INDEBTED 2 YOU

Getting Back On The Wagon

My work blocked all access to social networking sites, so my ability to update my blog over lunch has been seriously restricted, and I try not to bring my computer home, because I end up surfing the web all night.

Okay. The last two week have been a slip for me. I haven't followed the workout program. I decided to take Week Seven off, basically, because I felt I needed to take a breather and recuperate. I didn't completely stop working out, but I cut my workouts to two or three a week. This week I intended to get back into things, but I was depressed and unmotivated. Part of it's the end of the semester, and I'm worn out physically and mentally. Part of it's spring, and I just want to relax in the warmth.

Whatever. Point of the matter, I'm not eating well enough and I need to get more sleep, and get back on schedule. I want to finish this program, even if I have some major mistakes along the way. Four weeks to go.

I'm going to the gym tonight and I'm going to go for a run tomorrow. Sunday I'll probably go for a bike, and if the weather holds, I'll bike to work on Monday.

Two weeks of classes, and summer officially starts for me. I need to pay special attention these two weeks and guard against slacking off. Once classes are done, I'll free up skads of time.

Biking Into Work

I finally biked to work! I started at 6:45 and went sixteen miles, per Google. I did it in a little over an hour, and I feel great. I didn’t push myself, and I was dealing with a lot of stoplights because my morning route takes me through downtown Minneapolis, so I could probably have done it in under an hour if I had a more-ideal course. I’m no longer worried about the MS150, however. As long as I get a good amount of training in beforehand, if I keep it slow and steady, I don’t think I’m going to have a problem with the trip. Looks like my Body for Life training has helped me out more than I anticipated. Last year, I remember the first ride of the year being torturous.

Although I feel fine now, miles one and two this morning were cold! I took it down to a lower gear to warm up: in a lower gear, your bike moves slower (less wind!) and your legs move faster. After that first few miles, I was fine, but I was seriously wondering about the wisdom of the trip prior to that.

Ideally, I would bike into work 2-3 times a week for training, but I don’t know how realistic this would be. We’ll see. I’ll try to pedal in on Friday.

I need to purchase a few items for this years biking season, and bike equipment is pricey! Things I need include:

– Bike Shorts: ($70) I’m using tri-shorts now, and I need more padding!
– Gel Gloves: ($30) I want to go a little pricey on these as I’m getting wrist problems
– New Shoes: ($150?) I have a set of Sidi shoes I bought used, which a tiny-bit big on me. New shoes are EXPENSIVE. I’ll have to do some research on them.
– Panniers(?): ($50-$80) I’m thinking of doing this. I do a lot of commuting, but I’m hesitant to add the weight and I’d have to install a rack ($30-$50), which I just think looks lame.
– Wedge Pack: ($20) the little pack that goes under the seat, good for repair kits, which I also don’t have.
– Repair Kit: ($20) I’ll definitely want this for the MS150. They have bike mechanics, but I could easily get stuck in a bad spot between stations

This is around $350 worth of equipment, which is more than I want to purchase right now. I’ll check online to see what I can get as a deal.

I have a friend who I was going to use as ride if I wasn’t feeling up for the bike home, but I’m not going to have to pull that lever. I’ll be fine.

Cheers!

Friday Update - End of Week 6!

I looked online to see if their might be adverse affects to using protein supplements, and found some studies that link over-consumption to kidney issues, which made me paranoid. I’d been having side pains which could be associated with kidneys. I’ve decided to drink a lot of water and cranberry juice for a couple of days, stay off the protein powders until next week, and then cut back the amount that I’m taking. I was taking around 80-100g/day, and I don’t think I need more than 40-60g/day protein powder. The “pain” was actually more like “mild awareness of kidneys,” but I don’t think I should be “aware” of any of my internal organs.

I’m pretty happy with the results of Body for Life so far. I haven’t been tackling the diet like I should, so I haven’t slimmed down as I would like to, but we’re finally seeing some warmer weather in Minnesota, so getting outdoors is getting easier and easier. I wanted to bike to work this week, but morning temperatures of 30 degrees kept me from venturing out. Next week looks like the temps will warm up to the upper 30s in the early morning and the upper 50s for the ride home, and that’s a much more comfortable ride.

I have a rest day tomorrow! Thank God. I need one.

I keep thinking that school is almost done, but I have four weeks left. I need to use my weekend efficiently so that I’m not working all week to get my homework done. I’m dog-tired these days. When I’m finished with the semester, I have a lot of writing to do, so I’m going to rent space at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. It will be nice to have a writing routine uninterrupted by class. My schedule is, hopefully, clearing up soon, but for real, I need to find a way to go part time next year, because this is killing me.

Wednesday

I'm having a tired, funked-out day today. No energy or motivation. I haven't been eating enough or drinking enough water. Or eating the right things. Grrr...

Good workout today, at least; I wanted to bike into work this morning, but it still seemed too cold, so I jumped on the exercise bike and did 30 minutes, which is as good as I get, on a stationary bike.

That's all.

Alcohol Is Bad - Starting Week 6!

For real. Alcohol is not good. But Friday night my friends and I went out to a bar, and then a couple-friend invited my GF and I back to their place for a nightcap, which turned into two, which left us sleeping on their couch for the evening, which sucked. Saturday was basically a wash as we slept and recuperated, although I did get a run in. I had intended to bike, but it seemed like too much of a challenge, so I just jog/walked around the lake. Felt better afterwards, but seriously, by the time we fully returned to humanity, it was around 7:30 in the evening.

Today was better! I got a great morning of writing in. I went to work, finished a project I needed to finish, then I hit the gym.

