Welcome


Thoughts on fitness, health, good nutrition ... and running.


Welcome to Bald Man Running, a blog launched by Frank Murphy on January 1, 2015.

In March, 2013 I was selected as a contestant for the sixth season of Fort Wayne's Smallest Winner. Through this amazing program, I learned about good nutrition, sound exercise and accountability. By October, I would lose over 88 pounds (almost 37% of my original weight)! One of the many things I acquired through FWSW was a love for running. You can retrace my weight loss journey and discover how I became a runner by reading those entries labeled "fwsw" ...

Note: Many of the blog entries on this website predate 1/1/2015. Prior to launching BMR, I had written articles for various projects, and I have imported many of them into this blog (labeled "retro").

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Krazy Kasi

Just did my first intervals class with Kasi. I didn't want to, but I had the (mis)fortune of Tina seeing me come into Spiece and she asked way too nicely for me to say no. I was going to hit the elliptical for an hour and get a better workout than I'd get in some random class. After all, Kasi (the trainer) is pregnant. And then there was the male/female ratio ... only one other guy in the room. How'd I let myself get roped into a "girl" workout? How good could it be?

Oh boy. I am such an idiot. That was the most difficult workout I have ever done in my entire life. After a month of FWSW workouts, I didn't realize I still had new muscles to torture.  She literally made me kick my own butt repeatedly (and I know how to use the word "literally" correctly). You know it's really bad when you're looking forward to using weights just to give your screaming legs a break! But then somehow, those little four pounders miraculously turned into forty pounders without ever leaving my hands. I've got to pay closer attention to those things next time.

By the way, I finished the workout. Yes, I did.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Good Enough

It was a rough weigh-in tonight. I lost 2.2 pounds. I was hoping for more. My calorie intake was right on target and no different than weeks prior. I hadn't missed any workouts, so what was different? Surely my efforts were good enough for a better loss ...

I look back at the past week and wonder if I really did everything I could do? Did I skate a little here and there? I'm currently thinking of a poem that my eleventh grade English teacher required the whole class to memorize, "Good Enough" by Edward Guest. Here's a few lines:
My son, beware of "good enough,"
It isn't made of sterling stuff ...
Who stops at "good enough" shall find
Success has left him far behind ...
For this is true of men and stuff --
Only the best is "good enough."

The whole poem can be found at http://www.appleseeds.org/Good-Enough_Guest.htm. It's worth a read.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

A Gallon Guy

I just realized that I have went over one month without a soft drink. Somehow, Pepsi's stock has actually went up almost $3.00 since then (I checked). I don't understand how that's possible. When such a stalwart, faithful customer as myself quits cold turkey, I thought they'd have to eliminate an entire department or something like that.

I was one of those "gallon" guys. Seriously, I drank at least that much Pepsi per day, and often a lot more. I'd start my day with a 32 oz. I don't like coffee so that was my morning caffeine. Then I'd get at least a 32 oz for lunch (I'll get to how often I ate out another day) and finish it with my meal, so I'd refill on my way out the door. I'd then have another 32 oz with dinner. That right there is a gallon. Sometimes I'd have more with dinner, if I was watching a ball game, if I was driving around much, etc. If you pricked with my finger a month ago, I'm pretty sure carbonated blood would have come out.

Going without soft drinks has been a bigger challenge for me than changing what I eat. I love the taste of Pepsi. One of my favorite snacks was grabbing a bag of Doritos or Cheetos and a two liter ... I could finish them both over the course of one's Lions game. Well, guys ... this season is going to be different. I'll have carrot sticks and water at my Super Bowl party! Don't feel bad for me though, because I'll be fine ... Matthew Stafford's MVP performance (six TDs and 500+ yards) will keep me plenty happy.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Bless your heart

The NFL Draft is wrapping up as I write this. Like other die-hard football fans, I enjoy watching it. I'm also pleased with the players selected by the Lions. Those are some fortunate kids ... none of the other drafted players will get to play in the Super Bowl this year.

I like listening to the talking heads analyze each pick. It looks easy to comment on how well they think first rounders will do, but what about a fifth rounder from Appalachian State? How many of those "experts" can truly speak with authority when the players are less well-known? Maybe I'm just a skeptic, but I don't think they know nearly as much as they want us to think they know.

