Sunday is Fun Day!!!

Workout is planned for later today. But first, I'm taking the boys to see the Hunger Games movie. Josh and I have both read the book and are looking forward to seeing it. Danny could take or leave it, but will come with us anyway. Saturday's workout was changed up by me, so that I could spend that time outside, in the sunshine and 70+ degree weather. It was AWESOME!

Finding that after almost 2 weeks I need to search deep within myself for that spark to keep it going. It's there, I just have to dig a little deeper to find it. Wish me luck past this small hump in the road as I keep it moving forward.

Saturday

For those three of you following this, I apologize for missing Friday's post. Here's what happened. I got home from pool very late, so I decided to workout after work and sleep an extra hour. No problem so far. While at work, still early, I was very nauseous and had plenty of hours in, so I left Ill and came home. I then slept from 8:45 to 2:45. Man did that feel good. After that long nap I was pretty much spent, so I decided Friday would be my day off for the week instead of Sunday. So here I am at Saturday, having slept in until 8, now drinking my first cup of caffeine working out my plan for the day. Taxes are number one on the list, a workout is not far behind.

I slept with the window open for the first time in a while, that felt good. Getting ready to attack my day and leave behind a wake of chaos.

Thursday

I apologize for no afternoon post yesterday, it was a rough one without the endorphins of the day to get me through. But, I found my excuse to ensure I got my workout in after work and was successful! This morning was yet another one, today; yoga. I did my best, but some pain in my feet stopped me earlier than the rest of my body wanted, so I promptly switched videos, got on the floor and did the abdominal exercise.

Weighed myself before my shower, I am down a total of 6 pounds in less than two weeks! Still loving it, pushing through a minor plateau, and making it happen.

March 21

Have a meeting with my program VP this morning at 6:00, so workout deferred until afger work today. Here's to keeping the motivation and hitting it later today.

March 20

Sipping my berry banana protein shake reminds me of the vacation trip when Linda and I took the boys to Mexico for a week of fun in the sun. I'm gonna need to do something like that again as a reward to myself before too much time flies by. Second run at Plyometrics this morning......Oh yeah, feeling the burn. I can already tell that things are changing, I am getting fitter, etc. My lungs are working better and my muscles are recovering faster between exercises.

Tomorrow may be a struggle. I need to be at work for a 6:00 am meeting. If I wait until the afternoon, then I will find excuses to not workout. If I workout in the morning, I will need to get up and hit it even earlier. Stay tuned for the decision in the continued saga of Stu and P90X.

Day 8 (Week 2 Day 1)

WOOHOO! Another week starting out! I hit it HARD this morning. Chest and back workout, same one as last Monday, but I was able to do more, last longer, and bring more intensity to the game. One week in and progress is being made. You want more evidence? I am down 4 pounds in this week! Go me!

That's a Week!!

It's 5:29 am on a Saturday morning. Sane people are still in be sleeping or some just getting home from a very late night out. But me, oh no, I am crazy good today! Alarm went off at 4, and I was so tempted to roll over for another hour. I was awake for an hour or so in the middle of the night so I wouldn't have blamed myself too much. Instead, I took a few deep breaths, rolled on out of bed and did the P90X KempoX workout. Lots of shadow boxing, kicks and punches, a great cardio workout with some shoulder and leg hammering in the midst. SWEET!

Now I'm drinking a protein shake listening to the coffee maker go through it's final throws of water through filter. What a great way to start a great day! John and I have a tee time at 8:42 this morning for 18 holes of golf in spring weather, mid 70's today. With this workout first, I should be primed and ready to whack that ball for the first of 2012. Then tonight, another party bus ride to Loveland to cheer on some friends while they dance and perform in a vaudevillian burlesque night of fun! Good thing tomorrow's workout is optional/stretching, I should be able to sleep in and still do well with that one.

I am feeling great, loving the motivation and endorphin rush, looking forward to progress in many life aspects.

Five!

Just late yesterday my legs finally stopped hurting so much from the Tuesday workout, then today I hit them hard again for legs and back! Woohoo! I may not keep up with them and I may not do all the reps they do. YET! But, that's the way it starts, and I can already feel a difference. Kempo X tomorrow, a cross between kick boxing, taibo and what have you, it should be another good one. Regrets on kicking in to this, NOT A ONE!!!!

Day 4 Still Rocking!

Four days in, four workouts completed. Yesterday was an adventure it stiffness. The lactic acids had built up in my legs and hip area from the Plyometric day so I was quite the gimp, especially if I sat too long. Then add in stairs up or down, wow! What a great pain, knowing that it's all because I actually worked out hard and my muscles are rebuilding themselves for the next time. I had forgotten how much I love and hate it. The hardest part is actually the first 5 seconds of the alarm clock. After that, I get my head in the right place and go, then the rest of the day I get to feel self righteous and great about myself, and there ain't nothin' wrong wit' dat!

