Today's weigh-in once again showed no forward progress. I'm holding steady at 207lbs, which is frustrating but not surprising. I've really been watching the caloric intake side of things, but I haven't been as successful as I would like with keeping up my exercise schedule. By walking to and from work, I'm getting an hour of walking nearly every day, but what I really need to do is get down to the gym and/or squash court on a regular basis. If I can get into this schedule, then I should really start to see some consistent progress.
For those of you who haven't filed yet, next Wednesday is the deadline for filing your 2007 taxes if you owe. This time last year, I was forking over $1,500 from my line of credit to the CRA, and panicking about how I would ever pay it off. This year, I was able to put $500 of my tax refund toward debt reduction, above and beyond my regular bi-weekly payments.
Guess which one of those scenarios made me a happier camper?
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Return of the weekly Wednesday weigh-in
It's been over a month since I last checked in on my weekly weight loss progress. Having taken my eye off the ball for so long, I had expected a significant backslide, but it turns out that, during the month of March, I managed to lose 7 pounds, dropping from 214lbs to 207lbs. With my starting weight of 212lbs, this took me 20% of the way to my year-end goal of 187lbs.
I weighed in this morning, still at 207lbs. That means no progress from last week, which isn't really surprising. I've been laid up with a sore back for the last few days, so I haven't been able to do much in the way of cardio. However, I have been responsible about my eating habits, and I think this is the main reason I've held steady. I'm hoping that my back feels better soon, so that I can get back to my running. I've just bought a new pair of shoes (paid for by the ol' Freedom Account) to replace my two-year-old Sauconys, and I'm excited to try out their fresh new cushioning. Other than my one slip last Friday morning, I've kept up the foot commute every day this month.
I'll need to pick up the pace to make my goal of losing 4 pounds in April, to finish the month at 203 or lower.
I weighed in this morning, still at 207lbs. That means no progress from last week, which isn't really surprising. I've been laid up with a sore back for the last few days, so I haven't been able to do much in the way of cardio. However, I have been responsible about my eating habits, and I think this is the main reason I've held steady. I'm hoping that my back feels better soon, so that I can get back to my running. I've just bought a new pair of shoes (paid for by the ol' Freedom Account) to replace my two-year-old Sauconys, and I'm excited to try out their fresh new cushioning. Other than my one slip last Friday morning, I've kept up the foot commute every day this month.
I'll need to pick up the pace to make my goal of losing 4 pounds in April, to finish the month at 203 or lower.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Weekly Wednesday weigh-in: Flu edition
Hi, all.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Since last Thursday afternoon, I've been down with the flu, lying pretty much comatose under a pile of blankets and nursing a fever of 38-39°C (100-102°F). I've barely been able to feed myself, let alone compose a coherent blog post. For those of you asking how that's different from any other week, I say "way to kick a guy when he's down."
At any rate, I'm back at work today, and have just finished wading through a sea of unread e-mail and composing my to-do list for the foreseeable future. Funny how some time away from the office can help to crystallize what you actually need to get done.
One of the "benefits" of spending several days in a sneezing, coughing, fevered haze is the loss of appetite. My reduced caloric intake nicely complemented my lack of activity, keeping my weight steady at 214lbs. Granted, this still means no forward progress, but at least I didn't backslide.
At this point, I think the message on the fitness front is clear: this isn't going to happen unconsciously. I need to make some serious commitments to stay active and eat well if I want to make a dent in this goal.
Let's make March a month of changes.
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Since last Thursday afternoon, I've been down with the flu, lying pretty much comatose under a pile of blankets and nursing a fever of 38-39°C (100-102°F). I've barely been able to feed myself, let alone compose a coherent blog post. For those of you asking how that's different from any other week, I say "way to kick a guy when he's down."
At any rate, I'm back at work today, and have just finished wading through a sea of unread e-mail and composing my to-do list for the foreseeable future. Funny how some time away from the office can help to crystallize what you actually need to get done.
One of the "benefits" of spending several days in a sneezing, coughing, fevered haze is the loss of appetite. My reduced caloric intake nicely complemented my lack of activity, keeping my weight steady at 214lbs. Granted, this still means no forward progress, but at least I didn't backslide.
