Two Weeks in Status Update

I finished the first week of Couch to 5K last night. Not bad for my first week back into running again. I ended up skipping last Sunday as I did not feel like running. I also ended up having beers last Friday and then wine on Sunday. OK, so not as planned, but better than drinking and eating throughout the week. Plus, I have been doing well with what I eat. I have been tracking it on MyFitNessPal.

Tomorrow, Thursday, I will start week two and I plan to include some weight lifting in my routine too. I used some birthday money and a money from Sprint rebate to get some weights. Basically a whole weight set from Dick Sports for about $150. I am excited to start using them and I might bring my weight bench out of hiding in the back of the basement. I plan on starting with small weights and of course not over doing it. I am doing the same with my jogging and trying to keep it at a 5 mph pace. So far so good and no pain when I jog.

Progress with Tracking Weight

I started off on January 2 weighing in at 223.2. I have fluctuated a lot since I started, but I am starting to see the line go down on slightly. This does help motivation and helps to make me think I will get back to where I was at back in mid-September. Two pounds in about two weeks, well, not great, but I did have fun last weekend with food and drinks, so no complaints.

Hard to believe that I will soon be halfway through the the first month. In a few short months my first 5K of the season will be here and I plan to be ready. Always good to get some friendly competition going among friends. So, I continue to get my friends interested in jogging and doing 5K's with me. We have fun competing and training for upcoming events. Text messages to brag that we are actually working out or how far we ran. I still have a few weeks to get to the point where I am bragging how far I ran as right now I would not be able to make it a mile running.

I am looking forward to losing the belly weight again and having my clothes fit better. Not to mention being able to bend over or walk across the campus without getting winded. The important thing is that I am having fun and enjoying my workout.

I struggle with eating some days. No so much in that I am still hungry, but trying to make sure I get a mid-morning and afternoon snack. Sometimes things happen at work, life, etc. and I simply forget to eat my snack. I have picked up my water drinking considerably which is supposed to also help with not being hungry. Both the eating snacks and drinking water is something I continue to work on and battle going through this process. Just reminding myself to do so.

That's it for tonight! I meant to post earlier this week on my status, but at least I finally got it on here. Happy jogging to you and see you on the next post!

Tracking My Fitness: Peloton Stats, Jogging, and Sleep Insights

I last updated my Peloton journey on February 1, so this update is a bit overdue. Riding has been going well, and I am still enjoying the rides. Although I have not yet expanded to three rides a week, they are going well. Since my post on February 1 (see post), I have completed 417 rides and 519 total workouts, including 25 bike rides since February 1. I usually do one long ride around 30-45 minutes and then one or two shorter rides to either cool down or warm up before a ride.

I mentioned that I wanted to increase from two to three rides per week, but now that the weather is starting to improve, I think I am going to add jogging once a week. I might start this in the middle of April. I do enjoy jogging and miss going out in the neighborhood, plus Oliver loves it when I run because that also means I will take him on a walk afterward.

Weight loss has been fairly consistent since I posted in February, averaging about the same for the past month. No significant losses or gains. I am feeling good and enjoying the workout each week. I look forward to adding running in April, and I also plan to include exercises like sit-ups or push-ups. I need something to help with my core.

Adding running and some additional exercises should help me stay on track. If I can keep this going even with a busy summer, trips, or just not feeling like working out, I will be happy. In past years, I would be doing well until the summer months, and then we would go on vacation, camping, etc., and I would lose the habit. It is so easy to lose the habit, and it does not take much for that to happen. So far, so good for me, and I am enjoying the process.

Granted, there are times when I do not want to get on the bike to ride. Sometimes I do not feel well or am just tired, and it does not sound appealing at that moment. However, once I am on the bike and riding, all of that goes away, and I am happy once the ride ends. There is a good feeling after finishing a workout, a run, or general exercise.

I enjoy having Peloton to track my exercise. I also use the Fitness app on my iPhone. Recently, I have started wearing my watch to bed to track sleep cycles, something I never really did before as my watch would not last two full days. It is still that way, but now I have charging stations in multiple areas so I can charge my watch while watching television or getting ready in the morning. Believe it or not, I feel like tracking my sleep along with exercise gives me a better picture of my health. The Fitness app lets me know when my heart rate average changes, and through the night, it monitors for sleep apnea. I have had sleep apnea since around 2004, and it went away around January.

That is enough rambling on this Sunday afternoon. I am excited for March Madness and looking forward to the games. Enjoy the week, and I will talk to you next week.

