10K Training Week 8 Day 5

2.88 miles with Ellen at South Lakes Park. I ran Winston (the dog) for a few 1/8th mi sprints.

10K Training Week 8 Day 3

Spin spin spin! No Yoga

10K Training Week 8 Day 2

Tonight I did a typical BFL style Upper Body Workout with Ellen

Chest
Dumbbell Incline Chest Press
12x40(ea) 10x50(ea) 8x50(ea) 6x55(ea) 12x45(ea)
Dumbbell Incline Chest Flys
12x30(ea)

Shoulder
Lever Shoulder Press
12x60 10x75 8x90 6x105 12x75
Lever Lateral Raise
12x65

Back
Lever Seated High Row
12x90 10x110 8x130 6x150 12x110
Lever Seated Row
12x115

Biceps
Hammer Curl
12x30(ea) 10x35(ea) 8x35(ea) 6x40(ea) 12x30(ea)

Preacher Curl
15x40

Triceps
Cable Pull Down with Rope Attachment
12x100 10x120 8x130 6x150 12x120

Cable Forward Triceps Extention
12x90

(ea)= each hand

My 10K is in 17 days and I excited to be almost done with my training. I was doing 14-15 miles a week till I hurt my foot. I have done 5-6 miles a week the last few but I am kicking it into overdrive the next 2.5 weeks to see if I can get my distance back up. I am not worried about speed just finishing. I have been doing one UBWO a week to keep my strength and I am looking forward to starting a challenge on 1-17-11. Running has been nothing like I expected. I figured I would lose weight and some muscle but I have put on 8 lbs in 8 weeks and half of it is muscle.

10K Training Week 8 Day 1

I finally got to run with Ellen's father Phillip. We ran to the San Antonio river then around the entire river walk. We decided to see the Alamo then weaver back to the hotel.
4.3 mi

10K Training Week 7 Day 6

It is Christmas morning I decided to go for a run. I didn't know the area too well so I figured out a large rectangle that would pass by the Alamo.
2.3 mi in 23:33

10K Training Week 7 Day 2

Tonight was a decent workout. Patrick was not in the mood and I was in a hurry to go home and pack. We did side raises and front raises for shoulders. Incline, flat and decline chest presses. For triceps we did skull crushers and tricep dips. On the way out I stopped at the preacher curl and quickly busted out 3 heavy short sets. I had not use the machine in a while as I mainly use free weights. A year ago or so 30-40 lbs was tough but I did 100-125 lbs.

10K Training Week 7 Day 1

I was in Amarillo Thursday thru Saturday with no exercise but just enough snow to look pretty without messing with the roads. Tonight we went to the park with the dog. I jogged 4.1 miles in about 45 mins and Ellen and the dog walked with some jogging 2.55 miles.

BFL 3?

Good Afternoon (coffee is good any time)

My fiance is done with her semester and we get to spend the next month together. She was looking at pictures last week and got inspired to do a challenge starting today. I plan to do the resistance training workouts with her and my 10K training on her HIIT days. I am super excited she is motivated on her own. She said she wants to do two challenges between now and our wedding in 26 weeks.

10K Training Week 6 Day 3

Spin + Yoga night.
Only 7 people showed up to spin class, there are usually 19.
Today for lunch at the office we had chili. It was made from left over fajita meat from our office Christmas party this past Saturday. Yoga and chili made from 4 day old meat is not a good idea...

10K Training Week 6 Day 2

Had a great UBWO tonight. I always seem to smash my finger getting ready to do Dumbbell Skull Crushers. My right arm near my arm pit started hurting from incline dumbbell chest press during my workout.

My BFL Anniversary Workout 12-14-09 to 12-14-10
Shoulders:
Alternating side raises
(3 sets) 12 reps 15 lbs, 12 reps 15lbs, 10 reps 20 lbs
Alternating front raises
(3 sets) 15 reps 15 lbs, 12 reps 15 lbs, 12 reps 20 lbs
Seated rear lateral raises
(3 sets) 12 reps 15 lbs, 12 reps 15 lbs, 12 reps 20 lbs
Dumbbell shoulder press
(1 set) 12 reps 30 lbs each hand
Chest:
Incline dumbbell chest press
(5 sets) 12r 35 lbs x 2, 10r 40 lbs, 8r 45 lbs, 6r 50 lbs, 12r 40 lbs
Incline dumbbell flys
(1 set) 12r 30 lbs per arm
Back:
Lever Front Pulldown
(5 sets) 12r 105 lbs, 10r 115 lbs, 8r 125 lbs, 6r 140 lbs, 12r 115 lbs
Cable Row
(1 set) 12r 110 lbs
Biceps:
Alternating curl
(4 sets) 12r 30 lbs, 10r 35 lbs, 8r 40 lbs, 6r 40 lbs
Preacher curl
(1 Set) 12r 60 lbs
Triceps:
Dumbbell lying triceps extension (Skull crushers)
(5 sets) 12r 50 lbs, 10r 60 lbs, 8r 70 lbs, 6r 90 lbs, 12r 50 lbs
Standing dumbbell triceps extention
(1 set) 12r 50 lbs

