Good Things Come to Those Who Weigh

381!

Did you ever hear anyone brag, “Hey, check me out. I’m down to 381 lbs!"?

Well get a load of me, baby.

A part of me is tempted to say, “Yeah, well you should never have gotten so fat in the first place.”

And to that little poisoned voice, all I can say is--

Get a load of me, baby. 381. (insert happy butt wiggling dance here)

What’s that you say? Can I keep it off?

Don’t care. Tonight I don’t care a lick.

I have lost 24 lbs in just under five weeks. I did it by saying my prayers, asking for help when I needed it, working hard and eating clean.

Do I still have a long way to go? Oh yeah, you know it. But don’t you just love passing that first mile marker on a long trip? Tonight, mine said - “176 lbs to home.”

And right now, 176 feels an awful lot less than 200 did.

Have a beer for me, my skinny young friends. I’m feasting on Crystal light and chicken salad.

And I’m a tenth of the way home.

Peace,
Pennsy

The Fat Man Rides Again!!

Saturday I got really depressed about not being able to work out. My beloved Mrs P held my hand, wiped my face, and then took me out to the Indian buffet. Nothing lifts a mopey boy's spirits like a good woman's love and all the curry he can eat.

I slept my blues away and on Sunday made my first trip to the gym since the big slip. My toe hurt to bend, but had stopped throbbing. I didn't want to put any stress on it, so I didn't lift weights. That left walking, but I could not imagine the cardio benefit of limping on a treadmill. The elliptical machine remained a mystery to my feet, so I decided to try the recumbent bike.

I figured out how to move the seat and checked out the console. All the trails and mountains and whatnot made no sense to me. How can you talk about miles on a bike that stands still? I finally settled on a program called "cardio" and put Meat Loaf on my headphones. Before I knew it, I was pedaling like a bat out of, well, you know. I spun the pedals for an hour while the console coached "Keep Pedaling!-----Need Heart Rate!---Grab Handles!----Who's Your Daddy?" It was a little weird.

The program adjusts resistance to keep your heart rate at the training level you set, so it has to monitor your pulse constantly. I was surprised at what a good workout it turned out to be. I was not surprised that I could barely move when I was done. I stretched, finished my water, and made my way to the locker room. When I took of my sock, I was shocked. My toe looked like a plum. The bruise went from the joint almost up to the nail and more than three-quarters of the way around my toe. Forgive me, but I've decided to spare you photos.

Monday the bruise had faded, but was still pretty ugly. I made it through the work day without it feeling any worse, and by evening, the bruise was a much less angry color. I went to bed early and decided to try once again to wake up and go to the gym early Tuesday morning.

For some reason, the alarm woke me. Usually I just give it a well intentioned wack on the snooze button, then go back to sleep. Instead I tip-toed out of the bed and made my way to the car. There were a LOT of people at the gym at 6:00! I changed and found an empty bike. This time I had a chance to look around a little. There were not many familiar faces, but plenty of very determined ones. I am continually amazed and inspired by the way the people around me work. I got a chance to really watch some people on elliptical machines and started to make sense of what their legs were doing. Of course, you don't really want to spend too much time watching people at the gym. You start to feel like a stalker.

Work was just painful. The toe was ok, but the legs were screaming. Turns out I still haven't reached that magic place where a workout gives you more energy. The funny thing was, by mid afternoon, I was really jonesing to get back. I went right after work, and lifted weights for the first time in a week. I stepped down the reps and stepped up the weights on all the machines. I also tried the elliptical for a cool-down. It went pretty well, and I felt like I really started getting the hang of it.

This morning I did not go to the gym early, but I felt GREAT all day. Maybe that energy boost is on a delay? After work, I did an hour on the elliptical. I used the "Cardio" program and yes, it was a real workout. On both the bike and the elliptical I could feel different muscles working - especially after I was done.

Right now, I should be in bed, but I'm so happy to be back to work. I just wanted to let you know.

The heart, the mind, and the toe are all bruised but unbroken -- and the healing goes on.

Peace,
Pennsy

Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!

OK, my biggest concern with working out is that I will injure myself and

1. Be unable to exercise, or
2. Get frustrated and give up.

Well, Mrs P and I are both hurt, but it has nothing to do with the gym.