Three Weeks Done Status Update

I officially started this life style change on Monday, January 2.  I just finished the third full week of trying to improve my eating and exercise habits.  How am I doing so far?  Well, I am feeling pretty good.  I am slowly getting back into being able to jog long distances and I am eating better.

I just finished week two day three of Couch 2 5K, so I am jogging about three minutes without stopping.  I could really feel it on Friday when I did my last session.  I admit it that I like to sweat and I like to sweat a lot.  I believe it helps to motivate me to keep going and it of course is a indication to me that I am burning calories.  Now that I am getting deeper into the Couch 2 5K program, I am starting to sweat more and more.

Along with running, I am also lifting weights.  This is not something I have really done in the past.  I am trying to track it as part of the MyFitnessPal diary.  I have been doing weights for probably about two weeks.  I could really feel it the first week and then on Thursday after working on my legs, I could really feel my legs.  It is a good feeling and lets me know that I am working out correctly.

The good news about finishing the second full week of jogging is that so far I do not have any pain in my legs.  You may recall that last September when I ran my last 5K of the season, I was having major pains in my legs after each run.  To the point where it was difficult to walk following a workout or race.  It was even difficult to stand after sitting for a period of time.

So far, non of that has happened so far.  I believe that part of the reason I did start having pain is due to the fact that I tried to run faster than I should have and I was working out four times a week.  I put too much torture on my legs which caused pulling of muscles.  In a way, I believe it was good that I took off the four or five months off from jogging.  It helped my legs to repair whatever was hurting and hopefully with lots of stretching before working out, I will avoid having any pain in my legs.

Everyone, have a great week and keep the focus on your life style change...

Progress Report for December 2021 Working Out... Dipped a Little with Holidays... Reading and Biking

December 2021 working out was a little less than I had expected, but only one day fewer than I had done in November 2021. So, overall, not bad, but I could have used a few more days of working out. When I went back to work on January 3, I noticed some of my work pants fit a little more snug than they had prior to the holiday season. So, I am still working on getting back into the swing of things. I only worked out 9 days during December as indicated to the right. I plan to increase my workout to the three times a week and stick to it moving forward. If I need to adjust my days, that is not an issue, but I need to make sure to stay with my plan of working out three days a week. Taking more than three days off from riding is almost like starting over when I ride again. 

My plan for February 2022 is to completely remove alcohol. I know from past experience when I do this removal, I lose all kinds of weight and really feel a lot better. So, come February 1, 2022, I will be going the month not drinking beer or any alcohol. Yes, I know the Super Bowl is in there, but it seems like a good time to go without and try to get my body feeling better. More on this as February approaches and my status.

Overall for December, I did well with working out. I spent 189 minutes working out during December and traveled 43.7 miles as tracked through Peloton. While the calories burned looks really good, it does not help that I also would eat whatever I wanted and have beers. So, I am hoping that February will help get me back into better exercise with better results and also eating better too. Doing so for a month will help me and I am hope that during that month I will get to the point where I like it and continue to eating trend into March.

Carrie and I have both done this type monitoring with our food intake and alcohol removed from diet, but it has been a few years. We both plan to eat better and remove fast food from our routine when working. Most of it comes from it being so easy to pick up something to eat instead of spending time to prepare lunch or dinner which is healthier than Quarter Pounder with Cheese from McDonalds.

In regards to my bike riding, I am starting to feel better on the bike. I enjoy my rides and look forward to riding the bike. My backside still gets sore, but it is getting better. I am riding regularly 30 minutes on my rides. I will plan to continue 30 minute rides through January and then increase to 45 minute rides for February. I am taking the slow approach and gradually moving back into where I was at back in early July 2021 with riding. I still have issues with sore knees or stiff legs the day after riding, but I do feel much better than I do when I was jogging on a regular basis. Yes, I still have plans to start jogging at least one day a week although at this point, that will likely not occur until probably May or June.

One thing I have started as of about two weeks ago is to read while I bike. I have started reading again and reading a lot. I find it helpful to read while I am biking as it completely takes me out of my head and I can focus on the content of the book instead of my journey of riding. More on this later in another post later this month as I continue my reading journey. I do enjoy reading and riding whether I am doing instructor led or solo bike rides, it has been a good journey and makes the process fun.

Watch for another update on my exercise status in early February. Enjoy your biking, jogging, or whatever exercise you are doing.