Day 3

I am coming to realize rapidly that I need a whole lot less sleep when I a working out like this. Yes, it is hard to get my backside out of bed at 4 am, but then I get the endorphins coursing through my body and I'm set for another great day. I head to bed roughly the same times as before, but alas, don't really sleep until later. Maybe this is my key to getting more done......

I absolutely LOVE starting my days this way!!!! Heart pumping, sweat pouring, muscles screaming. It all puts my head in a good place for the day, and has me starting each day doing something for me. I'm an addict, who had forgotten the endorphin rush but has rediscovered it.

Day 2

This morning was plyometrics. I'm pretty sure the name is derived from "metrics" meaning a measuring system and "plyo" meaning to ply the fibers of one's muscles from each other. Combined they refer to a torturous journey that takes pride in how far apart they can pry these muscle fibers from one another. That was one hellaciously fun and crazy workout. When Tony said, "...we're halfway through..." I almost fainted. I was reaching for the pause button to just say enough for one day, when they started the next exercise. I said to myself, "Self! Suck it up! Yes it hurts, but in a good way! Just do this!" So I did and made it through the hour.

Let me just say that it is a wonderful thing that shaving is not a precision task. Between my shaking legs from today's workout and very sore shoulders from yesterday's, I'm glad I don't use a straight razor, or I'd be short one juggler.

Woohoo! Day 2 is in the books! I'm getting into this love/hate relationship and feeling great!

WOW!!!!

Okay, first off let me say, I should have actually called yesterday's posts Day 0, but I'm aonly an engineer, numbers don't really mean that much :-P

Day 1: Alarm went off at 4:00 am Mountain Daylight Time. Voided the bladder, put on some working out clothes and was into the warmup by 4:10. WOW! What a workout! As imagined, I couldn't keep up with the pros in the video, but no worries, I did my best and then some. After the hour, I saw there was another 18 minutes of abdominal workout. Ooof! I was spent. So, to ensure I gave the abs their due attention, I saved them until after work. I just finished that horrific fun a few minutes ago. OMG! I've got a long way to go, but I've taken the first step........

Based on what I'm feeling now, I expect to be nearly crippled in my upper body tomorrow, thankfully (or not) I will hit it early again then and work out some of those kinks. Day one is in the books, I ate well and hit it hard. Time to take Josh to his Boy Scout meeting soon. Early to bed and out like a light tonight :-)

Day -1 Continued

Finished the pretest, fully expecting to not be up to the levels they suggest to start the program. Surprise, surprise, I scored lower on a couple of items than suggested, the same on a couple more and exceeded their minimums in the other categories, which in my estimation puts me square in the heart of the starting goal. First off, woohoo! Second, wow, I thought I was (am) in pretty crappy shape, 45+ pounds over weight, etc. but I am "in shape" enough to start. Really worried about the rest of America's health now.

I'm pretty sure I have a large bruise on the inside of my chest where my heart was trying to beat it's way out, and my arms feel a little jello like, but I am ready to do this!!!!

P90X Day (-1)

I am starting the P90X extreme workout program tomorrow (3/12/12) for the full 90 days. My diet plan will not be the one outlined in the P90X plan, but a modified version of the "Flat Belly" diet I had some success with before. My goal here is to blog about each week at a minimum, I am hopeful to blog each day. So, send me positive thoughts, and focus as I work to try to better my physical, and along with it my mental, etc. Since the only way I can ensure I will actually perform said workout each day, it will happen early in the morning. My alarm is set for 0400 hrs.......

I will take the "pretest" for a baseline before I eat lunch today! I am excited and scared, but most importantly I am doing this for me, and no one else.......YAY me!

14

Fourteen years ago

It started out as a fairly normal day. Linda and I dropped by our local Kaiser Permanente office so I could get a flu shot and she decided to get a quick pregnancy checkup while we were there. The word from her checkup, “Go home, pack up your stuff and head to the hospital, you’re in the early stages of labor and are going to have a baby today.”

So we promptly forgot a bunch of the advice we “learned” at the multiple birthing classes we had attended, headed home, grabbed some stuff and then right to the hospital we went. We had learned that we should eat a good meal before we go because the hospital won’t feed the mom, and the dad, well, you’re on your own. We didn’t even grab a snack. Linda got on the phone with her mom who was living in the Bay Area at the time and had an open ticket waiting to be used. Then we called a few others, my parents, our friend John and others. We got John and Sandy hooked up and “Uncle John” was a kind soul and picked her up at the airport and brought her to the hospital to share the experience with us. Meanwhile, Linda and I were walking, and walking, and walking. The 8 or 10 medical students each verified she wasn’t progressing very quickly, but I tell you what; it felt good to finally have something to do when Linda had had enough of the student prodding. I was gentle but firm, really I was J.