Body-for-Life Anniversary

One year ago today I started my first BFL challenge. Right now I am 6 lbs heavier but in better shape cardiovasularly and more muscle mass. BFL provided me structure with a simple laid out plan to follow. The guestbook provided with motivation and the website you see today is way more advanced. I continue to use what I learned thru BFL because I believe it is "For Life" and just just a tool to get in shape only to come back later out of shape for another go round. I plan to do atleast one active challenge a year. I find the forum and more so the people in it help motivate, inform, and stay focus. Thanks you Body-for-Life and thank you to those who actively post here.

12-14-09 to 12-14-10

10K Training Week 6 Day 1

Tonight I ran for the first time in 10 days due to a sore foot. I figured the treadmill was a better idea than outside incase it started hurting again. I was able to do 3.2 mi in 30:45. My foot is slightly sore this morning but nothing like it had been. Tonight is will be upper body. I really enjoy resistance training and happy to be focus on it again after 6-8 weeks of doing it infrequently. I hopped on the elliptical for 10 minutes because I have some extra time. Total calories burnt 607 (501 treadmill and 106 elliptical)

10K Training Week 5 Day 6

I stayed up super late last night and slept in till noon today. Tonight is my office Christmas Party and I don't plan to exercise today.

10K Training Week 5 Day 5

Woke up at 5:20am (on my day off) and did the 5:45am spin class at my gym. I felt awesome afterward. Todays plan, wedding at 1pm and Geography Social at 5:30.

10K Training Week 5 Day 4

Tonight I met up with Patrick again to work on back and biceps. I usually wait 72 hours between workouts in a muscle group but he stated out with side raises and front raises. After that we did a back exercise using the bench and dumbbells. Then we did assisted pull ups. Next we did "7-11s", you take a fixed weight barbell and do 7 bicep curls only coming up to parallel then 7 starting parallel and coming up to your chest. Then 11 curls full range of motion. Lastly we did hammer curls.
We ended to workout doing his crazy Ab exercise. I think he might be one of those people who doesn't know that you can't stop reduce and that "Abs are made in the kitchen"

Since January 1st I have gained 14.4 lbs (5.5 lbs of lean tissue and 8.9 lbs of fat)

10K Training Week 5 Day 3

Tonight was another Spin Class and Yoga workout. My foot was hurting at work as much as it did on Saturday. I am also sore from my workout last night. The spin class instructor was 5-10 minutes late. She had us jump right in at a medium gear. I am not sure if it was because I had been resting my jogging but I did not feel the energy level I usually do. My usual level 5 felt like an 8 and my quads started to ache just above my knees after only 10-15 minutes. Once we did some standing I felt better and I was not in pain after the class.
I was worried that my sore shoulders and triceps would affect my yoga practice. I had to do a few modified poses and mainly the ones using the core. I felt so great afterward.
Tomorrow I think I am going to workout with Patrick again. I want to do Back and Biceps but lower body will be fine.