The Workout Starts Now and I Plan to Stick to a Regular Schedule for Exercise

I previously stated that I would start up exercise again after our latest camping trip (see No Exercise), so the time has come to start my journey to become motivated and start a workout process once again. The last time I worked out was November to the end of June. I completely stopped riding our bike, walking, or basically doing anything, so now the motivation needs to kick in so I can start working out on a regular basis. 

My plan is simple, start out slow. Bike riding 10 - 15 minutes the first few weeks as I build up what I lost in stamina from riding November 2020 - June 2021. I know that when I rode for only a week back in August, I struggled to ride for the two or three days I had planned which ultimately had me giving up and not riding since that date. My plan this time is to only do 10 - 15 minutes in beginning classes once again 2 to 3 times per week. 

I would also like to add in walking/jogging at least once a week although that might be difficult as the winter months are approaching, but we will see. The walking/jogging is to give me motivation to take our dog, Oliver, on walks. He loves it when I used to jog regularly (see Jogging Posts) as he would get excited when I would simply put on my tennis shoes. If I can just start the regular bike riding, I will be happy and keep it going throughout the year even when busy with other items.

To be able to keep the bike riding motivation continuing, I plan to ride during the week before work. My plan is to get up at 6 am on Tuesday and Thursday to ride the bike. As I become more used to riding, I might need to extend this out to earlier, but right now, I plan on 6 am twice a week to get up and ride. The third day of riding will be on either Saturday or Sunday depending on what is happening. I prefer Sunday and hope to take part in "Sundays with Love" on Peloton.

Looking at my current stats from Peloton, I did 275 activities with most of them being riding the bike, but I hope in a year I can double that amount. I did really good for a few months and then it is so easy to just stop and very difficult to get back into the swing of exercise.

I plan to update here at least once a month on my status and looking for my family and friends to call me out if I miss a monthly update or you know I am not doing the rides. I do enjoy riding, and running, so I look forward to the process and getting back into the swing of the mindset for exercise.

What do you do for exercise and how do you keep yourself motivated to keep working out each week? Post a comment and I would like to discuss further.

Back to Bike Riding After a Month and Half From Not Riding… Felt Good to be On the Bike!

After a fun filled past few weeks of vacation, weddings, and basically not exercising, I climbed back on the bike today. The last time I was on the bike was July 1, 2021. A vacation, out of town, and other events led me to neglect being on the bike the past month and half. 

It felt good to be back on the bike. I did a 20 minutes Country Ride and it felt great! I noticed that my heart rate was running higher than it did when I was riding on a regular basis, so that is not surprising. I had a good workout and look I look forward to riding again on my regular days of Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. 

I do plan to include at least one day of jogging into my schedule as I enjoy jogging. With the cooler weather, I think one day a week of jogging will be good. Mix up my exercise routine and it will also be a good excuse to take our dog, Oliver, for a walk which he loves.

Oliver is never really sure what to think when I am riding the bike. He loves walks so much, walking on a Saturday will be a fun way to get him involved in the process and mix up my routine. I think he will love it and his motivation for wanting to walk will help to motivate me to do my run and walk with him afterwards.

The ride this morning was with a new instructor I do not believe I had seen before. Olivia Amato in the 20 min Country Ride was a lot of fun and I look forward to future classes with Olivia. I did manage to keep my “streak” going the past month and half of consecutive weeks of using Peloton, but those were primarily meditation days at least once a week the past few weeks. I did have a few days of walking in there, so that was good, but I think I only walked and counted it with the app once or twice.

Short update for today, but I plan to do more Peloton posts in the future. What is your routine to get back into riding after taking a break?

Progress Report for January 2022 Working Out... Dipped a Little with Holidays... Reading and Biking

A pat on my back... I have been sticking to my regular workouts the past few weeks. In fact, in January, I worked out every week for my three workouts as I had planned. I did have to adjust days, but I was able to stick to my days and get the workouts done. I have no issue moving my workout days, so it worked out well. So far in February, I am off to a great start for this month.

I worked out a total of 13 days during January. I am feeling good on the bike and can ride for almost an hour without any discomfort. As the weather begins to change, I do intend to start walking/jogging at least once a week too. Hoping to start this new process in March or April. I really enjoyed jogging when I was doing so much of it not too many years ago. It felt good and I enjoyed the process. My dog, Oliver, enjoyed it too as he knew that the days I would run, he would get a walk. 

