Health and Fitness Update...

Note:  This is just a small part of the big picture.....This post would get way too big and out of control if I tried to cover everything about my personal health and fitness goals.  That and I sat down in front of the computer with no clue what I was going to write about.  (Actually, a common occurrence. I usually have no idea what I'm going to write about when I sit at the keyboard...I just start with whatever pops into my head and go from there.)



The lazy runner...

As hard as I try to get into running I just can't seem to get into a rhythm.  Part of it is due to nagging injuries; last year being a sore left knee and my constantly tightening/cramping shins.

Per a friend's recommendation, I went to a store that specialized in running shoes, had my gait analyzed, and paid a pretty penny on a very nice pair of running shoes.  After taking a week off and going through a series of daily stretches I was able to get back on the road -- this time with much better results.  The knee was still sore, but not as bad, and my shins got through ok.

So what lesson was learned from this experience?

Not a damn thing.  This year dumb ass went out and picked up a pair of shoes, on sale, from another store and, (I'm guessing) as a result, ended up sitting out Tera's first 5K of the year with a shooting pain in the arch of my left foot.  (I was in Dave Ramsey mode when I bought the shoes.  I just couldn't help feeling guilty for wanting to purchase an expensive pair of shoes and went the cheap route....Yeah -- mistake)

I will not make that mistake again.  If I'm going to run I'm going to have to pony up the bucks for a really good pair of shoes.  In the meantime I have purchased a pair of insoles (not the cheap ones) to hopefully get me through the rest of the year.

This weeks 5K runs have been tolerable --- not great -- but tolerable. With a ten minute per mile average I won't be winning any races but it will be enough to keep up with Tera, which is all that really matters.

However, I have to admit that even though I have been running I just can't seem to get into it mentally.  Lately my train of thought has been that if there isn't either a ball or an axe wielding homicidal maniac involved then I really don't see the point in running.

But I'm sure my current state of mind is due to the frustration I'm feeling about missing out on Tera's run.  I'll get through this....I always do.

Scale?  What scale?

I have not weighed myself once since I left the work force almost a year and a half ago.  I have no idea what I weigh and I really don't care.

I had decided that I was going to experiment with gauging my health not in how much I weigh but how good I feel.  So far, all my clothes still fit,  I don't have a beer gut, and I don't feel any less energetic.  I will take that as a sign that I'm doing ok.  However.......

Calories?  What calories?
I'm not in near as good of shape as I could be.  When I decided to kick the scale to the side I also decided to quit counting calories and rely on my body to tell me when I needed to eat.

Unfortunately it hasn't been my body that has been telling me when to eat; it's been my eyes, my cravings, and my family that has been telling me.

Anyone who has ever tried to follow a strict diet knows that it can be extremely difficult to stay on task; nearly impossible without the support of family.

But I am not about to throw Karla and the kids under the bus for not eating well.  I'm placing that blame squarely on myself.  There are two reasons for this:

1.  I don't cook worth a crap.  I've had some minor success with fried rice, spaghetti, and just about anything that you can throw into a crock pot.  But I have also had quite a few abysmal failures.  When your nine year old daughter comes into the house and asks "What is that?  It smells like butt." on more than one occasion, you know that your cooking skills are lacking.

     When I became a stay at home dad I was supposed to take over all the cooking, but Karla has been making supper more frequently that I would like her too.

    I have to be honest.  If cooking were my main job I would have been fired a long time ago.

    But I'm not going to let this discourage me (much).  I will keep trying.

    I've cooked and I have watched Karla cook --- and I have no idea how she manages to make everything taste good.

When I cook I followed the directions in the book down to the letter (well, at least I try to). Every thing I need to accomplish my task is laid out ahead of time and when I finish, aside from a few dirty dishes, the kitchen looks no worse for wear.

When Karla cooks the cook book is nothing more than a loose guideline.  She dives right into the meal without going through the recipe checklist and, more then once, I have heard her say either A.  I'll be right back, I need to go to the store or B.  Well, let's just see what we have in the cupboard to use as a substitute.

I can't operate that way.  Such willy-nilly lack or organization would drive me up a wall.

Pots and pans bang as if she were occasionally throwing one against a wall.  Smoke rolls out of the kitchen and the windows are opened to vent just enough out so as to provide nearly adequate vision for the task at hand.

Dishes, silverware, and ingredients are strewn about the counter and the floor.  The dog hasn't left Karla's side, knowing all to well that something good will most likely hit the floor in the near future.

As she finishes her culinary masterpiece she begins to pile dishes up in the sink.  Nearly all the pots and pans have food burnt to the bottom of them.  I begin to cuss as I grab steel wool out from under the kitchen sink and, as I scrub, I begin to wonder if I will blow out an elbow before getting this f@($^&# pot clean.

I swear, by the time Karla gets done cooking it looks as if a horde of hyper active gremlins rolled through and destroyed the place.

And yet.....Her meals almost always tastes great.

So I guess the lesson learned here is that an ugly, awkward follow through garners exceptional results.

Yeah....Not going to happen.  I have to be orderly or I will go insane.


2.  I planted my first garden this year thinking that I would grow enough healthy food for us to limit our trips to the grocery store, thus reducing the temptation to purchase anything that comes out of a box or a can....

How'd that go, you ask?  Well, I prefer to look at my first attempt at gardening through rose colored glasses.  As opposed to a spectacular failure I prefer to see it as a non productive success.  Yes sir, I have to the blinders on....

I planted a bunch of herbs, forgot about them, and they shriveled up and died.  I intended to plant green beans as well but then ball season started and I never got around to it.

As far as the tomatoes go, I have no idea what happened.  They were watered everyday and yet I only manage to produce a small bag of the regular size tomatoes. I'm thinking the clay in my yard my having something to do with it, so I will have to do a better job of fertilizing/making use of my compost bin.

 The cherry tomatoes did great but they were eaten as soon as they got picked; I never had a chance to eat any of them.

Same goes for the strawberries.  Every morning Tera would go out and stand by the strawberry plants, picking and eating.  I never got to eat a strawberry either.

The peppers on the other hand did great.....but nobody wanted to eat them.  When Tera and I were picking out what to plant in our garden she swore up and down that Toby wanted ghost peppers to make salsa.  The plan was lots on tomatoes, lots of peppers (among other things), lots of salsa.

But when Toby found out what kind of peppers we got he said, "Oh God no.....Those things are too hot."

The peppers got picked.  Lots of pepper got picked.  But I have no idea what happened to them.

Okay....My first garden kind of sucked.  But I still consider it a success in that I at least tried.  I will be better prepared next spring.......I may even try to build a green house.  Given my history with tools and DIY projects, building my green house should be calamitous enough to provide good blog material.....(Always look for the silver lining..)



So, in summary, I think I can look back on my current health and fitness status and say, ok, I'm not in as good of shape as I would like to be and I'm not eating as healthy as I would like to be.

But, all in all, I can't complain.  I'm not on medication, I'm not over weight (unless you're looking at a BMI chart.....Don't even get me started on that piece of crap.), I feel good.  That's more than a lot of people my age can say.

Perhaps I've set my personal goals a little beyond my reach but, that's just fine with me.  It gives me something to shoot for.......

Keep pluggin' away....Keep pluggin away....