Category Archives: Sweet Tooth

Non-Marathon Marathon Training

 

Well it’s hard to believe that it’s been over a month since my last post but I’ll catch you up. My wife has signed up for her first full marathon so guess who gets to tag along? I guess you can say I’m officially in week 7 of my “non-marathon” marathon training schedule. She’s doing a 4 day a week training schedule which is 18 weeks in length and to date I’ve run them all with her. Not knowing what my limits are physically and mentally will soon become a reality in the upcoming weeks. I’m enjoying the exercise and freedom it’s given me to eat whatever I want but I really could do without the running portion. To date the longest distance I’ve put in with her is 12 miles and I totally didn’t think I could do it. I was also recently matched with a match in the “I Run 4 Michael” group and it’s made the longer distances physically and mentally rewarding. I share my miles and workouts with my buddy Alex and he’s there to give me that extra push every time I feel I can’t continue.

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I’ve also had to cut back on the gym activity as my right shoulder has been really irritated and I’m not quite sure why. While I wasn’t doing extremely heavy weights, I do have that competitive nature within where I’m always trying to one up myself. Over the last month I’ve tried to nurse it but with no luck so I’m off to see the doctor to get it all checked out. The thoughts of downtime and missing out on the gym are why I’ve been a tad bit stubborn and kept from going. Several people remind me on a daily basis I need to go so I’ve set an appointment with my regular orthopedist but I hope I can get in to see the sports medicine doctor that I really want to see.

 

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What’s the most extreme run you’ve ever done or trained for? Are you as stubborn as I am when it comes to injuries and going to the doctor?

Back at the gym weeks # 4 and 5

Weeks # 4 and 5 had to be the most challenging for me as we were in the middle of a major project at work which required over time and worked some weird hours. This has taken away from my blog time as well as some other projects that I’ve started and will become reality soon. Taking into consideration all these factors, I was able to successfully maintain my gym routine and still manage to keep within the same weight.

 

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Week # 4 included my workout rituals but threw a curve ball at me diet wise. Instead of packing my lunch and snacks we’d generally go out for lunch which was a major test and I failed. My diet consisted of everything I shouldn’t have had and the scale reflected that. Week # 4 brought me a 3lb gain and it wasn’t from the working out. My eating out contributed to that and I totally take responsibility for that. The stress and weird hours affected me mentally and I immediately turned to my comfort food as we all do in times of stress. While the workouts were as strong as they ever have been I found my moments of weakness with my sweets ultimately won and I was left to face the consequences of my actions.

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Week #5 turned out to be an awesome week as my workouts continued to be just as strong as the previous week and it was showing in my gains. I was able to make considerable gains on the amount of weight I was doing and the fatigue from those increased weights were not apparent. This did leave me wondering if I had sold myself short when I initially setup my workout. Another surprise week #5 brought me was a present which I received when I went to that evil scale. Thru gaining control of my diet and a little bit of sweat in the gym I was able to counteract my damaging actions of the previous week within .4lbs which I’ll gladly take any day. This made me smile and was reminder of how we as individuals control our destiny and are ultimately responsible for our progress. Yes it’s easy to blame many other things but I’ve come to realize it doesn’t do any good so take ownership of those moments of weakness and learn from them.

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Running continues to be part of my workouts and I’m running 6 days a week. The days I workout I’ll start with a moderate run on the treadmill which is the equivalent of a ½ mile at a fairly aggressive pace. My days outside the gym include running with the wife 3 days a week. Our runs during the week are generally around 3.2 miles and we’re usually out around 5:30am to beat that Florida heat. Sunday’s are the longer ones which we generally run a minimum of 4 miles (it all depends on her training schedule as she’s training for her first full marathon in November). Her training will allow me to push myself to the limit and test just how far I can take my running and survive. One thing I do want to mention and this should be everyone’s focus whether running, biking, paintball or any other activities is HYDRATION. Please remember to hydrate and I’m not talking about grabbing a water to take with you as you head out the door. In order to truly hydrate I generally start at least 24 hours before, but then again I’m drinking more water these days and less soda.

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What’s been your worst week ever? How did you recover from falling off the wagon?

