The Life Ledger

Fitness is a way of life.

I could smell Sugar.

Didn’t know the source, and I really didn’t want to care. It’s a rainy day, so maybe someone brought in fresh doughnuts. That scent of the warm glaze spread through out the office, tickled my nose, made me hungry. No, that’s wrong because I had breakfast. It made me crave them. It was through concentrated effort that prevented me from tracking them down and eating like a starving man.

What’s funny is it’s not like I have great memories of doughnuts. Every Sunday morning, between church and Sunday school, I’d be able to get one and hot cocoa. It was like clock work, without fail. Being an outdoor lover, it was the only solace in having to be inside for 2hrs. And closer to present day, it was the only perk at my last job. We had limited 401k, no bonuses, no raises for 6 years across the board. But every Friday it was doughnuts. But that job was hell, and I’m very glad to be gone from there.

So what is it? Could it be that sub-consciously my body knows what that smell means? That if I was to eat one, or more, I could “feel good” for all the wonders that occur with change of blood sugar. The same could be said about my morning of coffee. Until I finish my first cup, my brain feels like mush. But sometimes even just smelling the coffee brewing, I become more alert and wired. So what is the connection? Am I nothing more that a human version of Pavlov’s dog?

At the same time man is a different animal, in that we can prioritize. Being able to control that impulse, redirect it or halt it completely in order to reach a higher goal. For me it’s fact that the past 3 days, I’ve been 203 and change. I’ve been on a hell of a plateau, and this is the closest I’ve gotten to my goal in awhile. So I said no. Prevented myself from that seductive snack, and was able to stay focused on the long term goal.

To wax abit poetic, the mind knows but the body remembers.

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One of the things that is so prevalent these days are fast food. It’s easy to travel a mile and pass over 10 restaurants in some places. And no one can deny that they are convenient, and sometimes there are no other nearby options. My goal with this article and others is to look at what is available. Taking the information available on their website, I want to provide a general idea of how much of what someone can eat. At the same time I’m going to indicate what I would get if just going by my natural instincts. I’m going to use my general numbers generated by the government to get me down to a healthy weight. That means 2600 calories a day. Subtract 150 calories for daily fruit and 300 calories in breakfast yogurt. Estimating about 1000+ for dinner, and I’ll give myself an even 1000 calories for lunch.

Today I’m going to start with an old favorite - Wendy’s. I admit, I’m a creature of habit and really like Wendy’s Spicy Chicken sandwich combo. Per their nutrition page that provides me

• Sandwich : 480 Calories
• Small Fries : 370 Calories
• Medium Soda : 220 Calories
• Total : 1070 Calories

So it looks like it’s just at what would be a good goal for me. But I want to modify these numbers just a bit for two reasons. First, I typically get at least one refill on soda. That’s 220 more calories, for a total of 1290. At the same time there is a tendency for Fast Food companies to under-report the caloric value of the foods the make. It’s usually considered within statistical error, but often enough that the values should be taken with a grain of salt. I’m going to increase the value by 5% in an attempt to adjust for that. Wow, that places the end value at 1355. That additional 350 calories cost me another 30 minutes on the treadmill. What can I do differently?

• Sandwich : 480 Calories
• Small Fries : 370 Calories
• Medium Soda : 220 Calories

Well, straight away if I remove soda I get a total of just under 900 Calories. That’s even with my 5% adjustment. It’s amazing how much soda can effect your diet. Maybe you don’t like chicken. You could replace it with,say, a Double Jr or a single Classic. The frescata sandwiches have just as many calories or more than my beloved spicy chicken. And even more surprising are the salads, for most of them with provided condiments have as many calories or more than the sandwiches, save only the Caesar.

So, I wonder. Are my instincts strong enough that if I remove soda from most of the combo meals, I would be able to keep me within my goal of 1000 calories? We will have to see.

New Year’s Resolutions are like spam, dreams of financial gain or weight loss without form to re-enforce their promises.

In writing a previous post I had the above epiphany. It was to be my closure, but it struck a chord. It is simple, memorable, but with more than a grain of truth. So after some discussion with Cris, decided to give it a story of its own.

So why am I having a hard time writing? Both Spam and New Years Resolutions are common enough in our culture. Maybe it’s because no one really takes either one very seriously. The average person gets 7 or more pieces of spam a day. And experience shows how few people actually believe them, all being sent unread to the digital trash. Can the same not be said for New Year’s Resolutions? Look at how long most people keep them. I was making my first resolutions at age 10, only to be broken within 3 months.

There are similarities though in how they play with our psyches. Both encourage the impulse for a quick fix, but usually only end up helping someone else. How healthy do you think your retirement fund is going to be if you chase after “pump and dump” stocks? Or are you expecting that inheritance from a mysterious prince? It’s easy enough to ride that horse to death, so I’ll stop.