My best workout for January was a "Ally with Love" Feel Good Ride on January 23. I achieved my best output during the ride. I felt good throughout and did another workout following the 30 minute ride. The Sunday rides are almost always live rides for me while the other two days that I ride are typically recorded, scenic, or just ride sessions. I look forward to the live rides on Sunday and rode in the largest live group I have been a member of in early February with almost 10,000 people in the ride. It was fun and a lot of high fives throughout the ride to me and from me as I did my ride. It was fun!

You will usually find me on the bike on Sunday mornings at 11 am doing my live ride. Almost always with Ally Love although sometimes another instructor does the 11 am session, it usually is Ally Love. So fun and she keeps the energy of the workout, so it makes the whole process fun.

A further look at my monthly stats from January see I did a total of 22 workouts during January. I worked out for a total of 391 minutes in January for an average of 17.78 minute workout of my 22 workouts. Typically following a ride, I will do a five minute cool down, so the average is skewed a little with those extra workouts. If I take the days I worked out (13) and the 391, that comes out to an average of 30 minutes each workout... which is correct. As I have started February workouts, I have started to extend my workouts to 45 - 60 minutes although this sometimes depends on time or when I start the ride.

I like the total miles traveled of 98.3 and calories burned of 5,395 during January. I use my Apple Watch to monitor heart rate, so I think the calories burned are as accurate as possible. I feel good looking back on my stats from January and feel confident in my progress eleven days into February.

I continue to read while I bike which has been enjoyable. The main point is that I can read for 30 - 60 minutes and the riding of the bike while reading keeps me awake so I do not fall asleep while I ride. Reading while I bike has been a new task I started back in early January and I really enjoy the process. I typically read on the Tuesday/Thursday workout days leaving the live ride to focus on the instructor instructions.

On a side note, if you have not been watching the news, the Peloton brand is struggling. The brand has been struggling the past few months and it looks like they will be purchased by another company. So far the companies in the hunt of buying Peloton include Apple, Amazon, and Nike. It will be interesting to where Peloton is at in another few months. Peloton has a large following of customers and fans, so I do not think the brand will be broken but hopefully if it is purchased it will include new features or benefits.

Keep riding and see you in the bike routes...

Started Weight Watchers on August 14 and Finishing One Week… Feeling Good and Ready to Keep Going!

I have officially started Weight Watchers. I started last Sunday, so I am finishing up my first week watching what I eat. I have enjoyed the process so far as I use the app to count points and track what I eat. It is all done on-line now and no need to go into the physical location. This is my first time trying Weight Watchers, or really any type of weight management program, so I am excited to see how it works. 

Tomorrow marks my first weigh-in since starting last week. It was a descent start to the program although on Monday, I used up all of my daily points and tapped into weekly points. Friday night was also not a good night for me as I ate more than my daily points, had a few glasses of wine, and a delicious peach cobbler to celebrate Greg’s birthday. I am not expecting to lose a lot of weight this first week, but I do feel really good! It is amazing how much better I feel when eating well, not drinking (as much) alcohol and I am excited to be doing this program.

I have been staying on my bike this week and I am feeling good when I ride. I rode last Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I plan to start the new week riding on Sunday too. I know I have said it a few times the past few months, but I still want to get some jogging in at least once a week before it gets cold. I keep thinking I will start it up on a Saturday, but so far it has not started.

A little more about my experience with Weight Watchers and the app… Easy to use. I can search for foods, or I like it best when I can scan and have it added. I have free foods which include popcorn, fruits, eggs, and poultry. Even though I have items that are free, I have been entering them to track what I am eating. The app works well although it would be nice if I could copy foods from one day to the current day. It seems like this would be an easy process, but the times I have tried to do this step, it moves the food from the day it was entered to the current day instead. I did find that I can connect with others through the app although not sure what it does exactly. I thought maybe I could encourage others, or they could encourage me, but so far it only appears to show anything if a post is written and shared. Still working through the app and what options are available.

We are approaching tailgate season, so I hope to stay on track even when tailgating this fall for Washburn football. Ready to cheer on the Ichabods and do some tailgating now that we have a tailgate parking spot. Excited to get out there for the first game which is September 1.

Watch for future updates on my Weight Watchers status and hoping to have some updates about jogging soon too.

Brief Update on Jogging and Status

I had lunch with my friend Shayne yesterday. We talked about jogging and how it was going. I told him that this time around it seems to take a lot more energy for me to run.  I am through week five of Couch 2 5K and I seem to be laboring to get through it. I finish my jogs and I am winded and in pain.  This has been true since I started back in January.

