head on over to my new site at Bill’s Training Blog

The new site allows me a bit more freedom to add more information on getting fit. I hope you visit and enjoy.

Regards

Bill

It’s been over 3 weeks now since I started my first ever formal diet. According to my scales I am, as of this morning, 83.3kg (goal weight 76kg).

I’ll see what happens on Tuesday after I have my 4th formal weigh in at Jenny Craig. Their scale always seem to be a bit higher!

But, I can’t remember when I was under 84kg, on any scale, so 83.3 is just fine.

So, what do I think is making the difference?

Clearly portion size is a major factor. The meals I eat are far less than I would normally stuff my face on. As such you may see me doing rather gross actions like licking the bowl (not in public!) just to make sure I get everything I can from a meal.

Food type is also a factor. I have noticed that, in the last two days, I didn’t have raw vege’s to graze on. Not only did it minimise my food intake, I also felt lethargic late Friday afternoon. So, the vegetables have to be a factor. Not only in weight loss but in negating feelings of unnecessary hunger that might make to ruin your diet.

Higher intake of water. This is a key factor as well. Each morning I grab a coffee at work, fill two 600mL bottles with water and sip on them throughout the day. I could do three but two works for now. Water not only cleanses (I suppose) but also adds to the full feeling meaning I crave less food.

Lack of processed sugar. This is something I didn’t fully realise until just the other day. I now have a sweetener in my coffee with no kJ. If I have 3 – 4 coffees per day I actually have more than the necessary sugar intake. I am pretty convinced this make a big difference and is allowing me to lose weight more effectively.

Regular running. Something that I know always builds up a sweat and therefore loss of liquids also has to factor in weight loss. Regular 4km runs/walks to build my fitness is also contributing to weight loss, particularly as it speeds up the metabolism.

In the end, I am finding the diet reasonably easy to stick to and have the mental attitude not to let myself down. A day of poor eating only results in an increase in running intensity, so in a sense, either way I win.

So, if weight loss is a key issue for you, consider the simplest of all methods:

• eat better
• move more.

It won’t sell books but you will be in better health!

Bill

I got back ontrack today with a hard run to make up for my weakness at not running in an electrical storm.

My best time for the 4km run prior to today was 28:18 and, due to my pathetic effort yesteray I decided to push a lot harder. And it proved worthwhile in terms of time.

I came in at 25:40! A good time for me, still average but moving towards my goal of becoming Above Average.

The key yesterday was that good old strategy of setting small goals.

The first goal was just to get out on the road. Fortunately, I was still feeling the sting of not ruuning in the morning so that was fairly easy.

The nest goal was just to set markers ahead of me to reach when running before I slowed down to a brisk walk. As some of you would know these distances are between light poles. So today I stretched that to run for 3 light poles, walk for 1.

Then there was the goal of not walking past anyone. This was a little bit of ego to be truthful. It feels far better to jog past a pedestrian than walk past one.

So, if i was coming up to anyone getting off the bus to walk home I would either break into a run or keep running even past my “light pole goal”.

While this may sound stupid or silly to some, I’m not overly bothered as my time came down by over 2 minutes and that is what is helping me achieve my goals.

So, I’m raring to go and feeling enough “pleasant pain” to know this is making a difference.

Bill

It is my commitment to run every day for 21 days. This is to get my fitness level up as well as instill the habit of exercising every day.

And wouldn’t you know it – day one and we have an electrical storm!

Now here is what I questioned all morning while I was considering the safety aspect of running when there is lightning about …

1. Am I committed to this habit or not – I said just yesterday that I would run “rain, hail or shine” and here I am on day 1 (DAY 1 FOLKS!) and worried about a little electrical storm!
2. Would I have to be “committed” to run in such a storm – I mean safety is safety and I did hear the weatherman say people should stay indoors as much as possible. WWLFD – What would Lance Franklin do?

So, here I am at 6:55am wondering what might have been on day 1 and reconciling within myself that I can actually do the run tonight after work. I mean, it’s 30 minutes, it’s not like it’s a marathon!

I guess, for those of you who read this, I can only say that the run tonight will happen and I will be back on track.

Small (but important) point: it is quite interesting the power of telling others about a new commitment has. I know that mostly I have reneged on my own commitment here but I also feel a bit of a weight of the commitment I gave you, the reader.

The good part? I do feel strongly about making amends – to myself and to you.

Please come back tomorrow and I will be able to say that tonight’s run and tomorrow morning’s runs did occur and my commitment to my 21 day habit is on track and up and “running”.

Over to you … would you run in an electrical storm?

Bill

Okay, last night I had another weigh in (weekly) and got a fair result.

700g or 0.7 kg. (whichever sounds better to you.)

This comes after the corporate event I mentioned earlier as well as two fairly hard runs of 4kms each.

So overall, in 3 weeks, I’ve lost about 3.3kg! pretty good and the “male muffin top” (ewww!) is receding!

