by Ethan Johnson
September 3, 2008

Hooray for gym memberships. Especially the cheap municipal kind:

• Starting weight (as of February 3, 2007): 295 pounds
• Current weight (August 27, 2008): 260 pounds
• Net gain/loss: -35 pounds

It has taken some doing, but I finally got the scale to slide ever so slightly to the left. I'll take it.

I track all of my measurable exercise activity month by month, and mix things up with a combination of walking, biking, soccer, and basketball. My totals for August:

• Walking: 1h 13m 15s
• Biking: 9h 09m 30s
• Basketball: 5h 17m 0s
• Grand total: 15h 39m 45s

My minimum daily requirement of stand-alone exercise is 30 minutes. August has 31 days, which put the monthly goal at 15 hours, 30 minutes. I exceeded the minimum monthly goal by 9:45. Not bad, considering August is Hell Month here in Plano Texas.

Reminder: I do not record the time spent in the weight/fitness room. Historically, I have never timed my floor exercises, so this is not news. Just reinforcing what counts officially toward my exercise time goal.

I have been building up stamina on the bike. I managed to bike home from the gym yesterday into 20-30mph headwinds. How's that for a second workout? I made the round trip in under an hour anyway. That's huge. In the past, that could have stretched out to 90 minutes for a 10 mile ride. I've gotten better about using my gear shifter to set the appropriate resistance for the road conditions. 30mph headwinds are enough resistance for me, thanks.

Over time, I have built up a tolerance for a few of the exercise machines in the gym. I set the default weight for each apparatus to 50 pounds, figuring I can adjust up or down depending on what it is and how I acclimate to it. I really jacked up my right knee on the leg press, so I have dialed that weight down to 70 pounds from 135. I don't think I need rehab, but I have been wearing a knee brace ever since so as not to make things worse. It seems to be getting better. I also came to the conclusion that I'm close enough to 40 that I probably need to start using ice. Creak! Groan!

Speaking of old folks, I try to get to the gym no later than 10am (on gym days). I arrived at 9am recently to learn that there is some fairly organized group of older folks (various ages) who get together to play full-court basketball. In fact, they have colored "bibs" in lieu of "shirts and skins" since it is co-ed. One guy appears to be pushing 60, but runs up and down the court with everyone else. I dunno that I'm going to fall in with that crowd (my shooting percentage is absolutely awful), but it was interesting to see.

I haven't kicked the soccer ball around for over a month. Hopefully I can get out there soon and noodle around. I think it's vital to mix and match exercise routines in the pursuit of Total Body Fitness. I have been favoring basketball because I can do it indoors, and it's so damned vexing (for me).

Fortunately, the weather should start to cool off gradually, which helps the "doing things outdoors" thing.

Here's to a healthy, fun, and exciting September! <EM>

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