The Bluegrass is experiencing a fearful kind of winter weather today - ice with no snow. it has been raining since yesterday afternoon with the temperature hovering around freezing. The good new is that it may be slowing down. The bad new is that walking around is downright perilous. We have both fallen on the ice while trying to get Molly outside. Mrs P whacked her arm and has a nasty raspberry on her hand. I sprained, but am pretty sure I did not break my big toe. Not that we could get to the gym anyway - but it looks like I'm going to be relegated to the weight room and she may be stuck on the exercise bike (her preferred cardio workout.)

On the other hand, I'm giving credit for our relatively minor injuries to the stretching and strengthening we've been doing. It could have been a lot worse.

God bless the folks who have to be outside today. Roads are pretty clear, but everything between the road and the building is a slippery dance.

We're getting ready to limp out the the car and go to work. Everybody be careful out there!

Peace,
Pennsy

Fat Old Man Finds Hope Sweating with Young Hotties

One of the ways I keep my mind sharp is to read blogs. I found this encouraging word on That's Fit:

In a German study of over 300 people, those who began exercising in their forties were half as likely to develop heart disease as people who never exercised. Interestingly enough, that risk reduction is nearly the same as that realized by people who have been sweating their butts off in the gym since they were in their teens and early twenties. So, you see, it is possible to play catch-up with your health.

One of my irrational fears is a fatalistic sense that I am going to die young like most of the men in my family. When my Dad passed, I started a morbid countdown. By my old reckoning I have 11 years to live.

I find two words of comfort in the Rothenbacher study.

First, I have a chance to change my destiny by living differently than my ancestors. I can move more, eat less, and ingest fewer poisons than they did.

Second, I can stop feeling bad about waiting so long to start. Turns out exercising before you are 40 is a waste of time!

Think I'll go lift weighs and quietly pity the beautiful young people who could be home watching TV and eating ice cream for the next twenty years.

Of course after that, they'll have to really bear down.

Peace,
Pennsy

====

The photo of Pennsy's next health club is from the UK website Church Urban Fund.

That's UK the country, not the basketball team who are having a decidedly up and down year.

Oooooooooh, huh - I feel good!

I feel so good about today that I want to knock out a post before resuming the rest of my life.

Five miles today - 4.5 miles at 4 mph and .5 miles running at 5 mph. I ran a tenth of a mile during each mile. I started at .75 miles, ran a tenth, then walked until I felt good and my heart rate recovered back to 146-8. The last run was at 4.5 miles.

I followed with a long stretch and a Healthy Choice lemon chicken dinner.

Mrs P and I are going out to supper later. We are talking about Donatos. I don’t want to jinx my weigh in tomorrow, but I am feeling very confident right now.

Besides, I have not really had the urge to binge for a while. I don’t think I’ll be eating three quarters of a large pizza tonight. We’ll get at least two meals out of the pie.

I’m liking life right now.

Peace,
b

DANGER: Fat Man Talking (but you didn't hear it from me)

I really like research. When I was an actor, I would pour over stories, biographies, works of art, histories, anything to learn more about the character and the world where he/she lived.

When Molly came to live with us, while Mrs P was carefully combing out the mats in her coat and bonding with her, I was reading books about Golden Retrievers. So naturally, now that I am interested in losing weight and getting fitter, I am all over the internet learning about nutrition, routines, equipment, machines, books, dvds, balls, mats, weights, pedometers and heart monitors.

The other night at the gym I saw a commercial where Lance Armstrong was running on a treadmill carrying dumbells. "Hmm," I thought, "should I try that?" So I did some googling. Here are the top six hits for a Google search using "Walking with weights".

Do it.
Maybe do it
Carefully do it
Never do it.
Do it, it's great!
Don't do it, it's bad!

Heavy hands, dumbells, wrist weights, weighted vests, slow walking, fast walking, longer walks, morning walks --- it doesn't matter what I look for, I find at least four convincing sounding theories about everything related to fitness. And don't even try to get a definitive answer about diet and nutrition. The experts all sound like they know what they are talking about and they rarely say the same thing about anything.

This morning I was reading about joint damage caused by the same weights that another site says helped a man to lose hundreds of pounds. I started to worry. What if someone should stumble onto my blog and think I actually know what I'm talking about? That would so suck for them!

So I've added a disclaimer to the top of the page. I don't know jack, Jim. I know what hurts, and I don't do that. I know who I trust, and I try their suggestions unless they hurt. That's all I know about fitness.

