A few years ago I started up another blog which was intended to help motivate myself to exercise, eat better and get in better shape. I intended to put stuff out on the internet for everyone to see to make it feel more permanent in an attempt to hold myself accountable for my choices and decisions. However, I was faced with the struggle of wanting to keep my private information and thoughts, well... private.
In the end, I doubt anyone looked at the blog. It was too targeted to my personal workout progress, which was minimal in scope and frequency and posts were few and far between and lacking in content. I stopped being interested in walking the fine line between private and public. I stopped exercising again out of boredom and excuse making and ended up deleting the blog and selectively rolling a few of the posts into my main blog, the one you're reading right now.
Flash forward to the summer of 2014. I had another wave of motivation and started up another version of my old workout blog. It was (again) going to be a place for me to share my struggles and triumphs mostly about eating, exercise and possibly other things related to my challenges with motivation. In what's now feeling like a pattern, I allowed my lack of motivation for personal projects get in the way of doing anything with the blog and decided to pull the plug on that one, also. Today, I moved a few posts from July of 2014 to this site and deleted it.
These are the posts that will now live here:
Showing posts with label sports-exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports-exercise. Show all posts
Friday, January 2, 2015
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Mountain Biking
In an attempt to get myself back in shape and exercising again, I picked up a new mountain bike late this spring. As I've written about here before sometimes I need a little kick to get myself interested and motivated in exercising and the last time I tried to get back into cycling I refurbished my mid-90's mountain bike into an orange cycle-path cruiser and, still, I just couldn't get back into it.
So this spring I decided it was time for a new mountain bike. First, though, I have to have a little nostalgic flashback: Bikes have changed a lot since I was really into them in the mid to late 90's! Back then 26" was the only wheel/tire size for mountain bikes but now there's 29" and 27.5" (650b) and 26" wheels have fallen out of favor except for downhill and all-mountain bikes. Not to mention that there used to be "mountain bikes" that people rode both up and down hills but now the "mountain bike" classification has been split up into more specialized categories. I've seen bikes classifed as recreational/sport, cross country [XC], freeride, all-mountain, enduro, gravity/downhill, dirt jump... and I'm sure there are others that I've missed. Also, in the olden days, there were a decent amount of quality steel frame bikes available. Now, if you can find them (not counting the hi-tensile department store "steel"), they're mostly custom built high-end (expensive) creations. I remember liking the ride of a good steel frame and thinking aluminum alloy frames (which were on the more high-end of the specrum) rode more harshly. Now alloy frames are the most common with quite a few carbon fiber frames available in the high-end and expensive range. A new (okay) entry level suspension fork could be had for less than $100... Now the (okay) entry-level forks are closer to $200-300 and they're heavier than the ones I remember. I also don't remember tires costing $50-100 each.
So, back to my story. I'd always wanted a full suspension mountain bike... and I happened to find one on eBay at a very reasonable price this spring at the same time I had my tax refund money burning a hole in my pocket. I could do something responsible like put the money in the bank or towards some debt... but I'm a good consumer and I'd rather have a new bike.
I wasn't sure whether to try out a 29'er or wait for 650b bikes to become more common in the local shops. (I haven't actually seen one in a shop or been able to ride one yet.) But I happened to come across a new (overstock) 2012 Marin East Peak 5.5 in matte black with white and green accents on eBay.
It is a 16.5" (small) frame with 26" wheels (which I'm comfortable with, especially with me being 5'8" tall and it being a 120mm travel full-suspension bike), an entry-level RockShox suspension fork and mostly decent entry-level Shimano Alivio 3x9 componentry.
[05/19/2026: Removed broken links to PricePoint, Bike Nashbar, Marin.]
So this spring I decided it was time for a new mountain bike. First, though, I have to have a little nostalgic flashback: Bikes have changed a lot since I was really into them in the mid to late 90's! Back then 26" was the only wheel/tire size for mountain bikes but now there's 29" and 27.5" (650b) and 26" wheels have fallen out of favor except for downhill and all-mountain bikes. Not to mention that there used to be "mountain bikes" that people rode both up and down hills but now the "mountain bike" classification has been split up into more specialized categories. I've seen bikes classifed as recreational/sport, cross country [XC], freeride, all-mountain, enduro, gravity/downhill, dirt jump... and I'm sure there are others that I've missed. Also, in the olden days, there were a decent amount of quality steel frame bikes available. Now, if you can find them (not counting the hi-tensile department store "steel"), they're mostly custom built high-end (expensive) creations. I remember liking the ride of a good steel frame and thinking aluminum alloy frames (which were on the more high-end of the specrum) rode more harshly. Now alloy frames are the most common with quite a few carbon fiber frames available in the high-end and expensive range. A new (okay) entry level suspension fork could be had for less than $100... Now the (okay) entry-level forks are closer to $200-300 and they're heavier than the ones I remember. I also don't remember tires costing $50-100 each.
So, back to my story. I'd always wanted a full suspension mountain bike... and I happened to find one on eBay at a very reasonable price this spring at the same time I had my tax refund money burning a hole in my pocket. I could do something responsible like put the money in the bank or towards some debt... but I'm a good consumer and I'd rather have a new bike.
I wasn't sure whether to try out a 29'er or wait for 650b bikes to become more common in the local shops. (I haven't actually seen one in a shop or been able to ride one yet.) But I happened to come across a new (overstock) 2012 Marin East Peak 5.5 in matte black with white and green accents on eBay.
 |
| Assembled 2012 Marin East Peak 5.5 (All original parts except pedals.) |
I then went to town on PricePoint, Bike Nashbar and eBay finding mostly Shimano XT components (hydraulic disc brakes, derailleurs, cassette, hubs [with Mavic rims]), XTR shifters, Ergon grips and a Fox Float 32 RL fork at really good prices. The only stuff really left to do is to continue to ride and get used to the bike and customize my fit (handlebars, stem, seatpost and saddle) and then shorten the brake lines once I get everything dialed in. I've been off-road a few times on it and it's been great so far both up hill and down. To get some miles in on the bike and get stuff dialed in, I've actually been doing some bike-path cruising on it and with the fork locked out and the rear shock pumped up, it's been okay for that, too!