Swapping Up My Workout Days

I'm swapping my workout days. My classes are on Tuesday and Thursday, which are also my cardio days, and it's just too hard to get a decent cardio workout in around my classes. It's easy for me to lift weights over lunch, so I decided to shift my schedule. Hence the lift today, on what's technically supposed to be my off day. Tomorrow (Monday) I'll do some biking indoors, but on Wednesday I'll bike into work (the weather looks great). Biking into work is an awesome workout--fourteen miles, each direction. The first bike of the season always hurts, but it will be good for me. I'm behind on my training for the MS150, and that's a race you don't want to screw around with!

Finance and Workout Updates for Friday

Financial Update: Free (Bill Pay) At Last!
So I've been sucking up these charges for my Bill Pay account at Wells Fargo every month for a few years, and like everything, those fees recently went up. $6.95 a month! I still think this is a service that is worth the cost, because you save a good bit of money just in stamps, but other places offer it for free. I started using my credit union's bill pay service, which I didn't have to pay for, but I grew to hate it. The interface was okay, but the sticking point for me was that it treated each type of payment individually. E-payments were immediately deducted from my account, payments to businesses that were sent as checks came out three days after the check was sent, and (I just found out) payments sent to private parties weren't withdrawn until the person actually cashed the checks. It drove me batty, and I could see it rapidly spinning out of control. I called to ask if there was any options, and the customer service rep laughed at me. For real. And it wasn't one of those "I understand the boat you're in" kind of laughs, it was a snide chuckle that wasn't meant for me at all.

So.

I sheepishly called up Wells Fargo, as I should have a long time ago, and asked them if they could just wave the Bill Pay fees. Sure, they said. (That dull thud was the sound of me smacking my hand against my forehead). They upgraded my checking to a (free) souped-up account, and I then had to open a savings account and automatically deposit $75/month into it, but I'm also able to set up a second auto-transfer to put the money back the next day, so it really wasn't an issue. I asked Dustin, the nice guy I was working with at Wells, if he could give me back some of my old service fees I'd paid into Bill Pay, and he said he could go half-way, and then hinted I could probably get more back if I sent a letter or something, which I'm not interested in doing, because half is fine.

A while ago (I can't find the post!), I noted that Wells Fargo had drastically improved their customer service, and they seemed to have kept up this commitment. A few years back, they were jerks. I was too young and too indebted and too uncertain of my finances to switch accounts, so I stayed. I'm glad I'm with the new and improved Wells Fargo. They're still a big bank, so there's still issues with their fee schedules, especially with lower income people, but they have a really fantastic online interface, and they've really improved their customer service. I'm now officially happy to be with this bank.

Workout Update: End of Week 5 in Body for Life!

End of Week 5! Or almost. Things are going very well. I hit every workout this week so far, although I have to say, last night was rather hellish. I slept very little Wednesday night and I was just dragging myself through the day. Despite the overwhelming feeling of this sucks, I got into the gym for a quick run. The run did not go well, but I feel better for having done it. I definitely need to switch to biking for a week or two, however, because I'm starting to develop some shinsplints.

I'm just over a third of the way through the program and I'm starting to see benefits. My shoulder, arms and pecs are definitely getting larger and more defined, and I think my stomach is trimming down. I can see that by the end of 12 weeks in this program, I'm going to be looking pretty damn good.

I actually bought a huge box of the Myoplex Lite nutritional shakes a couple of days ago. They're discontinuing the double-sized packs at GNC (42 servings), and so I got a great deal. I got the box for ~$50, and I have enough to see me through a month. This will allow me to decided if they actually have a positive impact on my eating/workouts. So far? They taste good (I have the chocolate), and I like them for mid-morning and mid-afternoon 'meals.' They seem to work well--better than a snack, easier than real food.

That's basically it! Writing is going well. I got the thesis advisor I'd hoped for. He's very smart and has good, no B.S. insight into my work. We're going to meet in a week and he's got a reading list for me for over the summer.

Chilaxing Today

Workout Updates
I had a GREAT workout yesterday. My bench is up to 155 lbs (I don't "max" -- this is what I bench as my normal "high" with ten reps). I put it up with ease yesterday. Now that I'm getting back in shape, I've developed a couple 'back of my mind' goals. I've decided I want to see if I can manage a 5k in under 22 minutes by the end of this program, or if not, by the end of the summer. I ran these times about ten years ago (and I was under this during my high school and college running days, but I'm not aiming that high); I haven't managed to do this for a long time. I also want to see if I can bench 225 lbs. That's my all-time high, but I was fifty pounds lighter when I did that, so I think I can manage it now, probably by the end of this twelve week program. That's about a 10LB/week increase, which seems reasonable. The 225 goal is more visual than anything--that means you've put two 45lb weights on each side of your 45lb bar. It just looks cool is all.

Writing/School Updates
As I mentioned in my last post, I finished another 50 pages of novel revisions. I'm going to do some casual work on it this weekend, cleaning up glaring errors. I'm going to try and push out another 50pg revision in the next couple of weeks. That will put me through the first major section of my book. BIG milestones.

Finding a good place to write is hard, and at the advice of a professor, I'm looking into renting a cheap apartment with some other writers as a writing studio place. Coffee shops are all well and good, but they offer distractions, and it's often difficult to get writing done at home. We'll see. I need to make sure it's financially feasible.

That is all!

4 Weeks In, 1st Big Slip

Okay, so I'm 4 weeks into Body for Life, and I had my first big slip yesterday. I've shifted workouts around, even swapped things up, but yesterday was the first day I actually missed a workout. I didn't have time during the day to make it to the gym, and at 9:30, when class got out, I was tired (I only slept a few hours the night before), and I was starting to get a sore throat, from lack of sleep and (I believe) dehydration. I gave up.