I have only ever recieved one brilliant piece of advice in my life, and I try to apply it to everything I do, including workouts and internet research:

Say your prayers and do the next right thing.

I try to keep my heart pure and my judgment clear - then I do what seems best. If you're looking for fitness advice, then take that.

But if anyone asks, you didn't hear it from me.

Peace,
Pennsy

Thrown Out Into the Cold

I haven’t gone back to check, but apparently, I usually stay home on Fridays.

That must be why I didn’t know that the gym closes at 8:00, an hour earlier than during the week.

I finished my weights, changed into my walking togs, and started the treadmill before I looked up and realized I was the only one in the place. I checked the lettering on the front door and saw the hours. I’ve been walking through that door for a month and never noticed.

So I had a good resistance workout, but no cardio. I was pretty bummed about that. Maybe this weekend I can put in some extra miles.

I stayed with the lighter weight tonight and added two reps. I did three sets of 17 of each exercise. They were all hard to finish, but the killer was the leg curls. I had to rest a couple of times during the last set. But I didn’t give up.

To be honest, I’m a little surprised myself.

Peace,
Pennsy

Jogged!

Oh Yeah! Today I jogged! I picked up my great big feet and jogged. 4 tenths of a mile.

Not in a row.

I walked 2.5 miles. Four times I ran the speed up to 5 from 4.2 and actually picked up my feet. I won’t call it running, but it was definitely jogging.

My recovery time was pretty good, but my knees reminded me that I’m still too heavy to run very far. It felt great. I haven’t run for a lot of years.

I’ll continue trying to mix in the intervals when I walk. tomorrow weights. Tonight, a short post, cause I’m going to spend some time gazing at my Valentine.

Peace and tonight of all nights, Love,
Pennsy

All About the Cardio

Today was the first time I used the workout Jordan suggested - lower weights, higher reps, shorter breaks -- for the next two weeks, I’m all about the cardio.

I went through my sets as fast as I could do them without short changing my form. Getting hurt is the last thing I want right now.

The weights went fine. I was concerned that the lighter weight wouldn’t give me the same workoiut, but by the 40th rep, I was feeling it, especially on the chest press and the triceps pull-downs.

Two miles on the treadmill felt like, well, like two miles. The resistance workout had my heart rate up in the 140's when I hit the treadmill. My walking seems to be pretty consistently taking it to 156. I was not exhausted when my miles were finished, but I was ready to stop. I was a little shaky after I finished the programmed cool down, so I put in another couple of minutes till my head and heart stabilized.

After a nice long stretch, I soaked in the shower, then dressed. All in all, it was a pretty routine workout. Which is cool. Because three weeks ago, I could not have done any of it.

Peace,
Pennsy

=====
I found the creepy heart graphic here.

Four Hundred Pounds of Muscle

Swapping fat for muscle? Am I destined to become 400 pounds of rippling man meat? (see nearby illustration. Pennsy will have more hair.)

I am still pissed about my weight, so I walked three miles after my resistance training today. I could have done four, but my shoelace came untied - which I didn’t realize - and I developed a hot spot on the ball of my right foot. I decided to stop before it turned to a blister.

I spoke with Trainer Jordan about the weight. I was a little surprised that he did not offer the same easy answers that others had. He asked about my diet, which was my first question as well. I’ve been eating pretty well. Yesterday I had Fruit, Yoghurt, and Granola for Breakfast. Lunch and twp snacks were SlimFast. I also ate some Peanuts at lunch.

He assured me that I’m doing the right work and looking slimmer. Most people do plateau on their initial rate of weight loss, but not this early. His suggestion is to increase reps and lower the weight a little. That way I can turn my weight training into a cardio workout as well. That sounds like good advice.

Speaking of cardio, my resting heart rate has come down 9 BPM from 87 to 79. I’ll take the progress where I can find it. I also noticed that I’m two notches tighter on my belt than I was at Christmas. Are Mom and Mrs P right? Am I just swapping fat for muscle? Will I eventually turn into a pink version of the Incredible Hulk?

For the answers to these and other questions, tune in tomorrow for our next thrilling episode.

Peace,
Pennsy

That There Should Be No Divisions

Part of the epistle reading for today from the Daily Office:

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose.
(I Corinthians 1:4-10)

Paul was writing about factions in the church at Corinth, but he could just as easily been writing about himself, or about me, for that matter.