10K Training Week 5 Day 2

I have decided to focus on resistance training until my foot feels good enough to continue my 10K training. I had not worked out with my friend Patrick since the middle of September. I decided since it is Tuesday (the day we had worked out together in the past) that I would see if he was available. He had a final then was going to go to the gym and run on the treadmill till I got there. He asked if I wanted to do upper body and I said anything is fine.
We started out with forearms and shoulders. He handed me a 15 lb dumbbell and said he found a new exercise. You take one dumbbell in both hands and stick your arms straight out from body parallel to the ground. You use your hand to roll the dumbbell like a wheel rolling away from your body for 30 seconds. We did two sets and it was hard to fit both of my hands because they are kinda wide but I could feel it was effective.
Next we did 2 sets of 15 side raises and front raises. Then we went to the military press (always leaves me with DOMS). He said we should start with just the bar since it has been a few months. I insisted we put 2.5lbs on each side just to have something. We ended up doing 6 sets in a pyramid (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 10lbs).
Next we moved to the bence press (my favorite thing about not exercising alone) we put 25 lbs on each side and Patrick said to do one full range of motion rep follow one pushing only halfway up. It was really tough and I had to focus on form and the breathing felt weird. We did 2 sets at 50lbs then 1 set at 40lbs. After this we were going to do decline press. The only decline bench was taken so I suggested to use an adjustable bench and two dumbells. We did 3 sets (35 lb each hand then 40 lb and 45 lbs).
Next we did our tricep workout. Using a 50 lb fixed weight barbell we did skull crushers followed by tricep dips on the side of the bench. We did 3 sets with the 3rd dropping the weight to 40 lbs and doing 15 reps.
At this point I thought I was done because I am not usually at the gym past 8pm. Patrick wanted to show his new AB workout routine. His discription sounded tiring. I tried to start it but doing sit-ups with a weighted ball proved too be too challenging. I did my own Ab workout of just body weight crunches then I called it a night.
I left gym with a feeling I had not felt in a while. Muscles sore and pumping with blood and I remember why I loved it in the first place. I plan to continue working with Patrick atleast one day a week.

Quote of the Day

"Man is a free agent; but he is not free if he does not believe it, for the more power he attributes to Destiny, the more he deprives himself of the power which God granted him when he gave him reason. - Giacomo Casanova

10K Training Week 5 Day 1

I am not sure if I should consider it resting my sore foot or laziness. I hurt my foot while jogging on Friday and I am giving it a rest for now. My plan was to lift weights tonight but I ended up going out to eat instead. My friend left his camera at my house a few weeks ago and he asked if I could stop by and drop it off. I hung around for a while to see his new place. Being hungry due to poor planning we decided to go to Posado's. I did not get home till 8:15pm.

10K Training Week 4 Day 6

I had always planned to lift weights on Saturday but life keeps getting in the way. Since my foot is sore and I had free time I went to the gym for an upper body workout. It had been 2 weeks since my last resistance training session. My chest, back, and triceps had long lost strength but I struggled with my biceps (which have been turning back into fatceps).

10K Training Week 4 Day 5

I decided to jog at South Lakes Park. The normal entrance was blocked so I park on the north side and the Middle School. I planned only doing 3-4 laps but after 2 laps (3.44 mi) my foot started to hurt. As I was running I saw a strange shape. I stopped to look and it was a scorpion about 2.5" long. I continued on and then I saw another smaller one. I have never seen scorpions in the DFW metro area.

Pounds & Inches

On Tuesday, September 21, 2010 I wrote an article on the HCG diet. A few days ago I read Pounds & Inches: A NEW APPROACH TO OBESITY by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons. After reading the detail and consideration gone into it I am now somewhat convinced that this is not an unhealthy fad diet. It is a treatment for obesity that is based on many hours of clinical observation and experimentation. I would suggest if you have any interest or just would like to know more about the treatment that you read Pounds & Inches by A.T.W. Simeons. The rest of this blog will be my summary of my weight loss journey so far.