Shayne reminded me that when I was running last September that I was lighter. I gained on a lot of weight through the holidays and then end of 2011.  Thus, I am running with that weight now, so I am carrying more weight running.  I think that could very well be why I feel so miserable when I am doing the jog now.  I have lost a few pounds since I started, but not a lot.  I have to keep in the motivation and stop focusing on how much I have lost.

The part that is causing the most problems is that unlike when I did this back in 2011, I am enjoying a few beers whenever I want.  Last year, I cut out all alcohol for weeks.  That helped to really drop the weight fast. This time around, I have not done that complete cut out of alcohol.  I planned on doing so, but I have not done it as of yet.

I have a few races in mind to do for the year, so at least I have events that will help me be focused.  I have a lot of work left to do and must keep the motivation.  I am still weighing daily which I like to be able to look at my weight graph, but that might also be working against me in motivation.

April Stats for Working Out Went Up Slightly Compared to March

The month of April, I did much better with my working out each week. Well, at least for the last three weeks of the month, it was much better. I felt good working out during April. I consistently worked out on Sunday mornings. I continue to read while I work out on the Tuesday and Thursday days which is helping me get through my book list and then Sunday is typically spent working to a live instructor. 

 

As I review the month of April, I know why that first full week is so sparse with working out… that was the week of the NCAA championship game. It occurred on Monday, April 5 and it was a late game. As I recall, I went to bed early on April 6 which is my normal workout day. Then it appears I did not get motivated again to workout until the following Sunday. Not ideal, but I got back into the routine the middle of the month. 

 

Feels good to keep the routine going and I am seeing a few pounds drop off through the efforts. I still have not done anything about really eating better, but some how I am seeing pounds drop off little by little. Here we are in the early part of May and I still have not started the jogging once a week plan I had mentioned in past updates. I am hoping to start jogging on Saturday mornings. Hopefully in a future post, I will let you know how that goes. I want to use the Peloton app on my phone to do the run and then see where it takes me. Hoping my knees do better this time around with running than when I started it up before Peloton bike arrived.

 

The following month I get an email from Peloton to let me know how I did which is where these graphs and information come into play. My normal live workout on Sunday mornings is with Alley Love and varies from 20 - 60 minutes depending on the day. She did recently get married and looking to move to London, so I am not sure what that means for my normal workout at 11 am CDT with her as the instructor. She continues to be my favorite instructor as she keeps the workoug intense, she has stories that help pass the time, and she motivates during the workout. Anything to keep the routine enjoyable is what I am looking for in an instructor. If she does move on or changes time, I am not sure if I will find a new instructor for the Sunday morning spot or change to when she does do her live session.

 

I am approaching 300 bike riding workouts. In fact, when this update posts on Sunday, I should reach 300 on Sunday, May 5 as I usually write these early in the week. I am hoping to do the live ride with Ally Love on Sunday so I can get a shout out during the ride. She did mention me a few weeks ago in a live ride although she was not sure how to prounce “Havertyj”.

My monthly stats were down a little from March which is odd as I did not work out much in March with basketball happening. On average, I rode the bike for 25 minutes. I stopped doing the additional cool down rides and instead only focus on however long the ride is scheduled or that I want to ride. I usually do a cooldown but after the session has ended. Miles traveled are down a little too from March, but I hope over the summer I can continue to increase those to higher numbers across the board for monthly stats. We will see what happens...

 

The important point is that I continue to enjoy bike riding. I enjoy the process and how it makes me feel even when the workout is kicking my butt and I am not sure I will finish that particular ride. I enjoy reading while I workout and often times have classical music playing while I ride and read. Whatever I can do to make the workout enjoyable is what I am looking to do and that helps to pass the time and not even realize I am working out. Well, until I get off of the bike and try to walk down the stairs, then I know I have been working out and I am right back to reality.

 

What do you do to motivate yourself for working out? Any tips or tricks you can share?

 

Until next time, enjoy your workouts and strive on for motivation to keep the healthy balance of life.

 

Exerice Again... Gave it up for a while... back now.

Yes it is true. I gave up running for a few months. I finally started running again last week. I ran two days last week. I had intended to run three days last week, but only got in two. The first day was Tuesday and it was rough. I started the couch to 5K again from the beginning. I was sore Wednesday and Thursday. I ran again Thursday night for day two week one and felt much better. Tomorrow night will be the end of the first week and hopefully get on a three time a week running routine this week.

I figured what better way to get back into running than to start blogging about it again. It helps to motivate me into exercise. I know I need to do something with my eating too. I have not been making the best selection of snacks or desserts. A few weeks ago with I had three nights where I had ice cream each of those three nights. It was great, but yeah, that needs to stop.