Paul knew what it was like to be enriched by God - blessed with spiritual gifts. Only a man of faithful righteousness, blessed with gifts of leadership and administration would have been entrusted with the mission that sent Paul to Damascus. When Jesus confronted him on the road, Paul must have felt like he had been split in two. His encounter with the risen Christ challenged everything he believed to be true about God. It took years for him to restore the unity of his own spiritual mind and purpose.

Paul's experience is not unlike my own. I often find myself divided - of two minds. On the one hand / on the other hand. It is important to consider carefully, I believe that is the reason God gives us choices and the free intellect and will to make them. And having considered, it is also important to choose. God does not desire that we should live life divided, but rather that we seek unity within ourselves, among our neighbors, and with our Creator.

Paul's preamble to the great letter to the Church at Corinth has at last brought me to the focus of my Lenten devotion: Stewardship.

I have been blessed with many gifts from God. I have a mind. I have a home. I have a body, a family, clothes to wear, animals to care for. My employer has entrusted me with responsibilities that affect many of the people with whom I work. I have a community and relationships that offer me opportunities to grow and to love.

I am a steward of all of these things, and I confess that my stewardship has been lacking. I have chosen to neglect those things of which I ought to be mindful. I have been faithful to my favorite television programs, and left the the gifts God has given me uncared for.

My Lenten discipline will be to seek out and nourish the gifts I have been entrusted with. I will continue the work of restoring my body. I will reach out to the people I love whose lives I have ignored. I will restore order to my property and my house to make them a testimony to my gratitude and a sanctuary of peace for the people God sends to visit here.

And I will seek guidance and insight as I pursue this discipline in the Holy Scriptures, the word of God.

I'm not sure if that constitutes giving anything up for Lent. Maybe I'm s giving up my unconsidered life. My lent will be a time of stewardship - of caring for and intentionally restoring unity.

Here on Pennsyltuckian I will hold myself accountable to you and to God. And we will walk the road toward Easter together.

Peace,
Pennsy

Pennsy Meets a Great Big Man

I have always been a big man. When I meet a man bigger than me, it freaks me out a little. I learned a lesson about that today.

I was still bummed about the weight. Four miles on the treadmill did not change it. Once again, a stranger came to my rescue. This time it was one of the giants from the land of free-weights. If someone told me he was an NFL lineman, I would not be surprised. I’m not sure, but I saw him on the bench press lifting something close to my weight last week. I give these guys a respectfully wide berth. They are serious about their work at the gym.

In the locker room I was changing pretty quickly, partly because Mrs P was waiting, and partly because I was soaked and it was really cold in the locker room. (It’s a pretty cold day in the Bluegrass but no snow in sight - rain in the forecast for Tuesday.)

So my giant neighbor came in and said “Tough to get warm today.” I agreed. Four miles on the treadmill, and my arms were still chilly.

“How long have you been coming?” he asked.

“I’m one of the New Year’s resolution crowd. I started on the 19th.”

“How much weight have you lost?”

I told him my ridiculous story. 13 lbs, then 3, then none. I said I was a little discouraged.

He told me not to be. The big early loss is mostly water, he said. After that, you start building muscle, which burns fat. As you become stronger, you will replace one with the other, and the weight will start to come down.

“You aren’t losing weight, but you are losing inches. Your clothes fit differently, right? A lot of people get discouraged and quit right now. You’re doing great.”

“OK, I’ll stick with it, I joked, but If I haven’t seen any change in two years, I’m out of here.”

“Two years?” he laughed. “You should take a picture of yourself now. If you work the way you are for two years, you won’t even look like the same person.”

We finished dressing and I shouldered up my bag to go.

“Thanks, man. I appreciate the encouragement.”

“Enjoy your time off. You’ll be back at it tomorow.”

It takes so little to build a person up. I’m really grateful for this man and his kindness to me. I may never have his biceps, but I hope someday I can have something like his sincere, generous heart.

Four miles today. Average speed, 4 mph, average incline, .5.

Peace,
Pennsy

The Steel Curtain photo is from the web site of a child of the Three Rivers who sells real estate in Las Vegas. I don't know anything else about her, but were I shopping for property in CSI territory, that picture would make me call her.

Weight! Weight? Wait...

