for this coming month.

I know, I know... I still have yet to reach many of my past, monthly goals. Believe me, I'm more disappointed about it than you are! At the end of each 30 days, it really is kind of depressing to see the lack of progress in my weight loss journey. But the past is the past, and I can only focus on today! So here we go!

1. This may sound crazy to some of you, but I really want to be able to do away with soda this month. Some days it is a really big struggle to stay away from the carbonation when it's free for the taking (and unlimited) here at work, so I really want to buckle down and eliminate that. Going to be tough!

2. I also am going to start incorporating weight lifting into my workout routine this month. Once my race is finished on Sunday, I'm planning on focusing more on full-body fitness rather than just being able to log enough miles for a race.

3. I'm also going to work out 5 or 6 days per week (Mon-Sat). Even if I have weird work hours due to international shows, there's still no reason I can't find time to sweat a bit.

4. I also want to improve my stature as a blogger (see previous post). Instead of simply reporting on my progress, I want to improve my knowledge in the realm of health and fitness and therefore will be reading articles and such, and will be giving my response/thoughts on facts or articles I read. Let's get some knowledge, people!

5. Oh yeah, and let's lose 15 pounds this month, shall we? (would take me down to 260)

I also made a YouTube video today talking about these as well, enjoy!

Improving My Blogging - and Yours!

Since I've been kind of M.I.A. on the blogging front lines lately, I've decided to do some research on how to up my online game. Of course there's the obvious things like, I don't know... ACTUALLY BLOG, but I found out some other interesting things as well. Naturally, I first had to do the obligatory Google search for "How to be a good blogger."

Ah, good laugh. It's reassuring to know that if I ever want to drop my prime gig as a blogger that I could easily find out how to be a good bartender. Definitely would make more money! I also think babysitting is in my near future, but that will be a mandatory vocation - since the kid will be my own! (And no, mother, this is not me announcing that we have a baby on the way!)

Anyway, one of the things that I read was that your blog should be aesthetically pleasing. This made me wonder if I should try a different layout/design of the blog. Thoughts? I like this layout because it allows me to have all these nifty things on the right side here, but I definitely like the layout of some of the more dynamic layouts. I can't decide...

Another key to good blogging is writing about a topic that you know, and that your readers will enjoy or find useful. I think this is where I need to improve. I've been doing a lot of running over these last few years, and I can tell you how I did or how I felt, but when it comes to giving tips and recommendations, I really don't think I could confidently give you credible words.

In that same vein, I also feel that once I am more successful with my weight loss and can actually post some respectable times in my races (and my YouTube viewers start reading), that people may see me as more of a credible source as well, rather than a guy who can make you laugh here and there. The goal is both!

So while I take an introverted look at my own blogging highs and lows, feel free to do the same with yours too! But I must say, the blogs I've been reading lately seem to be doing pretty well for themselves! For now, I just hope you stick with me on this journey - things will get much better soon!

365-Day Update - Day 8

Well it's been a little over a week since I started my 365-Day Transformation efforts, and there's been some progress to speak of!

Unfortunately I didn't get to the gym as much as I'd have liked to (or needed to with the half marathon coming up soon!), and I also ate more of the cruddy snacks at work than I wanted to. But when I stepped on the scale this morning, I had a pleasant surprise!

Day 1 Weight: 275.6
Day 8 Weight: 272.4*
(I'll take scale pics from now on)

Weight Lost (so far!): 3.2 pounds

In the Starting Blocks

On the heels of the Men's 100m Finals - all hail Usain! - I think the title of today's post is quite applicable.  By the way, can we all just stop a second and admit that he is ridiculous? Any time I watch his run my jaw just drops - so impressive.

Anyway, if you read my post from yesterday, you know that I am now 28 years of age and am embarking on a year-long journey (a la Chris Powell) to get to my sub-200 pound goal. So before I get started, I want to establish where I'm starting. I'm adjusting my feet in the blocks and getting ready to tear up the track. (But of course this isn't being treated as a sprint!)

This morning I took stock of where I find myself after a week of vacation and a week + of slacking on my half marathon training schedule. And it was worse than I thought.

If any of you follow me on YouTube, you'll know that I also just joined a couple of challenges - so to speak - that require me to make regular update/progress videos. In my initial videos for #CHANGE and "Hot 4 Halloween" I made a guess before vacation that I weighed around 270 despite having not seen a scale for a week prior to that. Well...I must have been wrong. Here are my starting numbers as of today:

Starting Weight: 275.6

Measurements (in inches):

I took some 'before' pictures that I will show you at the end of each three-month "Phase" (again with the Chris Powell comparison). I will also be giving short, weekly reports each Monday letting you know how my last seven days went - mostly statistical with a little analysis. I'll also have a running, weekly, weigh in tally in the upper-right portion of the blog.