Now I'm planning on putting a bunch of the take-off parts (brakes, derailleurs, shifters, cassette) plus some of my other accumulated bike stuff on eBay. (I've already sold the fork on craigslist which helped to fund one of the awesome Shimano XT brake lever/calipers.) I'll probably end up reinvesting any "profit" from those parts back into the bike and accessories. I still want a hydration pack and a repair stand. One thing that hasn't changed about cycling is there's always something new to buy. Maybe if I stick with it I'll build up a carbon 650b hardtail next...
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| With some of the upgrades... |
[05/19/2026: Removed broken links to PricePoint, Bike Nashbar, Marin.]
Monday, October 26, 2009
Running
Last week I decided that it's time to start working out and getting myself back into shape again. So, I'm doing what I usually do when I'm trying to get myself going on something. I'm having a bit of a "spending spree" to get all of the required gear.
Last year (about this time) I completely refurbished my bike in an effort to build interest in riding it again and by the time I finished the bike the wintry weather was right around the corner and while the refurbished bike was a huge improvement over it's previous build, it still wasn't comfortable to ride at my current weight.
This year I'm trying to get into running again. So last week I went out a couple times for walk/jog/run laps around our apartment complex. However, I realized that my old New Balance running shoes aren't super comfortable. Plus, I don't have hardly any workout clothes.
So, I picked up a couple pairs of shorts last week and I just bought a pair of Saucony running shoes on Amazon. Now I'm on the hunt for some cooler weather running clothes for the next month or so before the winter weather hits and I'm on the treadmill until spring.
I'm hoping to get in shape over the winter and into the spring and then get back on my bike next spring and summer. As much as it sucked to admit this to myself, I really am horribly out of shape and it's time to correct that. ;)
So far, I've (re-)cut soda and energy drinks out of my diet and started drinking more water. I started taking a daily multivitamin and eating salad a couple days a week for lunch instead of one of the work cafeteria specials. I'm trying to also watch my portion sizes and eating a little more slowly so that I give myself a chance to feel full before I stuff more food down my throat... on top of that stuff I've done a little bit more physical activity.
In about a week I've managed to drop about 4-5 pounds and I feel excited to get out of work, lace up my running shoes and do a few laps. I hope that I can keep my motivation up and continue to make progress. My short term goal is to be under 200 lbs by Christmas and ultimately to get to about 160-175 lbs. It's attainable, I just can't lose focus like I did a couple years ago when I started off strong, did well and then just stopped all of my healthy behaviors and went right back to where I was.
Last year (about this time) I completely refurbished my bike in an effort to build interest in riding it again and by the time I finished the bike the wintry weather was right around the corner and while the refurbished bike was a huge improvement over it's previous build, it still wasn't comfortable to ride at my current weight.
This year I'm trying to get into running again. So last week I went out a couple times for walk/jog/run laps around our apartment complex. However, I realized that my old New Balance running shoes aren't super comfortable. Plus, I don't have hardly any workout clothes.
So, I picked up a couple pairs of shorts last week and I just bought a pair of Saucony running shoes on Amazon. Now I'm on the hunt for some cooler weather running clothes for the next month or so before the winter weather hits and I'm on the treadmill until spring.
I'm hoping to get in shape over the winter and into the spring and then get back on my bike next spring and summer. As much as it sucked to admit this to myself, I really am horribly out of shape and it's time to correct that. ;)
So far, I've (re-)cut soda and energy drinks out of my diet and started drinking more water. I started taking a daily multivitamin and eating salad a couple days a week for lunch instead of one of the work cafeteria specials. I'm trying to also watch my portion sizes and eating a little more slowly so that I give myself a chance to feel full before I stuff more food down my throat... on top of that stuff I've done a little bit more physical activity.
In about a week I've managed to drop about 4-5 pounds and I feel excited to get out of work, lace up my running shoes and do a few laps. I hope that I can keep my motivation up and continue to make progress. My short term goal is to be under 200 lbs by Christmas and ultimately to get to about 160-175 lbs. It's attainable, I just can't lose focus like I did a couple years ago when I started off strong, did well and then just stopped all of my healthy behaviors and went right back to where I was.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Wii Fit
I ordered a Wii Fit directly from Amazon.com (not through one of the overpriced Marketplace sellers) on Monday afternoon at 3PM EST as soon as they sent me a text message stating that they were back in stock. (It's amazing to me that many retailers STILL can't keep the Wii console or many of the more popular games and accessories for it in stock.)
Anyway, I was shocked when it was on the UPS truck ready to be delivered yesterday morning, less than 24 hours after I ordered it, even using their FREE shipping option! I'm amazed at how fast Amazon can get stuff to me most of the time. However, this isn't really a "praise Amazon" post, it's about our new Wii Fit. ;)
This saga all started when my coworker's wife purchased a Wii Fit for them around Christmas-time. Since they started using it, my coworker and I have talked about it on quite a few occasions. I was intrigued by the fact that it sounded like a fun way to work at least a little bit of physical activity into my normally sedentary life. However, I was VERY skeptical that it would be something that I would use on a regular basis. I tend to be a fairly lazy person lately when it comes to working out. Plus I have found that (for the most part) I haven't really gotten into most of the games that we have for the Wii so far and I tend to not like the Wii's controllers on many of the games I've tried. However, the balance board for the Wii Fit looked interesting. Plus, I decided, that if the Wii Fit "game" itself sucked there are a few other games out there now that use the balance board as a controller which sounds neat. So, as I mentioned earlier, I went ahead and bought it as soon as it came back in stock on Amazon.
