So I actually had my first workout in a long time just before the new year. I programed some intervals on my phone and headed to my spinning bike to try it out. I made thirteen minutes ding aak all out sprint for 30 seconds every 2 minutes. So i got like 5 good sprints in before I was too winded to continue.

Fitness blog

Well it's a new year and I'm sliding into my 37th year late this summer so my perceived need to be in good health and shape is unusually acute. And I'd like to document my journey back into fitness in this blog. The point of blogging it is mostly to hold myself accountable, but also to document the challenges and successes of how a not grossly obese ( although the gov. calls my bMI obese) mid thirties working class dad of two young boys gets his mojo back.

So here we go : first of the new year I'm 6'1" tall that won't change and tipping the scales at 252 lbs. My xl t-shirts are getting snug and seem shorter and I've grown out of all my size 36 jeans. My 38's are snug and I have stooped as low as to buy some 40 for work.

Where I want to be: Ten years ago I was a regular jogger and had worked my way down under 220 lbs. I felt pretty fit then I'd like to at least return to that point and likely surpass that. Also I just really want break into that box of smaller clothes that I have packed away and feel good wearing them again.

I plan to do this mainly by upping my activity level. And being more structured with my diet and time management

Laborday weekend

So I had a big list of things I wanted to do this weekend and I took Friday off to take my wife to DES Moines for her orthodontist appt. But I didn't get a lot of the other stuff done. I did get the large picnic table painted, which looks very nice. And I'll probably get the other one painted too. We found new shoes for Dex and Rach and I. I got some nice addidas trail runners, need to start running next. I did get one sort of work out in about 20 min in the spinning bike and a few yoga stretches. Now I just need to get to where it about a 4 or 5 day a week habit. I also got the blades off of the chipper shredder to be sharpened, that will be nice for our garden composting efforts. For now the walk that I just took with my family and now the relaxation of laying in the hammock with Eli watching the clouds roll over are more fullfilling.

Changes

So I have some changes on a couple of fronts in my life. First my wife has been reading about how all the fake stuff we eat is having adverse effects on our lives so we are slowly shifting our diet over to a more natural, organic, whole food diet. Not that we were eating total crap before but we are making more of an effort now and putting out money more into organic stuff. As well as enlarging our own garden and trying to get better at growing and storing our own goodies. Second I'm getting some help for my depression issues, it seems to be helping I'm a bit more able to focus and more motivated to just do the things that i need to do. Enough of the constant irrational battle in my mind over my self worth and ability to do things right. Thirdly, with the oil spill in the gulf and BP's lack of a serious response to protect the environment, and the total corruption in the middle east with oil money being used to buy weapons and terrorize their own people and try to kill us. I think it's silly not to reexamine our relationship with the internal combustion engine. I have decided to Leave my van in the garage as much as possible. I'm walking to work form now on and will only be driving it for trips that require us too haul everyone or lots of stuff.

Fostering my growing depression

How ironic that I make a mobile post on depression as a lay in my hammock on a hoiday weekend.

Anyway as anyone who's battled depression will know it doesn't really go away when times are perticularly good. The inner battle with ones self rages on about every detail big and small. And on this wonderfully blue sky day I lay here lamenting many of the things I've said and done over the last month or so. I saw all this coming and did nothing. It takes a lot to get help with these things. Starting at least six months ago I new my self worth was going down the shiter. I also noticed that most of my interests were no longer interesting. And my taste in music had shifted, normally I'm pretty open to most types now it's a little hard to find something I want to hear even in my own collection. I generally like a lot of the talk radio on NPR but I'm getting more and more finnicky about the topics there as well. Then there is my growing irritability, oh boy! This is a heavy hitter for the folks closest to me and is really their first indication
that something is wrong with me. The smallest thing can set me off. While I don't take it out on anyone my over reaction is embarassing to say the least and in the subject of much further self depravation later on. So ya I guess you could say I take it out mostly on myself in the form of being mad at myself. Feels as if I am saying all the wrong things out loud an can't seem to bring myself to say the things that I need to say at the right time.

Blog from email

Ya! I think I have several ways to make this work now.

Sent from my iPhone

Just trying this out I suppose email to blog is the better way to go.