Joel: No More Excuses

I haven't blogged on here in a week and a half, but I have definitely been working out. I started the Couch To 5K workout plan for real except that instead of actual running, I am doing my low-impact running (also called power walking). I figure the last thing I need to do is blow out a knee or ankle trying to act like I'm 20 years old. So until I can lose about 25 more pounds, I'm sticking with the low-impact running. And Wii Fit!

So what I have been doing is posting status updates on my personal Facebook account chronicling my workouts and getting encouragement from friends. As I read some of them, I find people who are in far better shape than I am giving excuses about time or schedules or whatever. It's easy to do, I did it for over a decade.

But there must come a time when excuses run out

Until that time comes, you're not going to change a thing. But once it comes, everything changes in the way you view your time. Have you had that change yet?

Joel: More Wii Fit Fun

So I took Tuesday off from any physical activity. Yesterday, I took a much more reasonable approach to the running and opted to go to my middle school's track (flat surface and all) and did four cycles of 4 minutes walking and 1 minute running. It worked out fantastically. I guess the only real problem was that I didn't drink enough water throughout the day and it was somewhat humid out, so I had to stop at the water fountain and get a quick drink about halfway through. No worries.

Today, I decided to opt out of walking or running and spend some quality time with my Wii again. on Saturday afternoon, one of my friends called me and reminded me that the new season of 24 debuted on Sunday night. He offered to let me borrow the DVD from last season to get caught up (I had a big DVR fiasco during spring break where I lost all of my unwatched episodes of 24, so I just blew it off till later knowing he would get it). So I went over and got it and have been watching that all week. As a result, I have done very little with Wii Fit except for the almost daily check-ins and maybe a little bit of stretching.

Tonight, I spent 34 minutes with it so far, am going to go have dinner with some friends, and then will come back and watch some 24 and probably do some step aerobics and walking around my house a little bit. So which exercises did I choose tonight?

• Lunges (ugh)
• Rhythm Kung Fu
• Snowboard Slalom
• Skateboard Arena
• Rhythm Boxing
• Lotus Focus (not really a workout, but more relaxation)

I also decided that it's time for me to lose the carbonation. I am replacing sodas with mostly water, and some occasional tea and/or coffee. I'll allow myself cappuccinos on the weekends if I've been good. So the journey continues...

Joel: You're Kidding Me, Right?

I've been aware of this for a while, but today's assigned exercise regimen was to walk 5 minutes, run 3 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 3 minutes, and walk 5 minutes. I knew it wouldn't be happening. There seems to be a sincere possibility that I'm going to fail week 2 and have to repeat it again next week.

Yesterday morning in 7:30am, there were no problems walking 15 minutes, running 1 minute, and walking another 3+. All good. Even in 24 degree temps.

Today. Another story altogether. So here's sort of how things went down:

5:15
Other Band Director: "Bye, I'll see you tomorrow."

Me: "If I don't call you by 8, call the hospital."

OBD: "Yeah."

Me: "Seriously, I think I'm supposed to walk 5 minutes, run 3 minutes, walk 2 minutes, and die"

5:30
I get home, change into my old worn out and beat up sweatpants, and post my final Facebook status update ever...also reminded myself that there's over $250 waiting at the end of this horrible miserable journey

6:00
Leave to go run

6:14
Find the most secluded track in town and get out to walk

6:15
Begin walking for 5 minutes

6:20
Begin first 3-minute run

6:21:30

Wow, it's been 90 seconds! Time to walk again.

6:21:35

Begin gasping for breath

6:24
Let's try this again...

6:25
Stop running, resume walking, resume gasping for breath

6:28
I can run some more...let's give it one last push!

6:28:20

Has it been 3 minutes yet? No...

6:28:30

Wow, that was the slowest 3 minutes of my life. Time to walk.

6:31

Collapse in my truck

On a positive note, I got 16 minutes of exercise in (plus I played a little Wii Fit later this evening) and I was quite impressed that my legs were hurting before my heart completely failed on me. Maybe there's hope for me yet!

Joel: Week 1 Wrap-Up

This year is going to be a year of discipline development for me, I assure you. As I mentioned before, our school nurse sent out an email Monday morning inviting us all to participate in this weight loss challenge thing. So the other band director told me that I need to enter since I am planning on running a 5K this spring anyway.

I went in Wednesday, paid my $10, and weighed in. I made sure to wear as heavy of a coat and boots as I possibly could for the weigh-in. Then we got an email on Friday telling us that the first place winner gets 80% of the kitty, and the second place winner gets %20. Right now, the winner's set to get $264. HELLO revolutionary life change! There may be some last-ditch, over-the-top efforts to win come the first week of March in preparation for the March 8th weigh-out. Somehow I think wearing only a t-shirt and boxers for the weigh-out that day is definitely in the plans! Maybe not. But one good side-effect of this is that I will be focusing not only on the running aspect, but also really keeping weight loss in the crosshairs. Can this be a bad thing?