I'm glad I did. My girlfriend and I ended up spending about 4 hours yesterday setting up our Mii's, doing our initial weigh-ins, watching the activity demos and each spending about an hour a piece doing actual activities.
If you aren't familiar with Wii Fit, it's basically a workout and balance "game" where you have a virtual "trainer" who guides you through doing activities which are broken up into 4 categories including Aerobics, Balance, Strength Training and Yoga. A few activities in each category are open initially and you unlock different activities and higher levels of repetition the more you do.
I tried a good majority of the things that were initially unlocked. I tried everything from the virtual Hula Hoop and a few yoga poses to running in place and ski jumping. I was VERY surprised at how difficult some of the Yoga poses are. I really suck at most of them except the Warrior. ;) My girlfriend had a few good laughs at my expense while watching me try to do the Tree... or pretty much anything that involved balancing on one leg. Out of all of the activities that I tried, though, I found that while I enjoyed a few activities much more than others that there really wasn't anything that I truly hated doing. It was just fun and I actually felt like I was trying to do better and repeating things just because I knew I could do better. Next thing I know I had about an hour of credited exercise time!!! On top of that, I'm actually looking forward to doing more on it tonight!!!
I'd say that I'm very pleased with the Wii Fit so far, even though it's only been one evening. I hope that it continues to keep my interest.
Anyway, I was shocked when it was on the UPS truck ready to be delivered yesterday morning, less than 24 hours after I ordered it, even using their FREE shipping option! I'm amazed at how fast Amazon can get stuff to me most of the time. However, this isn't really a "praise Amazon" post, it's about our new Wii Fit. ;)
This saga all started when my coworker's wife purchased a Wii Fit for them around Christmas-time. Since they started using it, my coworker and I have talked about it on quite a few occasions. I was intrigued by the fact that it sounded like a fun way to work at least a little bit of physical activity into my normally sedentary life. However, I was VERY skeptical that it would be something that I would use on a regular basis. I tend to be a fairly lazy person lately when it comes to working out. Plus I have found that (for the most part) I haven't really gotten into most of the games that we have for the Wii so far and I tend to not like the Wii's controllers on many of the games I've tried. However, the balance board for the Wii Fit looked interesting. Plus, I decided, that if the Wii Fit "game" itself sucked there are a few other games out there now that use the balance board as a controller which sounds neat. So, as I mentioned earlier, I went ahead and bought it as soon as it came back in stock on Amazon.
I'm glad I did. My girlfriend and I ended up spending about 4 hours yesterday setting up our Mii's, doing our initial weigh-ins, watching the activity demos and each spending about an hour a piece doing actual activities.
If you aren't familiar with Wii Fit, it's basically a workout and balance "game" where you have a virtual "trainer" who guides you through doing activities which are broken up into 4 categories including Aerobics, Balance, Strength Training and Yoga. A few activities in each category are open initially and you unlock different activities and higher levels of repetition the more you do.
I tried a good majority of the things that were initially unlocked. I tried everything from the virtual Hula Hoop and a few yoga poses to running in place and ski jumping. I was VERY surprised at how difficult some of the Yoga poses are. I really suck at most of them except the Warrior. ;) My girlfriend had a few good laughs at my expense while watching me try to do the Tree... or pretty much anything that involved balancing on one leg. Out of all of the activities that I tried, though, I found that while I enjoyed a few activities much more than others that there really wasn't anything that I truly hated doing. It was just fun and I actually felt like I was trying to do better and repeating things just because I knew I could do better. Next thing I know I had about an hour of credited exercise time!!! On top of that, I'm actually looking forward to doing more on it tonight!!!
I'd say that I'm very pleased with the Wii Fit so far, even though it's only been one evening. I hope that it continues to keep my interest.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
(Re-)refurbishing my bicycle
I have been talking about (re-)refurbishing my old mid 1990's Diamondback Ascent mountain bike for quite some time now and I'm actually (finally) getting around to starting it.
Last weekend I hit up a couple local bike shops to look for a comfortable new seat and more road-worthy tires. The plan is to cruise the roads to get back in shape and then convert the bike back into an off-roader or pick up a new mountain bike once I'm back in shape enough to get back off road again.
I ended up picking up some semi-slick 26" x 1.9" tires at Wal-Mart because the one local shop that had the right size wanted $22-something each for their generic, no-brand tires. They were half that at Wal-Mart. I would have rather bought them at a bike shop but I couldn't justify spending double the money for practically the same tire. I also couldn't find a seat that looked comfortable enough that was less than $50 at the local bike shops, either, so I passed on picking up a seat. Last Sunday I was going to tear the whole bike apart and get repainting (orange, of course) but I realized that I didn't have a chain tool. So, I just put the new tires on and swapped out my Manitou suspension fork for the original rigid fork and gave the bike a quick test ride. Much better... but the seat is still a horrible implement of butt torture and the stem and handlebar I put on a couple years ago still makes the steering feel weird and the riding position is too stretched out for me.
So, I went a little crazy last night with buying new parts for my old mountain bike. I happened upon some good deals at JensonUSA and I ordered a Park chain tool, Sportourer Zoo Gel seat, Easton Vice DH stem and handlebars, Avid Single Digit 5 v-brakes, Cane Creek Direct Curve brake levers, brake cables, Shimano STX/Alivio shifters, derailleur cables and a Cane Creek S-1 headset.
The slicks and rigid fork along with the shorter, higher rise (50mm-10 degree) stem, riser bars and gel seat should make the bike more comfortable to get back into riding. The other stuff will upgrade worn out (mostly 10+ year old) parts. The only stock stuff on the bike when I'm done will be the frame, rigid fork, seat post clamp, wheels, freewheel, derailleurs and bottom bracket (which might also be replaced once I get it off and see what shape it's in).