So, this is hopefully one of many updates that I am back to running. I am going to try and post progress over the next few weeks with my progress. Instead of posting tweets or FaceBook updates when I finish a week, I plan to post on here with how my progress is going and how my jogging is progressing. Right now, I know I could not run a 5K without stopping. Hoepfully in about eight weeks, I will be able to run a 5K without any problem and post about it too.

Happy jogging and have a great summer!

Start the Running Process Tomorrow and Get the Run Bug Again

Finally! It is happening! Finally, I am getting motivation to start running. Not remembering the last time I ran, I had to go look at my apps to see. The last time was July 2015. I ran for approximately three weeks and then stopped. Not feeling like running since that time. It is time again to start running. Finally!

Plan is to get back into running. Starting out slowly using the Couch to 5K app. My plan, is to be able to run the Bow Tie Run which will take place in the fall. Starting now, I should have more than enough time to prepare and be in running form for that event. The plan is to run Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday each week. The Couch to 5K is a eight week process. The focus for this eight week process is to simply be able to run again. Not lose weight, although, that will hopefully happen as part of the process, but to be able to run again. Not be winded walking up the stairs in our house, but be able to do things that I was doing back in 2012 when I was running regularly (see Running Posts from my Blog).

Remembering back to running regularly, I recall how good it felt. How good it felt to run outside listening to music and feeling as though I was being productive. The best part was after a run outside, my dog Oliver would be so excited because he knew that part of my cool down process was to take him on a walk. He would get so excited when I was putting on my shoes because he knew what it meant and that he would be going on a walk.

The worst part is that I have been paying a gym fee each month for the past year and not been to the gym once. Starting the running will at least make me feel like that payment each month is not going to waste. Plus, I will not have any excuse to not run as I always have the gym as a backup in case of weather.


The worst thing I think I did previously was that I ran the same exact route every time I ran. The above being the route that I ran each time. I d not think that I got bored of the route, but I did get lazy and simply did not feel like running. Gradually during the past few months I have been telling myself that I am going to get back into running again and that time is now.

I am looking forward to running again and looking forward to taking my dog on regular walks again too.

Lanebreak from Peloton Announced on February 17 and My Experience with Lanebreak

Earlier this week, Peloton announced Lanebreak which is a new game mode that Peloton has offered to create a game mode for when doing bike ride. I tried the new Lanebreak on Thursday evening for my ride. It was a fun ride using the resistance knob to change lanes, it is a fairly easy process and allows for gathering points by changing the resistance knob to hit certain markers in the game. Turning to the left (less resistance) takes you to the left and turning the resistance knob to the right takes you to the right. Easy enough to follow and do the game. 

I started off on the easy mode to see how it would work. The first thing I noticed and later read on a 9to5Mac article was that Apple Watch could not be used for Lanebreak. The 9to5Mac article went on to say how silently Apple Watch had been removed from many of the workouts on Peloton except for those that are bike riding. As I mentioned, I went on a span of a few months where I was not using Peloton at all and then the past few months I have only done bike riding. Thus, I had not noticed that the Apple Watch had disappeared from weight lifting, meditation, jogging, etc. It seems like an odd thing to do especially when Peloton is struggling and there are discussions of being bought out by another company (i.e. Apple, Amazon, Nike, etc.). Especially for Peloton to remove the option quietly without any notice of the feature disappearing. 

Back to my experience on the Lanebreak feature. I did enjoy my ride and I had a good workout. It was fun because using the resistance knob to change lanes on the track, it took away that I was increasing or decreasing resistance. I was riding and realized I was going 115 with resistance at 45 or 50 and because I was playing a game, I did not realize I had it set so high or going so fast. There is a heads up display as shown on the Lanebreak blog site showing your resistance, speed, etc., but when playing the game the focus is not on those items and instead focusing on get points. Obviously, that is the point of the game.

I do enjoy using the bike with my Apple Watch, so I know that Lanebreak is in test mode as it said on the screen there might be bugs that I had to agree to before using Lanebreak. I am hopeful that at some point Apple Watch will be included in this new feature. For now, Lanebreak will likely be something I try once or twice a month, but for my regular workouts, I will continue to do “normal” bike rides on my Peloton.

Week Two Done... Prepping for Week Three... Jog On!