Oh well. We all give up, occasionally.

What does that mean? It means, in the perpetual circle of life, I feel like I'm getting ready to let this fall apart.

If I were younger, I would redouble my efforts right now. I would do two workouts, or tell myself that I've swapped another rest day up, like I did last week. I'm okay with swapping one rest day, but two weeks in a row says I need to stop and take a breath. I'm tired. Not "I can't finish this" tired, but I need to examine the warning signs and think through what's going on in life.

To start, yesterday is gone. I'm not going to try to pretend I didn't miss a workout by shifting my rest day, yet again. I missed, no big deal. I'll do some leg exercises tonight, because I think I could use it, but I'm not going to push it.

I'm not only 4 weeks into my program, but I'm also three-quarters of the way through my semester, and that in itself is tiring. With yesterday's turn-in of my fifty pages, however, I've finished the 'big' projects. I have some reading and smaller one-page papers to write, and one small presentation, which all adds up to work, but I've done the lions share of the projects, now, and can coast a little bit on my previous efforts.

Hmmmm... well. This weekend is going to be an R&R weekend. That doesn't mean I won't get some work done, but I don't intend to push myself, and I have no real goals. Sunday will be a real rest day. No workouts!

For the next two weeks, I'm going to try to get the right workouts in on the right days, according to the Body for Life plan. I'm also going to work a little harder at having the right food. I'm doing okay, but I could be doing better. I think that's been part of the problem: when you're working out so much, you really need to get the right food at the right time. If you don't, over time it starts to wear on you.

Gotta' go!

An update, and my 200th post!

I really tore up the paths yesterday running around Lake Harriet. Okay, I tore up the paths, compared to how I've been running the last couple of years. I suppose I should make that distinction. I'm getting much firmer, although I feel like I'm losing very little weight around my waste. I've decided I'm not going to worry about it--my goal is to reach the end of the twelve weeks on this program, and I'm making good progress. And, seriously, I'm only 4 weeks in.

I sat down yesterday and revised another fifty pages of my novel. It felt like a huge accomplishment. It's not going to get great reviews in class--I know the flaws in the piece--but it's an outline of where I need to go, and that's gratifying. It felt like a huge weight was lifted when I finished it up.

I slept very little last night. It was a mix between indigestion and, I realized at around four in the morning, a slight almost-feverish ache from my strenuous run. I took a few Tylenol, felt immediately better, and was able to doze for about an hour before my alarm went off. I'm tired, but I'll survive.

Oh, and this is my 200th post! Wow. I love little mileposts like this.

I'm off! I tutor a kid at a local school, so I need to run!

Maybe I Wasn't Eating Enough

Feeling much better today. I think there's a chance I didn't eat enough this past week. I was running myself down with the workouts and not replenishing with large-enough piles of food. Everything crashed.

I took a look at the novel and decided that my three-day weekend was mostly a bad sidetrack (with some material I can keep).

Upper body workout last night--felt great, although it was this workout that made me realize I wasn't eating enough. I worked hard, but I couldn't lift much at all. I went home and ate two dinners, and promptly began to feel better. I wish it wasn't so easy get off-kilter!

This is Week 4 of Body for Life!

Still Angry

Still angry, but anger has burned away some apathy and given me some ideas for a go-forward plan. WRT the book, I'm simplifying things. Keeping the original version and just adding to that. That's all I have for now, because seriously, this is not a minor funk.

Frustration. Frustration. Frustration.

I've had a horrible weekend. I took the entire three days to get writing done, and I spent most of it staring at the computer screen. I managed to revise and perhaps add a few pages to a ten page section of my book, and I hate it. I feel like a failure. I feel like I'm wasting my time. I feel like I'm trying to cram my damn book into some fucking shape that I don't fucking want to cram it into. I am so sick, and so tired of this fucking MFA program. I just want to toss the whole god damn manuscript into a fire pit and burn it, then toss the computer in, burn that, then delete every online version of this novel I've ever created, eliminating it totally and completely from the earth. I AM NOT HAPPY. I AM NOT MOTIVATED. I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS OR ANYTHING RIGHT NOW!

I just want to curl into a ball, and stay there. And sulk. And feel bad for myself. If I could run away, I would, but since all my problems seem to be in my head, running away isn't going to do me that much good. I need to turn in a fifty page section on Thursday, and I have a fifty page section, but I know the professor will hate it, because it's everything that he hasn't liked in the last section. And... what? I don't know. Does he know what he's talking about? He's worked as an editor, so probably. He went to Syracuse and published his book of short stories. I think he's a narrow minded fuck knob, but what of it? My opinion doesn't make him wrong. Being a narrow minded fuck knob doesn't even make him wrong.

Shit shit shit shit shit.

Shit.

I ran this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, to try to calm myself down, which it did. I calmed down, but running didn't do anything for my writing, as it normally does. I'm absolutely despondent.

What am I even doing? I'm so sick and tired of my family moving on with their lives and me just sitting around trying to get a book published. One freaking book.

And you know what? The problem isn't that I can't write it, it's that I won't allow myself to finish it. I keep tweaking so that I never have an end product. I keep thinking I need to change one little thing, and of course that thing makes me change another thing, which makes me change another, ad naseum. I trashed the entire first version of the novel by doing this. I wrote a second version, and now I'm obviously trying to write a third. Not revise. Oh my god, I have to stop rewriting this thing. I just need to get the damn novel done. Finished. Send the damn thing out, flawed and imperfect as it is. It doesn't matter.