I figure that I'll either attempt to make some of my money back selling some of my replaced parts on craigslist/eBay or put them on one of my other older bikes that I gave to my father when I bought this bike.
I can't wait to start riding again!
Last weekend I hit up a couple local bike shops to look for a comfortable new seat and more road-worthy tires. The plan is to cruise the roads to get back in shape and then convert the bike back into an off-roader or pick up a new mountain bike once I'm back in shape enough to get back off road again.
I ended up picking up some semi-slick 26" x 1.9" tires at Wal-Mart because the one local shop that had the right size wanted $22-something each for their generic, no-brand tires. They were half that at Wal-Mart. I would have rather bought them at a bike shop but I couldn't justify spending double the money for practically the same tire. I also couldn't find a seat that looked comfortable enough that was less than $50 at the local bike shops, either, so I passed on picking up a seat. Last Sunday I was going to tear the whole bike apart and get repainting (orange, of course) but I realized that I didn't have a chain tool. So, I just put the new tires on and swapped out my Manitou suspension fork for the original rigid fork and gave the bike a quick test ride. Much better... but the seat is still a horrible implement of butt torture and the stem and handlebar I put on a couple years ago still makes the steering feel weird and the riding position is too stretched out for me.
So, I went a little crazy last night with buying new parts for my old mountain bike. I happened upon some good deals at JensonUSA and I ordered a Park chain tool, Sportourer Zoo Gel seat, Easton Vice DH stem and handlebars, Avid Single Digit 5 v-brakes, Cane Creek Direct Curve brake levers, brake cables, Shimano STX/Alivio shifters, derailleur cables and a Cane Creek S-1 headset.
The slicks and rigid fork along with the shorter, higher rise (50mm-10 degree) stem, riser bars and gel seat should make the bike more comfortable to get back into riding. The other stuff will upgrade worn out (mostly 10+ year old) parts. The only stock stuff on the bike when I'm done will be the frame, rigid fork, seat post clamp, wheels, freewheel, derailleurs and bottom bracket (which might also be replaced once I get it off and see what shape it's in).
I figure that I'll either attempt to make some of my money back selling some of my replaced parts on craigslist/eBay or put them on one of my other older bikes that I gave to my father when I bought this bike.
I can't wait to start riding again!
Friday, May 2, 2008
No way, Jose...
Not that I generally hold sports stars in very high regard but I'm going to give Jose Canseco the benefit for the doubt for now and say that maybe he misspoke on the TV show Inside Edition when he said: "I do have a judgment on my home and it to me is very strange because it didn't make financial sense for me to keep paying a mortgage on a home that was basically owned by someone else."
I'm going to say he misspoke because I basically translated that statement as: "I don't understand what a mortgage is. There's no way I'm going to continue to pay for my freakin' mansion because paying for something you don't own is stupid even if you will own it someday by continuing to pay for it."
I don't know all of the details and (to be honest) I don't really care enough to find out. The only justification I can see is that his interest rate might have been way out of hand and/or he was paying an interest only mortgage. Paying even an interest only loan on a $2.5M home would suck. I couldn't do it. However, it sounds like he tries to justify letting his home get foreclosed on by saying that it's hard to take care of your family on $17-18M after taxes.
You've got to be kidding me.
I'm going to say he misspoke because I basically translated that statement as: "I don't understand what a mortgage is. There's no way I'm going to continue to pay for my freakin' mansion because paying for something you don't own is stupid even if you will own it someday by continuing to pay for it."
I don't know all of the details and (to be honest) I don't really care enough to find out. The only justification I can see is that his interest rate might have been way out of hand and/or he was paying an interest only mortgage. Paying even an interest only loan on a $2.5M home would suck. I couldn't do it. However, it sounds like he tries to justify letting his home get foreclosed on by saying that it's hard to take care of your family on $17-18M after taxes.
You've got to be kidding me.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
I get in these moods...
I get in these moods where I want to start being better to myself. I don't know what brings them on and I normally don't follow through on my plans for all that long... but I'm thinking I'm in one of these moods again.
These moods usually strike at the most inopportune times:
* I generally feel like I want to go work out (run, ride my bike or *gasp* lift weights) at the beginning of a work day in the middle of the week and by the time I get home I don't feel like doing anything... so I don't do anything.
* I feel like eating more healthy on days when they have the absolute worst (and usually most tasty) foods in the cafeteria for lunch.
* I feel like doing specific things like riding my bike when we're having a blizzard or snowboarding in the middle of July. (Obviously not the most feasible times...)
I did, however, do a few good things:
* I picked a new dentist (well, my girlfriend picked me a new dentist, really...) and had my two cleanings this year. I'm also going for my first ever filling in a couple weeks...
* I went to an optometrist, had my eyes examined and got new glasses to replace the ones I've had for YEARS. I can't remember the last time I had an eye exam before this past time. (I didn't really have a reason not to go since I actually have halfway decent vision insurance... and I found myself squinting with my glasses on while trying to read stuff on the TV...)
Even though I feel like I'm in one of my "moods", I'm not going to set any goals because I know that I SUCK at following through at doing healthy things for myself... but I'm going to try to make a more solid attempt at actually eating a little better and exercising a little more... Yeah, yeah... I've said it before...
I'm still in the process of trying to simplify all of my material possessions, too. Over the past couple months I did manage to sell off a few CD's and misc. items on eBay and craigslist and give away 3 big garbage bags worth of stuff to Salvation Army/Goodwill.
