Lunchtime Walking

So yesterday I decided that I better take advantage of the remaining warm weather and head outside to take a lunchtime stroll on the bike patch behind City Hall. It was about 65 degrees and sunny, so I grabbed my iPhone, cranked up some Dave Matthews Band (since I didn't have my headphones, I just let it play) and grabbed my phone to use as a stopwatch.

However, I didn't find a stopwatch function on my phone. Instead I found this program/application called "Eco Walk" which counted the number of steps I took as well as the amount of CO2 emissions I saved by walking instead of driving. Pretty cool! It also keeps a history of your walks so you can try to beat your previous "high score" each time you go for a walk! Here's just a little video from my walk yesterday:

Today I plan to get out and do some more walking for sure! Not only do I get to leave my desk/computer and stretch my legs, but I also get to enjoy the fresh, autumn air and hear the sounds of nature. Unfortunately, there's a hospital construction project going on nearby, so that sometimes drowns out the birds... What are some little ways that you burn calories throughout the day?

No-Nonsense November!

I've been pretty good lately about getting up early during the week to head over to the gym. Notice I said that I'm good at the 'getting up' part...not necessarily the 'going to the gym' part. I don't know why, but it takes me at least a half hour to muster up the energy and willpower to get my butt down the stairs, into my car, and to the gym - if I make it at all!

I blame the internet. Don't point fingers at my lack of self-discipline or my laziness - I blame the interwebs! Ok, so maybe I'm a tad slow in the morning, but who isn't?!? I always like to have a nice time waking up before bolting off to the day's first appointment. I want to be awake so I don't trip over my feet and eat the treadmill belt. Not the breakfast of champions...

6:00am is early for a gym visit, but I gotta make it happen!

But in all honesty, it's going to come down to me being able to say 'No!' to Facebook and YouTube at 6:00am and "Yes!" to lacing up my running shoes and making my way to the gym. My fantasy football rosters can wait a couple of hours; those pictures on Facebook will still be there when I get home; and my body could sure use the extra 25 minutes of calorie burning!

November and December are going to be make-or-break months for me, I can smell it already. October? Forget about October - I've already left it in the past! I only managed to lose a measly four net pounds over the last 31 days (it was an up-and-down month) . I could lose that in two day if I actually tried! But looking forward over the next 60 days I see Thanksgiving and Christmas staring me in the face - along with all of the delicious food that comes along with them. Over the next 3 weeks, I've made it my goal to lose 15-20 pounds before the dreaded Thanksgiving feast rears its ugly head. And don't worry, I haven't made it my goal to put those 15-20 pounds back on with turkey, stuffing and cider!

So here's to a solid month of hard work, no cheating and losing weight! Who's with me? What are your goals from now until Thanksgiving? What are you going to do to stick to them?

A Real Eye-Opener

Have you ever watched those weight loss reality shows where they take overweight contestants to the supermarket and tell them to run through a "normal" grocery-buying session? They're pulling donuts and candy and chips and soda off the shelves left and right - and smiling obliviously the entire time. The host then turns around and calculates all the calories of the items or shows them how unhealthy the items are.

Well today I visited TacoBell.com to take a peek at what my usual, drive-thru order from my favorite fast food joint would cost me health-wise. Take a look at these numbers! And this isn't eve including the 42-oz. Mountain Dew (with no ice) I would have along with it!

If the picture is too small to read, that graphic reads that my meal of one crunchy taco, one chili cheese burrito and two chalupas would supply me with 1,280 calories! (And like I mentioned, the Mountain Dew - at least another 500!) That kind of knocked me back in my seat when I read that today.

And that's only one meal! Now of course, I'd feel gross and lethargic after that, but sometimes it wouldn't stop me from hitting up ANOTHER fast food place for dinner! (Usually McDonald's or Panda Express) I can't believe the number of calories I'm capable of consuming! It's frightening, to be honest.

It's also healthy to see these numbers and realize the negative impact they had on my body, but it's MORE important to learn from this and make much healthier choices. Now I can't say that I won't ever eat at Taco Bell ever again, but I can tell you that I won't be consuming 1,280 calories if I do! Mostly because I wouldn't want to run the two hours it would take to burn that all off!

What are some of the unhealthy things you've eaten that helped you gain weight? I encourage you to check the calories and see how much damage it costs you