A Return To Soreness

It has been a week since my wife and I joined Planet Fitness and while not everything has gone to plan, we are both making some surprising progress for only being one week in. On our first day we were in the gym for 30 minutes, we are now gotten a pretty solid and tightly packed routine down which, at the moment takes us about 45 minutes. There are a few things that I still have to add but, overall, it is a pretty good start.

I can notice a little bit of change with this new routine. While the strength has yet to return, my muscles seem to have been activated and are bigger than they have been in years (especially my shoulders fro some reason). I don’t know if I have lost any weight because I haven’t been on a scale in probably a month but I don’t think any weight has come off since my clothes still feel the same.

Our diet is something that really is a work in progress. Myself more so than my wife (by far). She has been doing really well, she’s not where she wants to be but who is? As for me, I have made some improvements in that I am eating more salads but can’t say that my portions are any better and there are the occasional times when something really unhealthy seems to find its way into my hand. Small steps though. Just going to keep trying to take them ne after the other.

One thing that I haven’t been looking forward to but I have once again learned to embrace is the soreness. I kind of missed this feeling. The feeling like I actually did something physical during the day. You never get the same feeling by just walking around. I once again feel the comfort on the machines, lifting weights, and on the treadmill that has been absent for many years (especially the last few times that I tried getting into a workout routine).

This is why I can already tell that this time is going to be different. I can feel the difference and I already know where all of the locations are around home and work. Now it is going to take time to get to where I want to be and where I know I can return. One of these days I will post a picture for reference but, for now, it is my motivation Even though it is early, there is progress being made and a comfort level that I have been missing. This is just the beginning.

Returning To The Gym: Not What It Used To Be

One of the resolutions that I seem to make year after year is to improve my health. It is something that I have now included in two posts on this blog but with little progress having been made until now. It had been about a year since I last stepped foot in a gym but today my wife and I broke that unhealthy pattern and signed up for memberships at the local Planet Fitness. While we have tried this before basically going into it blind, this time we made sure to set a schedule so that we have specific nights when we can hold one another accountable.

For many years when I was younger, the weight room was a place that I enjoyed going to multiple times a week. It was a place when I could just block out the rest of the world and focus on a singular task of putting up as much weight as I could as many times as I could. Now, things are a bit different. Now I am going into this basically starting from the beginning.

While in the past, I would push as hard and as long as I could, I know that is not the best thing for me at this time. While I can still push myself, I can’t simply keep pushing until something gives. It isn’t just about getting in shape and going to the gym on a regular basis, it is about changing my mentality while I am there. What worked in the past is not healthy for me now. I have to pace myself and make sure that steady progress is made. Maybe later I can push harder but, for now, consistency is what needs to be my focus.

In addition to the general joint issues that I have faced, and which have gotten worse, for the past fifteen years I am now going into this new routine with diabetes, fibromyalgia, and borderline blood pressure issues. All of these things will basically shut me down if I just go in full boar without consideration for my current health status. So it is a matter of steady progress. It will be painfully slow and will require a commitment that is a bit foreign to me but it is nothing that I can’t push through in order to reach my goal.

So, today I started my journey to reaching my goal. Time to lose the 100 pounds that has been, literally, weighing me down lately. Well, maybe not 100, it all depends on how much muscle I can build back up. A more realistic, and healthy, goal is to get my BMI back down to 10%. By far not the lowest I have ever been but definitely a healthy number to aim for and one that will be achieved in time. When, I don’t know but I will definitely be recording my progress and I am sure setbacks on this blog.

Given my previous experiences, I know that I need to do and I know the exercises, pace, rep counts, and tracking that needs to be done. However, like everything else, I don’t know everything and any input would be appreciated. Feel free to leave your comments and questions below. I look forward to reading your input.

It’s Baaaack…

Darn it! I’m getting sick again. Maybe this is what I get for not taking the time to recover after the last bout with whatever this is. Unfortunately, I find myself in the same position… there is too much stuff going on for me to miss a day. As the cliché goes, I don’t have the luxury of getting sick. However, this time it seems to be a little different. While the congestion is the same, my joints are beginning to ache especially my shoulders and knees. Its back and its pissed. Of course, this could just be a cold squared. Getting a cold and having the cold weather stiffen my already questionable joints. Either way it is time to double down. Cold medicine and Motrin.

I don’t know about anyone else but, for me, there is a certain amount of guilt when it comes to getting sick. As I have said previously, my energy and creativity is at a significant deficit when my body is trying to fight off illness. Pain only magnifies that effect. Knowing that I can usually accomplish much more in a day and not being able to is slightly disturbing to my determination. When something takes longer than it should and money equals dollars, when I am sick I am costing someone money. That isn’t right and it really bothers me. This is on top of the fact that if I am not getting everything done someone else is, most likely, going to have to assist me. We are all already working hard and I don’t want to put more work on someone else.