I put up my guitars (that I never play) up for sale on craigslist a couple weeks ago but had no serious interest. I'm thinking I'm going to have to lower the prices more than I really wanted to in order to sell them. I'm not sure about selling them for lower than the latest prices I had them up there for... but on the other hand I NEVER play them... So I guess any money plus some more space in the apartment in exchange for something I NEVER use is probably a decent trade-off...
These moods usually strike at the most inopportune times:
* I generally feel like I want to go work out (run, ride my bike or *gasp* lift weights) at the beginning of a work day in the middle of the week and by the time I get home I don't feel like doing anything... so I don't do anything.
* I feel like eating more healthy on days when they have the absolute worst (and usually most tasty) foods in the cafeteria for lunch.
* I feel like doing specific things like riding my bike when we're having a blizzard or snowboarding in the middle of July. (Obviously not the most feasible times...)
I did, however, do a few good things:
* I picked a new dentist (well, my girlfriend picked me a new dentist, really...) and had my two cleanings this year. I'm also going for my first ever filling in a couple weeks...
* I went to an optometrist, had my eyes examined and got new glasses to replace the ones I've had for YEARS. I can't remember the last time I had an eye exam before this past time. (I didn't really have a reason not to go since I actually have halfway decent vision insurance... and I found myself squinting with my glasses on while trying to read stuff on the TV...)
Even though I feel like I'm in one of my "moods", I'm not going to set any goals because I know that I SUCK at following through at doing healthy things for myself... but I'm going to try to make a more solid attempt at actually eating a little better and exercising a little more... Yeah, yeah... I've said it before...
I'm still in the process of trying to simplify all of my material possessions, too. Over the past couple months I did manage to sell off a few CD's and misc. items on eBay and craigslist and give away 3 big garbage bags worth of stuff to Salvation Army/Goodwill.
I put up my guitars (that I never play) up for sale on craigslist a couple weeks ago but had no serious interest. I'm thinking I'm going to have to lower the prices more than I really wanted to in order to sell them. I'm not sure about selling them for lower than the latest prices I had them up there for... but on the other hand I NEVER play them... So I guess any money plus some more space in the apartment in exchange for something I NEVER use is probably a decent trade-off...
Friday, August 31, 2007
On losing weight... maybe?
I just weighed myself on the scale in the bathroom at work... and either it's REALLY broken or I lost about 15 lbs. in the past few weeks.
Even with my sneakers on plus my iPod & earbuds, phone, keys and wallet in my pockets it said I was at 196 lbs. I haven't been under 200 in awhile on the same scale. The last time I weighed myself on it I was at 213 lbs in dress shoes and my work pants but with all the same things in my pockets... I know my dress shoes and work pants don't weigh 17 lbs more than the jeans and sneakers I'm wearing today... so either the scale is broken (possible) or I lost some weight.
I really haven't been doing that much differently. I've been eating the same types of foods for dinner. I haven't been eating breakfast that often (like usual). I don't snack all that much at work, which hasn't changed. I went for a short walk around my apartment complex with my girlfriend once... (Which is once more than usual, I guess... but not REALLY all that different from normal.)
The only things that I've been doing differently for the past couple/few weeks is avoiding the can of energy drink that I was drinking almost every day of the work week for awhile, drinking more water instead of sweetened soft drinks and bringing my lunches to work most days for the past couple weeks. (Sandwiches, pretzels and bananas instead of whatever the cafeteria had on special with fries.) A couple days where I brought a banana to work I ate that mid-morning so I wasn't as hungry at lunch time.
So, I guess either the scale is broken or those things really are adding up!
The good thing about this is even if I haven't lost 15 lbs. (or anything at all) it's making me want to start being a little better to myself. Not only is it cheaper to bring my lunches to work and skip the $2.15 a day energy drink - if I can lose a few pounds, as well, that's awesome!
Aside from that not too much is going on. I've sold 4 CD's that I had listed on eBay and at this point I've made a few bucks over the cost of listing all 13 items that I put up on Sunday and anything going forward is basically making money. I'm going to attempt to get more stuff up on eBay this weekend.
If the weather is nice I'm also going to wash and wax my car really well since I haven't cleaned it up in awhile and it's pretty filthy.
Aside from that I'm hoping it's a nice quiet, uneventful long weekend. I'm looking forward to three days off from work!
Even with my sneakers on plus my iPod & earbuds, phone, keys and wallet in my pockets it said I was at 196 lbs. I haven't been under 200 in awhile on the same scale. The last time I weighed myself on it I was at 213 lbs in dress shoes and my work pants but with all the same things in my pockets... I know my dress shoes and work pants don't weigh 17 lbs more than the jeans and sneakers I'm wearing today... so either the scale is broken (possible) or I lost some weight.
I really haven't been doing that much differently. I've been eating the same types of foods for dinner. I haven't been eating breakfast that often (like usual). I don't snack all that much at work, which hasn't changed. I went for a short walk around my apartment complex with my girlfriend once... (Which is once more than usual, I guess... but not REALLY all that different from normal.)
The only things that I've been doing differently for the past couple/few weeks is avoiding the can of energy drink that I was drinking almost every day of the work week for awhile, drinking more water instead of sweetened soft drinks and bringing my lunches to work most days for the past couple weeks. (Sandwiches, pretzels and bananas instead of whatever the cafeteria had on special with fries.) A couple days where I brought a banana to work I ate that mid-morning so I wasn't as hungry at lunch time.
So, I guess either the scale is broken or those things really are adding up!
The good thing about this is even if I haven't lost 15 lbs. (or anything at all) it's making me want to start being a little better to myself. Not only is it cheaper to bring my lunches to work and skip the $2.15 a day energy drink - if I can lose a few pounds, as well, that's awesome!
Aside from that not too much is going on. I've sold 4 CD's that I had listed on eBay and at this point I've made a few bucks over the cost of listing all 13 items that I put up on Sunday and anything going forward is basically making money. I'm going to attempt to get more stuff up on eBay this weekend.