I coming to a better understanding of cause and effect. I am better prepared for the weight loss reading now. I know what I’ve eaten, I know how I’ve exercised so I kind of know what the outcome will be.

Listening to a Brian Tracy CD in the car this morning reinforced the power of thought and action. He talked about habits and how we need to develop new, positive ones to override the old, counterproductive ones.

So, for the next 21 days (the time it takes to create a new habit) I’m going to run the 4kms each morning. Every morning, rain, hail or shine. And as it’s coming into winter here in Australia, there may be more rain than shine.

Every morning my alarm goes off at 5:30am. I need to be on the street at 5:45 at the latest.

Happily, I am getting better sleep through:

• buying a new & better bed
• drinking less coffee (none after 12pm)
• getting to bed at a better time
• writing out better to do lists that get the anxiety out of my mind and on to paper.

On a separate note I’ve just discovered that poor sleep can add to your weight. I’ll get some details on this and post it.

I have a function tonight so there may be a dose of beer in there but mostly mineral water.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Bill

I had a brain wave the other day and think I have worked out a way to prove, beyond all doubt, where I am in almost any given activity.

You’ll see on my About page that I list myself as average. I’m a generally good person, a reasonable personality that some can take and some can leave. I play most sports … well, but will rarely be guaranteed to win. Perhaps a bit too bland at times. I’m … average!

But then, if I want to become “above average” is there a way I can be sure within myself that I’m heading down the right path?

Well, I think you can if what you want to achieve can be measured, and in most cases, most things can. Exceptions prove the rule.

So my first venture was my running ability. I class myself as average. It’s not a scientific measure, just a stake in the ground. And I’m happy with that. I could go to some lengths to prove it but I’m not running for office or anything, this is just me.

So, because my run is 4km, I simply googled “The fastest 4km” and came up with some hits. I did this twice and got two readings.

The fastest 4km that I found (you may find others, probably will) was 12:02. I rounded it down to 12:00.

My best time, and I’m average remember, is 28:00.

Here’s where it might get a bit anal.

I then broke the difference between my average time to the best time into quarter minute intervals (27;45, 27:30, 27:15 etc etc) down to 12:00.

There were 65 steps between 28:00 and 12:00.

Excel spreadsheet to come.

So, from my limited knowledge of statistics and the infamous “Bell Curve” I then categorised each set of figures into:

• Average (from midpoint forward 25% i.e. up to 75%-ile)
• Above average (75%-ile to 90%-ile)
• High performance (Top 90%-ile to 97.5%-ile and;
• Ultra performance (Top 2.5-ile%)

(I’ve just done this quick I may need ot revisit my figures.)

Anyway, my point is by segmenting each minute into parts and then categorising them against the normal Bell Curve I get to see where I sit on the performance chart. As my time drops I will move through the categories.

So, for example, as I get to the 21.25 minute mark for 4 minutes I move into Above Average category. That is still 7-odd minutes lower than where I am now. It will be interesting to see how quickly I get there and what I have to do to achieve it.

To achieve High Performance, I need to get into the realms of 14.75 minutes! But I may not want to do that. I may be content with being “Above Average”.

I’ll attached the spreadsheet on how I came to this later on. (I may try and “pretty” it up.) Feel free to critique or let me know if I have missed a vital piece of the puzzle.

Also, if you’re already a runner, let me know, based on my table, what category you’re in. I’d love to know.

I’ll have a look into how else this model can be applied.

Bill

A great feature on Google’s calendar is that they can be shared with the world. You can actually Google my calendar!

Now I’m not sure yet whether this will be a good thing or a bad thing but we’ll see. I can probably embed the day’s events here or a link to it. I’ll be updating that function tonight. Suffice to say, I’ll be quite content if anyone drops by, sees a blank calendar and then gives me what for, for not keeping up the effort to reach my goals.

This is important to me and, as I don’t have a natural disposition to great health and good fitness, it is a bit of a struggle. I hope that my struggle may inspire others to get moving too as I intend to achieve my goals and not fall back into bad habits.

However, it is still a daily process which is challenging and, at times, difficult.

Case in point: My football team had its first win in 14 matches on the weekend. I got home to watch the replay and so wanted to have a couple of drinks and some snack food while I enjoyed the game. I did indulge a little but nothing like I might have 3 weeks ago. For those who are naturally healthy, I’m probably a bit of a wuss but habits are hard to break. And it is these little events than can be a person’s downfall.

I did okay and the running and water consumption is on the way up. Good things!

Talk to you later!

Bill

It had always been a goal of mine to get invited to a corporate event. You know the sporting or cultural events that companies sponsor and invite their special clients. As a new employee in a bank many years ago I saw management get invited to these events and hoped that one day I’d be one of the chosen few.

I’ve since learnt two things about corporate events:

1. They are commonly a way to reward clients who are also good friends. So it’s not always about big business and they are a great time. If you get invited … go!
2. They are not so good if you are on a diet and looking to lose weight. The food is generally rich and plenty. And also well presented so you struggle to say “no thanks”.