I'm tired of this. I'm going to finish writing this, and I'm not going to do a good job. I'm just going to get it done.

Three-Day Weekend Starts Tomorrow!

I had a nice moment last night when I was late for a meeting at school, and I started jogging to make up some time. I was pleasantly surprised at how effortless the short run was.

Nearing the end of Week 3 of Body for Life, and things are clipping along! I’ve rearranged a few workouts and I’m not following it by the book, but my goal is to finish the 12-week program, not to do it perfectly. I feel great and my body is getting leaner. There’s been a pretty rapid increase in my muscle mass, which is gratifying. I’m getting a little tennis elbow working my triceps workout, so I’m going to implement a few different exercises which don’t require bending my elbows.

This weekend I think I’m going for a run with some writers in my MFA program. We were chatting about it during class, and everyone is excited to get out in this wonderful spring weather. I’m also going to go for a long-ish bike this weekend to get used to the saddle. If the weather holds up, I’m going to try to bike into work sometime next week

That’s all. I have a three-day weekend starting Friday, during which I’m going to concentrate exclusively on my writing, so I don’t intend to post unless I’m looking for a reason to procrastinate (or I get ahead of schedule!).

Quick Post: Running and Writing

Yesterday was a rest day for me--I took it easy wrt working out. Today I ran/walked four miles. Again, I'm constantly feeling stronger, although I was starting to feel the rise of the dreaded shinsplint, so that might mean switching over to other activities to keep my legs from falling apart on me. I'll probably go for a bike ride tonight with my GF, although that will mostly be a joy-ride, and might even entail a stop off for wine! Mostly I'm working on my writing. I had a great day yesterday, and I've got a good start today. I'm not going to hit my original goal of fifty pages, but I'm getting back into writing, too, and I'm starting to produce more and more as the days go.

Running Is The Closest Humans Get To Flying

Yesterday I felt like I was flying.

Winter is in fast retreat in the Midwest. The snow is mostly gone, patches of stubborn ice are all that's left. I went for a run on Saturday, around Lake Harriet in South Minneapolis. When I started, my legs were sore. My calves felt tight and I was breathing heavy. I felt old, and had this sense of resignation that this might be the best I could do, these days. After plodding through a mile, I stopped to stretch and enjoy the wind coming over the still-frozen lake. When I started shuffling down the path again, I stopped worrying about my speed (or lack thereof). The soreness in my calves, I realized, reminded me of when I was in high school, heading out with my track team. Instead of slowing down, I pushed against that soreness, enjoying the ache. My lungs stopped tripping over every intake of air, and I started taking deep, refreshing breaths. And then I really pushed it, and for about half a mile, I felt like I was nineteen again, pounding around the lake, full of energy and speed. I slowed down after that half-mile, but was delighted because I knew that I could have kept up the pace, but I also knew that patience is the best route to success, and if I took it easy today I would avoid major muscle damage and I would be better-able to get out and train next week.

When I reached the leeward side of the lake I stopped to walk. The ice was a mixture of white and blue, and there was about six inches of water on top of it. The wind pushed the water into small waves. People were gathered in groups to enjoy the surreal sight, and I heard someone mention how it looked like a scene from a science fiction movie. It felt like a gift, this odd natural phenomena. My head reached a new level of clarity, coming out of its winter fog.

I took a few deep breaths, stretched some more, and jogged home.

3 Day Workation -- Writing and Working Out

Life is so hectic these days I've decided I need to coin a new term: the Workation. When you take a Workation, you burn your vacation from your primary job to catch up on other tasks in life. I'm taking Workation the next few months to get my novel rewritten, and to allow myself some time to workout and get in shape.

Anyway.

Here's why I like the Body For Life workout program: when I'm done with the upper body workout, my muscles are so thoroughly tired I can barely lift my arms (really), but I feel fine the next day. I'm not sore at all. I make certain to have a protein shake immediately after I work out, which I think is a big part of this. I feel great this morning.

I'm up to 193lbs, but I attribute this to muscle mass increase. I feel like I'm probably making some headway trimming the fat, but again, it's hard to tell. In about a week I'll start the bike workouts for the MS150, and I expect to start losing some mass at that point.

Today is the start of a three day writing weekend. By the end of today, I want to complete the rewrite of the third chapter of my novel, based off some notes a professor gave me. By the end of the weekend (stretch goal), I want to revise/rewrite the next fifty pages. I need to turn those new pages into class in two weeks, and I'd like to be able to let them sit for a few days before I go to line edit.

That's all for now.

Looking Your Best

Here's a tip if you're just starting to workout, and you want to see yourself in your absolute best form: only look in the mirror immediately after you get out of bed. For a magical five minutes, you look lean and firm. Especially if you worked out the day before, your muscles are a little stiff, which holds your fat together, and your stomach is as flat as it's going to be all day. Guilty confession: every morning, I jump out of bed, toss my shirt off, and check myself out in the bathroom mirror. I think of it as a preview as to what my body will look like (at noon!) after another week of working out.

After you've taken a moment to admire yourself, jump in the shower before everything starts to sag, and make sure the mirror is plenty steamy when you get out.

I'm nearing the end of Week 2 of my twelve-week Body For Life workout! Once again, on Thursday I wasn't able to get to the gym during the day, so I dragged my butt back to work after my class. 9:30 PM. It was hard, and I really didn't want to do it. I didn't push myself. I just got on the treadmill and did the requisite 21 minutes of running required by the program. This morning I felt great, however, and was happy that I made myself go.