I also want to note that I don't want to stray too far from the running focus of this blog, but that shouldn't be a problem since I'll be continuing my half marathon training this next month and using it as a huge part of my weight loss. My ultimate goal after all of this is done is to become a hardcore runner (like some of you!) and maybe even dabble in some du- or triathlons. Hmm? Hmm?

But let's take this one day at a time, k? I'll have my first progress post for ya on Monday.

A 365-Day Transformation?

On days such as this (my birthday), I find it hard not to evaluate the year that was, and the potential of the year to come. Unfortunately - and only due to a result of my own efforts - I haven't seen much progress in the health & fitness arena since I turned 27 last year. But I'll get back to this in a second...

The rest of my life, however, has changed quite a bit! Back in September of last year I married my wife and best friend, and in March I started my first, official full-time job in downtown Chicago (after a few years of freelance/part-time gigs). Even scored a new car last month! Just about every other aspect of my life has improved since my last birthday. So why not this last part?

Now don't get me wrong - this isn't me lamenting about how bad my life is AT ALL. I am so happy for all the blessings I have received between 8/6/2011 and 8/6/2012 and I wouldn't go back and do a single thing differently. As far as weight loss goes, the past is the past - and now it's time to only look at today and set goals for this next year of my life.

My primary verse for the next 365 days

I'm a big fan of Chris Powell and his show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition on Sunday nights. Instead of a 'ranch' format of group training a la Biggest Loser, he takes on a client one-on-one for an entire year to completely transform them. Now I'm not looking to lose half of my body weight (thankfully I haven't let myself go THAT much), but I am going to aim for my goal weight by my birthday next year - so I have 365 days to do so.

So beginning tomorrow, I will weigh myself, take pictures and measurements and establish my official "starting (over)" position. More details will come in tomorrow's post pertaining to my plan on how I will approach the next 365 days.

Let me know what things have worked for you that you think I should include in my plan!

And So It Begins...

Well now that we've given away another half marathon registration, it's time for me to turn my focus elsewhere - training! Yes, I will also be running the Chicago Half Marathon (as I've mentioned), and my training schedule kicked off this week!

Now I won't lie - I'm a little more excited about this September 9th race moreso than the June 9th one I registered for (I ended up downgrading to the 5k due to imminent heat and lack of training). Don't get me wrong, the Allstate 13.1 Marathon Series was a fantastic event, I just wasn't as excited to run the actual race due to my lack of training -  the reason I'm more excited is because I have PLENTY of time to train for this race as opposed to the shorter timeframe I got before the June race.

This time around I'm trying a different kind of training schedule. In the past, I've used a schedule more or less derived from the Hal Higdon model. But this time I thought I'd try my hand (or feet?) at the Runner's World half marathon training schedule. I'm looking forward to it because it doesn't just give me a straight-up number of miles to run every day, but it incorporates interval running and different stamina exercises.

I've adjusted it slightly so that my longer days are on Saturdays, and I'm already looking ahead to the summer to make sure that I get my miles in despite some vacations and busy weekends. I'm 100% in on this program and I look forward to getting my miles logged, losing weight to get the pressure off of my worn out knees and PRing this race in September. Not to mention that it's been awhile since I've gotten to run a nice, long race in downtown Chicago!

What sort of half marathon training regimens have you used in the past, or are currently using? There are TONS of different things out there, and I'd love to hear about them!

July Goals!

Well, now that you've seen how I did on my June goals, I think it's time to step it up for the month of July. Some say I may have set my bar a little too high out of the gate, but I still think I underperformed and can do much better in July.

I think I'm really going to like this infrastructure I am setting up for myself - weekly (give or take a day) video updates/weigh ins coupled with monthly goals and report cards. I'd start looking forward to yearly events, but let's hope that I'm not fighting this battle for another three years and am just blogging about all the races I'm doing and PR's I'm setting! :)

But without further stalling ado, let's ring in the new month of July with another set of attainable goals (both fitness-related and otherwise)!

- Weigh 250 (or less) by my b-day (August 6!)*
- Drink at least 100oz of water per day
- Read one Runner's World & one Men's Health
- Start saving $$ for a new car
- Complete every day of my 1/2 marathon training schedule
- Join the "Plank a Day" movement
- Bigger social media reach

* NOTE: I will be gone on vacation from July 28-August 5, so I won't be able to weigh in until Monday, August 6th - my birthday!