So, I’d gone to the event, ordered ravioli which, luckily enough, came with a good dose of vegetables. I ate half the ravioli and all the veges. Not too bad. I also had a couple of beers! Not so good.

Doing Penance!

So it was a good day and I had a great time but there was penance of a sort.

My 5:30am run this morning was completed at a fairly brisk pace to get the blood flowing and hopefully losing a bit more weight ahead of my weigh in tomorrow night.

Breakfast was two slices of toast with peanut butter, a short macchiato and water.

I also completed 27 sit ups (15 x 1; 12 x 1) as well as 20 pushups (10 x 2).

The run took me 28.18 minutes which was 42 seconds shorter than the other day. Not a lot quicker for what I felt was a harder run. Anyway, we’ll see the results on the scale tomorrow night.

How is my Head?

My head is fine physically but it’s more about the mental side. When I woke up this morning I knew the run was not negotiable. But it was still a decision I had to make. When I’d left my watch on the dresser I had to go back inside and the bed was tempting. I wasn’t really looking forward to the run at all.

Fortunately, I didn’t think too hard about the bed and it’s comfort and continued on the run.

One more mental win!

I ned to run/walk again tonight and then tomorrow morning to at least feel I have run off the corporate day indulgence. At this stage I’ll just be happy that I do it and won’t try and break any records.

I hope you’re having a few wins too.

Regards

Bill

Yesterday was a good day from the viewpoint of maintaining my aim of exercising more. Prior to me starting this regime I was getting to the ’sedentrary’ stage and any exercise was more than none. Sad but true. It’s funny how we can console ourselves with such thoughts (e.g. I walked to the shops to get a bucket of ice cream, which I proceeded to demolish – but I walked! )

Anyway, there was no walk or run yesterday but there was over an hour exerting myself cleaning the gutters. I have the scars and sore muscles to prove it.

What I’m getting at is there must be a multitude of ways to get the exercise we need in order to increase our metabolism and burn more fat. Cleaning the gutters, gardening and the like are such ways as long as they cause a level of exertion over a period of time.

So the tasks around the house can count if they cause said exertion.

Diet wise I did okay. I wasn’t as stringent with volumes yesterday but kept to the food types I am allowed.

I have my weekly weigh in on Tuesday evening but I also weigh myself each Sunday morning and keep records. Today was 84.2 kgs, a hefty 1.2 kgs short of last week’s 85.4kg. So, the scales are heading in the right direction. That is enough to keep going and ensure I get to my goal weight of 76kgs as quickly as possible.

later today I have the privilege of attending a corporate function – a football game as the guest of a supplier. Free alcohol, food and nibbles. Fantastic – normally! Today it will be circumspect and being very careful not to dive in and let myself go.

So the plan is fill up on veges and salad, one drink, probably a beer and then a run when I get home.

Bill

Happy to say that I thought less yesterday and got onto the running track again.

It wasn’t as easy as just getting out the door though. I had made commitments to my far better half (FBH) to go and see her mother that night, not to eat dinner there (always a trap for dieters) so we had to have dinner at home. Easier but took more time – time which was eating into my running.

I’d also decided to take some readings through my Polar watch and had to get the battery replaced to do so. So by the time I got ready to run, a few things had to be checked off first. Then my daughter (20) wanted me around before she went out that night. Sheesh! Things a father has to do! (I love her mercilessly though!)

Anyway, onto the run. I decided to measure my heart rate to see my progress at this level. Below you’ll find the stats. I decided to measure my start rate, mid run rate, high rate, end rate and recovery rate as well as the time to complete the run. In the triathlon next year I’m thinking of targeting under 20 mins for the run section. However this is after a swim and bike ride, so my performance in running alone needs to be well under that.

The results at the moment mean little really until I get some regularity happening. But start we must!

Run Stats

Starting heart rate   88bpm – this is high and probably due to the fact that I’d just got off my motorbike – always a bit of an adrenalin rush!

Midpoint heart rate   169 bpm – this was using the 2 x one method of running v walking as mentioned in my previous post.

High point rate 175 bpm – this is the highest bpm on the run.

End Run heart rate 130 bpm – this is recorded as soon as I stop running.

Recovery heart rate 105bpm – this is recorded 5 mins after I finish the run.

Run time 29 mins

There are a couple of targets that I’m aiming for:

• Complete the run every day
• Get heart rate up to 180 bpm
• Recovery rate to be below 90 bpm
• Run comes in under 20 minutes

I am told that the most important point is recovery, that is why I want to get the bpm down as soon as I can.

And then there was the diet.

Started off today in line with diet. It is really quite easy when you know what foods to have.

Today’s breakfast was:

• 250ml skim milk with a “lite” chocolate additive.
• Poached egg
• 1 slice wholemeal toast
• Multivitamin

So I’m feeling adequately filled, a bottle of water by my side and I’m off to do some shopping.

Let me know how you’re doing.

Bill