Fitness and other things
Swimming
12 Days of Fitness (Day 1)
Dec 8th
After returning from a business trip in Orlando, Florida this last week, without a doubt I need to recommit to some level of fitness. I talked to one really nice lady, named Carol Hess, who happens to run. She has fun running marathons and has been running for a few decades. She really inspired me to get back on “track”. What inspired me was her story about over coming cancer. She is a true over comer, and I was impressed.
I want to pattern my fitness after the saying of “12 Days of Christmas Fitness”. Starting tonight December 8th. This does not line up with the actual 12 Days of Christmas, but I feel motivated and did not want to wait.
Each day, I want to commit to doing my walking (1-1/2 hours to 2 hours), followed up by at least 1/2 hour of more strenuous exercise. For example, running a minimum of two miles, swimming, cycling on the trainer (too cold to ride outside and at night). Stair climbing, such as at work, we have 16 flights of stairs in the corner of our building. When I was in better shape that would whip me good, running up those babies.
Tonight, I ran two miles on the treadmill doing it in 19:45 minutes. Because of my bad calf (today, it did not hurt), I like the consistency of the treadmill, plus it does have less impact on this old frame.
Today, my steps are over 23,700. I place my steps on my activity calendar, if you would like to it check it out.
Trying to Be Activate
Jul 7th
After three days off from work for the holiday and weekend, it is hard to get in activities when you return to work. I personally would like to do two activities a day for the month of July, but finding that kinda of time is hard.
Today, I did my walking. I walked at work with Tracy and with my dog late in the evening. I managed to get in 19,279 steps (9.43 miles).
After work and after dinner, I lifted some weights, not as much as I wanted, because I was going swimming. Today was a personal record, it was the first time that I was able to do five chin ups. I have a goal of being able to do 10, so I am half way there. I did some core exercises, like bird-dog, planks and side planks, hum, that was not my favorite thing to do.
I went to the pool and it was not crowded at all. I had a lane to myself, (that was nice). I did about 1/2 hour in the pool workout. My goal for this month is to swim as hard as I can for each lap, rest (get my breathing under control) and repeat. Today most of the work was doing the free style, with the exception of 10 non-stop laps in the middle doing the breast stroke. My side seem to hurt today, it may have been from doing some core exercise earlier.
In about a month, I want to do a Splash N Dash. A 400 meter swim and 3K run in Ventura. The distance is a little over 17 laps in the pool. I am a little nervous, because I have never really swam in the ocean and I do not know what to expect. Will the waves be up, making it hard to breath? Swimming is easy in the pool, when I get to the end, I can push off the edge each time. In the ocean there is no pushing off. So, I will need to be in the pool for at least double the distance of 400 meters , like 34 or 35 laps. I can swim that now, but I want to do it a high intensity, (more burn, less fat).
Back From Injury!
Jul 4th
In my mind I set July 1st as the day I could return to running. I tore my right calf muscle playing softball on May 22nd. I thought I was healing well and re-injured it when in Las Vegas on the treadmill. At work my fitness partner, Tracy gave me an article that convicted me. Summed up, to lose belly fat (the thing I hate the most about my body) is to have calorie deficit by doing activities that include intensity X duration X frequency. I was convicted, I do my steps each day an average of about 16,000 but, I like to eat and drink. I was convicted, because I do not have much intensity or duration or frequency. I hang my head in shame. So, to offset this I set in my mind to increase my activities for this month. I am working on a list of things that I would like to do. I have two goals to run a 5K on August 2nd and enter a Splash and Dash or it is a 1/4 mile swim followed by a 5K. i am not sure of the date of the event. My pastor and his wife are doing it, so I thought I would like do it as well.
This morning, I got up, stretched, drink a small cup of juice and ran from the house to the light pole at Avenue H, and returned, by stopping at Starbucks as a reward. A new Starbucks had just opened yesterday by our house. Overall the running was 1.94 miles. This is the first run since my injury. I started to get a side stitch, but pressed on. Average speed of a 10:10 pace. Not bad for two months off.
I returned to the house to change into my cycling clothes and rode almost 22 miles. I wanted to get out before the heat came up. My leg felt like it had small cramp, but did not hurt. I managed to ride at average speed of 17.2 miles per hour.