These past few weeks

 

So as many have noticed I’ve been MIA over the past few weeks on the blog front as I’ve been trying to balance life and all the day-to-day drama that seems to come with it these days. I’ve recently looked in the mirror and have decided I don’t like what I see and I’m the only one that can change that. Since my last post I’ve started to get back into a workout regimen which includes running 3 days a week to help improve my overall health and physique. I’ll be updating my journey thru my blog so stay tuned and you can join me on my journey to a happier/healthier me. Many have asked where I’ve been hiding over the past month so I thought I’d address that. Works been super crazy and we have major projects in the works which is going to tie up most of my free time over the next few months, but I’m trying to create my habits now so when the time comes I’ll be used to it and won’t fall off track.

Fitness:

While I’ve been saying for a while now, I’m going back to the gym. I’ve finally been able to motivate myself and got back in there. I’ve been fighting it for a while and have no one to blame but myself and I’ve finally accepted responsibility and taken on the task at hand. Anyone who knows me will agree that I never do anything half-assed, I’m either 100% committed or I just don’t bother. This holds true with every aspect of my life from my blog, fitness or even pursuing my goal of playing a single season of tournament ball. My biggest problem with the gym was timing and I could never seem to find the time so I’ve decided to start my day a tad bit earlier and going at 4am. I‘ve had people tell me I’m nuts for going that early but you have to go when it fits into your schedule and that’s what seems to work for me. I will tell you day one was a bitch as I fought with every ounce of my being, but once I walked through those doors I realized I had missed the gym and it felt right being there. Another piece of the puzzle was my workout as I’ve always been very “structured” in the past when it came to working out. I can’t just walk into the gym and say “Oh I’m doing legs today” and go from there so I had to write out my daily workouts before I went as well. I broke my workouts into 5 days and could have very easily done 3 but I chose to spend more time devoted to working out and my overall performance in the gym.

Along with working out I’ve committed to running 3 days a week with the wife. Anybody who knows her will tell you she loves to run and that I really need to as part of my conditioning. The 3 days a week I’m running I’ve committed to running a 5k (3.11 miles) or better in preparation for my challenge race in 2015. I’ve done 5k’s, 8k’s and 10k’s but I’ve signed up for the Best Damn Race Challenge in 2015 which is a 10k race and once I complete that I’ll line back up and run a 5k. I know it sounds crazy, but I know I can do it. Sometimes I just let the lazy come out and it consumes me to the point where I give in and let it win.

 

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Paintball:

There hasn’t been much to really report on this front these days as I’ve been too busy to go play (as sad as that sounds). I finally did get a chance to go back out a few weeks ago to knock off some of the rust from not being out for a bit. Some of the guys from the old team were there and it made for a fun time with them and all the others who came out and enjoyed the nice weather. I’m not going to lie, I seemed to slide right back into my groove after a few games and it felt great being out there. Even though we’re going into the hotter months I’m planning on going out more (I just have to remember to properly hydrate and monitor myself on those days). My future plans are to travel to more local fields to find others who share my passion for paintball and grow my contacts. I’m also planning several trips to a few different fields for larger games which I’ve missed in the years past. I’m looking forward to going to LCP in Georgia and meeting up with some of the people I chat with but haven’t got to put a face with the name yet as well as Wayne’s World.

 

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Food:

While the wife is doing Weight Watchers and that translates into healthy eating for me, I still have my sweet tooth and addiction to sweets to try and conquer. I’m trying to curb those urges but it’s hard as I tend to gravitate towards the sweets when I’m stressed which has been a lot lately but I’m getting better. My sweet tooth still exists but I’m learning to control it but sometimes it still wins. The next few weeks of working out and watching the foods I eat will tell the true story. My true tests will be the day to day temptations that come to me… whether it be someone bringing in free food at work or the thought of ice cold $1 beers at a baseball game I just need to remember I’m accountable for my own actions and I can only blame myself if I overindulge.

 

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What have you been up to the past few weeks? What do you turn to when you’re stressed or having a bad day?

