EXERCISE AT LEAST 30 MINUTES EVERY DAY OF FEBRUARY!

That’s it. No big mileage goals (though it’s still an annual goal). No month-long eating restriction (though we really only made it through 3 weeks of Veggie Month). No crazy challenges. Just exercise. And 30 days of it.

It doesn’t mean that I have to jump on the treadmill or elliptical or bike every day for 30 minutes. It just needs to get my heart rate elevated (so a brisk walk would be fine). And be intentional (though if a bear chases me for 1/2 an hour, that would be impressive!).

This is going to be a great month!

What are your goals for February?

Weekly Totals:
95 minutes of Cardio
1 day of 6 Week Training
Daily Prayer
Daily Devotional
Daily Bible Reading
Calorie Deficit:
Monday: <1,582>
Tuesday: <1,910>
Wednesday: <1,885>
Thursday: <2,337>

And I can’t stop that now!

(Sorry, honey.)

As a recap of last week, I hit some of my goals…mostly.

Last Week‘s Goals:
150 minutes of Cardio DONE
2 days of weight training 1 DAY
3 days of 6 Week Training 2 DAYS
15 miles run/walk 8 MILES
Date night with Anna DONE
Daily Prayer DONE
Daily Devotional DONE
Daily Bible Reading MISSED
Calorie Deficit:  1,500/day (additional goal this week)

I guess I didn’t do too bad. But I sure could have done better. Much better. Especially with my 1/2 marathon coming up in about 5-6 weeks!

So this week, I’m keeping my goals at the same level. I know it’ll be tough. And I know it may be folly to try to hit that which I missed last week. But why not try? Why not stretch?

Tonight, I also wanted to talk about triggers. Those foods that I’ve tried and tried and tried, and I know I can’t control. I used to feel like this is weakness. That not being able to control myself shows that I am a failure.

But having the weakness isn’t failure. And struggling isn’t the problem. Ignoring my temptations is the issue, and pretending like I can have “just a little” of my trigger foods is very dangerous. You know, that’s the thing about trigger foods: they can easily lead to an avalanche of indulgence.

I know I have trigger foods. There probably could be a lot, but my two largest ones?

• Chocolate
• Pizza

Yeah, these are my worst. Of course, I can have a slice of pizza. Or a piece of chocolate. But I also know that it’s so easy for me to grab another piece of either…and another piece…and another…and sometimes sneak a piece or two. And then that one little bite or snack that I was going to have turns into another whole meal!

Today, as a case study, started out with a fast. It was my fast day. And I was going strong until 3 pm. And then I had a B-day celebration for a co-worker (with chocolate cake and cookies and pie) and a pizza dinner (with too much pizza). And I ended up blowing my Calorie allotment. For the day. In two meals. TWO MEALS. I’m pissed.

So what am I going to do? Stay away from my triggers. Avoid all chocolate. And only eat pizza with Anna (in front of her, not just when she’s “around”). I think that should help. But we’ll have to reevaluate if I have more struggles.

So those are my struggles. What are yours?

Up To Monday:
Daily Prayer
Daily Devotional
Daily Bible Reading
Calorie Deficit:  1,582

And let’s face it, I’m my own worst enemy.  And you’re your own worse enemy.

But I (we) can get through this. And persevere. And grow. And succeed!

I chose to go into the gym and workout today. And it was…fun? Yup! It was fun. I actually enjoyed my time. My time.

And tomorrow, I’ll go again. And Wednesday. And Thursday.  And Friday.

My goal? Hit the gym for 5 days straight!

Goals
150 minutes of Cardio
2 days of weight training
3 days of 6 Week Training
15 miles run/walk
Date night with Anna
Daily Prayer
Daily Devotional
Daily Bible Reading

Up to Today
40 minutes of Cardio
1 day of 6 Week Training
Date night with Anna
Daily Prayer
Daily Devotional
Daily Bible Reading

It’s funny how different one feels after spending a couple of hours  reading compared to watching TV.