Man, but I hate this machine.

This was a long strength day. I wanted to see if I could match the weight I had lifted on Thursday when I wasn’t mad at anything. Turns out that I could. I switched to shorter sets, 12 reps instead of 15, and diid three reps on each machine.

I almost made it.

The weights were going well, gradually kicking my butt, the way they ought to. I started to feel unusually fatigued which I chalked up to the extra sets and the high weight. Before the last machine, cable curls and triceps pulldowns, I hsd to stop and take a break. I got through them, but it was a struggle. Then I got to the last exercise, shoulder presses and ball squats. I alternate sets on these two exercises since they are completely different muscle systems and I can keep my cardio up by shortening breaks between sets. My arms were wasted, and the rest of me was not far behind. I completed two sets of each, then I just had to put my toys away.

I could barely walk through my cool-down. Mrs P helped me to stretch out after and that felt good. My legs are really tight from years of sitting.

I’m not sure why this day took such a toll on me. Mrs P suggested that it may have been the fact that I skipped my my daily medications in the morning. She may be right. Every little thing seems to affect my performance, and skipping my meds is no little thing.

The weigh in was both discouraging and mystifying. My weight has not changed a notch since last week! WTF? I was/am pretty disappointed. I don’t understand. I expected to hit a plateau, but not this soon.

I’ll ask Jordan about it next time I see him.

It’s a drag to be working so hard and left waiting for the pounds to fall. Maybe I should do more cardio and less resistance training? Research will just confuse me. I’ll ask the trainer.

Peace,
b

Blowing Off Steam

(Careful, tonight's movie is really loud...)



I went to the gym MAD today. I used to drive home after “one of those days” and think, “this would be a great day to just go to a gym and blow off steam.”

Turns out I was right.

Mrs P had had a helluva day and called to say she was going out with a friend after work. I was kind of relieved because when she has a hard day and I have a hard day we tend to collide like planets.

Going to the gym is better. Iron doesn’t mind if you take out your rage on it. So I did.

I hit the inclined press first. First I did a set at the weight I’d failed to complete on Tuesday on the chest press, then added another ten and knocked out two more sets.

I went through my whole circuit that way. One set at my previous personal best, then two sets ten pounds heavier. I was huffing and puffing and banging plates and grunting and by the time I made it to the shower, my emotions had cooled down and I was ready to talk with my wife about our days.

Which we did.

Without hurt feelings.

Which was nice.

I’m still not lifting the kind of pounds you can brag about, but I keep adding to them. As I get lighter, my workouts can get heavier.

I just have a little of my Maker’s Mark and spring water to finish and then off to bed.

It’s good to be Pennsy today.

Peace,
P

A Holy Lent

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.
(Book of Common Prayer, Liturgy for Ash Wednesday)

My dear friend Deb, who is a Jew once observed, "I never know what to say to someone on Ash Wednesday. 'Happy Lent' just seems wrong." Many Christians find the season just as baffling.

The forty day fast first appears very early in the Biblical narrative, in the story of Noah.

Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.
(Genesis 7:4)

Moses was on Sinai for forty days. Goliath's torment of Israel. Goliath tormented Israel forty days. Elijah's journey to Horeb, and Jonah's prophecy to Nineveh both took forty days. So Jesus had plenty of precedent when he went into the wilderness to do battle with the devil.

Our Lenten journey commemorates Jesus time in the wilderness, but liturgically, it also calls us to remember the long road to Jerusalem, Golgatha, and the empty tomb of Easter morning. The Lenten prayer commands us to turn our hearts toward three things, Repentance, Fasting, and God's holy word.

To repent means to change direction. We confess that the direction we are headed is not where we want to go, and we turn and to walk another way.

To fast is to say "no" to our own desires - to deny ourselves that which stands between us and God.

To read and meditate on God's holy word is a double discipline. First we take the time to open the Bible and stick our noses inside. Then we take the time to digest the words God gives us.

So giving up beer and chocolate for a few weeks really doesn't cut it.

A friend of mine has pointed out that the Lenten discipline is nothing more than the rule of life for a Christian. Ideally, we would spend every day of our lives in repentance, self-denial, and meditation of the word, but there are no ideal Christians. So we have this special season designed to remind us who we ought to be and how we ought to live. Each of us is on the road to Calvary and the empty tomb. In making a Holy Lent, we remember that every step of the journey is important. We are not only walking toward celophane grass and colored eggs - we are walking beside Jesus who choses to accompany us on our trip from life to death and resurrection.

