The Life Ledger

Fitness is a way of life.

It’s that time of year again - time for reflection on the year past and planning for improvements during the year ahead. Or month ahead, at least. Last year, I put together a list of resolutions I wanted to follow. This year, I’m making one resolution:

Control My Consumption

One resolution. One hefty, multi-faceted resolution. Particularly in the face of my weight - I’ve slipped some on the past couple of months as emotions have been high for one reason or another. Ironically, I’ve noticed as my weight creeps up, so does my desire to make impulse purchases. Fortunately, I’ve tasted the sweet success that comes with beating consumption, and that is tantalizing above any short-term satisfaction I get from buying a DVD or CD. Unfortunately, impulse eating is harder to combat.

Of course, I also recognize “consumption” means much more than what I buy or what I eat, and as I’m battling my return to consumption, I’m finding other inter-related habits forming as well. So, for the next year, here’s the consumption I will strive to control:

• Drink more water.
  I’ve noticed I’m drinking much less water recently - where I used to drink 64oz a day, I’m now lucky if I drink two glasses. I used to enjoy drinking water - I was less hungry, my moods were more balanced, my sleep cycle was much more regular, and my productivity didn’t suffer swings as coffee buzzes waxed and waned. It’s all a matter of availability - I will add to my morning ritual filling a Nalgene bottle with water and keeping it at my desk.
• Control portion sizes.
  I’ve noticed my appetite has grown again - where once I portioned food according to calorie content, I am again worrying if a plate full of food will be enough to quell my hunger. It is time to retrain my appetite, to control my portion size instead of letting my appetite dictate my intake - particularly since my “hunger” is often emotion-based, not a true indication of my body’s need for fuel. Going forward, I will once again treat my body as a bank, allowing a daily caloric intake and controlling food choice and portion size accordingly.
• Exercise daily.
  This is pretty obvious. I will not be one of those statistic exercisers that fill the gym from the months of Jan to March. I’ll be the one breathing the sigh of relief as my exercise equipment of choice becomes available more often. It’s time to re-establish exercise as a priority when planning my day, and allocate time accordingly.
• Exercise fiscal responsibility.
  This is where I fared the best over the last year. Even with my recent slipping, I’ve resisted the returning desires for impulse purchases. Going forward, I’m ready to take the next steps - where before I simply remained aware of my account balances monthly, I will now create a debt reduction plan and monthly budget. Last year, I worked on not overspending; this year, I’ll work on saving.
• Exercise my brain.
  I used to be a voracious reader; until recently, I am embarrassed to admit my reading is almost completely relegated to magazines and blogs. Tonight, I finished a trilogy and am halfway through a Sudoku book - and feel once again exhilaration as I flex mental muscles. I will continue to make time to read and work logic problems.
• Control my information intake.
  My morning ritual begins at 5:30am, when I pour a cup of coffee and sift through RSS feeds and email while cycling on a stationary bike. Lately, I often suffer frustration as I have an overwhelming amount of information to sift through and not nearly enough time to do so. In Bloglines, I have 506 feeds - way too many! Even in an attempt to winnow the list down to a more manageable size by creating a “Daily” playlist comprised only of those feeds I think are important to read on a daily basis, I’m still left with 193 feeds. As I’m driven, almost compelled, to completely review the list, I realize my information owns me - by labeling an insurmountable amount of information as “important,” I have surrendered control, and my productivity suffers. Going forward, I will make notes of which feeds I actually find daily value in, and drop the rest. Information should uplift, not bankrupt.
• Consume peace, not anger.
  Emotions are like a self-hosted banquet where I serve as both host and guest, both choosing and consuming the fare. When I choose an angry emotional reaction to someone cutting me off in traffic, I consume my own anger, which feeds and inspires further anger and seething. Unintentionally, soon I’m not only consuming my own bitter angst, I’m also serving it to others around me, spreading my bad mood. In the new year, I will be more mindful of my emotional reactions, choosing the most peaceful reaction possible in every situation.

Control consumption. This year, my resolution will be my motto.

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Still maintaining, still no consistent exercise. I took my mountain bike by the shop for tune-up (if anyone else lives in the Asheville, NC area, Carolina Fatz is an awesome bike shop). I have a Haro v4, which I bought early last year. I did a lot of research on mountain bikes, read some reviews, talked shop to several store owners, and rode a few bikes in the same price range - I don’t think anything compares to the Haro:

• Solid, light frame
• Nice Shimano shifters - Moving from the grip-shifters my last bike (a Trek) had, these lever shifters are a dream. No more “dialing in” the gears - one click and it shifts.
• Shimano Deore derailleur - Deore isn’t the best in the Shimano line, but it’s nice and smooth. I tested bikes with Shimano components both higher (XT, LX) and lower (Alivio) in quality, and the Deore seemed to have the best quality at the best price. I could definitely tell a difference between the Alivio and Deore - less clunking, much smoother.
• Disc brakes - Moving from rim brakes to disc brakes was like upgrading from a 486 to a Core Duo: worlds apart. I tested both mechanical and hydraulic, and while I could tell a difference, I didn’t feel the cost was worth it for me.
• I love the shocks (it’s got a RockShox fork), but it wasn’t noticeably different than the others I rode, probably due mostly to the fact I tested them in parking lots. I purposely went for a hardtail - I don’t like the spongy ride a softtail gives, and they’re more money than I wanted to spend.

When I bought the bike, I immediately had them install some Shimano clipless pedals. It took about 15 minutes to get used to them, and a few rides to get comfortable with them, but well worth the price and initial discomfort. Just a tip - ride on dirt your first couple of times. And don’t skimp on the pedals - being able to clip out quickly is pretty important, as is being able to rely on the clip’s retention. I didn’t get anywhere near the most costly, but I didn’t skimp either.

This weekend, I’ll bolt on some fork clamps to the toolbox on my truck and an eyelet for running a bike chain, and I’ll be ready to hit the trails! Between mountain biking, volleyball (which should start up soon) and racquetball, there should be plenty of opportunity this summer for outdoor exercise. The first time in years I’ve actually been excited about getting outdoors - it’s a wonder what losing 70lbs will do.

You’ve heard it before - successful weight loss is not about dieting, it’s about making lifestyle changes. It’s easy to say, but where do you start? Here’s my list of ten steps to jump start your new fit lifestyle.

Step 1 - Calculate and record your starting points - BMI, daily caloric intake and measurements.

The first step to losing weight is to identify your starting point. It’s not enough to simply stand on a scale and record your starting weight - you should also calculate your BMI, daily caloric intake and record a couple of body measurements.

Read the rest of this entry »

Not much to report today. Ate cottage cheese, grapes, peaches, 2 bars and home-made chicken soup. Thanks to my wife, we didn’t go out for dinner - I’m such a sucker for going out Friday nights. No exercise, but I’ll make that up tomorrow.

You know, now that I think about it, it’s kind of a weird thing to think - that I’ll make up exercise. I measure my daily caloric balance, but think in terms of catching up tomorrow?