Overall I was not disappointed so far in the day. Here are some results from motionbased.
Been a Little Slow
Mar 1st
I have not been posting much new information on the site. I want to post about five messages a week. However, there is not much to report that is blog worthy. Febuary has been a slow, cold, and rainy month.
I have not been on the bike in some time. I wanted to get out today, my thoughts were yesterday was such a gorgous day, but I spent it doing yard work. Today started out beautiful and then turned very very windy.
I still not able to run, but feel that I am getting better. I believe it may be a stress fracture. If I run on the track or threadmill, it hurts. If I walk it is not so bad.
I finished a month long (two nights a week) swim lessons. While I learned many things about how to swim better. I really need to spend more time in the pool at getting better. For me it about breathing in water, which I really do not like. If on my free style stroke, I pull strong, I can take in less water, but I tried. The breast stroke is my best. I can do that one for the entire time, but I sense it is not challenging me enough. I not a fan of the back-stroke. It is odd, I seem to slash water up in to my mouth. However, all said and done. I am learning to like swimming. Oh, by the way. I have not learned the flip-turn. I tried but still do not get it.
Walking that is what I do most. I am still at around 16,000 steps and have been very consistent.
Slowing Down a Bit
Feb 18th
The blog has been a little slow on posting. Mostly, because I am not doing a lot activities. Well, I am walking a lot. Check out my stats at walkertracker.com, I am taking my swimming lessons and doing pool time. But, I have not been on the bike (it is too cold). I cannot run (my sore hip). Plus, I just do not want to do much else.
I have been planning some hikes this year, more to come on that here shortly.
Swim Lesson, Walking
Feb 5th
Tonight I had my first swim lesson. My instructor was named Dusty. The class was just two of us, me and a guy named Travis.
Today’s lesson was on the free-style stroke. I found out that my left arm comes out of the water too high and this is causing me to have my mouth too low in the water. That is why I breath in water. If I make my stroke longer or stretched out and keep my chin turned down when my left arm (breathing on the left side), is being pulled back, I should not take in water.
We started with kicks. Boy, that is a lot of work. I seem to kick and kick and not go anywhere. At times it seemed like I was going backwards, not true but it seems like it. My hip was talking to me, but it managed through it. Worked on arms and breathing. We put it all together. The class is nice because both of us are not beginners, so I expect to get some good instruction.
Today I walked some 19,528 steps. This is the best to date (using the pedometer).
Steps and Swim
Feb 4th
Today I walked some 18,643 steps on the pedometer Check out my results on WalkerTracker. That is the most steps in one day to date (since using a pedometer). I walked laps at work, on the treadmill at home and just around at work.
I swam 80 laps again, this time with Teri. She did not like swimming for the full hour. I do not mind. I am slow, but I go the distance. She is a much better swimmer than I am. I did 80 laps or 2,000 meters or 1.24274 miles. I start swimming lessons tomorrow and hope to improve my strokes and time.
Swim Lessons
Feb 2nd
I signed up to take some adult swim lessons thru Lancaster City Parks and Recs. I will be at East Side Pool on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7:40 to 8:30. I think the class is instruction on mastering strokes more than learning to swim, (I hope). I want to learn to swim well at free style and learn the flip turn.
2000 Meters of Swimming
Feb 2nd
I headed over to the pool and it was not crowded. I had a lane to myself. I set out to do 72 laps again. This time, I count out 36 and then another 36 laps. I had a few minutes left, so I did eight more. That is a total of 80 laps or 2,000 meters. It took me exactly one hour to swim that distance. Again, I am swimming the breast stroke.
Swam 36 laps
Jan 28th
Tonight after attending Ken Hams presentation on creation science, I left a little early to meet Teri at the pool. Swim season is declared open today. The pool at 8:30pm was packed. Three local high school’s were doing extra workouts. They were four to a lane, but that made the whole pool over crowded.
We swam in the shallow end and there was a couple that just did not get the concept of lane swimming. We swam around, they continued to drift in my way and in others . They were in “love” and swam shoulder to shoulder. Played little touchy games on the side when we came back to the edge. Overall they were pests.
I swam 36 laps, or 1/2 mile. I used ear plugs to keep some of the water out of my ears.