At this point, I think the message on the fitness front is clear: this isn't going to happen unconsciously. I need to make some serious commitments to stay active and eat well if I want to make a dent in this goal.
Let's make March a month of changes.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Wednesday weigh-in
Sorry for the lack of posts in the past few days. Ms. Loonie and I spent the better part of the weekend driving around visiting friends, and my return to work was a bit hectic, so I haven't had much of a chance to compose my thoughts.
One thing that came out of missing my Tuesday weight update, though, is that it now falls on a Wednesday (barely), making it my Wednesday weekly weigh-in. Alliteration is good, as far as I'm concerned, so let's make that the new standard.
As much as I may be excited about the new name of my fitness status report, I'm not so thrilled about the actual results I have to give. I've actually gained two pounds in the past week, for a total of 214. I know exactly why this is; my exercise outside of my daily commute consisted of a single squash game, and the past week has been a ridiculous feast of rich foods. This is largely due to the parties we attended this weekend, but some better planning certainly would have helped. My wallet has also felt the pinch in the last couple of weeks, and I'll have more on that with my payday update.
At any rate, my weight loss progress bar will remain at 0% until I actually break the 212 mark. Until then, perhaps I should rename the blog Loonies And Excuses? :p
One thing that came out of missing my Tuesday weight update, though, is that it now falls on a Wednesday (barely), making it my Wednesday weekly weigh-in. Alliteration is good, as far as I'm concerned, so let's make that the new standard.
As much as I may be excited about the new name of my fitness status report, I'm not so thrilled about the actual results I have to give. I've actually gained two pounds in the past week, for a total of 214. I know exactly why this is; my exercise outside of my daily commute consisted of a single squash game, and the past week has been a ridiculous feast of rich foods. This is largely due to the parties we attended this weekend, but some better planning certainly would have helped. My wallet has also felt the pinch in the last couple of weeks, and I'll have more on that with my payday update.
At any rate, my weight loss progress bar will remain at 0% until I actually break the 212 mark. Until then, perhaps I should rename the blog Loonies And Excuses? :p
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Weekly weigh-in
Last Tuesday I took my inaugural weight measurement in preparation for the 25 pounds I plan to lose this year. I came in at 212lbs, as indicated in the progress bar in the right-hand column. The goal is to drop to 187lbs by December 31, which will bring my BMI down to a healthy 24.7.
In order to keep on top of my weight loss, I'll be posting my progress every Tuesday. This will be based on a Tuesday morning measurement using our bathroom scale, taken before breakfast.
To kick things off, this morning's reading showed no progress from last week. This doesn't surprise me, as we had a bit of an indulgent weekend on the food side. I've been keeping up my streak of walking to and from work every day (30 minutes each way), and I played squash three times last week, but I'll need to add a little more strenuous activity to my routine to get the ball rolling.
In order to keep on top of my weight loss, I'll be posting my progress every Tuesday. This will be based on a Tuesday morning measurement using our bathroom scale, taken before breakfast.
To kick things off, this morning's reading showed no progress from last week. This doesn't surprise me, as we had a bit of an indulgent weekend on the food side. I've been keeping up my streak of walking to and from work every day (30 minutes each way), and I played squash three times last week, but I'll need to add a little more strenuous activity to my routine to get the ball rolling.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Weighing in
One of my goals for 2008 is to lose 25 pounds. I put this out there as what I thought would be a realistic, yet significant, level of weight loss for the year. Since setting that goal, I've been doing some thinking about exactly how to go about this.
Obviously, the first step in achieving (and tracking) my weight loss is to determine where I'm starting from. So, this morning, I approached my old nemesis, the bathroom scale. I know these aren't exactly known for their accuracy, but as long as I use the same scale to track myself over time, I should at least know I'm going in the right direction.
The result: 212lbs. At a height of 6'1", this gives me a BMI of 28.0, which puts me in the "overweight" camp. So, based on my 25-pound goal for the year, I'm shooting for 187lbs by December 31, which will give me a BMI of 24.7, putting me smack in the "normal weight" range.