Posting a update on my progression of getting back into jogging.  How out of shape do I get when not running at all?  It is bad!  I did not think I would be able to motivate myself to get out and run each three days a week.  So far, I have been able to do two days a week.  Hoping to start a three day week kicking it off on Sunday.  I have felt alright when running the past two weeks, but not great!

The first week was brutal.  As I mentioned, I have started up the Couch to 5K again.  The first day I could barely keep up with the routine.  I was breathing heavy and possibly wheezing, but I was able to get through it without too much trouble.  Keep in mind that day one of C25K is the following:

• Warmup 5 minutes
• Repeat 5 times
• Jog 45 seconds
• Walk 90 seconds
• Jog 45 seconds
• Walk 60 seconds
• Cooldown 5 minutes

Yes, I was about done at the end of the first day.  That night, my legs hurt, and the next day, it was difficult to go up or down stairs.  My legs were yelling at me for not running for so many weeks.... or months.

Moving on to the start of week two where I found that it did not hurt as bad, but still it was not great! The only good part with starting week two was that I was not completely sore that evening nor the next day.  The progression of C25K was doing the job and progressing me slowly toward week three. I ran the end of week two last night.  A week consists in C25K terms of three segments, or days, before it moves to the next week.  Still a long way to go in my training and I hope to be ready for the Washburn Alumni Association 5K in the Fall.

I still need to get motivated and back to spin class.  I love it so much, but I have been lazy.  That is the plain and simple about it that I have been lazy.  I enjoy sleeping until about 7 or 7:15, rolling out of bed, shower, and at work by 8.  It also does not help that work has been happening where I work out (SRWC) which I have been using as an excuse.  Granted, I could still be working out at the SRWC as they are still open, have showers, and classes are in session.  I am looking for excuses not to get up in the morning.  That has to end!

The only race I have planned for now is the Washburn Alumni Association Fun Run in the Fall.  That has not helped my motivation by not having a target race for training.  Now it is all mental and relying on my motivation to get out and run.  

Tonight though, I sit back, sip a cold beer, and cheer on the Kansas City Royals.  Everyone have a great week!

Second Month Day 35 Update

It has been a little bit since my last update and I missed updating with pictures for month two at the February 2 mark.  Better late than never.  So, here I am at day 35 and my second month under way.  Based on the picture to the right, there is not a lot of change from what Week 1 Day 1 Begins showed at the start.  To me, I still see a (beer) gut hanging over my workout pants and I do not see that I have lost much at all.  My face and body basically look the same as they did back in beginning of January.

Twenty-eight days ago, I was sitting at 226 and today I am sitting at 220.4.  So, not a lot of weight lost during that time, but there has been a lot of fluctuation during this time.  My lowest weight being 218.6 during the past month.  Last weekend and this weekend have proved to be tough with lots of things going on and I have not been able to completely cut out alcohol as I had hoped.  The longest I went without beer or wine was about two weeks.  I did not keep notes, but I believe that's when I went down to my lowest weight loss point during this past month.

I have been running consistently during the past month with only missing a session or two.  I have stayed on pace with the Couch 2 5K program and just completed week 5 day 1 today.  The running has been going well with some minor pain.  Primarily the pain has been in my calves or my sides (stomach) hurt a few times when running.  I ran seven minutes non-stop in one segment today and it felt good.  No pain or tightness, so I was happy.

Again, the side view just as I did in the first update back in early January (Week 1 Day 1 Begins) is to the left.  Not a lot of difference between the two pictures.  I believe this is primarily due to the way I am training.  I am doing the Couch 2 5K as I have mentioned a few times.  It builds up from running only a few minutes a session to running a 5K non-stop.  So, this first week has not been a lot of sweat or workout.  Gradually building up to longer workouts and then eventually more fat burned which I hope will be noticeable in future pictures.

In regards to eating, I think I am doing a good job.  It has not been difficult to keep counting calories and I enjoy doing so with MyFitnessPal.  Yes, there are some days where I have gone well over my calorie count, but most days I am well below.

I have enjoyed reading and getting encouragement from a friends jogging diary.  He recently ran his first 10K.  Not an actual race, but simply ran on his own a 10K.  That gives me drive to try and do the same some day.  He has also lost over 100 lbs.  If you are looking for another blog to read with interesting updates, check out Ernie's Web.

I apologize for posting this three days after I should have, but I am happy to keep this up along with pictures of my status.  It is about time for the Super Bowl to begin, so I better sign off and finish cleaning the house for guests.

