I have decided lately that i was getting just a bit too big and jiggly around the middle,...and arm... and legs... well, you get the flabby picture...

so I have taken it upon myself to begin eating better and doing more exercise... And I thought that it might be easier to see how I'm doing with my "fitness 2009 quest" if i document everything i do.

I started my "regime" [i use this term lightly] last week with a few jogs around where i live, but i think i need to get a little more disciplined, and i'm aiming to go running at least 3 times a week.

Just a note: I don't like gyms.. not because you have to exercise but why pay for something most people can do free, there is a whole world out there waiting to be ran on, or cycled on.. OK ill stop now before i rant on about something totally off topic :s.

Thus far I have:

Friday 27th Feb; Walked 80 min (to and from uni)
Cycled for 40 min (to and from work) - (i don't think I'm going to count running around like a headless chicken whilst at work, or traipsing up and down countless stairs while at uni as I've been doing that for years -- to many years.. )

Sat 28th Feb; cycled for 40 min (to and from work)

Monday 2nd March; Walked 40 min (to uni - i was bad, i got the bus back :()
Jogged for 30 min

Tuesday 3rd March; Walked 80 min (to and from uni)
Jogged for 30 min

Wednesday 3rd March; Walked 80 min (to and from uni)
Jogged for 30 min

I'm hoping to do this every week.. I'm gonna also throw in some sit ups and some weights for good measure... wonder how long I'm going to keep it up tho! as a student, we tend to be good at putting things off, and finding other more "important" suff to do.. like this blog for example! if i could be this good with writing up my thesis I'd have been long done by now!! :)

Toodles... :D

I start my weight loss tonight. I will go for a run, and then do 50 sit ups. I havent really run for a while, so i don't know how far to run, and how long for. I will probably run for 45 minutes - 1 hour, then followed by sit ups. I really want to reduce my curves, and drop a jean size, and also tone up my tummy, to get the flat stomach im aiming for! any suggestions?

My weight training session was a success, I know this because my muscles were agony over the weekend. Triceps were especially bad, I actually found it hard to sit up.

I have been drinking plenty of the muscle building whey protein shakes, and I do feel that these have actually helped with the recovery. However, I have managed to catch another cold now, which although is not that bad, it has caused me terrible back/neck pain. Basically I was sneezing my head off on Sunday morning which resulted in me pulling something in my upper spine. Maybe connected with long hours slumped over a keyboard, either way, my neck hurts now.

I was planning to do my next weight training session this evening, I just hope that everything is working by then.

I am starting a blog here on motleyhealth.com in order to track the progress of my workout and weight loss efforts. I have the following goals:

1. Aerobic exercise 4-6 times per week
2. Yoga or Callanetics 3 times per week
3. Restrict carb intake
4. Take vitamins regularly
5. Get more and better sleep
6. Restrict alcohol intake
7. Eat more vegetables, preferably organic

I think that holding myself accountable by keeping a blog will motivate me to achieve my goals.

I started working out regularly as follows. My plan was a bit upended by the return of a sinus infection and the addition of bronchitis on Feb 20.

Feb 15 - 15 miles on bicycle with 39 pound child on back for 8 miles
Feb 16 - 10 miles on bicycle with 39 pound child on back for 10 miles
Feb 17 - rested
Feb 18 - jogged 6.4 miles - hilly route
Feb 19 - jogged 6.4 miles - hilly route
Feb 20 - rested - sinus infection came back!! Day 1 of Levaquin
Feb 21 - jogged 6.4 miles - hilly route - Day 2 of Levaquin
Feb 22 - rested - Day 3 of Levaquin
Feb 23 - rested - Day 4 of Levaquin
Feb 24 - jogged 8.6 miles - hilly route - Day 5 of Levaquin
Feb 25 - rested - Day 6 of Levaquin
Feb 26 - walked 6.4 miles - hilly route - Day 7 of Levaquin
Feb 27 - rested - Day 8 of Levaquin
Feb 28 - rested - Day 9 of Levaquin
Mar 1 - rested - Day 10 of Levaquin

This evening I tested out the CardioTrainer on my new Google phone. It worked a treat. My journey home was a damp one today - it rained all the way. My coat turned out to be only semi-waterproof. The hood, shoulder and back remained dry, but my arms go soaked. Also the front pockets were not waterproof. To protect my G1 I put it in an inside pocket, but the GPS still worked.

I did not really know what to expect from the CardioTrainer, and was surprised when I heard a voice tell me that I had been walking for one minute. All the way home a little man inside the G1 Android phone was updating me on my progress, which was very reassuring as I did not think that the GPS would function with the phone in an inside pocket, under half an inch of fleece lining. But it did. Here are the results of my first outing using my Google phone, GPS and CardioTrainer all together:

Once I got home I logged on to CardioTrainer.com (after undressing and drying off) and was pleased to see that my data was already uploaded to the site.

On reading up on the application, I can change most settings. So now I will only be verbally updated on progress every 5 minutes. Now that I know exactly how far and for how long I have walked, I can start to challenge myself.