I was obese for about 9-10 years. At the age of 12-13 I started to gain weight. I remember when I was in 5th grade (age 10-11) I weighed 95 lbs and about 5 feet tall. By 7th grade I reached my current height of 5'7". In 8th grade my weight and locker number were to name 186. Sometime between ages 15-16 I passed 200lbs. My junior year I was 245 lbs. In college I am sure I gained more based off how I looked in pictures but never set foot on a scale. When I was 23 I gave up fried foods for lent and then tried to keep it up afterwards. I got a new job when I was 24 and I started eating Subway sandwiches on my lunch break and my desk was up a flight of stairs. After 3 months I had dropped 9 lbs. My lease ended and I moved closer to work. I decided that the move was a great time to develop new habits. I joined a gym down the street and they asked if I wanted to do a 90 day commitment with a personal trainer. I had some extra money saved and said yes. Over the 90 days I was given a new trainer and I dropped 25 pounds. Hurricane Ike hit and I had to go work in the field for 2 weeks and during that time my trainer broke her foot. When I got back she has decided to stop training and I stopped going to the gym. I decided to give up all meat except fish, eggs, and dairy as a 40 day challenge. My roommate and I got in an argument and got in my car and drove off. I passed my gym and thought, "That is where I should be." I did a u-turn, went home and changed clothes. When I got to the gym my original trainer was there. He asked how I was doing and I told him I had not been going much recently. He offered me a 6 month contract at a reasonable price working with him once a week. I decided to do it and we met every Wednesday. I turned 25 and when the New Year started my family decided to have a Biggest Loser contest. I set a goal of a pound a week for the 20 week challenge. I started at 229 and by May I was 209. During those 5 months I decided to buy a house and I met my future fiancée. I stayed with my trainer for 4 more months. In August I bought a house further away from work. I kept meeting with the trainer since my contract with him did not end for another month. On my last session with him I weighed 191 just one pound from the original goal he set for me. I decided that 190 would be my new ceiling weight and as long as I weighed myself once a week it would not creep back up on me. I found a new workout routine online and worked out 4-5 days a week for a few months. While reading articles on bodybuilding.com I found one about how a guy won the Body-for-Life challenge. I looked it up and I liked the program. I bought the book and asked my girlfriend and another friend to try it with me. My friend decided to train for a 1/2 marathon but my girlfriend and I started it 11 days before Christmas. It is a 12 week exercise and nutrition program. I was highly motivated and stuck with it pretty much by the book. I started to have a short temper but my body fat percent was dropping pretty fast. After 7-8 weeks I changed the diet to help with my mood. I started the challenge weighing 182 lbs with 17.9% body fat and ended at 172.6 lbs and 15.2% body fat. My goal was 10-12%. After the challenge I lost motivation and gained back to 183 lbs over 4 months. I started another 12 week challenge in July but I was not strict on the weekends and incorporated Spin class and yoga and ate more food. I ended my second challenge at 179 and today 2 months later I am at 184.

Minus a few lazy weeks this past summer I have been working out 4-6 days a week for a long time. I can't maintain my goal weight nor can I seem to lose the last of my abdominal fat. 3 people in my office have had success with the HCG diet. There is a 21 and 42 day cycle. I only need to lose 15-20 pounds so after Christmas I want to try the 21 day cycle. I tract my body fat percent and will determine if I lose any muscle mass. I plan to take pictures and maybe even video blog the process.

1995 – 95 lbs
1998 – 186 lbs
2001 – 245 lbs
2008 – 255 lbs
2009 – 190 lbs
2010 – 173-184 lbs

10K Training Week 4 Day 4

Tonight I set a new distance PR, 5.7 miles.
1:05:56 total time. I had to wait to cross a few intersections.

10K Training Week 4 Day 3

Tonight was another Spin Class and Yoga 2 hour (1hr each) session. Yoga was more challenging that normal as the instructor decided to do alot of core work because of Thanksgiving.
Balancing stick (Warrior 3):

10K Training Week 4 Day 2

I ran the same route as Week 3 Day 3 this evevning. I was not sore this time so I did it 4 minutes faster. I only averaged a 12 minute mile. I think I am slowing down but it could be the big hill or my less than optimal diet the past 5-6 days. I have been gaining weight since I started running outdoors.

10K Training Week 4 Day 1

Today was crazy. I ate unhealthy. I did not jog/run. My friend gave me the P90X DVD set on my birthday. I had originally planned to start P90X November 8th but started this 10K training instead because I could not get the videos in time. My plan was to run a 10K on December 18th but now I don't think I can get the info to sign up. I found a 10K on January 15th. I don't know when I will start P90X. The best plan would be to start January 17th.

10K Training Week 3 Day 6

I got back into town late last night. Today is my 27th birthday and also the last UNT home game of the season. Next season UNT will be playing in a brand new stadium. I had planned to run before tailgating the game at noon but I did not get out of bed on time.

10K Training Week 3 Day 5

I woke up this morning and felt rested and ready to run. I don't know this area well so I just kinda mapped out a simple route on my phone that had the least amount of street names to remember. It was a cool morning and a hilly run. Being out of town I realize that I don't encounter many steep hills on my runs. I ended up with 3.55 miles. The tail end of my run was all downhill and I got going pretty fast. I wish I could run that fast all the time.

10K Training Week 3 Day 4

Today the weather dropped from 77 deg to 54 deg in less that two hours. I mapped out a route to run but decided to just enjoy Thanksgiving diner and rest from the last two days of running.

10K Training Week 3 Day 3

Today I ran a longer version of Week 2 Day 4's run. 4.7 miles in about an hour. I was sore and slow after yesterday's 5.5 mile run. I got a blister on my left big toe and it feels like it need to pop like I jammed it or something.