Gearing up for fitness

With summer around the corner I spent the weekend gearing up for fitness and got a few new toys. This year I’ve slacked majorly in the fitness department but I’ve decided it’s time for some changes and started making them this past weekend. Over time these changes will stand to only help improve my overall endurance and abilities on and off the paintball field.

Running hasn’t always been my favorite thing in the world but it’s good for me so I’m going to start doing more in the running front. I’ll admit I don’t get the same runner’s high that my wife does but it feels good to get out there plus I get to spend time with her (as long as I can keep up with her that is). I’ve also taken the plunge and signed up for something running related that I feel is a great concept and will keep me sufficiently motivated as well. I’ll follow up with another post sometime soon as I get more info to share.

First on the agenda was to hit up Feet First in St Petersburg, Florida for a new watch. I’ve been here before to purchase my wife’s watch and found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. Many of you know I used to have a Nike watch but decided to go for an upgrade from my first watch and go with a Garmin. I went with the Garmin Forerunner 220 as the wife just recently got one and has loved it. When it comes to technology she can be kind of picky so I know if it got her seal of approval then I’ll be happy.

 

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Next on the agenda were some new shoes which I desperately needed. While I still have my running shoes I was in need of some every day shoes so I went with something that I could use for cross-training without killing my feet and breaking the bank. I decided to give Under Armor a shot to see if they can stand up to my day to day needs as well as my gym training with a bit of treadmill time thrown in for good measure.

 

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Diet and exercise have always been hit or miss for me forever so I’m taking the approach of starting to eat healthier as well. The wife is always pushing me in that direction but my sweet tooth always has other plans for me when it comes to something that will quench that desire for sweets. With these few changes I should be able to start taking a chunk out of that nasty old scale and see results both physically and mentally.

 

What changes have you made to improve life mentally and physically? What things have you used to motivate you in the past?

Better late than never

 

Better late than never has been my philosophy as This Crazy Life of Mine has kicked into full affect. Corporate projects, budgets, new hires and drama seem to have taken control of my life and it’s been a downward spiral ever since. I’ve grabbed firmly on the controls and started to pull myself out of this downward spiral and take back control of my life. With most of my projects winding down I can now start to concentrate on the things I love to do and work on the items that seem to cause drama as of late. The major toll this has had on me personally would have to be fitness, having zero desire to workout, run or even walk, which will surely affect me on the scale this week. That and the fact that my water intake is down and my soda and sweets intake are on the rise will definitely be a factor.

With my one major project coming to an end soon I’ll be able to work semi normal hours and hopefully decompress. It’s always fun to work on projects that seem to have little direction and constantly changing on the fly because of this. Also being into budget season for 2014 makes it that much more interesting. Trying to figure out your 2014 is always fun….. especially when your still in 2013.

Fitness will be the next item to take control of again and it should prove to be interesting. I’m hoping to get in a run when I get home and maybe even sit down to finish that workout routine that’s collecting dust on my desk at home. It needs to be finished and implemented but it’s hard when you get home and you’re physically and mentally drained. I do think the most interesting thing will be when I finally decide to go play paintball again. It’s now been over two months since I’ve played and about four weeks since I’ve even held or worked on one of my paintball guns. Paintball was an avid part of my life and I was consistently going every two weeks but I’ve had to stop as it was taking a toll on me mentally and has really had me questioning if and when I’ll return. One thing for sure is no matter what I’ll always be a Paintballer4life, but it doesn’t mean it will consume all of my life. Paintball is my passion, my release and a sport I’ve grown to love in the years of playing, but comes with its baggage just as any other things in life we love.

What’s caused your life to go into a downward spiral? At what point did you grab the controls and pull out of that nose dive before crashing?

