Last week's results and goals for this week

Last week my goals were 4 workouts and finding a better snack solution at work.

4 workouts: DONE.  I did 6, including one wicked day where I did CrossFit in the morning and tumbling at night.
fixing the snack situation: I forgot to even think about it.  It's definitely still a problem, especially now that I'm doing my workouts before I get into the office.  The first thing that happens when I arrive at work is a hunt for calories, and I usually end up with a Kudos bar or some other carb- and sugar-loaded snack.  This is not what I want.

This coming week is going to be tricky.  I have a company conference Tuesday - Thursday and that means a lot of work parties with a lot of food and alcohol.  That sort of situation has the potential to be very unhealthy not only because of the freely available empty calories, but also because that sort of junk makes me feel generally crappy the next day, and that sets me up for a bad workout.

Additionally, I've got company coming Thursday night and staying in my apartment until Sunday.  I'm very excited to have this visitor, but the temptation to skip all my workouts while he's here will be strong.

Goals for this week:

4 workouts
Seriously think about snacks
Don't eat/drink/do anything at the work parties that I'll regret later
Get at least one workout in while company is in town

Goals? We got goals

3 workouts - DONE.  I did 5, including one on Thanksgiving, and one the day after.
1 junk snack per day - DONE
Wednesday morning gym - DONE

My fifth workout was CrossFit's WOD today:

tabata sets of
pull ups
weighted squats
dips
dead lifts

I have never before done 4 tabatas in a day.  I've never even done more than one.  Holy hell.

It wasn't just the workout that was rough.  It was the rest of the day.  I just couldn't get warm.  I'd burned through so many calories that I was cold all day, and I couldn't fix it.  This evening I got desperate, cranked the heater to 75, and took an extra hot shower.  I now feel human again.  I also wanted to sleep for the rest of the day.

That workout taught me a lot.  I've done tabatas before and I was terrified of tackling this one.  But I reminded myself that I just have to try.  And I did it!

Goals for this week:
4 workouts
Find a snack solution that does not involve crap.  I want something I can keep at my desk so that I don't get tempted to eat junk out of the kitchen.  It might end of up being a box of clif bars, but it'll be better than pita chips.

So, how'd that goal thing work out for you?

1 crappy snack per day max at the office - DONE.
3 workouts - DONE

Actually it's going to be 5 workouts.  I'm headed off to the gym as soon as I'm finished typing this.  Booyah.

Goals for next week:

1 crappy snack per day max*
3 workouts
Wednesday - get up early and hit the gym before work.

I started crossfit this week and I like it, but a lot of the circuit workouts require me to monopolize a few pieces of gym equipment at a time.  It seems to make the most sense for me to go to the gym early in the morning since there are fewer people around.  I'd like to test this out on Wednesday.  I would try this twice next week, but I have Thursday and Friday off.  I need to check the gym's hours to see if they'll be open.  I'd like to hit up the gym both days.

*small quantities of high quality chocolate does not count as a crappy snack.  Things like chips, granola bars, ice cream, etc are crappy snacks.  I'd like to get this down to something like 3 per week, if that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

No food, no cash

Things to do after work besides eat and/or spend money:

• movies
• clean
• art
• sketches for holiday cards
• create Post Secret entries
• walk
• push ups
• pilates videos
• find clothes to donate
• clean out fridge
• replace the rear fender on my motorcycle
• read a book
• meditate
• listen to a CD all the way through
• learn Spring
• learn Roo
• research the Semantic Web
• organize photos
• finish my taxes
• give myself a mani/pedi
• wax my legs
• write a blog entry
• invent a card game
• build some Magic: The Gathering decks
• play video games
• read every free article on todays Wall Street Journal home page
• learn Perl
• complete 10 self portraits, 5 minutes each
• find a dermatologist
• find a financial adviser
• practice bass
• clean off the hard drive
• repair busted clothes
• make pillow cases
• get rid of ripped clothes

The Mistress is Back

Am I going to say where I was or why I was gone for so long?  Hell no.

Am I going to list some goals for this week?  Hell yes.

Goal 1: Work out 3 times

Goal 2: No more than 1 crappy work snack per day.  Fruits and almonds are allowed in unlimited quantities.

If these look like wimpy goals, it's because they are.  I need to get back into the swing of things gradually, and I'm more motivated if I set the bar low initially and knock it out of the park.

Burn baby burn

It is times like these, when I slog, head hung, back to the blogosphere after a month of no posts, that I am very glad I never really promoted this thing in the first place.  It was always for me, first and foremost, and I just didn't feel the need to post.  So I didn't.

Today I am compelled to write, and it has nothing to do with weight.

The Johannes Mehserle verdict was announced yesterday, and last night Oakland burned.  I wasn't near any of it, but I have many coworkers who live in Oakland, and I hope they're ok.

I woke up this morning to photos of a city on fire.  And more news of BP.  And more stories of people walking away from mortgages.  And I went over to fark.com, my favorite internet hangout, and I found I just couldn't face the vitriol and bile of the comments threads this morning.  I scoured a few tabs looking for a story that I knew would have funny, cheerful comments instead of a bunch of people flaming each other into oblivion and found nothing.

So I'm writing this post because I'm tired of reading misery.  It's 7:30 a.m.  I haven't even made it into work yet.  As Terry Pratchett once wrote, "It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness."  This post is my little candle of happiness in the dark abyssal forest of today's news.  And while I will never win any awards for my analogies, that one was intentional.  Because in California, forests like to burn.  If you're reading this, light your own candle and post something happy.  Set the forest on fire.

Ok, so where's the happiness?  Coming right up!

First of all, a site I don't check nearly often enough.  The Great News Network
It says we should all call our moms today: http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/mothers_phone_call_can_be_as_soothing_as_a_hug/

Next up, some selections from my "Break the funk" playlist that I pull out at times like these. It has:

Some excellent gospel, courtesy of The Boss himself:



Some guys in suits and sunglasses with harmonicas and the BEST DANCE MOVES EVER:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1ehMrK3itM&feature=related



Finally, some Leslie Nielson hilarity:





Now it's your turn.  Post something happy today!

One step forward, n steps back

I was absolutely psyched to start my exercise routine again on Saturday after taking the week off.  I thought about going to my crossfit class, but I was a bit hung over and I wanted to savor my morning, and I didn't really want to shock my system quite that way.  So instead I went for a gentle jog and it felt great.  I loved it.

Saturday night, as we all know, I masqueraded as a European.

Sunday is my rest day, so I was out walking through a park when my foot started to hurt.  A lot.  When it hadn't gotten better by Wednesday, I decided a doctor was in order. 

I saw the doctor who was available and not my regular doctor.  She had no idea what was wrong and seemed very unfamiliar with sports injuries.  I wanted to rule out a stress fracture, and she was confident there was no bone breakage.  She said that it was soft tissue damage of some sort and prescribed a regiment of rest, no high heels, no motorcycle, and lots of ibuprofen.  Boooooring.

What she really couldn't tell me was how to a) reintroduce exercise into my life in a safe way and b) avoid exacerbating the injury.  So I called my coach.

"Carl, I've got this pain in my foot and it won't go away."
"Saturday night, were you out standing a bar in new high heels?"
"What?  Yes.  How'd you know?"
"Plantar Fasciitis.  Do the ibuprofen thing, but don't be afraid of the gym.  Come to CrossFit Saturday, it'll be good for you."

I won't lie, there was fist pumping.