10K Training Week 3 Day 2

After work I did not feel like going for a run. I got in my car and started to head home. I started looking at the leaves blow and people walking down the streets. I decided I did not want to put another X on my calendar so I passed the freeway and went to the park. I ended up running 5.5 miles. My previous longest distance was 4.7. I am right at my goal of adding a mile a month.

10K Training Week 3 Day 1

I did not get to jog/run today because I had to go to the AT&T Device Support Center to replace my phone.

Samsung Chat Support

Chat Information Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.

Chat Information You are now chatting with 'Diana'

Diana: Hi, thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today?

Visitor: My touchscreen does not work

Diana: I understand that you are having a power issue with the touch screen, am I right?

Visitor: The screen lights up but does not respond to pressure

Diana: I'll do my very best to assist you on this issue.

Diana: Could I please know the model code of your mobile?

Diana: You can find the model code at the rear side of the phone behind the battery.

Visitor: A877

Visitor: SGH-A877

Diana: Thanks.

Diana: Okay, let's try performing a soft reset and check if that resolves the issue.

Diana: To perform soft reset, remove the battery and then wait for 30 seconds. Then reinsert the battery and turn the phone ON.

Visitor: Ok

Diana: Thanks.

Diana: Please update me once done.

Visitor: It is done

Diana: Please check if the issue still persists.

Visitor: It still does not work. The responsiveness of the the touch screen has slowly gone out.

Diana: May I know since when are you facing this issue?

Visitor: Over the past 2-3 week the touch screen has sloly gone out. It starting in one corner then half the screen and as of 2 days ago the whole screen is unresponsive.

Diana: Okay, do you have a protective screen cover on the display?

Visitor: No, one was not provided with the phone in the box.

Diana: Okay, in this situation I may suggest you to perform a hard reset as that may resolve the issue, is that okay with you.

Visitor: I just did by typing *2767*3855#

Diana: Okay, did that help you on this issue?

Visitor: Actually it just made my phone unuseable. It is asking to tap to calibrate which does not work because I can't tap. I cannot bypass this so my phone is now locked.

Diana: In this situation I request you to contact our next level of support for advance troubleshooting steps on this issue.

Visitor: Does a hard reset erase pictures and text messages save to the phone?

Diana: I suggest you to contact Samsung Technical Support at 1-888-987-4357, Mon-Fri: 7 AM - 9 PM (CST), Sat: 9 AM - 6 PM (CST). where you will be able to speak with our agents in regards to this issue.

Diana: Yes, the result of this process will delete all your data installed or stored on your phone.

Visitor: Well now I do not need help. I will buy an unlocked blackberry and boycott samsung. I needed the files and was not aware of this.

Visitor: I cannot contact them because now my phone is unuseable. Atleast before our conversation I could make phone calls

Diana: I apologize of the inconvenience this may have caused you.

Visitor: I am sorry I tried to get help. I will go thru at&T to replace this unuseable phone

Diana: let me see what best I can do to assist you.

Diana: Please open the link below for assistance on the issue.

Diana: http://ars.samsung.com/customer/usa/jsp/faqs/faqs_view_us1.jsp?SITE_ID=22&PG_ID=0&AT_ID=151382&PROD_SUB_ID=0&PROD_ID=558

Diana: From the link above I request you to check the data transfer via memory card.

Diana: Can I help you with anything else?

Visitor: Is there any way to contact the next level of support via email? If the hard reset erased my data then what data is there to transfer?

Diana: It will only erase the data on the phone, the memory card will not get erased with the hard reset.

Visitor: The 9 unread text messages I had where stored on the phone internal memory and the reason for conversation.

Diana: I am sorry the next level is a voice support and cannot be available in e-mail .

Visitor: I will just go through AT&T. Samsung is not able to provide the support that I need.

Diana: I apologies, is there anything else that I can assist you with?

Diana: I am positive that this is the best we can do in the present situation.

Visitor: Then I will just have to accept being unsatisfied. I will save this conversation.

Diana: I am sorry,we at the chat support provide the basic troubleshooting information for our products,our agents in the voice support provide the next level of support for further assistance.

Visitor: Chat support disabled my ability to contact voice support.

Diana: This is the reason I recommended you to contact our voice support.

Visitor: I will contact Voice support at 8PM (CST) when I am able to make a phone call.

Diana: Thank you.

Diana: It was a pleasure assisting you. Thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. If you have a minute, please click on the blue “X close” button to receive a transcript of your chat and fill out a brief survey to help us serve you better. Have a wonderful day!

Chat session has been terminated by the Samsung Agent.

