Training is going well. Last night I repeated the kettlebell routine I done on Sunday. I also went out for a run late at night. Performance wise this wasn't so good, i was tired from the kettlebells, and I left it too late to go out. While running three things came to mind. I need to shift some weight to make the running easier, I really noticed the extra weight I am carrying. Secondly I need to strengthen my legs, as they felt weak last night. Thirdly I need to improve my lung capacity. Plenty to work on over the next few weeks. I have to admit though, signing up for the 10k run has been the perfect motivational tool, it has taken over all my thoughts lately, everything is being geared towards the run. Mentally I still have a lot to go to be able to do this run, but am working towards it. After my runs I have been drinking protein drinks, but am considering changing that to creatine. But first i need to do more research on this.

Spring has Sprung

Its great that spring is upon us, even though I had to scrape the frost off my windscreen this morning. Training for the 10K is in full swing, and with just less than 8 weeks to go I have a helluva lot of work to do. We have a team for the Baker Hughes and a page for making donations, if anyone is out there in cyberspace and has any spare cash, please donate to a worthy cause. The link is http://www.justgiving.com/teamroadnitrate Yesterday I completed a kettlebell workout that consisted of the following. All were 3 x 12 reps Shoulder Swings Full Body Swings Full Body high Pull Overhead Shoulder Press Leg Squat(only using 1 kettlebell) Uni Bent Over Row Chest Press(only using 1 kettlebell) Ab Crunch Side Bend I also got out on my bike yesterday. It was good being out, shame the rain came on half way out. The lighter nights feels good, and will help me to stay active. I have also written up a spreadsheet to help track my food intake. Tonight, I will be out for a run, tomorrow or Wednesday I will incorporate swimming to my routine. Feeling positive just now, and I need to keep that going!!

Still here

My friend Dave died last month, his body completely taken by cancer, only 41 years old and with a one year old daughter. His death was quite sudden and knocked me for 6. I suppose the one question i kept going back to was, whats the fucking point of life? I mean, there is no rhyme and reason to anything. Pat and Dave have both been taken by cancer related illnesses, and two nicer kinder guys you couldn't meet, so what is the point? What does life mean? I really don't know the answer to that one!! Anyway, truth be told i kind of gave up any focus on anything, couldn't be bothered with anything. But as time went on, i realised how stupid i was being, life did matter, well it does to my daughter, and that means it means something to me. If nothing else on this planet, I should always strive to do the best for her. And that means keeping to my long term plans. but talking and doing are two different things, ask anyone who has battled with their weight. So I needed an extra push, and that came with me signing up for the Baker Hughes 10k run in May. It looks like three of us from work will run, and we will be raising money for Inspire, a charity that supports those with learning difficulties.
I have been doing sporadic exercise, but have now got 9 weeks to get into shape to run 10k, this will be a huge challenge, but one I am up for!!

With my father in laws funeral out of the way I can get down to concentrating on shifting this weight. Last week was poor, only two running sessions, which was way below what I hoped. My stats for this week are below

Age: 39
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 211 lbs
% Body Fat: 28.1%
Lean Body Mass: 151.71lbs
Fat Mass: 59.29lbs

Overall a loss of 3lbs is positive, but i cant get my fat mass to shift away from 28.1%. To be honest with the funeral last week and a night out on Saturday I expected my stats to remain the same, so a shift down is good.
I have been discussing running the Baker Hughes 10k run in May. I have enjoyed the running so far, and will look to sign up next month. A colleague's wife has been diagnosed with Motor Neurones Disease and has only been given two years to live. As a healthy 30 year old it has been very hard to take, so a group of us are going to raise money for a MN charity. That should be good inspiration for us!!