Pennsy therefore invites you, beloved reader, to a Holy Lent. May you consider your life's direction, turn from the false idol of self-gratification, and seek your God and yourself in the Holy scriptures.

Don't be afraid. We will walk the road together.

And Jesus will walk with us both.

Peace,
Pennsy

Fat Tuesday

But no pancakes for Pennsy this year.

Lent has been on my mind a lot this week. I can not believe it is here already. I’ll write about it over on Pennsyltuckian. Don’t get creeped out, but Lent is my favorite season of the church year. I’ll talk about that more tomorrow.

Tonight felt really good, in spite of a couple setbacks.

Mostly it was trouble with the Chest Press. The machine looks a little like this photo, only Pennsy is taller. I find this really difficult, even with light weight. This machine kicked my butt tonight. I couldn’t finish my first set of 15 - only got to 10. I lowered the weight and tried another set, but by then, my muscles were so fried I could only do two sets of 5.

Maybe on Thursday I’ll start out at the lower weight, huh?

On the other hand, I added a set of the very funny ball squats. I figure since my weight is going down, I’ll have to do more reps to keep up the intensity.

I kept moving through the weights, and my cardio was in the mid 130’s by the time I hit the treadmill.

Only walked one mile, but at 4.2 MPH and a 2º incline.

One way or another, I have to keep increasing the intensity on the cardio. I can’t walk much faster than 4.5 without breaking into a trot, and I’m going to be more Draft Horse than Trotter for some time to come. Tomorrow is a long cardio day. I think I’ll set an easy pace and try to put in four miles at that same incline. It felt pretty comfortable tonight.

I felt some twinges tonight. A little lower back, a little knee, all the old favorites. I went into the group room and had a nice long stretch which helped. Hot showers and baby aspirins --I won’t be giving up either of those for Lent.

Peace,
Pennsy

Four miles and a weigh in.

This was a long walk day. Four miles on the treadmill. My heart rate reached 155 and stayed there. The feet felt great. New socks may have been the best investment I’ve made since I started. No more tube socks for me.

I was a little disappointed by my weigh-in. 390 lbs. Only lost three pounds since last week.

Funny, but my first thought is always to doubt the scale. That’s one I definitely need to get over. Missing a workout with a cold this week didn’t help. I also could have eater better. I may have to start logging meals too, but I really don’t care to bore myself or anyone else with diet minutiae.

The small change in my weight was discouraging (especially after a four mile walk). Then I thought, "This is just an obstacle." It’s resistance. I want to run five miles, but for now, I walk four. I want to lose 200 lbs., but for now, I’m down 15. I'll work through out the same way I worked up to 4.5 mph on the treadmill -- one step at a time.

I am working hard to get where I’m going. I won’t get there in a hurry, but I’ll by-God get there.

Groundhog Day

It's official, Punxsutawny Phil and I both saw our shadows - keep those spring clothes in the closet for another six weeks. Looks like it's a beautiful Saturday all over Pennsyltucky.

I came home from work yesterday and made the mistake of sitting down. I fell fast asleep in my chair till it was too late to go to the gym. I might try to go back to walk a little more today.

I really need to work on getting proper sleep. I have always been a night owl. I spent most of my life working in the theatre, and that’s just the schedule you get used to. It’s easy for me to get involved in something and stay up until 2 or 3 o’clock. What I’m discovering in the gym is that while I can function on a few hours sleep, it does affect my performance there. I have to believe it also slows me down at work and in the rest of my life.

I’ll try to make a point of getting to bed by 10:00 this week.

I’m gradually adding weight to my resistance workouts. I am having some soreness in my triceps, usually two days after. My research says that’s pretty normal when you’re starting out. Until it goes away, I’ll just lower the weight on sore days, or else I could just work legs, then do arms the next night. I'm also thinking about using some gloves. I am a big sweater and my grip isn't always as sure as I'd like, especially on pulling exercises.

The treadmill felt good. I could have gone a lot farther, but Mrs P had a lunch scheduled with some colleagues and we had to get home. I didn’t get a chance to weigh in this morning, the office was occupied. If I do my late walk, I'll get in then.


Peace,
Pennsy