10K Training Week 2 Day 6

Today I lifted weights for the first time in 17 days! With all the running I have been doing I have neglected my resistance training routine. It hurt so good. I had not lost too much strength and the break was a nice rest to get rid of any over training that might have occurred. On the plate loading decline chest press machine I was able to lift 250 lbs (2x45, 25, and 10 on each side)

10K Training Week 2 Day 5

This morning I took a spin class.

10K Training Week 2 Day 4

After work today I went for a jog/run. I had a route planned out but after talking to a co-worker I realized it was on narrow roads with no sidewalks. Since it gets dark early so just kinda halfway planned out other route. I ended up only running 3.3 miles but now I know a new area to explore...

Quote of the Day

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

Today's Top News?

Palin says she can beat Obama (Palin can't handle the criticizm that comes with being President.. "Today Predsident Palin declared war on England because The Sun made fun of her in their headlines") Celebitician? Polebrity?
Donald Trump 'thinking about' taking on Sarah Palin in presidential bid (Atleast he has done something with his life)
Jobless Claims in U.S. Increase Less Than Forecast (Isn't that like saying "Dallas Cowboys Lose By Less Points than Expected?")
Why The Beatles' arrival on iTunes matters (So Steve Jobs and Paul McCartney and Ringo, or the Jackson Family Can make more Money?)
FDA: Caffeinated Alcoholic Drinks Are Unsafe
(Mixing Uppers and Downers is a Bad Idea? Blackout drunk but still standing?)

10K Training Week 2 Day 3

Tonight I decided to leave work early so I could get to the gym in time for Spin Class. I did spin for an hour with my friend Amy then went did an our of yoga. I think I will sleep well tonight...

Quote of the Day

"Everything you know
Somebody else has taught and told you.
Deep within yourself if you're
Yourself are you that person?"
Frequency by Tantric

10K Training Week 2 Day 2

Yesterday was a short run (3.2mi) I ran after work to catch the last bit of sunlight for the day. I went out for dinner for my Aunts 60th birthday. We went to a Mexican Seafood restaurant called La Isla. I ordered the Camarones al Mojo de Ajo. (Shirmp in Garlic sauce with Brown rice and a Salad without dressing). I have been there during a challenge and it was the most approved item on the menu.

10K Training Week 2 Day 1

I decided to knockout my run after work while it was still light out. I mapped out a 3.9 mi route. I added an extra .1 to make it an even 4.0. The street I added to had some loud strange sounding birds in one yard. If I had to guess I would say they were peacocks (4 males).

10K Training Week 1 Day 6

I took off yesterday because of the snow. Today was suppose to be a non-running day but I wanted to make up for yesterday. Around 5pm I realized I did not have much light left. I measured out a 4+ mile route. I borrowed my future father-in-laws GPS sports watch and took off running. The first mile took 9:30. I hit one of my landmarks at exactly 2 miles. Towards the end of my run I added in about 5-6 extra blocks. My total distance was 4.67 mi (a new pr) 47:38 mins with a max speed of 7:40 and an average speed of 10:08.

10K Training Week 1 Day 5

I did not jog/run today due to snow.

10K Training Week 1 Day 4

My car has been in the shop since Monday. I dropped it off so it would be in the shop while I go out of town this weekend. Tuesday I got a call saying it would be done by Thursday. This created a problem because I am flying out of town tonight. I now need to return my rent car because I dont think the insurance while cover it over the weekend since the repairs are done. On my lunch I called the rental place a found out I can return it to any of their locations. I work 45 miles from home so this worked out great for me. Luckily I am getting a ride to the airport. In order to get my run in for the day I decided to do a route I setup a while back to my Aunts' house from work. I dropped off my luggage at their house on my lunch break. I dropped of my car in my running clothes and jogged to their house.
My parents came to pick me up. They took their single cab truck expecting to drop me off using my rental. Opps, forgot to tell them the new plan... Luckily my Aunt let us borrow her car.

Quote of the Day

“MOTIVATION is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” - Jim Ryun

10K Training Week 1 Day 3

Last night I found out my friend Amy goes to the same gym as me. My 10K training program calls for weight lifting or yoga on day 3 and 6. Tonight I went to Yoga class with Amy and it really helped my back which has been hurting for a few weeks.