Its been a messy start to the year. Everything was going fine until Christmas eve, then my mum got taken into hospital and things went all to pot. Christmas day was a bit of a shambles, spent driving about and visiting, and that was the routine for the next few days. Then on New Years Eve, Kims dad had a seizure and was taken into hospital. He got moved to Roxburgh house where he lasted until Wednesday 12th January before passing away.
This has meant that my routine has been all over the place, missing work to look after Aisha etc. I have tried my best to keep to a routine but it has been tough.
Anyway, last night i went out for a run, and managed 15 x 1 minute runs followed by 1 minute walks. This was pretty tough as my running had been sporadic and i am full of the cold. But i got it done. I also took my measurements.

Age: 39
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 214 lbs
% Body Fat: 28.1
%Lean Body Mass: 153.87lbs
Fat Mass: 60.13lbs

I'm still not convinced i am reading the calipers correctly as i never see any difference in percentage. But there has only been a small movement over the festive period. I am back on track with the eating plan, and back on track with the fitness routine, so over the next few weeks expect to see some movement. I am looking at splitting my goals into monthly sections. Hopefully this will help me achieve them if i break them up into smaller targets.

Last night I also worked out my BMR(basic metabolic rate) based on my stats which is 2006. I then worked out my TDEE(total daily energy expenditure) which is 3109 calories a day. This means my aim should be around the 2300 calories a day. Split into 6 meals that is 383 calories a meal. I still need to get more technical with my diet, and start writing things down more.

Here are week 4 results
Age: 39
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 211 lbs
% Body Fat: 28.1%
Lean Body Mass: 152lbs
Fat Mass: 59 lbs

ok, so looking at the figures it looks like i have once again lost Lean Body Mass but the calipers I use show 30-31mm as 28.1% body fat, and my measurement is down from 31 to 30mm, so i feel there has been progress made. Certainly my overall weight is down and that is good. I am taking steps in the right direction with the eating, splitting my meals down, avoiding junk, simple really. It has an effect on family life and can be tough, not eating with the family due to other constraints, but not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.The fitness side has been bad this week. A culmination of long working hours, Christmas build up and very bad weather has made it tough, and all i have wanted to do was hibernate. Last night was -14 deg C and it hasnt been much above freezing for the last week. The roads have been trechorious, so things have ground to a halt. But I made a decision if the fitness suffered the diet wouldn't. So looking back on the week i am happy enough all things considered. This next week is the big challenge, not to put on wieght over Christmas. I have already decided to treat Christmas day as a normal day, i dont want things disrupted because I am eating my meals over 5 sittings! But I will avoid the usual excess as best I can!!

Here are my stats for week 2 of my challenge

Age: 39
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 218 lbs
% Body Fat: 28.1%
Lean Body Mass: 157lbs
Fat Mass: 61 lbs

Looking at those stats the big shift has been the lean body mass, which is dissapointing. But this could be down to me not measuring myself accurately with the accumeasure body fat calipers. I need to practice more to make sure I am doing it right. When i do it and i take a measurement I am not 100% convinced it is accurate!what is good is i lost 7lb overall. Ok so not as much fat as i wanted, but my weight came down and if nothing else it gave me a positive feeling!!So lets review the last week. Nutrition - i am closer to the 5 meals a day target, but still dont measure my meals and have an accurate calorie amount for each meal. But what I am eating is healthy and balanced. One struggle is the in between meal meals, if that makes sense! What to eat at 10am and 4pm!! But certianly i feel progrss has been made since last week, and it will only get better.Fitness - i completed the first week of my running programme, and it felt good, especially with the weather being so awful. I have also devised a simple kettlebells programme that I will follow, I will post this up in the next couple of days. My finger was dislocated in the car accident but is only badly staved and will be back to normal in a couple of weeks. I tried the kettlebell and it will be fine, press ups etc are still a problem. Once I have the running and kettlebell programme going, and am happy with them I plan to add in some swimming. But thats a couple weeks away. I am trying to progress through to these things. One common mistake I made in the past is I would make these great plans in my head about what I would do and never did. This time it is a different approach.