When you start getting into shape, you'll get a lot of the same kind of analysis from people trying to help you out. They'll tell you what to eat or what kind of exercises to do. Some of it might be good advice, but some of it isn't. When I get unsolicited advice, I generally say something like "thank you and bless your heart." That means "I'm already getting good instruction and I don't need you messing with my training. I'm going to politely ignore what you just said."

If you're reading this blog and can remember me saying that to you, well ... now you know the truth. Bless your heart.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Seriously?

Seems like a lot has happened today. Another week of workouts finished (4 down, 11 to go).

I tried doing crab crawls today, and I have it on good authority that I am not very good at it. I tried to make it look fun, intense, thoughtful and even sexy ... no dice. I'm just one awkward crab, folks.

Rick issued the 100 Flight Challenge: 100 flights of stairs on the stepper machine. I was zipping right along. At around 30 minutes/85 flights, the machine crashed. I was going 3.5 flights per minute, so I kept going until I was over 100, but I have no idea how long it took ... and my photo proof is of error.

[Note: I had a photo, but I couldn't find it to include in this entry. Honest.]

"Heart Rate Not Installed" it said ... really? I was sorely tempted to hug the rainbow out of that fabulous apparatus. I could have cavorted in my jodhpurs. (It's a family website ... I used dictionary.com to find alternate words to how I really felt).

Thursday, April 25, 2013

My super power

Sorry about the recent weather. It's my fault, I'm sure. You see, I've been eating vegetables lately, and once that started happening "a chilly, wet day in Fort Wayne" couldn't be far behind. (I realize that phrase isn't as famous as that other weather-related phrase -- "a cold day in hell" -- but I'm sure it's in use somewhere.)

It's crazy. I've ate spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, cucumbers, almond butter, tomatoes that weren't on a hamburger, and a ton of lettuce (also not on a hamburger) just to name a few. I can't say that I like too many of the new foods, so I tend to hide them when I eat. For instance, I throw new veggies into a stir fry with some chicken breast and then don't look too hard at my plate while eating. If it's all jumbled together I'm not sure what I'm eating in any particular bite. Whatever it takes, right? I am mildly surprised that the dietary changes have come easier than I thought they would come.

Personally, the coolest part of eating new foods is the gas by-product. I'm not trying to be gross here, but when you radically change your diet, be forewarned that you're also going to radically change your gas. I was always proud of my ability to clear a room before FWSW, but I now feel like Peter Parker must have felt after getting bit by that radioactive spider. After all, broccoli flatus almost qualifies as a super power.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Gravity

I tried a new workout called "gravity training." There's a board hooked up to a set of rails on an incline and it slides back and forth. You lay down on it and depending on the specific exercise, you push/pull with your leg(s)/arm(s).

There are no weights ... or to put it more accurately you are the weights. All of the pushing and pulling slides your board up/down and you're on the board. Think about this for a minute ... it's a form of exercise where your fat is your incentive. I could almost feel that I was slowly working with less weight as the workout progressed (not really).

It actually approached being ... gasp, I can't believe I'm about to say this ... fun!

What's cool about fitness is that you don't have to jump right into doing P90X or some other fear-inducing workout regimen. Trainers and group classes are available to help you find something that works for you. You can workout on various machines with all sorts of settings (and the trainers can help you understand them too). You can do various exercises that avoid aggravating preexisting injuries. I promise you ... wherever you're at right now is the right place to be to choose to get in shape. And if you stick at it long enough, you might even start to enjoy it.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Every heartbeat

When it comes to your mom, dad, husband, wife, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and especially yours kids, never take a moment for granted. Every heartbeat is precious and finite. They're called "loved ones" for a reason. Tell them you love them. Show them you love them.

I sincerely appreciate everything my family and friends have done to help me get me this far. I know I'm a fortunate and blessed man.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Exchange rate

Third weigh-in: 4.4 pounds lost. That's 15.6 pounds over three weeks (and 6.4 oz behind my wife's three week total). There's 6.5% less of me than there was three weeks ago.

Wouldn't it be cool if we could "cash in" on our weight loss percentage somewhere? Lose 6.5% of your weight = 6.5% discount on an oil change ... or maybe something a little more exciting than that. Unfortunately, there's no "Frank's Fat Exchange Rate" ... at least I haven't found one yet.

Warning: While trying to come up with something clever, I realized I was wrong. There is an exchange for my fat ... I'm exchanging unhealthy choices for healthy ones.