10K Training Week 1 Day 2

Today I went to a Regional GIS meeting. Two of my old classmates and fellow GIS professionals asked me to go for dinner and a drink afterward. Being that is was only day 2 of my 6 week 10K training I didn't want to skip out on a run. I told them I would drive home then jog to meet them at my favorite hangout. I raced home and threw on my running clothes and headed out. Along the way I had a car pull up and ask me for directions. On a downhill part I tripped and fell on a sidewalk but avoided scrapes or burises bouncing back up quickly. I measure out the run later and it came out to be 4.4 mi.

10K Training Week 1 Day 1

I went to the gym and used the treadmill tonight. I used the 5K program. I slowly increased my speed even 5-8 minutes. I reached 3 mi in 29 minutes then did a cool down.

BMI: Body Mass Index (Quetelet index)

I found BMI charts to be misleading when it comes to assessing an individuals weight and giving a healthy weight range.

I have kept a spreadsheet of my fitness goals and weight and body fat percentage that I make an entry into weekly. My thought process is if I am always tracking it then how can I left myself slowly slip back into being out of shape. One column I had in my spreadsheet I entered my BMI but as I reached my "goals" I realized that being in the "normal" range of under 25 was not really the normal healthy goal for me. Once I got under 192 I was no longer considered obese (I had felt comfortable in my own skin at about 205) I am currently in the overweight range for my height. I think to be in normal range I need to be under 160-165. When I was eating strictly on a healthy diet and working out 6 days a week I managed to get down to 173 but I have a large rib cage that stuck out. Since then I added muscle mass and stayed between 179-184.

I am not a fan of BMI which is what the healthy industry uses in statistics and recommending ideal weight. It was designed to measure an entire population and not individuals. Waist to hip ratio and body fat percentage are better tools to determine at risk people.

Here is 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus

1. The person who dreamed up the BMI said explicitly that it could not and should not be used to indicate the level of fatness in an individual.

The BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by a Belgian named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. He was a mathematician, not a physician. He produced the formula to give a quick and easy way to measure the degree of obesity of the general population to assist the government in allocating resources. In other words, it is a 200-year-old hack.

2. It is scientifically nonsensical.

There is no physiological reason to square a person's height (Quetelet had to square the height to get a formula that matched the overall data. If you can't fix the data, rig the formula!). Moreover, it ignores waist size, which is a clear indicator of obesity level.

3. It is physiologically wrong.

It makes no allowance for the relative proportions of bone, muscle and fat in the body. But bone is denser than muscle and twice as dense as fat, so a person with strong bones, good muscle tone and low fat will have a high BMI. Thus, athletes and fit, health-conscious people who work out a lot tend to find themselves classified as overweight or even obese.

4. It gets the logic wrong.

The CDC says on its Web site that "the BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for people." This is a fundamental error of logic. For example, if I tell you my birthday present is a bicycle, you can conclude that my present has wheels. That's correct logic. But it does not work the other way round. If I tell you my birthday present has wheels, you cannot conclude I got a bicycle. I could have received a car. Because of how Quetelet came up with it, if a person is fat or obese, he or she will have a high BMI. But as with my birthday present, it doesn't work the other way round. A high BMI does not mean an individual is even overweight, let alone obese. It could mean the person is fit and healthy, with very little fat.

5. It's bad statistics.

Because the majority of people today (and in Quetelet's time) lead fairly sedentary lives and are not particularly active, the formula tacitly assumes low muscle mass and high relative fat content. It applies moderately well when applied to such people because it was formulated by focusing on them. But it gives exactly the wrong answer for a large and significant section of the population, namely the lean, fit and healthy. Quetelet is also the person who came up with the idea of "the average man." That's a useful concept, but if you try to apply it to any one person, you come up with the absurdity of a person with 2.4 children. Averages measure entire populations and often don't apply to individuals.

6. It is lying by scientific authority.

Because the BMI is a single number between 1 and 100 (like a percentage) that comes from a mathematical formula, it carries an air of scientific authority. But it is mathematical snake oil.

7. It suggests there are distinct categories of underweight, ideal, overweight and obese, with sharp boundaries that hinge on a decimal place.

That's total nonsense.

8. It makes the more cynical members of society suspect that the medical insurance industry lobbies for the continued use of the BMI to keep their profits high.

Insurance companies sometimes charge higher premiums for people with a high BMI. Among such people are all those fit individuals with good bone and muscle and little fat, who will live long, healthy lives during which they will have to pay those greater premiums.

9. Continued reliance on the BMI means doctors don't feel the need to use one of the more scientifically sound methods that are available to measure obesity levels.

Those alternatives cost a little bit more, but they give far more reliable results.