So this week didn't go quite as well as I had anticipated. Here's how it panned out:

Sunday
Supposed to Walk 15 minutes (actually walked 15 minutes and did some Wii stuff)

Monday

Supposed to Walk 5 minutes, Run 1 minute, Walk 5 minutes, Run 1 minute, Walk 5 minutes (actually walked 5 minutes, ran 1 minute, walked 5 minutes)

Tuesday
Supposed to Walk 15 minutes (decided to make-up for yesterday and did the full walk/run/walk/run/walk routine and did some Wii stuff)

Wednesday

Supposed to Walk 5 minutes, Run 1 minute, Walk 5 minutes, Run 1 minute, Walk 5 minutes (actually walked 15 minutes)

Thursday

Supposed to Walk 15 minutes (woke up early to go run, walked for 3 minutes in 20+ mph winds, couldn't catch my breath, went back home...then I walked another 12 minutes including some stairs during my conference period and did some Wii stuff)

Friday
Supposed to Walk 5 minutes, Run 1 minute, Walk 5 minutes, Run 1 minute, Walk 5 minutes (actually it was too cold and windy to do much outside, and I don't have a treadmill for running...so I didn't even do the Wii)

Saturday

Supposed to rest, but I'm actually going to do some Wii stuff in a little bit and also do the walk/run/walk/run/walk routine I was supposed to do yesterday.

All in all not too bad. This week I'm supposed to do some 3-minute running sessions, but I'm just not sure if they'll happen. I'll try it on Monday and see where I end up.

Be sure to check out the latest article on So You Want To Teach? entitled Running and Reading

Joel: Favorite Wii Fit Plus Workouts

So my workout schedule is here. It's not a distance thing as much as a time thing, which works well for my analytical/logic-based mind. I started on Sunday by walking 15 minutes. Then I went out yesterday to Walk 5 minutes, Run 1, Walk 5, Run 1, Walk 5. But I only glanced at the schedule quickly and forgot the "Repeat 1x" thing, so I only Walked 5, Ran 1, and Walked 5. So today I went out and did yesterday's workout right. Tomorrow and Friday, I'll Walk 15 and do today's workout again Thursday.

In addition to the walking/running, I am trying to do a little bit on the Wii Fit each day. I actually have Wii Fit Plus, which has some additional exercises that the original one didn't. So far, I really am enjoying the Rhythm Boxing and Driving Range workouts. I started playing golf this past summer (see post), so the driving range is great in that it helps me with my stroke, and also counts as exercise. The rhythm boxing is cool because it's sort of like step aerobics stuff, and it involves both arms and some somewhat involved footwork. The step aerobics thing is also kinda fun. The cool thing about these is that they don't require a whole lot of intense coordination, so they fit my style just great!

Note to Carol: Set a goal that is specific, realistic, measurable, and written. It will work wonders for your motivation. Also, tell people about it. Nothing's worse than the guilt you put on yourself. Personally, I'm more interested in telling my friends who already run about my goals. I hate running, but they motivate me. My lazy friends say stuff like, "cool!" My active friends say stuff like, "Awesome! You can do it! You'll love it!" I'll take that one any day.

So we haven't gotten any comments yet. I know people are coming here and reading...so feedback time. What are your Goals for the New Year? What are you doing to make your goal be more than a wish?

Cardio Yoga & My Avatar

Day 2–Well, I’m glad a little bit of shame worked for Joel. What I didn’t figure though was that shame is a double-edged sword. This bloggeroo challenge thing kept my paws out of the Emergency Chocolate drawer today and away from those gingersnaps this evening.

I also decided that tomorrow I would bebop down to the nurse’s office for my official weigh in and fat checker. Maybe I’ll even come up with some goals like Joel to keep me on track.

After reading Joel’s first post on our blog challenge, I’m really, really glad I coerced cajoled him to to do this. Tonight I announced to my yoga class about my new mission. My yoga teacher, who in a twisted bit of fate is one of my former yearbook editors from a gazillion years ago, got a tad bit too enthusiastic about all of this and decided that we needed to do some cardio yoga.

Who knew there was such a thing? My glutes certainly didn’t. When all was said and done, my cobra pose looked more like an inch worm, my high mountain looked more like an ant hill and my downward facing dog resembled road kill.

Tomorrow while Joel wrestles with his Wii, I will be in my cold garage smacking my kickboxing bag. At 5:30 in the morning.

And I don’t even get to have one of those cute little Wii guys. My student-turned-yoga teacher-Chris said I could come over to her house, and she would make me a Wii guy with her Wii.

But then I’d probably have to do some sort of extra special cardio yoga. I politely declined. Instead, I’m going to use my little stick figure guy from my book as my I’m-too-poor-to-have-a-Wii-guy avatar.

Hey, my stick figure guy may not be as cute as those Wii guys, but my guy is already skinny.

Joel: Shamed Into Doing This...

Well, I got this crazy idea yesterday to just do something I've long wished I could do, but also long since lost the ability to do. I wrote about it last night (I've Had It! Why I'm Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, and What I'm Doing About It) and then went to school this morning. Shortly after my 3rd period Beginner Band class, I got an email from one of my fellow (albeit a tad eccentric) blogging friends with the proposition to start up this blog. I have to admit, her zeal and eagerness to get it up and running has me railing to keep up, so we'll see just how well it all pans out.