That's it. I'm off. I have an upper body workout today, and a run tomorrow. I'm taking a three-day weekend to write. I might post on the writing to keep myself honest.

Happy Friday!

Writing Day #1

I took the day off work to get some writing done. This is part of my "recuperation." Over the next few months, I'm taking a day or two of vacation every week to get a little more sleep and a little more work done on my novel. This will help keep me from wearing myself out during my workouts, too!

I spent the morning sketching out a go-forward plan for the book, and I'm going to spend the afternoon writing. I'm shooting for around 1500 words, give or take. Sometime before sundown I intend to go for a run.

Yesterday's workout (a run) was really crappy, until I told myself to slow down. I'm not eighteen, and I'm out of shape, so there's no reason to think I need to run a five minute mile. I adjusted my pace and was able to keep going for the duration of my workout, and came out feeling good. I've only finished one week of my twelve week program, so why would I push myself? I've got at least two or three more weeks before I have a decent base, and then we'll see what I can do.

And a side note: I just changed the majority of my house over to compact fluorescent. It's amazing how many light bulbs are in a house! I think I've purchased about 30-35 bulbs by now, and I still have 5-10 to go. The compact fluorescent bulbs cost about three bucks apiece, so I've been replacing them as they burn out (and after my old store of incandescents was used up). With the old electrical system in our house, it doesn't take long for the incandescents to wear out. The nice thing? I've been doing this for about six months, and while I've now gone through all my stores of old incandescents, I haven't had to replace one compact fluorescent yet. I frankly don't mind the thirty-seconds it takes for them to come to "full power." They give off plenty of light prior to that, so it's not like I'm fumbling around in the dark. I don't know if our electrical bill has gone down, because in the winter we use space heaters to heat rooms. We'll see once summer hits--by then, I'll have changed over the rest of the bulbs, and we'll have an easy one-to-one comparison between between this year and last year's bill.

Finances, Workouts, and Writing. Oh my.

A few things.

First, financially (this used to be a dedicated financial blog, so I'll sometimes loop back to that): I had some stock in stem cell companies which I sold today while Obama was signing the stem cell bill. It's all short term gains, which means I'm going to get hit pretty hard come taxes, but I was getting stressed keeping track of the stock, and in the end I essentially tripled my money, anyway. I have a goal to put aside $20-$25K in order to take off a year or two from work, go part time, and write full time. I am happy to say I'm getting closer to my goal, faster than I believed I would.

Second, my fitness: I got a great upper body workout today. I seem to have lost a couple of pounds (I started at 191 and I'm at 189), but that's easily attributed to water weight. I'm not actually concerned about losing weight, however. As Kevin Spacey said in American Beauty, "I just want to look good naked." I'm not running around without a shirt yet, but I'm starting to feel better about myself. A lot of that is physiological, but feeling good is feeling good, and I'm not going to argue the reason.

Third, I've decided to submit my novel to a contest; the deadline is May 1st. I've been struggling to motivate myself, lately. I need a goal, and school doesn't seem to offer me that. In fact, I think it makes me concentrate too hard on the small details that really don't need to be examined yet. I need to get a comprehensive draft completed, and I believe this contest will give me the necessary 'oomph' to do so.

I'll keep everyone updated, periodically, as to where I'm at with all these goals. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday

Oh, just a quick one today. I managed to work out every day last week! Sunday through Saturday. I don’t intend to work out seven days a week from here on out, but I wanted to have a good jump on my workouts. I feel great and have already begun to get a little toned. I’ve been procrastinating working on my novel this weekend. I need to buckle down tonight!

What A Pain!

My legs are on the verge of some serious pain. I’m keeping the worst of it at bay with Advil and stretching. Yesterday I promised myself I would get a run in, but I was pressed for time right up to my evening class, so after class was done I circled back to my company’s gym. I ran about 2.5 miles in 23 minutes, which shows how slow I’ve gotten in the last few years. I used to run eight miles in an hour, no problem… back in ‘the day’…

My legs will bounce back, however, and I’ve worked out for three days now, for which I feel great. I also feel awesome when I wake up in the morning—my brain’s sharp and crisp. This does not last through the day yet! As I write this I’m very tired.

That’s about it. I’m thinking of posting my calendar and talking about my plan-of-attack for both my workout and my writing.

Bring It On!

I need to start getting to bed earlier. One issue with workouts programs, for me, is that I get really excited about them at the start, read all the literature, create spreadsheets, and just daydream about getting back in shape. Which isn't all bad. It's nice to daydream about a goal, but I've been daydreaming at the expense of getting my schoolwork done on time.

In my old age (31 now!) I'm beginning to understand myself a little more. When I find myself daydreaming constantly, that's often a sign that I have too much on my plate, and my mind is tricking me into relaxing. I can't afford to slip this year--I have too much on the line. So it's time to allocate recources.

I like to travel on my vacations, but I can't do that this year. I, unfortunately, have to use that time to write and catch up on life. I'm worn down, but by bleeding off some vacation, I should give myself time to catch up on writing, school, and free up some workout time.

I just put a big calendar up at work, detailing family events I have to attend (weddings, etc), school events I'm going to have to attend, and the occasional race that will wipe me out for a weekend. Looks like June is gone, as is half of July. I have to get my novel rewritten by the beginning of September (I need a completed draft to enter Thesis I). I don't trust rest of July or August--while I'll do my best, I've never succeeded in keeping those months open. Because of this (know thyself!), in order to get my book done, it looks like I have to finish it by June.

Yowsa.