Move that Scale

Since the beginning of the year I’ve always been in some sort of weight loss challenge which is always a great motivator, I mean who doesn’t like a little friendly challenge amongst friends. While the competitive side always wants to win, my reality is I’ve already won because I’ve committed to the challenge. Well that’s partially true as I’ve been half-assing it lately and the scale has been my reminder. While I’ve got my desired weight loss goal set in stone I’m failing miserably as I watch the scale. Telling many in the past to not pay attention to the scale and watch for the visual changes, I feel as if those are slowing down considerably as well. Even with taking lunch, healthy snacks and my daily runs with the wife it’s becoming harder and harder so this is my official wake up call to myself. No longer will I procrastinate on running or even trying to finish my workout routine, which is my way of procrastinating on working out. I will also not be a slave to my sweet tooth and give into my desire to indulge. This will prove to be my ultimate test as my job is going to prove to be my biggest challenger due to the fact that on any given day you’ll find sweets flowing pretty much everywhere and we have our own soda fountain which is like 100ft from my office (my biggest weakness). With committing to working out and continuing my healthy meals, but watching the sweets I’ll move the scale in the right direction. This week was great for me as I managed to lose 2 pounds, which was great as the scale had been stuck at the same weight for about 3 weeks.

What motivates you to lose weight? How do you keep from falling off the wagon?

The Weighting Game

 

A few months ago the wife and I joined up with a bunch of others for friendly little weight loss challenge. The thought of competition seems to light a fire under me, well at least most of the time. This time seems to be a bit different for me as I’m struggling a bit more than usual. Where I’m normally motivated by the smell of victory, I can’t help but think to myself “why bother”? While my numbers have been smaller I’ve started to notice changes physically and others have noticed as well. See I’m usually a numbers person when it comes to weight loss and I tend to obsess over them and are usually my downfall. Reaching the halfway point I’ve found myself giving into temptation with the stressful week I’ve had. It’s no secret that my weaknesses are chocolate and peanut butter, which around this year turn into Reese’s peanut butter eggs. The other day while dealing with a ton of stress I found myself at the store and purchasing those evil little eggs (which to make matters worse they were BOGO). Here it is the end of the week and I’m set to weigh in but those two bags of eggs are nowhere to be found. Yes I ate them both and feel guilty as hell, but at the time it felt oh so good. My downfall when it comes to fitness is my sweet tooth and that’s usually what gets me into trouble. Coming home early Thursday and going for a nice walk was a nice surprise and my attempt at trying to keep from falling back into the egg trap. While I do still feel the urge to have one, I currently only have one (singular) in the house and that’ll be my reward for walk I did tonight. I’ve made a pact with myself to try and prevent that from happening again and only time will tell if I’m successful or not.

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What motivates you during weight loss challenges? Have you ever “Given in” to temptation and fallen off the wagon?

Breaking up is hard to do

Well after much deliberation and thought I’ve decided to call it quits. I’ve thought long and hard about it and there’s just no way around it. This weekend is officially the last weekend Starbucks and I will be together. I’ll make it a weekend treat from time to time, but the day of my regular visits are a thing of the past. It’s not the money, well maybe a little but more so what it doesn’t do for me. Weight loss and Starbucks go together like McDonalds and a Body Builder. So this weekend as I sit and relax while enjoying every last drink, I’ll also be thinking of how much money I’ll be saving and how much better I’ll be treating my body. A long conversation with someone who I feel has become a close friend after all the stories and laughs we’ve shared told me I need to find a way to curve the sweet tooth and kick my workout in the ass. So as of now it’ll just be a weekend treat.

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What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to say goodbye to? Has it managed to make it way back into your life?

Back to the Basics: Week # 6 wrap up

Week #6 proved to be a tough one as I was off on vacation all week and chose to relax for a few days. This brought a few challenges but I feel as if I made it through.

Gym:

With being on vacation I found it too easy to take time off from working out. I slept in and this threw my workouts off. I did find myself doing a lot of walking though as I went to PSP World Cup 2012 for several days. One thing I wished I had was a pedometer to calculate exactly how much walking I did.

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Diet:

The diet was definitely tough as I found myself almost caving to temptation several times. The wife and I went to Walmart last week and I found myself throwing junk food in the cart and it did manage to make its way home. While relaxing on vacation I found myself gradually working my way towards the junk food and I admit I did cave in.

Results:

While this week was weird and filled with not much of anything exercise- wise, I still managed to lose. Given my weakness and temptations I threw at myself I consider myself very lucky to have gotten the results this week. With that being said I’d like to report that I managed to lose 1 lb this week. It doesn’t seem like a lot but it is a loss after all so I’ll take it.

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What’s your worst week been? How did you recover from it?

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