25 pounds was just a good-sounding number I kind of pulled out of the air, but it turns out it's actually a great goal.
Who knew?
Obviously, the first step in achieving (and tracking) my weight loss is to determine where I'm starting from. So, this morning, I approached my old nemesis, the bathroom scale. I know these aren't exactly known for their accuracy, but as long as I use the same scale to track myself over time, I should at least know I'm going in the right direction.
The result: 212lbs. At a height of 6'1", this gives me a BMI of 28.0, which puts me in the "overweight" camp. So, based on my 25-pound goal for the year, I'm shooting for 187lbs by December 31, which will give me a BMI of 24.7, putting me smack in the "normal weight" range.
25 pounds was just a good-sounding number I kind of pulled out of the air, but it turns out it's actually a great goal.
Who knew?
Monday, February 4, 2008
Fitness on the brain
JD at Get Rich Slowly has a great post on the shady marketing practices of athletic clubs. This post resonated with me, as Ms. Loonie and I recently checked out a local gym based on a promotional flyer we had received. The flyer basically claimed to offer "$15 per month" to the first 50 new customers, but when we went over the details after taking a tour of the club (which was, admittedly, a very nice facility), we found out that only the $15 applies only to the first two months, after which you are subject to their regular rates. The cheapest option was for us to use the corporate discounts available to our respective employers, and even that would come out to more than $50 per month per person.
Needless to say, we left without signing anything. There just isn't $100 extra in the budget at this point, especially when we already have some basic fitness facilities available to us through our condo.
We've since looked at the flyer that initially piqued our curiosity, and there is some minuscule type that lays out the "first two months" terms, but the advertising still seems quite disingenuous.
We were probably hopelessly naïve to expect a gym membership for $15 per month, but those were the only terms under which we were ready to commit to an ongoing membership. At the very least, we want to make sure that we're able to commit to using our current facilities before making a significant financial commitment.
Needless to say, we left without signing anything. There just isn't $100 extra in the budget at this point, especially when we already have some basic fitness facilities available to us through our condo.
We've since looked at the flyer that initially piqued our curiosity, and there is some minuscule type that lays out the "first two months" terms, but the advertising still seems quite disingenuous.
We were probably hopelessly naïve to expect a gym membership for $15 per month, but those were the only terms under which we were ready to commit to an ongoing membership. At the very least, we want to make sure that we're able to commit to using our current facilities before making a significant financial commitment.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Working toward an active 2008
One of my goals for 2008 is to lose 25 pounds. I'm carrying around more weight than I should, and as I move into my mid thirties, taking care of my health will become more and more important. I'm currently trying to put together a plan that will help me meet (and hopefully exceed) my 25-pound goal this year.
Ms. Loonie and I live in a condo that has access to a small gym. The gym has a few cardio machines, a universal-type weight station (for leg curls/extensions, butterflies, rowing, bench/seated press and leg lifts), a cable-crossover machine, free-weights, and a number of stability balls. That's not a bad setup for "free" (obviously we're paying for this indirectly through our maintenance fees), and it's an easy option for me to take advantage of. The key is to make myself use it: I need to make an appointment with myself to get down to the gym at a particular time of day several times a week. I'll have to figure out whether this is a morning time, or an evening time.
Between the gym and our squash court, I certainly have the means to get myself in better shape; it's just a matter of discipline. Over the past several months, I've really improved my financial discipline, and now it's time to do the same with my fitness.
Let's see how I do.
Ms. Loonie and I live in a condo that has access to a small gym. The gym has a few cardio machines, a universal-type weight station (for leg curls/extensions, butterflies, rowing, bench/seated press and leg lifts), a cable-crossover machine, free-weights, and a number of stability balls. That's not a bad setup for "free" (obviously we're paying for this indirectly through our maintenance fees), and it's an easy option for me to take advantage of. The key is to make myself use it: I need to make an appointment with myself to get down to the gym at a particular time of day several times a week. I'll have to figure out whether this is a morning time, or an evening time.
Between the gym and our squash court, I certainly have the means to get myself in better shape; it's just a matter of discipline. Over the past several months, I've really improved my financial discipline, and now it's time to do the same with my fitness.
Let's see how I do.
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