If the weather is nice I'm also going to wash and wax my car really well since I haven't cleaned it up in awhile and it's pretty filthy.
Aside from that I'm hoping it's a nice quiet, uneventful long weekend. I'm looking forward to three days off from work!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
I can't wait for the weekend.
Luckily this is a short week at work because I took vacation days on Monday and Tuesday. Sunday and Monday my girlfriend and I went to the NYC area.
On Sunday we left our apartment around 10AM and headed to the New York Botanical Garden until it closed and then took the train from there down to Manhattan and wandered around in the rain. We went to Toy Tokyo and to get Pommes Frites with Pesto Mayo. By the time we were done with all of that it was raining pretty hard and we decided to go back to our hotel. I got myself pretty lost on the way back from the train station in an area I've been to dozens of times and ended up someplace I'd been once before but I couldn't get back to where I wanted to go. I actually had to stop and ask for directions. Luckily the place I stopped gave me SIMPLE directions and I was able to find my way out without any more trouble.
Monday morning it was still pouring so we decided to skip out on our plan to go to the Bronx Zoo and hit the Palisades Mall instead. We had some mall-"Mexican" food and wandered around the mall for a few hours and headed home. I was glad to find that most of the ride home it wasn't raining all that hard because I hate driving in the rain.
Tuesday was spent relaxing and buying another air conditioner for our apartment. I got sick of feeling the temperature rise with each stair I climbed up to our third floor apartment which was like a sauna in anything over 70 degree weather outside. It's much more livable now than it was last summer. I spent a lot of time last year locked up in the bedroom in front of the only A/C in the apartment... so I think it'll be nice to be able to stand to be in the living room for more than a few minutes this summer.
Thanks to Sam for answering my question about what decent but cheap 26" street tires he'd recommend for my mountain bike. I'm going to try check out my bike this weekend and see what kind of condition it's in these days before I spend any money on it. If it looks like it's in good shape I'm probably going to pick up some tires for it soon. I need to get outside and be more active while the weather is nice. It sucks to admit this, but my legs are still sore from walking around this weekend...
On Sunday we left our apartment around 10AM and headed to the New York Botanical Garden until it closed and then took the train from there down to Manhattan and wandered around in the rain. We went to Toy Tokyo and to get Pommes Frites with Pesto Mayo. By the time we were done with all of that it was raining pretty hard and we decided to go back to our hotel. I got myself pretty lost on the way back from the train station in an area I've been to dozens of times and ended up someplace I'd been once before but I couldn't get back to where I wanted to go. I actually had to stop and ask for directions. Luckily the place I stopped gave me SIMPLE directions and I was able to find my way out without any more trouble.
Monday morning it was still pouring so we decided to skip out on our plan to go to the Bronx Zoo and hit the Palisades Mall instead. We had some mall-"Mexican" food and wandered around the mall for a few hours and headed home. I was glad to find that most of the ride home it wasn't raining all that hard because I hate driving in the rain.
Tuesday was spent relaxing and buying another air conditioner for our apartment. I got sick of feeling the temperature rise with each stair I climbed up to our third floor apartment which was like a sauna in anything over 70 degree weather outside. It's much more livable now than it was last summer. I spent a lot of time last year locked up in the bedroom in front of the only A/C in the apartment... so I think it'll be nice to be able to stand to be in the living room for more than a few minutes this summer.
Thanks to Sam for answering my question about what decent but cheap 26" street tires he'd recommend for my mountain bike. I'm going to try check out my bike this weekend and see what kind of condition it's in these days before I spend any money on it. If it looks like it's in good shape I'm probably going to pick up some tires for it soon. I need to get outside and be more active while the weather is nice. It sucks to admit this, but my legs are still sore from walking around this weekend...
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Hungry and tired.
The title pretty much states how I'm feeling today. I'm hungry and tired. I slept like a rock last night but I just wanted to keep sleeping when the alarm went off at 6:30 AM. Now I'm at work and I really don't feel like being here today.
Today is the start of me trying to eat more healthy, exercise regularly and just generally work toward being more healthy. I started out today by drinking water instead of coffee, Vitamin Water or Snapple green or white tea drinks. I've already cut WAY back on the amount of soda I drink and I can't stand the taste of diet drinks so that leaves the above drinks or juices on my list of safe drinks.
One thing that I've noticed about myself and drinking water is that my mouth feels much more dry after drinking water than it does a sweetened soft drink. I tried googling to see if anyone had that same particular feeling or if I was just being stupid... and I didn't find anything besides websites saying to drink more water.
I did, however, come across a website called 43 Things that (as the name would suggest) lets you put in 43 things that you want to do into a list and it can automatically email you reminders and stuff like that. Plus it looks like you can share ideas with people who have the same goals and basically try to help each other out. I only started playing with it a few minutes ago... but it seems like a good place to put a to do kind of list up. I started with a few generic ones like "lose weight", "pay off my debt" and "buy a house" but I'm sure once I get some time to mess around with it I can come up with some more inspired goals.
I've also been reading my friend Sam's blog about cycling and it has been kind of getting me itching to go out and ride my bike again. I need to get my bike out and cleaned up and maybe go for a quick spin if it's nice out this weekend. I wish I still had friends who rode bikes.
[2024-02-13: Removed dead link to 43things.]
Today is the start of me trying to eat more healthy, exercise regularly and just generally work toward being more healthy. I started out today by drinking water instead of coffee, Vitamin Water or Snapple green or white tea drinks. I've already cut WAY back on the amount of soda I drink and I can't stand the taste of diet drinks so that leaves the above drinks or juices on my list of safe drinks.
One thing that I've noticed about myself and drinking water is that my mouth feels much more dry after drinking water than it does a sweetened soft drink. I tried googling to see if anyone had that same particular feeling or if I was just being stupid... and I didn't find anything besides websites saying to drink more water.