If I hadn't started making better choices, it would have almost certainly cost me more than 6.5% of the remaining time I have to see my kids grow up. You can't make unhealthy choices without consequences and I feel like 6.5% is just a portion of the investment I'm making in myself and in family. The rate of return on that will be priceless.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Skinny people

I was working out at Spiece the other day and was mildly annoyed that the particular machine I wanted to use wasn't available. Spiece has a bunch of them, but they were all in use. I just looked at all the thin, skinny, little people using *my* equipment and I caught myself thinking, "what are so many thin, skinny, little people doing on this equipment? Don't they realize some people *need* this equipment more than they do?"

I'm not proud of myself. I confess that it took more than a few seconds before it dawned on me they might be thin, skinny and little BECAUSE they were exercising. If they weren't exerrcising then they probably wouldn't have been so thin, skinny and little. I look forward to the day when a future FWSW contestant will see me working out and wonder why such a gloriously thin, skinny and little dude is using *their* exercise equipment ...

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Secret weapon

I've got a secret weapon: my wife. She's also competing this season in the Public Division. They started a week earlier than the regular contestants did, so she's got a bit of a head start. After three weeks, she had lost 16 pounds! My third weigh-in is still two days away, and I need to lose at least 4.8 pounds to match her. Her success is pushing and motivating me.

Even though we're competitive, we're still doing this as a team. We work out together, shop together, make meals together, etc. It helps us stay accountable and it makes the sacrifices easier.

Somehow, this amazing and beautiful woman agreed to marry me a little over twenty-three years ago. I know that I am fortunate man. I love you, baby ...

... and I'm going to lose more weight than you do.

Friday, April 19, 2013

My clothes

Three weeks of workouts down, twelve more to go. I've already noticed a lot of improvements in my stamina, strength and even coordination. I've still got a lot of room for further improvement, but I'm encouraged.

Some things I'm thankful for: my team shirts, my running shoes and my pants.

The team shirts are pretty nice. They wick the sweat away and don't stick to you like cotton t-shirts would. If I keep losing weight, it will eventually look like I'm wearing a nightie instead of a shirt ... and "thin me" will just have to deal with that.

The shoes are designed to compensate for my crazy gait. Apparently, my feet aren't flat when I run (they tend to slant inward). Without these shoes, shin splints would be far worse. I know I'm not a track star, but if you were to look at me while I'm standing still in these fancy kicks, you might think I was an Olympian.

My "pants" (that's what Brits call undies, and while I'm not a Brit, I use that term because it sounds sophisticated) are made of the same kind of wicking fabric as the shirts. The wrong pants can lead to rashes and other unpleasant discomfort. My only regret is that Wal-Mart only had basic gray ... I was looking forward to getting something with Jurassic Park or the Justice League on them. I wonder if UnderRoos is still in business and making anything out of wicking fabrics? That would be so fun to wear.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

In the pool

First time we did a workout in the pool. I'm still trying to figure out how I log "pool water" in my food journal. I don't know if there's sodium in pool water, but I do know that I retained quite a bit of it. You know you've swallowed a lot of water when the trainer drops a garden hose into the pool to keep it full while you're working out in it.

At first, I thought I was doing pretty good with the foam barbells. It was hard, but I was nailing it. Then we do some noodle racing, and I was working that noddle pretty well, I thought. Then Rick asked me to swim two laps ... that's a lot of dog paddling (I'm not a very good swimmer and the dog paddle is my go-to stroke). The hardest part was "treading water" with EJ. I don't know how to do it. I tried dog paddling, but I was swallowing a lot of water. I kicked my feet furiously as if I were on an underwater bicycle ... but I sank like a stone anyway. As I filled up with pool water, I must have been getting heavier too, because I am not very buoyant. Isn't fat supposed to float? Mine doesn't.

The worst part is that I couldn't tell how much sweating I did ...

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Crying

We've all learned tons of stuff so far: how to write a good journal, how to stretch, how to climb stairs (repeatedly), how to march in place while punching fictional ninjas (I imagine they're there so I can punch their faces ... and yes, I just used three "there" homophones in one sentence ... correctly).

One of the things I've learned to do is sweat. I didn't know I could sweat so much. My armpits were starting to wonder if they had a monopoly on sweat and they are pleased to know that they are not alone. During morning workouts, I sweat from places that I didn't realize had sweat glands. I'm particularly proud of the volume of sweat that pours down my bald scalp. It gets in my eyes ... which would be okay if I wore contacts, because I'd never have to rinse with saline solution again.

