A Whole New Thing

So what I'm doing now is I go to a beginner yoga class whenever my schedule allows and get to the gym about twice a week. I do the yoga class if it's that night then I follow it with the following (or do the following alone with no class):

A) 45 minutes elliptical machine on the "Fat Burn" program. I stay in my easy burnin' zone of 120 HBPM while watching the World Series or Chuck or music videos or political discussion or all of the above. The place has TVs growing out of the ceiling like mildew and (mostly) irritating music on everywhere, including the freaking locker room. I honestly wish it had neither so I could just listen to my magical iPod. Oh well. WPP.

B) 15 laps in the pool. I'll break it down in swim team terms:
25 free
100 breast
200 IM (50 each of fly, back, breast, free)
100 back
200 IM
100 breast
25 free

(25 = one length of the pool.) I start at the deep end and take my rests in the shallow end. Depending on how hard I push myself my heart rate gets up around 170. If I've done the yoga class that night and pool is my third exercise category - guess what? I don't push it that hard.

It's a great workout and I would do it every other day if my schedule allowed. I don't weigh myself every day (good advice, Chazz) but when I weighed myself a couple days ago just out of curiosity I was at 205 fully dressed. That is a big improvement. That's like 2 percent weight loss.

I've also been eating pretty well. I call it the "eat what you feed your children" diet. I get far more fruit than I did as a bachelor and I haven't seen the inside of a Chinese Buffet in, I believe, years. It's pretty much three squares these days as opposed to the starve-gorge-repeat on no predictable timetable. Good times for my body and its interlocking systems. Totally on track now to not run the 2009 Twin Cities Marthon in under four hours, which is, of course, the point.

(Did I even mention on this blog that I joined a gym? I hope so. I did, btw.)

Join The Club

So Bride's company is run by a guy who used to work at a health club. Now we have a sweet deal and have joined the club. So far I have done 25 minutes of eliptical and ten laps in the pool. I think this will be great, but I learned the hard way not to even try to go on a Monday night (parking a nightmare), which is why I am here and not there. Still not going to really test the knees, but I think I will make eliptical then swim part of my weekly routine somewhere in time. May even try to figure out the advertised shuttle bus system and get to the Monday night beginner yoga class, but we'll see. Fool me once...don't mess with Texas.

I Am Not Going To Run

Yeah, I am living up to the title of the blog. I have one of those lingering summer colds that just makes me feel crappy most of the time. My knees don't feel 100%. I am going to try to solve that problem by buying some new everyday shoes tomorrow. I tend to hang on to shoes until they are falling apart and my current pair are no exception and they are providing little to no padding or support. I don't know when I'm going to run or even walk (boring) for exercise again. This has been something of a lost season for me. Me and Michael Cuddyer. I'm pretty much feeling in "maybe next year" mode.

On the positive side, I love winter and am eager for all this bright sunshine requiring sunscreen and all that to be a distant memory. Shoveling will be good and force me to do yoga for the sake of my back. Wow, that was a real stretch as far as positivity goes. Anyway. See ya.

Oh, another positive is that with the stuffed up nose and a sore under my tongue I am not eating a whole lot because it is not enjoyable to eat! Is that really a positive? No, no it is not.

Also, I forgot to bring the list of things I was going to get done on the internet to the library. This has been a typical Tuesday, which means I will be glad when it's over. Unlike yesterday, which was awesome all over the place. Typical Monday of Accomplishment and Purpose.

Walking: Boring

Well, I went for a walk yesterday just like I said I would. I listened (finally) to the iPod playlist Bride made for me. It was fun, but because I was walking not running it ended a little more than halfway through my route.

Hey, know what? Walking alone through a path you've been through many, many times is boring. I wanted to run. I disciplined myself though, and just kept walking. My knees feel fine today. I'll try again tomorrow morning, I think.

Eating

I think for my exercise/diet plan this month I will do the following:

Not go to the State Fair

That should save me some pounds and a few points off my cholesterol while my knees continue to heal for the big return to running next month. Last night I should have gone to bed hungry but I was really hungry after the show so I scavenged some leftover french fries wrapped in corned beef plus trail mix with mini-M&Ms and watched The Princess Bride - a movie that still holds up remarkably well 21 years later.

Still Hurts

I tried a little exploratory running between songs at a recording session on a farm and my knees are acting up today and letting me know that was not necessarily a good idea. The plan now is for a nice, slow walk on Monday, September 1, early in the morning. If nothing else, I will finally get to hear the surprise iPod playlist Bride created and loaded up for me. Weight has been around 208-210.

In Case You Were Wondering

My knees still feel a little twinge every now and then so I am considering shutting it down until September 1st. It's strange, but I feel like I have some new insight into how, say, Michael Cuddyer might feel. Would I feel worse or better if someone were paying me 10 million dollars? Okay, that was a dumb question.