That means a significant, hold-your-breath-and-just-do-it committal of vacation. I'm seeing 12 days, scattered over three months, to allow me to throw enough words on a page to have a draft finished up. That leaves me with about 4 days of vacation for the rest of the year (not counting the week of Christmas, which we get off).

I have a tentative plan hashed out and up on the board. This is going to be a CHALLENGING YEAR.

Bring it on.

Starting My (Official) Workout!

Today I start the Body for Life workout challenge. 12 weeks to go! Good lord. I bought a couple of protein supplements from GNC yesterday, and last night I actually did an official upper body workout using the program guidelines. I'm pleasantly sore today.

I'm very tired! For whatever reason, I tossed and turned until 5am last night, and only ended up getting a few hours of sleep. I'm not exactly falling asleep at my desk, but I feel close.

An Addendum
I just did my lower body workout today. Holy cow are my legs going to be sore tomorrow! For those who know about Body for Life, I'm actually supposed to lift Monday, Wednesday, Friday (alternating my upper and lower body), but I did an upper body workout last night because I needed to clear my head, and I decided I wanted to do a lower body workout today instead of a run. So I'll do two upper body workouts this week and next week, but I'd rather start with two weeks of upper body in a row, because upper body is the most fun. After finishing the workouts, I had a couple of scoops of protein shake and a couple of bananas, but I'm ready for some more food!

Body For Life

Well, it's almost 1 o'clock in the morning and I'm a little wired--I went to the movies with my GF and we shared a 'medium' Diet Coke (I shudder to think how big the large was). I don't see myself getting to bed anytime soon.

We cleaned the house today, and I feel so much better with everything in order. It took us a few hours, but we've drawn up a weekly schedule now, so it shouldn't be as difficult to keep it clean from here on out.

I decided to actually enter the Body for Life workout challenge! Just a little extra motivation. I like to allow myself to get caught up in the hype of programs like this. Part of me knows it's a little hokey. Okay, most of me knows it's really hokey, but it's good to be hokey every once in a while.

That's all. I start Monday.

Workout Updates!

Shoveling!

My back is sooooooar! Somewhere around 8-inches of snow. I used the snow blower for much of it, but I still ended up shoveling a fair amount by hand. Yesterday morning, a giant, almost-frozen plow drift blocked my driveway; I spent thirty minutes digging a path through. I should have used dynamite. There were moments when I honestly didn't think I would be able to do it (if you'll recall, I recently busted two shovels digging out my car, and I'm down to my last one!)--I thought about hiring someone to bust through it. I was able to chop through, however, and now I feel like I've got a secret bat entrance to my driveway. The drifts are high enough you can't see the small opening I made (just big enough for the car) until you're right on it. I live on a corner lot surrounded by sidewalks that require shoveling, and the four entrances to the sidewalk were all in the same condition--I spent another forty-five minutes chipping those out after work. Quite the workout!

Starting a New Workout Program on Monday!

I did push ups and sit ups whenever I thought of it this week, so I feel strong enough to start some 'real' exercising. I'm implementing a workout scheme come Monday. It's a ten-week challenge, which I've tried twice, and I have YET to get through it! The difference this time? I've developed a new work ethic at school. It's about forsaking perfection and just getting things done. Not a perfect workout? That's fine. As long as I get through it.

MS150!

I signed up for Minnesota's MS150! The MS150 is a two-day, 150-mile charity bike ride across the state, with proceedings going to MS research/assistance. My mother has a form of MS, and I think it's a great cause. It's also great incentive to get on my bike. MS150s are held around the country so there's ample training material out there.

Traveling Light Sports has a schedule broken down for 'beginner' and 'advanced' riders. I probably fall into the 'advanced', but I'll play it by ear. I'm not going to begin training "for real" until the end of March, when I'll hopefully be able to start biking to work again.

That is all. I think.

Fessing Up

I didn't workout yesterday (as was my goal). I haven't worked out today either. I've also been pretty bad about writing. That's not to say I haven't done anything; far from it! I've gotten all the assignments done for my graduate program, which is not a small amount, and I have my full time job. But.

I was talking to my GF about maybe taking a break this weekend--I said I was burnt out. I was tired of making goals and not meeting them. She said maybe I should sit down and work diligently this weekend on the projects I have. I'm torn--there's some definite truth to both statements. I am burnt out, but some of my burn out is due to inefficient use of time (I'm spinning my gears).

So.

A little positive talk. I'm NOT going to spin my wheels tomorrow. Whatever I set out to do, I'm going to set realistic short term goals (to work for 45 minutes, or to do a short workout), and I'm going to accomplish those goals.

I'm going to do a short workout tonight. Nothing substantial. And I'm going to finish reading the assignments for my class. Nothing fancy. It's 10! I'll report back any successes or failures in my comments. That's my real goal. Fessing up.

Mental Health Improvement

I felt so good when I woke up this morning. I felt rested, which I haven't felt in a long time. I felt energetic; I found myself sprinting up the stairs today, instead of plodding one at a time. I'm still not feeling 100% (I'm not even at the point where I would start training for a triathlon), but after a week of lazy excercise, I already feel much better.

I'm trying to avoid excess coffee and drink a load of water. I have a healthy curry lunch in the fridge, ready to go.

I didn't throw my shoes in my gym bag this morning, which means I can't really go to the gym, so my plan is to do a short workout at home, after class (around 9:30). Having the correct gym clothes at work has been a problem. I have a friend who solved this by bringing a pile of workout clothing and storing them in a desk drawer. I only use one of my 9 drawers, so this seems reasonable. She loads her gym bag with clothes before she heads to the gym (we have a gym onsite, at my company), then brings that bag home after her workout. Every week or so, she brings another set of clean clothes to work. It seems like a good system, and would remove a barrier between myself and a little fitness.

