by Ethan Johnson
July 31, 2008
The fact that it has been several months since my last fitness update should provide the executive summary for this one. Let's also say simply that depression is a bitch. And the Texas heat. And...
- Starting weight (as of February 3, 2007): 295 pounds
- Current weight (July 22, 2008): 262 pounds
- Net gain/loss: -33 pounds
Not bad, but not good, either. My lowest recorded weight was 248 (if I recall correctly), so 14 pounds worth of backsliding is significant.
Since we don't have the treadmill anymore, and riding my bike or walking outdoors is dicey as the temperature rises, I wanted to remove some convenient excuses for not exercising like I did during my peak by signing up for the community rec center. They have an indoor walking/jogging track, so that eliminates the weather. They have a fully stocked weight/fitness room, so that eliminates concerns about not being able to concentrate on/achieve total body fitness. And as discussed elsewhere, they have two indoor basketball courts.
As a bonus, my previous soccer practice field has been given deep tire ruts by the the park district, and is too dangerous for running and kicking a soccer ball. I found a closer, flatter field that I can bike to and do my soccer thing. This is entirely dependent on getting out there early enough before the heat really beats down, and the city not having run the sprinklers overnight (it gets awful muddy). I prefer dry grass/dirt rather than sliding around and risking injury. I still have to bike or walk home.
I ran the totals for this month, looking to see if the combination of walking, biking, soccer hijinx, and basketball would get me the minimum daily requirement of vigorous exercise. July has 31 days, the MDR is 30 minutes, so my monthly target (total) is 15.5 hours. My totals:
- Walking: 1h 47m 15s
- Biking: 9h 37m 0s
- Soccer + Basketball: 1h 2m 45s
- Grand total: 12h 27m 0s
I missed the monthly requirement officially by 3 minutes. I didn't think to time my basketball hijinx until very recently, so I'll take the time hit and move on.
I also 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.
Making the move to the community rec center, despite some minor challenges was the right decision. Getting out of the house and being around other people is a good thing, for me. As a result, I expect that the minimum monthly target will be met or exceeded in August. Biking to/from the rec center, when able, is 60+ minutes of activity by itself.
As for the "depression" comment: I am still unemployed (since June), and am working on getting hired full-time somewhere else. I have an interview on Saturday morning, plus a family friend offered to socialize my resume. August should be better on the getting hired front. But for a good few weeks, I was emotionally wiped out. I knew the layoff was coming, but rather than jump up and be a world-beating dynamo, I crashed. Big time. I think in retrospect it is because I have always been (professionally speaking) in the position of the stronger. My employer usually did the buying out and laying off, and my role was to help absorb and fold the "weaker" part of the equation into the stronger. Now that it happened to me, I shut down rather than build any meaningful momentum. Having my application get rejected numerous times at CareerBuilder for jobs I was well-qualified for didn't help either.
BUT, despite the initial shock and setback, I'm re-energized and committed to getting hired on full time. Whoever is conducting my Saturday interview is going to need to take some sick days after Hurricane Ethan slams into the office, kicking ass, taking names, leaving a trail of bodies. My feeling is, if I don't get hired after making the strongest case to end all strongest cases, it's the wrong fit, move on. The important thing is to keep moving. I had my time being a lump in front of the TV eating junk food. Time to kick ass.
Getting back into the fitness groove has really helped get my mind right before the next set of interviews.
Here's to a healthy, fun, and exciting August! <EM>
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