I did, however, come across a website called 43 Things that (as the name would suggest) lets you put in 43 things that you want to do into a list and it can automatically email you reminders and stuff like that. Plus it looks like you can share ideas with people who have the same goals and basically try to help each other out. I only started playing with it a few minutes ago... but it seems like a good place to put a to do kind of list up. I started with a few generic ones like "lose weight", "pay off my debt" and "buy a house" but I'm sure once I get some time to mess around with it I can come up with some more inspired goals.
I've also been reading my friend Sam's blog about cycling and it has been kind of getting me itching to go out and ride my bike again. I need to get my bike out and cleaned up and maybe go for a quick spin if it's nice out this weekend. I wish I still had friends who rode bikes.
[2024-02-13: Removed dead link to 43things.]
Monday, February 5, 2007
Super Bowl commercials
So... who else thought that the Super Bowl commercials were LAME this year? I thought that there were only a couple that were a bit funny like Budwiser's - Rock Paper Scissors or somewhat original such as Coke's - Grand Theft Auto homage. It seemed like the rest were either commercials I've either seen before or commercials for TV shows that I would never watch. It seemed like some of the commercials were repeated quite a few times, too... which I thought was odd.
Also, while I'm on the topic of Super Bowl: What the fuck is it with the half-time shows? Who gets to pick who is on the half-time show? Prince? Are you kidding? No, really, that had to be a joke. What a HORRIBLE guitar, too...
Also, while I'm on the topic of Super Bowl: What the fuck is it with the half-time shows? Who gets to pick who is on the half-time show? Prince? Are you kidding? No, really, that had to be a joke. What a HORRIBLE guitar, too...
Monday, January 1, 2007
Old friends and cycling.
I received Friendster friend updates twice in the past few days and I decided to log on and see what was going on with Friendster and a handful of my friends on there. It was a good thing that I did because I stumbled on a friend's blog about his cycling experiences. Lately, I have been thinking about getting back into cycling a lot and his blog might just be what I need to get motivated.
I was never a really awesome cyclist but I had a ton of fun riding my mountain bike miles into the woods on muddy, steep, rutted trails struggling up the hills to blast back down. I loved to hop on my cobbled together freestyle bike and jump down flights of stairs until something broke. (Luckily it usually was the bike that broke. If I was to try half the shit I got away with back then I'd probably end up in a wheelchair.)
As much as I loved riding, there were many reasons that I eventually stopped riding. The one that probably stopped me the quickest were that none of my current (small) group of friends rides. When I was growing up I always had someone around me who loved to ride (usually the same or MUCH more than I did.) The first riding buddy I had was my brother. When I first started to get into mountain biking I talked him into getting a sweet Cannondale M400 which he put a suspension fork on. We used to ride all over the place until his bike got stolen out of our shed. I felt so horrible for him that if I had been able to afford it I would have bought him a new bike!
Throughout the years I rode with a few different friends and even raced in a couple races. (I still have my #420 number plate from Jiminy Peak, MA from years ago. I was so young and innocent back then that I didn't realize why the older guys watching my class struggle were cheering "420! YEAH BUDDY! 420!" even though I was probably 5th from last.)
The second reason that I eventually stopped riding was (and is) my constant attitude that I was (and still seem to be) too busy to go for a ride. "I worked all day and I'm tired." was something I've heard myself say way too much over the past few years. (Never mind that a typical work day consists of sitting in a car for a 1/2 hour commute, then in front of Microsoft Excel for 8 hours, then back to the car for another 1/2 hour ride home.) I still do think this will be something I'll have to struggle a bit to overcome. I live too far (25 practically all highway miles) from where I currently work to reasonably commute and outside of work I haven't had a ton of time to just go riding like I used to. There's no reason, though, that I shouldn't be able to at least go for a few hours here and there on weekends.
Last spring I did buy some parts to upgrade my aging mountain bike that I lusted after in the days before I could afford them. I picked up a used Kooka crankset on eBay and then gave the credit card a good workout on a new Vetta titanium rail saddle, a lighter seatpost, a titanium seatpost clamp bolt, lightweight caged pedals that would work with my toe clips, an Easton alloy handlebar, a lighter two-bolt front clamp stem and a new rear tire to replace the original one that was pretty worn out. By buying all this stuff I was trying to get myself excited enough to get out riding occasionally but after a few short rides by myself I started to make excuses about my new parts, too. I couldn't really seem to get the front derailleur shifting properly with the new crank and my new rear tire was too narrow for my widening ass. The new riding position from my new stem and handlebar were weird compared to what I was used to and I was too lazy to try to find stem with the same rise and extension as the one I previously had and swap my old handlebar back on. The new seat was too hard compared to the falling apart "gel" one that came on my early 90's low-end Diamond Back Ascent.
Anyway, I hope to make some time and find some more inspiration to spend the next few months getting in a little bit better shape and maybe do a little work on my old steed and get that working properly and looking better. It could probably use a nice new paint job, too. Maybe next weekend I'll get some paint and start the tear down. Last time I looked at my old red beast the frame was pretty beat up and I never liked the color red, anyway. It was just the best bike I could afford at the time... and it did ride nice and seemed to hold up to the abuse I threw at it... I was a lot lighter than I am now, though. I might need to go with something a little more heavy duty now. I guess I'll find out soon. ;)
I did spend 20 minutes on the treadmill (that my roomate bought which has been sitting unused in the living room since last year) tonight in an attempt to start doing some sort of workout every day. I'm going to try to do at least 15 (preferrably 20 - 30) minutes on the treadmill every night after work and I'm going to try to make it down to the excercise room and get on the eliptical machine and the stationary bike at least once a week for now.