Nothing else, really. My goals today are to get a short workout in, and get some writing done.

General Update: the gym, performance review, and salmon

I made it to the gym! I didn't run! Oh well. I'll get there. I mostly did upper body workout. I need a haircut--I look like a stalker in the gym mirrors!

In other news, I just got my performance review and did fine last year; this is good, because I really didn't think I was going to have a good review, but my manager went to bat for me and pulled me through. I also received a nice bonus from another department for a big project I helped wrap up last year. It felt good to get all that good news today. It seems like I get a 'do over' at work: despite the fact I wasn't working to my full potential, it was good enough to get me through, and then some.

I'm going to stop by the store and pick up some salmon for dinner. For those who like salmon, I have two tips. 1.) If you like salmon patties, buy canned salmon and bake a bunch of this. It's cheap and really healthy (you have to be okay eating canned salmon, however). 2.) I buy frozen fillets from Super Target. You buy the entire flank and it comes in a bag (like frozen chicken (but don't buy the chopped up fillets--those don't seem to be as good a value)); it's $7, which is good for a few meals. That's about 1/2 the cost of the fresh salmon, but seeing as its shipped in from the coast, I almost would rather have them flash freeze it.

That is all.

Fate Sends Workouts

I have a narrow driveway that empties out onto a busy road, with low plow drifts on either side of the driveway entrance. As I pulled out this morning, I was paying more attention to the traffic and not enough attention to the drifts. Yep. I found myself hung up, and bad. The drifts were solid from an early freeze-thaw cycle; I tried digging out with a snow shovel, but the blade quickly bent when I started chippping away at the solid mass under my car. I went and got a sturdy ditch-digging shovel, and was making good progress when that too bent, this time at the junction between the blade and the handle. I found a very solid pitch fork in my garage (the tines were about 3/4 inch thick) and was able to remove the rest of the ice, or at least enough that I managed to free myself with the help of a friendly passerbyer who gave me a push.

Anyway, it was invigorating, and while I plan to hit the gym, I think I can count that hour as a workout.

I also did thirty pushups and about thirty situps this morning. I did the situps to help ease my soreness from a more intensive Saturday situp routine.

Yesterday, I got a workout from moving a friend. Nothing proves your metal like wrestling a couch up and down a few flights of stairs.

So I'm very slowly on my way! I don't feel great, but I feel like I have a small amount of momentum. I'm still experiencing significant brain fog; it's not something I'm even that conscious of, but I know from experience that after a few weeks of working out, my brain will suddenly start working at an entirely different level, and I'm really looking forward to that. I've described it as feeling like I'm swimming under a frozen lake, beating at the ice and trying to free myself. When the workouts kick in, my brain feels like ice has broken away and I'm able to breath again.

Soon enough!

Weights!

I bought a set of dumbbells and worked out for about forty-five minutes! I used to have a cumbersome set of dumbbells, which I sold about six months ago; the weights didn't match and you had to put them on the bar in a certain order. They worked for several years, but I wanted to both upgrade and get a set that took up less space. Today I bought the Reebok Speed Pack 25lbs Adjustable Weight Set. I intended to buy this set a while ago, but they're kind of expensive (the set cost $150). Since I'm trying to get back in gear, however, I figure now is as good a time as any. Actually, two weeks ago would have been a better time to buy, when they were $20 cheaper!

I'm probably going to start up the Body For Life workout program--it's a little gimicky, but I've done it before and I really enjoy the system. I'm past the official "start" date for the contest (Body For Life has an actual challenge that you can compete in, with a cash prize). This is a shame, because I kind of enjoy the competitive angle, even if it's silly. Just so you know, the whole challenge is an effort to get you to buy their nutrition products. I'm not getting into a conversation about the good/bad of using supplements right now--maybe later! Some are fine, some are probably not as great.

The thing I like about Body For Life: 1.) it has a sensible eating plan (again, ignore the supplements they recommend if you're not into that--the eating plan itself is well-balanced and both nutrient and energy rich), and 2.) the weight plan is probably one of the better I've run across. I bought the Reebok Speed Pack because the workout program requires you to use a wide variety of weights, and the Speed Pack allows you to switch between weights easily. I'll probably skip or modify their cardio workout; it's made to complete in 20 minutes, but even though it's a great workout, I'd rather go for a long jog.

Okay, enough of the selling! Whenever I re-start my workout program, I inevitably take about a week to casually life weights and walk/run; this gives my body time to acclimate to a schedule and get a little wind back. If I were to start a workout program now (writing down my weights and keeping track of my miles run, etc), I've always found things look really different after Week 1, so I don't bother.

That's it! I still haven't gone for run, but with the shovelling, I've done two small workouts today!

Shoveling Is Great Exercise

Ever get in one of these cycles?

Stressed out = not having time to exercise = increased stress = not having time (and on and on!)

I did not go for a run after my last post on Wednesday. It was well-below zero. And despite intentions, I didn't go to the gym on Thursday or Friday. However, I had a little intersession from above that's helped with the stress level: snow. I woke up to about five inches of the light fluffy stuff covering the yard and sidewalks, and that meant I had to shovel. I could have started the snow blower, but I knew I needed to get my blood moving again, and with fluffy snow it's such a pain to snow blow (it inevitably flies into your face). So I shoveled for about an hour, and my head feels like it's on semi-straight again. My "to-do" list no longer seems impossible (or even long).

My goal tonight is to go for a stumble around Lake Harriet after I spend a few hours working on my book. Then I'm going to get a workout routine figured out.