A little background
When I was in 2nd grade, I was the fastest kid in class. I was running all over the place. I was happy. I was nerdy, but I just didn't care. It was great!

Over the years, that quickness has left me, as well as the happiness, and just not caring. I remain a nerd. I guess somewhere around 4th grade, I really began to struggle with my weight. I use the term struggle loosely, as I honestly didn't care much about it then. I played some sports on and off (even played football at my junior high my freshman year), but was never much of an avid workout type. Marching band was a lot of fun in high school, but not nearly as physically challenging as the sports had been. But it took up a lot of my time and sports had to go.

The summer after high school, I marched with a drum and bugle corps, touring the United States and Canada throughout the summer. By the end of the summer of 1996, I was really tan and weighed 160 pounds. That is the best shape I have been in in my life.

Fast forward

In the summer of 1997, I was in a pretty severe car wreck, which seriously reduced my physical activity. Laziness compounded, and I entered the fall of 1999 weighing in at just around 230 pounds. A few months of vegetarian low-carb dieting (don't ask why) brought me down to just under 200 pounds in early 2000. I was walking some again, and felt really good. Then low carb turned into less low-carb, turned into regular-carb, turned into high-carb, turned into freak-out-high-carb diet.

Student teaching band = NO TIME FOR ANYTHING

In the summer of 2001, I got back into the walking habit (around an hour three to five times a week), but student teaching really ate up my time. That and the tumor I had between my lung and heart which made breathing a challenge. Finally found it and had it removed in early 2002, followed by months of not lifting anything heaver than 5 pounds. That's not so good for the ol' workout.

Now in my eighth year of teaching

I've had stints of exercising followed by long droughts over the years. This summer, I began suffering from allergies pretty heavily. I also started playing golf and was again reminded of how great it is to be outside in South Texas in the summer. I have been considering getting a Wii (and Wii Fit) for a couple of years now, so when the price dropped in October, I knew it was time to act.

Time to get this whole weight thing under control again

So I have friends who run marathons and half marathons and all these things. None of them have a physique similar to mine. (ahem) So I decided this year to challenge myself and finally step up. I asked one of them who lives in the Austin area if she'll run a 5K with me in April, and she said she'd love to. So it's time to get crackin'.

On top of all this, our school nurse sent out an email today for a two-month weight loss challenge. Weigh-in is tomorrow and weigh-out is just a few days before spring break.

As many years as I've live telling myself I'll lose weight or exercise more or whatever, this time I have specific goals. In order to achieve a goal, the experts tell us, it must be specific, realistic, measurable, and written.

So two goals:

1. Run a 5K by the end of the school year
   If I end up walking in the one in April, I have a month and a half to get to where I can run one before June
2. Lose 60 pounds by the end of 2010
   5 pounds a month is definitely realistic and sustainable, and it puts me weighing under 200 pounds (185 puts me at the top of the overweight category, while 186 puts me at the bottom of the obese category) by the end of 2010

I'm going to be using Wii Fit to do the calculations and post updated numbers each Sunday. Let's see how it goes!

New Year’s Resolutions & the Fitness Challenge

At 5:30 a.m. with the temperature below freezing and frost glistening on the windows, I stood in my garage with my kickboxing gloves on wondering what in the Sam Hill I was doing.

If I weren’t the black widow of exercise, I would be inside some warm gym somewhere in some sort of organized class. But in the last year, my exercise partner and I have somehow managed to breeze through four different exercise venues. Breeze through as in they went out of business, moved away or ditched us. I’ve written about this before. You can read about it here and here.

So this frosty morning left me with no alternative if I was going to keep true to my New Year’s resolutions. At the top of my list—and apparently on the top of a lot of people’s lists—is the “let’s lose a gajillion pounds” resolution.

Of course, this is the same resolution that has topped my list year after year after year. I stuck it back up there any way.  I noticed, too, that another teacher blogger also resolved to lose weight this year except he has a Wii. Joel wrote about his plans to try and shed some pounds in 14 weeks with the goal of running his first 5k in April.

I don’t have a Wii (can’t afford one).

I don’t plan to run a 5k (running has never been my thing).

But I do plan to really, really, really try and lose some weight this year which is why I stood frozen in my garage before dawn.

Blame it on the brain freeze, but I had this brilliant idea. I thought to my chubby self, “Chubby Self, let’s issue Joel a challenge.  Let’s start a new blog. Let’s see how we do—he with his Wii and me with my sad little kickboxing bag and yoga. Let’s see if technology makes any difference.”

This could be fun.

Well, fun in a twisted sort of way.

Maybe if we have to blog about it, I thought, we might actually do it. I’ll even have the nurse at my school keep an “official” chart of my progress to keep me honest in my reporting.

Of course, that means I have to put away those gingersnaps now.

Let the games begin, and may both of us win!