If sweat is just my fat crying, then my fat is freaking big baby. Cry on, fat. Cry on ...

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Good or bad


The behaviorist spoke at our team meeting last night and I thought I'd share a little of what she said with a little of my own spin mixed in for good measure.

Every one goes through life-altering events that change the way we eat, drink, work, play, sleep and think. Perhaps in celebrating a promotion we eat a too much, maybe we're depressed and don't sleep that well, etc. Often these events happen to us and it's all we can do to respond. For good or bad, these events take place ... and we need to be aware of their impact on our health. 3500 calories equals one pound, and that's true whether I'm happy, sad, bored or indifferent.

We've also been told FWSW isn't about a diet or losing weight, it's about embracing a new and healthy lifestyle. Our state of mind can hinder or improve our eating, working and sleeping patterns. A healthy lifestyle is a well-balanced one, and that balance include body, mind and spirit. Just as there's no shame in asking for help about physical fitness or nutrition, neither is there any shame in seeking help from a qualified counselor or pastor. For some, that might even be the best place to start.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Short one


Weighed in tonight and I lost 3.6 pounds for week two. That's a total of 11.2 pounds so far, and 4.7% of my starting weight. It's a good start, and I'm thankful for my friends, teammates, trainers, nutritionists and family (with special two "shout outs" to my mentor, Michael and my wife, Rose).

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Ellie

I should be going to a birthday party today, but I can't. Ellie, my only daughter, should be fourteen years old today, but she didn't make it past nine days old. She died of a previously undetected and rare heart defect (they told me it affects less than one in a million). One minute I was the proud father of a beautiful baby girl and the next I'm in a state of bewilderment that I still haven't quite resolved.

On this day each year, I make a special effort to tell someone that today is Ellie's birthday. She wasn't here long enough to make many friends, and I feel that if I don't tell somebody then it won't be long before her life is entirely forgotten. It may not make sense, but in a way doing this is one of the very few things I feel that I have left of her.

So, today there are no jokes, no silly stories or no tie-ins to FWSW. I'm just trying to make it to tomorrow. Thank you for listening.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Living proof

Today I tried my first kickboxing group workout at Spiece. I didn't think I could do anything to fell less coordinated than I felt during workouts with EJ and Amber. I was wrong. I came down with my most severe case of Frankitis yet.

The good news is that the new me felt physically capable of keeping up, but the old, bewildered me felt so clueless. I laughingly told Rick and Tina about my apparent failure, and Rick encouraged me with this: "You don't have to be coordinated to get into shape." I'm living proof.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Honolulu Blue and Silve

As I mentioned in my bio, I'm a big fan of the Detroit Lions. I love that team. I've been a crazy fan since the Lions drafted Billy Sims (the Heisman winning RB from Oklahoma in 1980). At the time, I was eleven and didn't have a favorite pro team. Sims was my favorite player and where he went, my loyalties followed. There have been a lot of great Lions players since then ... Bubba Baker, Lomas Brown, Kevin Glover, Chris Spielman, Herman Moore, Robert Porcher, Luther Elliss, Jason Hanson, Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford. I've personally collected over 350 autographed items of Lions memorabilia, including a signed Barry Sander jersey (booyah me).

Unfortunately, the Lions haven't had a lot of success on the field since 1957. Other than a stray playoff appearance here and there, the Lions have had a dry spell. They're kind of like the Chicago Cubs of football. However, despite their win-loss record, they somehow continue to maintain their fan base. We are among the most passionate and dedicated fans in any sport. We may grouse and complain, but we're hardcore loyal.

I'm betting that my experience as Lions fan is going to help me in FWSW. I have stuck with my team for 33 years (and counting). When it's been tough, I've stayed the course. When they win the Super Bowl this year (seriously), it will be oh so sweet.

I also realize that the decisions I'm making now to become healthy are a lifetime commitment. I'm not giving up on my health. It's going to be painful and hard. But when I hit my weight loss goals this year (seriously) it will be oh so sweet.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Frankitis

I look forward to the day that the guys at the office will let me into the building without making me do the Truffle Shuffle first (Goonies reference).

Seriously, the guys at work have been awesome. They're encouraging and supportive. They ask about my workouts. We joke around a bit and there's a fair amount of teasing involved, but it's all in good fun and it hasn't crossed the line. As far as I know, so far three guys from work (including my boss) are planning on running the Fort 4 Fitness 1/2 marathon. I couldn't ask for a better bunch of friends. They particularly enjoyed hearing about a new term from this morning's workout: frankitis.