Well, I at least managed to eat a healthy salad for lunch today, however I fear that I spoiled things by having a caramel slice with my coffee in Nero afterwards. For breakfast I had a sausage sandwich, whiich although is not healthy, was at least fewer calories than a full English.

I will be walking home tonight. I was hoping to give CardioTrainer a test, but fear that my battery will not last the whole day. Need to rethink how I use my Google phone as it is very energy hungry.

It may be too early to say, but I think that this really is going to prove to be a successful new start. Salad, walking home, fewer calories - all positive moves in the right direction.

OK, as far as my fitness training and weight loss is concerned, things have not been going so well since Christmas. I used Christmas as an excuse to take a break for a while, which resulted in gaining a few pounds. In the new year I picked up some colds and flu, which meant no exercise and lots of comfort eating, The result is that my weight has crept up to 93kg again, which is a gain of almost 10kg since my. 2008 low. Not good.

So, what has G1 got to do with it? Well, on Friday I treated myself to a new phone, the Google Android G1. It is pretty flash and has several applications to help lose weight and get fit. I have installed CardioTrainer which uses the GPS to track running/walking. Plan to make the most of that from now on. OK, arriving at Liverpool Street station, time for work.

Been a funny day. Had a first chat with career advisor that has come to my company, to help in the "transition" from being happily employed to unemployed. He seems geniune enough, and hopefully will be able to help me cope with this transition.
 
Got home from work eary as my wife picked me up from the railway station. Saved me a walk home. I am supposed to be walking home to help me stay in shape, but the paths are treacherous.
 
I was so tired when I got in, that after bathing my son, I got in to bed. That was probably about 8pm. I slept until 11.30pm, and was actually woken by the joke that I told myself in my dream. I do not do jokes. But yet I made one up in a dream, and told my dreamland colleagues, and they laughed. So maybe it is funny. Maybe not. The joke:
 
The US government has decided to slacken street advertising rules, now allowing anyone to advertise anywhere for free. Bill Posters has been informed that he will not be prosecuted after all, and the trial has been cancelled.
 
See, it is awful. I did warn you, that I do not do jokes. And this was a dream joke, so probably worse than if I conciously decided to write one. I wonder if professional comedians write jokes while asleep. Seems an easy job if they do!
 
OK, so now. I have been faffing on the computer since I woke up. I think that I have a virus, as least some odd requests from ZoneAlarm that resulted in my PC rebooting. Never a good sign. Attempted to investigate and got nowhere. Thinking of reinstalling the operating system, but this seems like a real chore. Maybe all is ok. Backed up data anyway, just incase.
 

Well, my whole health and fitness lifestyle has taken a major nosedive. I let myself go over Christmas, with the idea that I would start the new year afresh and get back into my diet and exercise regime. However, last Saturday I started to feel a bit poorly, and by Sunday I was in a right state. Been off all week. Aching legs, aching back, swollen neck, sore throat, thumping headaches, extreme tiredness, coughing up lumps of bloody green phlegm, and generally feeling pretty down.

Last Sunday I slept from 9pm through to 2.30pm on Monday. I have been sleeping a lot all week, mostly have afternoon sleeps. Today I slept from about 11am through to 4.30pm, and had the worse headache when I woke up. Took 2 paracetamol and 2 ibuprofen, and still the headache did not clear. Tomorrow will be a full week.

The last time I had flu was in 1995, and I remember being off work for a few days and generally feeling run down, but now I feel like the whole world is about to end.

Anyway, some good news. I recently built a new website for my kung-fu instructor (5-elements.co.uk and in return I will be getting lessons. So the credit crunch has failed to stop me training in kung-fu!

Bad news - my company announced a few weeks ago that I will be getting made redundant this year. No idea when, could be in 3 months, or could be in 11 months. But it will happen, as my job is moving to Scotland.

Wife and son are well, so that is good. Just me that is a wreck at the moment.

OK, so how am I doing? Once again I have hit some stumbling blocks. I managed to catch another bad cold, and that stopped me doing my new circuit training. I also spent a long weekend stuffing my face with chicken soup and chocolate to make myself better. The chocolate was purely to aid mental recovery!

I am still walking home from the railway station everyday as part of my Credit Crunch Fitness Plan. Total savings are about £200 each month (no bus, no morning coffee, cheaper breakfast, cheaper lunches, no kung-fu, less petrol). All adds up.

But there is good news! Yesterday I hopped on the scales after my wife decided to weigh herself, and I was surprised - actually shocked - to see that I had lost more weight. Not sure what the cause is though. I weighed myself again today, to make sure that last night was not just a freaky glitch, and I still weigh 95.2kg.

I think that the reason maybe a combination of diet and walking. As said, I am still walking about 45 minutes everyday working day. But also, I am on a wheat free diet. I spoke to a doc the other week, and he thinks that I have a wheat intolerance, so advised me to give up wheat to SIX MONTHS!!! I happen to think that that is a bit excessive. This means no bread, no pizza, no doughnuts, no cakes, no biscuits. Practically nothing. So my new daily eating regime is more or less:

Breakfast - porridge with raisins and honey / maple syrup
Lunch - jacket potato with some sort of chicken/meat stew on top
Supper - soup
Snacks - lots of chocolate "energy bars".