Maybe it is time that I really start focusing and taking better care of myself. The hours seem to be fine. Maybe a few too many in the office but not much. All my other activities seem to be working out on most days so I don’t see any great benefit to cutting back on those. However, my body needs a lot of work. It is time to really embrace the resolution that I keep making and reaffirming. I need to take care of my body which, in turn, will improve the abilities of my mind. Regardless of what you may think, I know this relation to be true.

So, in my recovery I think it is time to get a realistic plan together. Not just goals but logical steps which need to be taken in the coming months. So, add another item to the to-do list. Of course, when I am done I will post my plans but, in the meantime, I am open to suggestions as long as you keep them reasonable (i.e. I am not going vegan and running a marathon a day). Maybe you will see them implemented in my final plan (with proper credit given). We will see.

Off To The Governor’s House

As I mentioned yesterday, I was out of the office all day today. I still got up at the same time, left the apartment around the same time, but instead of heading east on the Pennsylvania Turnpike I made my way west. While the travel time was twice what I am used to in the morning it was a smooth trip with little traffic on the road. In fact, I made it to Hershey in well under two hours.

What brought me to Hershey? While I don’t go to a lot of event of this type, more than some, a lot less than others, I was given a unique opportunity during this meeting of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. While I had to drive to the Hershey Lodge, it was only a temporary stop during the morning as I was soon on a limousine bus on my way to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
 

  

We arrived at the Governor’s Residence in the middle of numerous discussions started as soon as the bus began to move. As we chatted our way toward the main gate we all put our points on hold as we had our names checked off by security.

Once in the door, we checked our bags, got our nametags, and were warmly greeted, one by one, by Governor Corbett. By the way, the Governor seems to be getting in shape for the campaign tour.

After a quick chat, it was time to get a cup of coffee and walk around the house a little bit. iPhone in hand, I took some photos of the many rooms including the stairway…

…the two sitting rooms…

… the formal dining room…

…and a couple of pictures of the Governor’s office (this is what I would like my office to look like).

Heading back to the reception area I noticed that US Senator Toomey had just arrived so I made my way over, introduced myself, and exchanged a few pleasantries. While I may disagree with Senator Toomey on some issues, I give him credit for being consist and his office credit for always responding to correspondences in a timely manner.

Not wanting to hold up the building line, I went back into the reception area, poured a second cup of coffee, and stood around one of the small high top tables and had a nice conversation with Lieutenant Governor Cawley.  

 

Noon snuck up on all of us and before we knew it, we were all retrieving our coats and bags and we making our way back out the door, through the gates, and onto the last bus heading back to the Hershey Lodge. When we arrived, we picked up our lunches, sat around the tables, and either worked on our computers (including me) or continued conversations started early this morning. Following an abbreviated meal, I took advantage of the quiet time while everyone was in the first session to get some work done. Once a number of items were taken care of I joined them in the middle of the second session. I only attended one more after that, got a few more last minute items done on the computer, and made my way back out the door to meet my wife for dinner before heading home. But, before I left, I pulled out my phone and took one last photo of the event.

 

I’m A Nudist And I Don’t Like It!

A couple months ago I made a drastic decision and shaved my beard. It was the first time that my face had seen daylight in nearly a decade and the first time my wife had ever seen me without one. While it may seem odd, not a day goes by that I don’t miss it. I guess you could say that my beard was my blanky.

It is also a source of memory for me as it has been a part of “my look” for so long. When my wife and I got engaged, my beard was neatly groomed for the pictures.

Engagement Beard (January 2007)

By the time our wedding came around I had gained a considerable amount of weight but still kept the beard looking good for our big day.

Wedding Fat Beard (June 2009)

Between our wedding and my wife’s birthday the following year I had lost a significant amount of weight and gain a number of inches on the beard.

Back to Nature Beard (October 2010)

Israel saw probably the best beard to date as I had lost some more weight and had everything trimmed with just the right amount of length.

Israeli Beard (July 2011)

Last summer we took a family vacation to Disney World where things got a little scraggly because, hey, we were on vacation.

Tired Disney Beard (July 2012)

And here I am recently at Crystal Cave, naked and fluffy.

Naked Spelunking (July 2013)

So, I am frequently asked, why did I do it? The reason is simple; beards are not seen as professional. I don’t agree with it but there is the reality of the situation. I had put it off as long as possible but I could no longer risk losing potential employment opportunities because of the way I look.

However, I think I look better with a beard and I know I feel, for some reason, more comfortable with one. Contrary to popular perception, my wife misses my beard as well and asks almost daily when I am going to grow it back. This leaves me to pose the following question every morning: to shave or not to shave?

The only thing I can say for certain is that it will be back. I don’t know when but it will most certainly be back. I miss my blanky.

New (Half) Year’s Resolutions

I WANT THIS PIN!