Walks, Wuffes, and Woofs: Celebrating Oliver's 13th with a Tail-Wagging Adventure

Oliver Walking on his Birthday

Oliver turned 13 on June 5. It was his birthday, and we showered him with greetings throughout the day. But the true highlight was going on a walk. I have been taking him on a walk following my jogging. He is anxious while I am gone and watching for me to return. This time though when I got back, he whined three times wanting to get going on his walk. Poor guy, his birthday and he had to wait for me to get back from a jog so he could show off to the neighborhood that it was his birthday. He had a grand time walking through the neighborhood. We walked one mile and I think he could have kept going.

Action Shot While we Walk

I wanted to get a picture of us walking, so I put my phone down by a tree and captured us on our walk. Oliver was a little confused on what we were doing as I placed the phone, backtracked, and then walked forward again. We did this a few times and I think he thought I had lost my mind. Nope! Just trying to get a picture of us walking together, Oliver. 

We spotted a few other dogs on our walk. Oliver, even at 13, can still be a bit excitable around other dogs. So, I usually try to avoid other dogs as much as possible on our walks. If we start down a street and I see someone with a dog, we might change routes so we avoid the dog. Some people we meet with dogs do not understand and want to approach for our dogs to meet. He has gotten better, but still a bit of a nut when meeting other dogs. Rather embarrassing when he acts like a nut. 

Selfie with Oliver on our Walk

We had a good time on our walk. A lot of sniffing, finding spots, and looking over the lay of the land. Oliver gets so excited at the mention of "walk" so of course we spell it out and he is starting to recognize when we spell it out what we are talking about. I recently started running again and in turn started walking Oliver regularly. He loves it so much that I need to make sure to walk him through the week even if I am not running. He has a happy look on his face and of course he sleeps so well on the days we do our walks.

Oliver October 2011

It is hard to believe our little guy is thirteen years old. I still remember him as a little puppy with a lot of energy, playing with toys, wanting belly tickles, and have a grand time. Ok, well, he still does all of that at thirteen which is fantastic. 

A quick shout out to supplements that Carrie got for Oliver a few months ago and completely changed his energy and ability to run around or jump on the couch. She saw an ad on FaceBook for Wuffes. Prior to us giving Oliver Wuffes, he had joint pain, sometimes he could not jump on the couch, and he really had no energy to play. We have been giving him Wuffes for a few months and can see a difference in how he acts and the energy he has throughout the day. Carrie usually gives him his supplement at night after his super. All she says is "want your supplement" and he knows what is happening. Gets excited and waits for his supplement to be broken out to him.

Happy Birthday, Oliver. I hope you had a great day of celebration.

Brief Update on my Motivation

Even though I am not dieting at the moment, I still like to check my weight on the scale. I do so probably about once a week. I remember back in September, or even October, running into people at work or elsewhere and they would tell me I look great! Have I lost weight? I would then tell them about all the running I had done and the amount of weight I had lost.

Fast forward through football tailgate season, Thanksgiving, and now into December.... I do not hear it at all anymore. Was it a motivation factor to have people tell me how great I look? Yes! It is now a little depressing to step on the scale after working so hard for so many months earlier this year to be back about where I was at when I decided a life change was needed.

I am feeling the will power and the motivation kicking in and I am going to get back down to where I was at and more. My goal this time is to break 200 lbs. That was my goal last time, but I never did make it. I got down to 203, but never broke what I was shooting for.

I think it is true that this has to be a life change and not just simply a diet. I think earlier this year when I did it, I did make it a life change. I used MyFitnessPal to track my food, exercise, and weight. I will be doing so again in January. I also plan to cut out beer, wine, etc., completely for at least the first month. After a month, I will only reward myself occasionally and not in excess. Having a beer or a glass of wine should be a reward and not the norm for hard work and losing weight.

Some might wonder why I am making January 2 my start date instead of Jan 1. Well, I know there is food and drink I will be enjoying on January 1, so I set the second as my official go live date for my life style change to kick in. I am really looking forward to it and it is everything I can do to NOT start it today.

I plan to involve weights more into my routine too along with good eating and of course jogging. I will also be looking for 5K opportunities as that gives me something to train for and compete in which helps to motivate me... Plus, I enjoy running in the 5K events.

Well, I wanted to get a few thoughts down on this Saturday morning as I was thinking about them while getting ready this morning. A hing of depression at how much weight I have gained back, but I know I opened that up by saying I would eat/drink whatever I wanted the past few months. Now, it is time to turn that around and get back into shape!

OK, so my "brief update" turned into a bit longer of a post....