For vacation, my wife and I will be heading up to Silver Birch Ranch in Northern Wisconsin. A place like this has rock climbing, kayaking, swimming, horseback riding and acres of land for hiking and exploring. I really want to get some of this weight off so I can enjoy some/all of these activities!

Anyway, let me know your thoughts on my second round of goals! What are some of your summer goals?

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.

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!

Wacky Wednesday Post (on Friday)

NOTE: I began writing this post on Wednesday and didn't finish it until today (Friday). So get off me about it, alright? :) Now on to your regularly-schedule programming...

Don't be alarmed - there will be a minimal amount of wackiness in this post. I just wanted to use my alliterative (?) genius in my post title. And I'm pretty sure I achieved my goal. However, I promise you that no whack will emerge because I am deciding that before I really get into my post.

Now some of you may be thinking (if you're still reading), "So what if there's a little wacky in this post? It's hump day!" Ah, but you're missing the point. The point isn't that this is a wack-less post. The place of emphasis is that I determined that fact ahead of time.

I see some of you still haven't gotten it. It'll come around soon. Promise.

I've found that a giant part of weight loss is having a plan. It's about anticipating a curve in the road, and effectively preparing your vehicle for what may lie ahead. It's about deciding things ahead of time. (Ding! Light bulb!)

Staying with the analogy, sometimes despite all planning you get a flat tire on your journey. Here's where determination and keeping your eye on the final goal is crucial. At this time you have to make a decision - fix your flat tire and keep on moving forward only slightly hindering your momentum and progress OR slash another tire...or two...or three on your own by feeling defeated, sad or angry about your one flat tire. I am very much guilty of doing the latter...it's part of my cycle actually.

So I suppose it all comes down to mindset. When that first tire gives way - be it in the form of sleeping in vs. a morning run, a burger vs a turkey sandwich, or a donut for breakfast vs a granola bar - it's very important not to give in to the setback and create further setbacks (as I've been doing this week). The key is taking a step back and reminding yourself why you're on this road in the first place and remind you of how gorgeous your final destination is going to look once you get there.

So why not fix that one, flat tire and get back up to speed? Maybe I should take some of my own advice sometimes...

IT HAS ARRIVED!

I almost became giddy yesterday when a coworker dropped a UPS package off at my desk that I've been anticipating since my dealer friend sent it on its way.

I'm enthralled with anything that collects and spits out numerical data - especially if it has to deal with weight loss! For a while, I entertained the possibility of buying a FitBit - I have friends who currently use it and cannot say enough about how it motivates them to be more active and how it's helped them drop weight. However, I couldn't find a used one or one that wasn't being sold for full price, so I looked elsewhere.

I then heard about something called the Nike+ FuelBand. I'd seen commercials on TV for it and checked out the website and thought that looked pretty cool too. And you know what? Turns out a friend was looking to sell his - bingo!

Well as I said, that package came yesterday. I then got it charged last night and strapped it on first thing this morning before hitting the gym. To be honest, I still don't ACTUALLY know what NikeFuel is at this point... I just know it's different than calories. I guess it's some sort of 'measurement of activity?' Either way, the mobile and desktop applications let you set a daily goal for yourself and you can monitor your progress right on the band (see picture). Today my goal is 3,000 units of NikeFuel. As I type this I'm at  2,412.

Turns out that having a primarily desk-oriented job doesn't bode well for movement and activity. So therefore I'm either going to have to get out and take a walk during my lunch break on days that aren't too busy or a nighttime walk with my wife - or both! I'll definitely be keeping you posted.

What kinds of weight loss tools/toys like this do YOU utilize?

Back from a Business Trip

Don't worry, I haven't left you. Sure, it may be customary of online/YouTube weight loss participants to suddenly go all Ghost Protocol when they've had a bad week, but I'm a seasoned veteran - I've had many of those weeks and therefore no longer fear the backlash.
Last week I found myself in Richmond, Virginia on a business trip Tuesday thru Thursday. Now thankfully, the metropolis of Richmond isn't known for any, particular, mouth-watering, belt-busting foods. Rather, it's known more for its history, which isn't really up my alley, but was directly up my coworker's alley. Therefore, we needed to 'see the sights.'

Visiting the Virginia State Capitol

Thankfully, that entailed lots of walking around the city. Even more walking was added as a result of his shoddy navigation skills (and the pathetic, illustrated map of downtown Richmond). Like I've mentioned, I do have a Nike+ FuelBand on the way (tomorrow?) and I really wish I would have had it for the trip. LOTS of walking.