Apparently, I'm not the most coordinated contestant. That whole thing where we march in place and punch upward during E.J.'s workouts? Well, we're supposed to lift up one knee and punch up with the opposite hand. I can hear "opposite arm, opposite leg" in my sleep, but that doesn't make it any more likely for me to get it right. Well, another contestant momentarily got out of sync and I heard someone say, "looks like someone's got a case of frankitis."

I think that's awesome. To me, it means "trying to do something hard and not stopping because you look a little silly or aren't exactly sure how to do it." I might look a court jester out there during workouts, but that doesn't stop me. I'm getting healthy.




Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Grab a shovel

Interesting snippet of conversation I overhead at Spiece today: "It's okay, honey. Just calm down. Just call Animal Control ... unless you want to beat it over the head with a shovel to put it out of its misery ..."

No, it was not Rick and Tina talking about me during this morning's workout with Amber. I caught that little tidbit as a guy walked by me while talking on his phone. I don't know the whole story. You now know as much as I do.

I've discovered another nemesis: shortness of breath. I'm sure I've had all these problems since the first day, but was too achy sore to notice. Now, I'm getting a little more capable of doing more each day and I'm noticing things I didn't notice before. Most of it will only get better as I stick to it. It's tough, but I'm not ready for the shovel yet!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Sleep?


New obstacle ... exhaustion. This schedule is killing me. I've always been a late night guy who likes to sleep in, so this transition has been tough. Getting up at 5:00 a.m.? What kind of crazy is that?

So far, I've been a good boy with my diet and I've been doing extra workouts. It's not enough. I've got to get this sleep thing under control too. Hoping for a nice sleep and a more alert tomorrow.



Monday, April 8, 2013

First weigh-in


Let's get the big news out of the weigh first. I don't want to make you weight for it. No need to waist your time. (I'm out of relevant puns ... if you've got one, add it in the comments).

The big news? I lost 7.6 pounds on my first post-orientation weigh-in!

I know a lot of contestants were nervous and anxious about it, but I was like "bring it on!" I could feel the changes in my body. I had to tighten up my belt a notch and I can see in the mirror that I'm thinner. I knew something was happening, so all day long, it was "get me to that weigh-in!"

So, I step on the scale and I can't look down. I'm waiting for Rick to read out the numbers, and I guess he was talking, but I didn't hear him. It wasn't until Tina shouted out a 7.6 that it finally sunk in that I had lost some weight! Well, it still hasn't really sunk it yet, but it will. Looking back at it, I was probably a lot more nervous and anxious than I thought I was.

First week down. Felt good to get some good news. Let's take off the training wheels and get to it!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Triple it!

I figured out a way to eat THREE TIMES the peanut butter without adding any extra calories.

Like a good boy, I've been measuring out my peanut butter all week. I was using an old measuring spoon and the printed label was pretty faded. I couldn't read it completely, but I could kind of make out a "1" and a "T" ... one tablespoon right? Well, we wound up buying some new measuring spoons and when I saw what a tablespoon actually looked like, I was amazed. I'd been using a teaspoon all along. Makes a big difference.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Go Blue!

First big test today: I went over to a friend's house to watch some basketball (Booyah Michigan!) and was nervous about how well I'd do. There was pizza, soft drinks, nachos, etc. Could I avoid eating the forbidden food? While there are foods that I enjoy, I don't think I've ever been a "foodie." I don't eat when I'm depressed (quite the opposite actually) and I don't eat because I love eating. Don't get me wrong ... I'm still really screwed up when it comes to food. My problem is that I'm lazy.

I'll eat what is fast and convenient. Fast food for lunches everyday? Sure, because it's easier than the alternatives. Eat a bag of chips in one sitting? Sure, because when you eat from the bag it's hard to stop. You get the idea ... So, what was the secret to success at my friend's house? I went prepared. I brought some chili and some fruit with me. I knew how much I was going to eat, and I stuck to the plan.

Now, my wife tells me that's she wired differently when it comes to food. It would have been much tougher for her to reject all those yummy foods. For her, the smarter choice would have been to avoid the party altogether. I don't advocate placing yourself in situations where the temptation is very likely to overwhelm you. For me the challenge wasn't to resist the urge to eat, but to resist the urge to just go with the flow. I won when I prepared ahead of time.