Now, don’t get me wrong. We’re still watching too much TV. But we’re also reading and learning. 

And that’s a great thing.

On the exercise front, I didn’t make myself go into the gym today (and may not tomorrow). But that’s because its time for my company’s National Sales Meeting, and I really only have two says to do what usually takes five! So it’s work, work, work. And I’m definitely okay with that!

It does make things interesting, though. 

But life comes with obstacles, and routine can never last too long. So if I can’t navigate through this week without breaking or hindering my goals, I really have a lot more work to do in terms of learning to live a healthy life!

My work is raising money for charity. I’m thinking of doing 1 mile/10 min cardio for each $10 sent to me to donate. Would you be interested?

That’s what I’m looking for.  Money.  But for charity.

******

Here’s my contribution to this cause:  For every pledge of $10, I will either run 1 mile or complete 10 minutes of cardio (your call) before the end of the month.  That’s it.  You pledge to send me/BDA Cares Foundation any multiple of $10, and I’ll do it.

Please send this on to as many people as you can–I’d love to donate as much sweat and money to this cause as possible!

******

Here’s a little back story:

My company has formed the BDA Cares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to manage and funnel all of their charitable giving.  And the headliner charity that we’ll be supporting is Susan’s Rock, a charity named for a member of our team and family who was a victim of domestic violence.

The message of the charity is, “To be strong, to be there for someone, and save lives.”

Susan’s Rock – Stand Strong Against Domestic Violence focuses on the prevention of violence against women and children by supporting causes dedicated to three key pillars:

• Stronger Education of Young Men – Domestic violence awareness and prevention programs aimed at coaching young boys what it means to be a real man and not commit these crimes.
• Stronger Empowerment and Networks for Women – Improve the resources and services that provide domestic violence survivors options for safety, healing and hope for themselves and their families.
• Stronger Legislation & Enforcement of our Protective Laws – Strengthening and improving the criminal justice system/laws (state and federal) that deal with domestic violence criminals.

Please note, for this fundraiser, I’ll need all pledges (with email address in the comment submission section) by 10:30 PM PST on Wednesday, Jan. 18. I will sum up the total and submit one large check.  However, donations are 100 percent tax-deductible, so if you need tax receipts, please let me know and I’ll send you the mailing address (Checks and money orders should be made payable to: BDA Cares Foundation) for the donation–those checks would need to arrive by Tuesday, Jan. 17. I will ensure you receive tax receipts.

And another cool thing about this fundraiser?  We get to climb the normally inaccessible staircase of the Space Needle!

Yes, that Space Needle!

Back to the beginning.  I haven’t been running consistently, so when I decided it was time to sign up for my 1/2 marathon, I knew that I needed to get cracking on the running again.

Especially if I want to beat my PR of 2:04.

So I got out there.  And took off.  And got winded after about 5 minutes.  Then it was a constant challenge to keep up with myself.  From aching joints, to tight muscles, I just didn’t really have it in me.  But I kept on going.  And walking and jogging and running.

I clawed and scraped to finish strong.

But, in the end, I ran 4.69 miles in 54:18.  A (relatively) slow 11:34 pace.  I did have a top speed of 8.6 mph, though, so there is some optimism.

I’ll be taking another run tomorrow.  And I’ll beat that.

Here’s the chart from today:

I had a garden salad (with Feta, green onions, lemon juice, hot sauce, and  olive oil) and Three Mushroom Juk.

What’s Juk?  It’s pretty much rice porridge (also known as Congee).  And it’s surprisingly low-Cal (though a bit high in Sodium).  It only takes 2 cups of rice to make 8 quarts (32 services) of the stuff.  Add some onions, mushrooms, and spices, and it becomes a hearty, umami-filled dish.  No meat required (though I’m sure that pork or chicken would be delicious).

Yes, a white guy made it, so it’s not authentic.  But, really, nothing I make can be called that–I kinda just wing it.