But unfortunately, the company's $50/day per diem just "HAD" to be used! We didn't have breakfast any of the 3 days due to early call times for the conference we were videotaping. One day I grabbed a bagel w/ cream cheese & a piece of coffee cake from the in-hotel Starbucks around 10:00am though. Lunch was usually a $15 burger or sandwich of some kind with the hearty dinner to round off the day - chicken sandwich one night and ribs the next. I definitely could have been more careful...
The scale 'only' showed me a three pound gain this morning, and I think I have the downtown walking to thank for that. This week my goal is to get to the gym before 5:30am so I can knock out a good hour and a half of training miles. Hopefully I also have a normal work schedule this week so I don't have to move that workout time around much. I like a routine and structure. Start shaking that up and all goes wrong.

Watching the over 2,000 runners take off!



Men's winner flies by me on his way to the finish line!

Also was able to watch the First Midwest Bank Southwest Half Marathon in Palos Height, IL on Sunday. It's a race I've run twice ('09 & '11), but this year I was there to watch my sister run it for a second time. Before the race she said she hadn't trained as she'd wanted to, and her fiancee agreed. However, she managed to knock it out in 2:27:21 and I'm real proud of her! I'm sure we'll be running another one together some day - I just need to get faster so I can keep up! (Her half marathon PR is around 2:12 while mine is at 2:20:20)

Favorite Fitness Apps?

Well I think my day may finally come! I think I finally may be able to consider myself part of the "in crowd." That's right - I'm talking about being able to call myself an iPhone user!

Now sure, some of you who know me also may know that I OWN an iPhone3, but sadly I only really use it as an iPod. The wifi part of the phone is shot, the apps work when they feel like it, but it still serves up some mean tunes (and podcasts). But to date, I've never had an iPhone which I use for its intended purpose.

However, the tides seem to be turning and even though AT&T is trying their darndest to keep us from acquiring these spectacular phones, it seems that we may be able to find people who are looking to sell their current phones. And also, if you're reading this and are looking to sell your iPhone 4 or 4S, let me know! We may still be looking!!

Anyway, the reason that I'm letting you know about possible, future, technological acquisitions is because said item has VAST possibilities and many mobile applications that are available to possibly assist in my weight loss and fitness goals.

So at this point I ask a question - what sorts of iPhone apps do YOU use that have helped you find success or motivation in your running, weight loss and/or health goals? As of now, I also plan on purchasing a Nike+ Fuel Band which requires an app and tracks daily activity and calories (plus more), and while I have an idea for a few other health-related apps to get, I want to know what's worked for you.

So the bottom line is this - I love seeing numbers, graphs and statistics and some of these apps will givev me just that. I like seeing a visual chart of my progress and I think some of these apps will fill that need. Can't wait to see what you suggest! And once I get the phone I'll let you know which ones I decided on!

Battling Myself

I'm my own, worst enemy when it comes to losing weight and getting into good decent shape.

I'm really starting to think that I have two brains battling it out inside my skull for complete domination of the rest of the body. And these brains have two, VERY different goals in mind. For the sake of becoming familiar with the two of them, let's call them Ivan and Deion - trust me, this will make sense in a moment.

Ivan has one goal in mind - Instant Gratification. He wants what he wants, when he wants it. Fast food? NOW! Sleeping in? NOW! A liter of Mountain Dew? NOW! He has no concept of future ramifications and just wants to taste that burger or sleep that extra hour. He's convinced that things can be put off until tomorrow if it means having more fun today. He often tells me, "You can lose the weight in no time! So why not have a huge place of fettucini alfredo tonight? You can just take that off in a couple of days anyway!"

Deion, on the other hand, is quite different. He's all about Delayed Gratification. He's the one that gets me to choose water over soda, chicken over beef and treadmill over my soft, soft pillow. He knows the work that needs to go into losing weight and is willing to take the necessary steps - and use the correct amount of self-control - to get to the end goal of losing 80 pounds. He's the one who helps me lose 5-8 pounds in a week when all is done to perfection. Thankfully it seems he's here today at least!

My problem is that I give them equal attention. And equal attention = treading water.

Maybe it's more of a Jeckyll and Hyde situation where I don't necessarily have two brains, but just two different sides to my weight loss efforts. At night I'll go to sleep planning out my tomorrow with fantastic intentions in mind, only to wake up and not want to do any of what I'd plan a mere 7 hours ago. It's a cruel, cruel cycle I find myself in sometimes.

In your weight loss efforts, how have you put the pedal to the metal and knocked off the pounds? How did you react to minor setbacks and mindset issues?