So why do we then lie to ourselves about future changes in actions, when we refuse to maintain the needed willpower to follow through? Maybe my google-fu is weak but I couldn’t find any research on how long people take to decide on their resolutions. But in the beginning of December, co-workers usually starting asking each other “what are your resolutions for next year”? Most of the time, people get that look of concentration, do a cursory self evaluation, and choose the least painful thing to promise. So few put actual thought into these “life changes”, requesting more time for serious contemplation.

This is why Cris and I both advocate that people should instead plan out their goals, approaching them as an integral part of life. Usually the same whims that lead you towards fitness are those that can cause you to stumble.

I hate the first of the year.

Okay, that’s a bit harsh.

What I hate is how many people set themselves up for failure. Sometime after the holiday ham and before the midnight bubbly, the average American takes this long look inward. Maybe it’s that change in the last digit of your checkbook. Or the lengthening days that hint at the coming promise of spring. And just as the moon pulls at the sea, we make those same resolutions as last year only to be foiled a few months down the road. And we are used to the cycle. We see those same articles dusted off : Most common resolution, First to go, How long can you last? ….. Sorry, that last sounds abit like spam.

And in droves We the People stimulate the economy: our gym memberships, exercise equipment, fad diets, IRA contributions, increased savings at the Banks. Companies love that financial shot in the arm. They know that very few people keep their resolutions because…

Exercise:
Off to the gym we go, shiny new gear in the trunk. Wait, everyone else seems to have gotten the same deal! Packed parking lots, queues for machines, and not enough clean towels just made my 30 minutes at lunch become 2 hours! After work is even worse. Can’t go outdoors because I’m above the 39th parallel. Anyways, I don’t remember being this sore last year when I started up.

Savings:
It’s time to improve my retirement savings plan. 10% into the 401k, plus 100 a month into an IRA. Hmmmm….. The bills from Christmas just came in. I know, I’ll start next month. But then that’s Valentine’s Day. Oh and taxes, can’t forget Uncle Sam. I’ll try to remember to start this up again in May.

Diet:
Oy, after all that holiday food I need to lose some weight. Time to diet, I’ll try those pills I saw on TV. Shoot, George brought in left over Christmas cookies. Maybe after the Superbowl because Sam always makes the best wings. One or two chocolate hearts aren’t going to hurt. What the hell?! Why aren’t I losing weight!?

So your motivation drops, and with it the focus of your resolutions. With no visible forward progress, you got frustrated and decided to try again in another year. So I say to you, be contrarian in the timing of your resolution. Pick a time that is away from birthdays and holidays. It could lead to a greater chance of keeping it.

So you have taken those first steps: Catching your habits, Drinking water instead of soda, Exercising 30 minutes everyday, Saving 50 dollars every paycheck into your 401k. And you are seeing progress! Slimming of the waist or interest earned, it inspires you to do more. Each time you have a decision you spend more and more time trying to figure out what to do. And you look for more and more aspects of your life to improve.

First let me offer you a whole hearted congratulations. It’s definitely motivating to see progress made. In the second part of this series I’d like to offer a few warnings. It may seem odd to read, but let me explain.

To start with, its easy to have conflicting goals. Wondering how this would happen? A common example is saving of money while eating healthier. Simple economics dictate that fresh fruit and vegetables often costs more as well as being much better for you. So instead of trying to min-max where you search the Best solution, aim for a solid 90% towards your goal. In fact my personal belief is that perfection is an impossible thing to grasp. Also these conflicts can also arise from poorly defined goals and steps.

At the same time, there is also the problem of to many paths and cascading results. Like a grand master chess player or Deep Blue you look ahead to see how your current decision influences what you can decide later. But unlike chess, Life doesn’t have a clear winner. There is no checkmate in which to defeat Mother Nature. The more you try out think, the less actual action you take. Because if you spent 5 more minutes to figure out how to raise the end potential 1 more percent, you can loose it all. Cause see, all those possibilities are just that. Potential, until you finally act.

Lastly, making changes in one’s life can make you tired. At least for me it does. Trying to be aware of every little thing. Watching for those things you can improve. Remembering those new habits you are trying to create. The body, mentally and physically, is used to the old rhythms in life. When you deviate, you add stress until the newness wears off. A great example are all those that flock to the gym with “life changing resolutions”. You know, when parking during January and February is impossible to find. But how many keep at it? By changing too many things at once you can stress your body too much. What happens usually is you get “sick”. Could be a cold, sinus inflection, or more. By keeping those Conscious Acts slow and steady you prevent to much of a shock to your system.

So to wrap this up, I would say I’m a big fan of moderation. It was living in one extreme lifestyle that caused problems in the first place. It would do yourself no good to swing so far the other way that you cause problems yet again.

Or even worse, revert to your old ways.

Continuation from yesterday