We decided to walk outside since her water hadn’t broken and we were bored of the hallways, so we wandered until we saw a drug deal going down and god only knows what else, the neighborhood was not the greatest, at which time we decided that the halls of Saint Anthony’s were just fine and headed back in.

Fast forward many hours and frustrations. Linda finally got her epidural (natural? my ass! medications were invented for a reason, I could have used some of those myself). We played music, we napped, we fed Linda ice chips (we really should have eaten something) and finally, after what felt like 60 hours since the Kaiser office, we finally got to push. I say we, but if you look up the word “useless” in the dictionary, it shows a picture of a father during childbirth. I’m pretty sure I had a hangnail that hurt like the dickens, but damn if I was going to say anything out loud. The whole “breathe” and “hoo hoo hoo haa” crap, just something to keep the father occupied and to feel like he is participating. But, oh the rush of emotions, to be standing there, light headed from breathing for her, fingers crushed from the vise-like grip of death, looking into the eyes of the devil herself, trying to get her to “focus honey, you can do it” and hearing the voice from within belching “shut the #%$& up and get that out of my face! If you think you’re ever going to touch me again buster…” All this after her lower body was completely dead from a slightly misplaced epidural.

Later, tears of joy ran down my face as I held my son for the first time. I told him at that time, with all the sincerity I could muster, “Daniel, your future is yet to be written and you can be anything you want to be in life, as long as I get to be your caddy.” Alas, golf is not Daniel’s forte, but guess what, I still get to be his caddy. I get to walk with him through the golf course of life as he grows into a man, as he succeeds and fails and we talk about what shot to take next, should he play the old reliable and lay up or is he in a place to take a chance and go for the green in 2. As his caddy, I get to make suggestions, I get to encourage and provide advice, but I don’t get to make the decision and I don’t get to take the shot for him. Succeed or fail, it’s his shot to take and my role to help where I can and get him ready for the next shot. I love you Daniel. Here’s to taking chances, playing it safe, and living life to its fullest. Happy Birthday!

Dad.

New Terrorist Tactics?

Colorado has been hit with a new terrorist tactic. They seem to be feeding the deer something different than normal and sending them out to the highways to explode on impact. One car at a time, they are taking us out. Time to extend hunting season? See the story HERE.

Small Pair

Playing Texas Hold-em with friends, holding a small pair will keep you in the game, at least through the flop. Then, depending on the betting and reactions from there, you may choose to continue, fold or raise big. I’ve been holding a pair of 4’s for about 6 months and have chosen to continue through the flop and am raising big on the turn. My good friend J Cas has been running with suited connectors for about a year now and chose throughout the year to continue and to raise big. I have never known him to fold, under any circumstances. This weekend he upgrades to a small pair (4’s), I expect to see him stay the course and raise big whenever appropriate, or when he wants to drive out the competition. We’ve been friends since before either of us held a blackjack and there is rarely a time when we don’t enjoy each other’s company. Life has added new pressures, commitments, etc. so we don’t get to spend nearly as much time together lately as we have in the past, but we’ve gone through this type of phase before and have always found a way back together again. It’s been a GREAT ride with you my friend and brother and we’re not even half way there yet. Have a happy birthday, and whatever you do, keep playing the cards, a pair of 4’s is not as so bad a hand at all. Oh yeah, that other small pair, I’m sure Ginger will lend them back to you for your birthday.

John's Redemption

A while back, I don't know how long ago but he still gets grief from me, my good friend John made one of his more memorable verbal blunders. The term he used was "hand glove" go ahead and laugh, I have a bunch of times. What other appendage do you wear a glove on John? Those balloons are not really called one finger gloves by anyone I know. Well, today I have found redemption for my friend and find the need to apologize for all of my laughter and jest. Alas, I have run across a new product (click HERE for their website). Yep, you guessed it, someone has made a foot glove, I kid you not. So here's to you John and your forward thinking. Next time, break out the patent application dude and make bank on it.

Say it isn't so

During a short break at work today I came across THIS article. I'm not sure I buy the theory that Warp Speed would kill, especially if it is based on Star Trek. After all, if I remember correctly (I could be wrong), the theory of the warp drive is such that the drive creates a warp bubble that surrounds the ship, thereby protecting the crew from harm as well as having to deal with Einstein's pesky theory of "gravitational time dilation" which has been proven by tests, as have many of his "general relativity" theories (and other theories as well).

Yeah, I know, the links are just to Wikipedia pages, but they should give the general reader some reference without going into the math, quantum mechanics, space time, or deal with Schrodinger and his cat. Thank goodness we don't need Heisenberg for this one.

Tattoo

If you're gon'na get a tattoo, there are a few things you should check before ink touches skin. Are the needles clean and sanitary? Look at some of the artist's work to verify quality. But, most importantly, make sure the artist can spell, even if you can't. See what I mean HERE. (warning, hilarity to follow).