10. It embarrasses the U.S.

It is embarrassing for one of the most scientifically, technologically and medicinally advanced nations in the world to base advice on how to prevent one of the leading causes of poor health and premature death (obesity) on a 200-year-old numerical hack developed by a mathematician who was not even an expert in what little was known about the human body back then.

Category BMI ranges:

Severely underweight less than 16.5

Underweight from 16.5 to 18.4

Normal from 18.5 to 24.9

Overweight from 25 to 29.9

Obese Class I from 30 to 34.9

Obese Class II from 35 to 39.9

Obese Class III over 40

I guess if I really cared about BMI I could shed some muscle mass and get thin to conform with what the CDC and health industry considers normal/healthy. A formula that only considers height and weight should not be valid

Horoscope

Under most circumstances, you're the most affable, reasonable and benevolent creature on the planet -- under most circumstances. When it comes to other situations, however -- say, for example, when someone is being unfair to someone you love, whether they're two or four-legged -- well, that definitely brings out an entirely different side of you. The side someone who's been mean is about to see right now, for example. Don't even bother apologizing. If they hadn't earned this, they wouldn't be seeing it.

Healthy Snack

1 oz (about 26) Unsalted Dry Roasted Almonds

170 Cals
15g Fat
0 Sodium
210mg Potassium
5g Carbs
3g Fiber
1g Sugar
6g Protein


6oz of Strawberry Nonfat Greek Yogurt

130 Cals
0g Fat
75 Sodium
220mg Potassium
15g Carbs
0g Fiber
14g Sugar
14g Protein

Total
300 Cals
15g Fat
75 Sodium
430mg Potassium
20g Carbs
3g Fiber
15g Sugar
20g Protein

10K Training

Realistic STA-115

I found the original ads for my home stereo.
http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1986_small/
1986

1985

1984

AVAILABLE Sept. 30, 1983
I was born Nov. 27, 1983

Bryan's Brian Wilson Confustion

Yesterday my coworker (Bryan Wilson) told me if I died my beard black I would look like Brian Wilson.

Being confused I thought he meant the member of the Beach Boys.

After watching Game 1 of the World Series last night I realized he meant the pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.

Quotes of the Day

"Nobody is perfect and the beauty of life is in it's flaws"

"it's certainly possible to lose more than two pounds per week, but it's critically important to understand that there's a world of difference between rapid weight loss and permanent fat loss" - Tom Venuto

"Remember, 1-2 pounds per week is 50-100 pounds in a year. Is that really so slow or is that an astounding transformation? You don't gain 50-100 pounds over night, so why should anyone expect to take it off overnight? Personally, I think short-term thinking and the pursuit of quick fixes are the worst diseases of our generation." - Tom Venuto

Run 10-26

Sunday's 5K has motivated me. I would like to run a 10K by the end of the year. I had set a goal of adding a mile a month to my distance. My longest so far was 4.1 at River Legacy Park. Before Sunday I had gotten lazy and used the excuse of it being in the mid to upper 80s as an excuse not to run.

Last night after work it was nice and cool. I drove home, changed, and went to South Lakes Park. It is a 1.5 mi loop (I measured 1.45mi on google earth) and I had been doing 2 laps plus an 1/8th mile. It has been a couple weeks since I have ran at this park and it was almost dark when I got there around 7pm. The temp was in the 60's with a nice cool breeze. I parked my car and set my stopwatch on my phone (my watch is dead). I walked up the trail then headed in a clockwise loop (I usually do it counter-clockwise). After the first half mile I got into a good pace and felt pretty good. Once I got around the back half I started to have a pain in my upper right side of my abdomen/lower rib cage. I read online once to take deep controlled slow breaths. It helped and I finished my first lap. The second lap I was in the zone and when I finished it I didn't feel like I was forcing myself like I felt in the past. I decided to keep going for a 3rd lap. Towards the end of the 3rd lap I started to feel like I had to push a little extra but felt I could keep going. I decided to stop after three since that is 4.5 miles and my calf hurt the last time I did 4.1 miles.

I got back to my car and the stopwatch said 48:36. This included the .08mi walk to and from the trail. I felt really good and drove home with the windows down.

Results

The results came in today. My time was 29:39 not 29:44.

My friend Kelsey got 3rd Female 20-24

My co-worked Dawn got 2rd Females 50-54

Honored Hero 5K

Placed 3rd Males 25-29
Gun time 29:39
Trinity Park
Ft. Worth, Texas
10-24-2010