Here’s the recipe:

Three Mushroom Juk
Servings: 32 Cups

Ingredients:
2 cups Calrose Rice
1 large Onion, diced
4 Dried Shitaki Mushrooms (grated on a microplane)
1 can Peeled Straw Mushrooms, drained
1 lb Crimini Mushrooms, diced (and dry sautéed)
1 tbsp Kosher Salt
1 tbsp White Pepper
2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

Directions:
Rinse rice, fill pot with cold water (about 8 quarts), diced onion, grated mushrooms, salt, white pepper, soy sauce, vegetable base, and vinegar.

Bring to a boil and then simmer until rice is completely broken down (about 6-8 hours).

Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 1 hour.

Serve with diced green onions, and enjoy.

Nutritional Info:

See what I mean about the sodium?  And you’d have to supplement it with some protein.  But for how filling it is, I think it’s great–I’ll have to play with the sodium-rice ingredients some more during development, but it’s a great start.

Short-Term:

1/2 Marathon- Last year, I ran my 1st half marathon.  It was a great time, and I did well despite not fully training: I ended the 13.1 miles at 2:04.  That marathon was very hilly, and I know that I could have done a better job without those dang hills.  So, this next marathon will be much flatter.  My goal is to complete the race in under 2:00.  And this time, I may actually train.

Vegetarian January- There is no larger reason for this goal, but Anna and I thought it would be good to try something to stretch ourselves.  And after the holidays with the turkey, and ham, and prime rib, we thought that 31 days of vegetarianism would be a good challenge.

Fit all my clothes by April- This is an important goal for me.  April will mark 3 years on this journey.  If I can wrap up the third year on a high note–no matter my actual weight–I’ll be very, very pleased!

Repeating:

Fiscal Fasts Once a Quarter- I know it’s a little lame, but Anna and I were watching a TV show on TLC called Extreme Cheapskates.  It’s a show that details the habits of very frugal people.  While I thought a lot of the show was worthless, one of the characters did something that he called a, “fiscal fast.”  He and his wife go a full week without spending any money–it has many other uses (which I’ll detail when we complete the first attempt).  Anna and I talked about that concept, loved it, and decided to try it 4 times this year.

Long Term:

Stick to Budget- Last year, Anna and I created a budget.  While a lot of the numbers were based off our best guesses and we didn’t really follow the self-imposed limits, we at least had a budget.  This year, we have lots of data to build a strong spending plan, and we will do our best to stick to it!

500 Miles- I had this goal before.  And I completely missed it.  This time, though, I will complete this goal.  And it shouldn’t be too difficult–it should average to under 10 miles a week.  No sweat!

Read through the Bible- I’m about 20 days into a Bible-in-a Year reading plan from You Version.  This year, I’ll do what I’ve always been hoping to do: complete a full reading of the Bible.  This one will be fun!

Be Under 225 at the End of the Year- There isn’t much to say here.  Gotta meet (or exceed) this goal.  Regardless whether I hit my goal on June 30th or August 8th, I’ll have to be there still (or again) on 12.31.12

Do Not Drink Any Calories-  I honestly don’t drink a lot.  Sometimes, I’ll grab a mocha or a Toffee Nut Latte, or a beer, or a Frapaccino.  I’ll just have to cut all that out–even the limited amount that I imbibe–in order to meet and surpass all of my expectations in 2012!

What about you?  What are your goals??

Look here for what I used to look like.  At the beginning and at my most trim.

My mission?  Get back to trim (and then some).

It starts on Sunday!

That’s right.

273.2

Which means that I’m back under 100 pounds lost.

While that really sucks to say, it’s more frustrating to live it. My pants are really tight. Some of my shirts don’t fit anymore.

This time last year, I was at 236.8.

That’s almost 40 pounds gained this year.

Shit.

Well, it’s time to stop this regression. I’d like to say, “Nowhere to go but down (in weight),” but you know that’s not the case.  I could totally gain more.

But I won’t.