I can’t believe that we are half way through the year already. Many changes have occurred (some good, some bad) but the fact that I can’t seem to grasp the hours of each day still frustrates me. Every day there is something that gets carried over to the next making my “to do” list more of a living compilation of tasks rather than something I can simply check off and throw away.

Some people set goals in the beginning of the year but I like to be a little different and put greater emphasis on the second half of the year. Of course, there are a few certain things that are achieved in the first six months but, in the end, it’s all about how you finish the game not about how it begins. Therefore, it is now time to outline my list of goals, in no particular order, for the second half of the year.   

1.      Improve my health – isn’t this something that is, in one shape or form, on everyone’s list? For me, it really comes down to two very simple things, stop smoking and lose about 60 pounds (I have struggled with both over the years). There is an entire subset of things I could list in order to accomplish this but, again, those are the common things that everyone jots down. What is different than most is that I have to make sure to schedule regular checkups with my doctors just to keep an open line of communication and make sure I am doing things the right way.
2.      Write a blog every day – I made it through last month with only a few delays. I still got a blog out every day in June but some of them were barely under the wire. I have a blog schedule which, so far, would take me to the end of October but that is the easy part… the “hard” part is taking the time every day to write and post. To this point, I have accomplished a staggering amount of growth in a single month and I greatly appreciate the support. Thank you all for reading, commenting, liking, sharing, etc.
3.      Find a place to live – Such a basic thing to have on a list at first glance. However, there is a greater underlying factor to this which is why I have chosen to list it. We have an apartment which has served us well and we live in an area that is very familiar but we are both looking for home. We have been looking for this for a long time now and in many locations and while we have been comfortable and thought we had found it a few times it just didn’t hold up against the clock and calendar. Hopefully, we find home this year.
4.      Find a new job – Minor detail. As was posted previously, I have been seeking a new position for some time now. While it has been difficult at times I am still confident that not just a job but a career is waiting for me because it just takes one to make it happen. As the great SNL philosopher Stuart Smalley (not to be confused with the pull your hair out quote from Senator Franken) said, "I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggone it, people like me."
5.      Full year of Rotary – As was posted last week I am now the President Elect for the Rotary Club of Bala Cynywd – Narberth and there are certain things that I would like to accomplish in the coming year. I am not going to go over the whole list again in this post but, suffice to say, there are many things that I need to work on to truly make my first full year as a Rotarian a success in my eyes.  
6.      Full year as a Mason – I have only been a member of the fraternity since April and I have already gotten a tremendous amount out of Freemasonry. There are a number of personal things that I would like to achieve in this first full year and many goals that I have set for myself in this category including, just to name a few, completion of the Master Builder Award and Lodge of Research requirements as well as becoming a member of Scottish Rite. It’s going to be a busy Masonic year.
7.      Sons of American Revolution Application – This project has been put aside since the fall and it is time to “git-r-done”. Given the time of year it is especially poignant to get this done soon. I am proud of my family heritage and for me this is a great way to show it. I will be sure to write more about this process and my family’s Revolutionary past in a future post so stay tuned.  
8.      Publishing and Readings (one is already booked for November 16^th in Collegeville, Pennsylvania) – If I remember correctly, it has been almost eight years since I last actively sought publication of my work. It is a very trying and tiring process that I am not particularly fond of but it’s an addiction that never leaves you so I guess it’s time to do some lines and chase the dragon once again. So, keep in mind that I may be creatively and poetically medicated moving forward. The long layoff from giving readings coincided with my vacation from publishing. If I am going to publish I have to read as well. I always enjoyed the performance side of writing because that is where you find out if a poem or story works. You feed off of the reaction, good or bad, which helps you to improve and pushes you to challenge yourself and your audience. Words on the page are just ink and paper, the experience defines the creation.  
9.     Continue to explore my faith – Many changes have occurred in the past couple of months with regard to our observance but our faith has remained steadfast. The means by which we express and embrace our faith has evolved over time to something that suits us both as individuals and as a family rather than subscribing to the black and white outline of a particular branch of Judaism. While it is not for everyone it is how we connect with G-d and I look forward to exploring our faith and deepening that connection through His words and his creation.
10. Travel - I am looking forward to continuing our weekly excursions both as a way to spend time with my wife and also to explore the beauty of creation that surrounds us. We have weekly day trips planned out to last the summer and into fall but, like anything else, it is flexible and I am sure it is going to change. This is also a means to feed content to this blog and share with you some of the wonderful places that surround me in my own Commonwealth. I hope that it will encourage some of you to do the same and explore and appreciate the places that are near to you but you never took the time to visit (this is especially important for those of you who may have children).

That is my list. It may change, in fact I am certain it will, but this is a starting point in recommitting to the process of improving myself throughout this year. This is the foundation of change and the map which I can fall back on to keep myself moving forward (ING is of no use with the above goals). What are the things that you would like to work on or accomplish in the second half of 2013?