One of my goals that I mentioned yesterday is to lose 25 - 30 pounds over the next year... so you might catch me talking about that for the next few posts...
Anyway, Sam... Thanks for the inspiration today. Keep blogging! :)
I was never a really awesome cyclist but I had a ton of fun riding my mountain bike miles into the woods on muddy, steep, rutted trails struggling up the hills to blast back down. I loved to hop on my cobbled together freestyle bike and jump down flights of stairs until something broke. (Luckily it usually was the bike that broke. If I was to try half the shit I got away with back then I'd probably end up in a wheelchair.)
As much as I loved riding, there were many reasons that I eventually stopped riding. The one that probably stopped me the quickest were that none of my current (small) group of friends rides. When I was growing up I always had someone around me who loved to ride (usually the same or MUCH more than I did.) The first riding buddy I had was my brother. When I first started to get into mountain biking I talked him into getting a sweet Cannondale M400 which he put a suspension fork on. We used to ride all over the place until his bike got stolen out of our shed. I felt so horrible for him that if I had been able to afford it I would have bought him a new bike!
Throughout the years I rode with a few different friends and even raced in a couple races. (I still have my #420 number plate from Jiminy Peak, MA from years ago. I was so young and innocent back then that I didn't realize why the older guys watching my class struggle were cheering "420! YEAH BUDDY! 420!" even though I was probably 5th from last.)
The second reason that I eventually stopped riding was (and is) my constant attitude that I was (and still seem to be) too busy to go for a ride. "I worked all day and I'm tired." was something I've heard myself say way too much over the past few years. (Never mind that a typical work day consists of sitting in a car for a 1/2 hour commute, then in front of Microsoft Excel for 8 hours, then back to the car for another 1/2 hour ride home.) I still do think this will be something I'll have to struggle a bit to overcome. I live too far (25 practically all highway miles) from where I currently work to reasonably commute and outside of work I haven't had a ton of time to just go riding like I used to. There's no reason, though, that I shouldn't be able to at least go for a few hours here and there on weekends.
Last spring I did buy some parts to upgrade my aging mountain bike that I lusted after in the days before I could afford them. I picked up a used Kooka crankset on eBay and then gave the credit card a good workout on a new Vetta titanium rail saddle, a lighter seatpost, a titanium seatpost clamp bolt, lightweight caged pedals that would work with my toe clips, an Easton alloy handlebar, a lighter two-bolt front clamp stem and a new rear tire to replace the original one that was pretty worn out. By buying all this stuff I was trying to get myself excited enough to get out riding occasionally but after a few short rides by myself I started to make excuses about my new parts, too. I couldn't really seem to get the front derailleur shifting properly with the new crank and my new rear tire was too narrow for my widening ass. The new riding position from my new stem and handlebar were weird compared to what I was used to and I was too lazy to try to find stem with the same rise and extension as the one I previously had and swap my old handlebar back on. The new seat was too hard compared to the falling apart "gel" one that came on my early 90's low-end Diamond Back Ascent.
Anyway, I hope to make some time and find some more inspiration to spend the next few months getting in a little bit better shape and maybe do a little work on my old steed and get that working properly and looking better. It could probably use a nice new paint job, too. Maybe next weekend I'll get some paint and start the tear down. Last time I looked at my old red beast the frame was pretty beat up and I never liked the color red, anyway. It was just the best bike I could afford at the time... and it did ride nice and seemed to hold up to the abuse I threw at it... I was a lot lighter than I am now, though. I might need to go with something a little more heavy duty now. I guess I'll find out soon. ;)
I did spend 20 minutes on the treadmill (that my roomate bought which has been sitting unused in the living room since last year) tonight in an attempt to start doing some sort of workout every day. I'm going to try to do at least 15 (preferrably 20 - 30) minutes on the treadmill every night after work and I'm going to try to make it down to the excercise room and get on the eliptical machine and the stationary bike at least once a week for now.
One of my goals that I mentioned yesterday is to lose 25 - 30 pounds over the next year... so you might catch me talking about that for the next few posts...
Anyway, Sam... Thanks for the inspiration today. Keep blogging! :)
Friday, December 29, 2006
Worldchanging
A couple nights ago I began to read a book called "Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century" that I received for Christmas from my girlfriend and so far it's pretty damn awesome. I recommend picking up a copy of the book or at least checking out their website.
I'm only about 100 pages into the book but it's already been moving me to think about things I can attempt to do to lessen my impact on the planet. I haven't come up with anything staggering that I can really (feasibly) do right now but in the future I'm going to attempt to use less harmful cleaning products. I'm going to attempt to find a job closer to where I live so that I don't have a 25 mile commute each way to and from work. I really would like to work somewhere close enough to ride my bike to work when the weather is nicer. (Plus, I'm sure the decrease in stress that my current job exposes me to will also help to save the planet, too...)
I've also been thinking about things that are unrelated to the book such as eating better and doing more exercise. My roomate has a treadmill that has been used less than a half-dozen times since it showed up in our living room... I'm sure I can work walking on the treadmill for 1/2 hour into my SO, SO busy schedule. ;)
I'm only about 100 pages into the book but it's already been moving me to think about things I can attempt to do to lessen my impact on the planet. I haven't come up with anything staggering that I can really (feasibly) do right now but in the future I'm going to attempt to use less harmful cleaning products. I'm going to attempt to find a job closer to where I live so that I don't have a 25 mile commute each way to and from work. I really would like to work somewhere close enough to ride my bike to work when the weather is nicer. (Plus, I'm sure the decrease in stress that my current job exposes me to will also help to save the planet, too...)
I've also been thinking about things that are unrelated to the book such as eating better and doing more exercise. My roomate has a treadmill that has been used less than a half-dozen times since it showed up in our living room... I'm sure I can work walking on the treadmill for 1/2 hour into my SO, SO busy schedule. ;)
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