This isn't about diet. It's about a lifestyle and I can see that I can do what I need to do.

 

Friday, April 5, 2013

Streaking!

Funny moment from this morning's workout: I was doing the warm-up jog around the gym with my mentor, Michael, and I heard someone refer to me as "Frank the Tank." I immediately thought of the movie "Old School" with Will Ferrell who played a guy named "Frank the Tank." So, I did what I do. I quoted a fun line from the movie. If you've seen the movie, you probably know the line ... Michael was the only one to hear me say, "We're going streaking! Everyone is doing it!"

Michael hadn't seen the movie. He had no idea what I was talking about. I tried to say it was a movie quote, but I'm going to need somebody to back me up on this please, otherwise Michael might be thinking I'm a bit strange.

Silly little things like this happen between friends. I really appreciate the encouragement and support I've already got from Michael. As a former contestant, he knows the drill and has been generous with his experience. As I'm getting to know my teammates and fellow contestants, I'm seeing myself surrounded by a lot of quality people. It's all been real good.

Well, gotta go. I need to get over to the quad and to the gymnasium.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Busted

Well, the gig (or is it jig?) is up. If you've read my first entry (see below), my grand plan was to wait until people noticed that I had lost weight, and when they asked what I was doing, then I would spring FWSW on them. Plan busted.

Today was my first day back to work since the morning workouts have started. Everything was fine until I went to pick up something from the printer. A co-worker almost immediately asked what was wrong. I played dumb. He thought I had injured myself in some way. So, someone did indeed notice something different, but it wasn't the pounds melting away ... it was my inability to walk like a normal person.

I've since learned that the muscles really killing me right now are called quads, which I think comes from an ancient Greek root word meaning "ow ow ow ow ow." I also learned that the pain is a good sign. When big muscles are screaming like that, it means more calories are being burned.

Once I realized I had no chance of keeping my semi-secret to the next weigh-in, I did what any sane man would do and spilled the beans. Everyone has been really positive and supportive. I'm not surprised because I know the folks I work with, and they're top notch folks. What is surprising is when strangers interrupt their busy day to give me encouragement. Why should they care if Uncle Fester (I've been told I look like him) loses a little weight?

If you've thought of getting in shape, but are worried about what others might think, trust me on this ... you'll be floored at the genuine support that just sprouts up around you.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Blink

Warning: This blog entry is likely to make little sense if you're not a fan of Dr. Who.

There has been some speculation about who would serve as the 12th Doctor when Matt Smith chooses to hang it up, but I've been pretty ambivalent so far. After this morning's workout, I feel strongly that Amber would make a great Doctor.

During the workout, I heard her say "ten more seconds" ... and then it felt like another thirty minutes elapsed before she got to the end of her countdown. "10 ... 9 ... 8 ... 7 ... 6 ... 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 1/2 ... 1 17/35 ... etc."

Her ability to control time clearly qualifies her to be a Time Lord. How else can you explain the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey countdown?

These workouts feel like an eternity. Everything burns and aches. I briefly felt better after the workout when Rick said, "Sweat is your fat crying." I stopped feeling better when I laughed ... because it hurts to laugh.

And remember this: Whatever you do, don't blink. (Season 3, Episode 10, Dr. Who)

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

First day of workouts

First workout: Ow. My elbow feels fine ... unlike the rest of my body. Now I know what "feel the burn" means ... and the scary thing is that I suspect they were taking it easy on us. I've heard nothing but horror stories about Amber's Tuesday morning workouts. I just hope my elbow appreciates it's good fortune ...

Second workout: Went back in the afternoon on my own (seriously) and gave it a go on the treadmill and recumbent bike ... 30 minutes on each at what must look like a sedate pace to all the veterans. Still I logged 1.5 miles on the treadmill and 4.5 miles on the bike. Who would have thought I could move six miles in one hour under my own power? I'll try this exact same workout in 15 weeks and let you know how far I get.

Monday, April 1, 2013

First nutrition class


Went through the first nutrition class. This looks like a breeze! I've got this in the bag!

Seriously, I'm intimidated. There's a lot of things to keep in mind and I feel like I'm being asked to juggle fifteen balls in my very first juggling class. The intimidating part is that they're easing us into things. If this is the "eased in" phase then all I can say is (in my best Scooby Doo voice) "rut roh."

Stay tuned to find out how the first workout goes ...