I think I need to lose about 20-25lbs. My bathroom scale has me at 190lbs, and I'm probably in my best shape between 165-170lbs. I've put on about 5lbs a year since I graduated from college (I was too skinny back then, coming out of school at about 145-150lbs).

That's all. I'm just posting to keep myself honest, right now. Eventually I'll probably come up with a sidebar with some goals, similar to the sidebar I had when this was a personal finance blog.

A Blog(ger) Under Construction

The sun is shining through a high window in the coffee shop where I've been holed up for the afternoon. Some suitably hip music is playing on the radio, chosen by the incredibly hip baristas, all sleek bodies and ironic threadbare t-shirts. I cashed in a vacation day to relax after a long weekend.

So.

Indebted 2 You was started two years ago to help me get a handle on my finances. It's been a long, successful journey. My credit card debt is gone, my car debt is gone, and I have a significant savings. My school debt still hangs out there, but the orginal purpose of this blog was to help me become more financially responsible, and I've done that.

I long-ago lost my desire to write about my finances, day-in and day-out. I don't need to, because the habits I've created are second nature. I continuously update my spreadsheets to keep my spending in check, and I've arranged my life so I don't have that much cash flowing out. I know where my money is coming from and where it's going to. I have no desire to become a financial consultant (nor would I be any good at it). Writing this blog has become something of a waste of time, an action kept up more out of guilt than any real need.

I've been thinking of taking this blog down for a few weeks; it has served its original purpose. At the same time, however, I've been less-than-pleased with other aspects of my life. I have other issues I need to address, issues that have in some ways become more apparent now that I'm not scraping to get by dollar-to-dollar.

As of this morning, this is a blog, and a blogger, under construction.

I don't know what I want to build. I know I have some big challenges ahead. My writing program needs a new draft of my novel by the end of this summer. I need to get in better physical shape. My eating habits have become attrocious. I have other problems, but I don't think this is the area to discuss them (in part because I believe people I know have tracked this blog down... shoo!... go away!).

I have a feeling this is soon to become a blog about getting in shape. The reason being: when I'm physically active, I am emotionally prepared to tackle my writing, my finances, and all the million things life throws at me.

I've thought about writing about writing, but I would become self-conscious about posting, because I'd feel that posts about writing would have to be perfect, and I would be paranoid people would judge my fiction by my blog entries.

So, that's it, I think. I'll chat about my finances and I'll chat about my writing, but the main bent of this blog will be my physical well-being.

And I guess I want to get started right now.

Here are some goals for the next year:
- run two triathlons (short courses)
- bike with my girlfriend
- start tracking my miles like I track my finances
- get a grip on my eating habits

I'm not crazy about the triathlons--I've run a couple already, so this is a reasonable goal for me. I'm in pretty lousy shape right now, but I stumbled through one without much training last year, so I'm sure if I make a concerted effort this year I can do a couple.

That's it, for now. I'm going to go for a run. I don't have any other chores today, so I'll probably toss another post in before I go to sleep.

Writing Conference

I'm just back from the AWP writing conference in Chicago. I'm beat, but it was a great experience. I felt like I really belonged among the people there; I was quickly able to make friends and we had so much in common. It was one of the greatest weekends of my life. I'm EXHAUSTED right now, and heading to bed.

Free Bill Pay

I have several different checking and savings accounts, but my main account has always been with Wells Fargo. After years of falling for their amateur financial trip-wires and getting plastered with fees, I wised up and started using their services to my advantage. They have a great Bill Pay service--the interface is easy to use and I've found it very helpful, but I'm paying $6.95/month, or $83.40/year for the service. I've said before that this is one of the few services I don't mind paying for, and that's still true. Despite the cost, it's been worth it--I got my bills in order using their Bill Pay, and I was (rightly) able to justify the cost because I was saving money by not having to buy postage or order checks (not to mention the not-infrequent late fees for unpaid bills, because I'm horrible about mailing payments).

However, while I don't mind paying $6.95/month, I also don't mind NOT paying $6.95/month.

I had a conversation with my company's credit union (we have a branch on-premises), and soon discovered all the wonderful advantages they offer. I've always had a savings account with the credit union--they're the only ATM in the building, and I avoid fees by having an account--but I found out they have free Bill Pay with their checking accounts, and their checking account has a 4% APY.

I'm pretty certain that beats any online savings account.

The requirements are minimal. I just needed to set up direct deposit and put $500 in my account every month, but seeing as I pay over $500 in bills, that's a given.

I spent about 45 minutes over lunch transferring all my account information from my Wells Fargo Bill Pay to my credit union's Bill Pay. The new interface? It's very good. The only flaw (for me) is that Wells Fargo always deducted mailed checks from my account immediately, and my new service does not. They wait for checks to be cashed. That will force me to keep a closer eye on what's going in and what's going out, but in all, I'm pretty happy with the service.

It will take me about a month to complete the changeover as I wait for accounts to realign, but it looks like I've just saved myself a few more bucks every month, and that, as we know, adds up!

Happy New Year!

I'm sitting at my desk at work. I'm the only one in the building, and I'm only here to do some personal tasks. It's a new year! 2008 was pretty good to me, but I'm not sad to see it go.

Since I've started this blog, my life has, very simply, gotten better. I don't know if it's the blog itself or just a period of "growing up" but I've started to look at life a little more realistically. I'm halfway through a Masters (all A's, so far!). I've paid off my car/credit cards (over $12,000!). I have about $2,500 invested in the stock market right now (I bought $1,500 worth of stock in a couple of stable companies when they hit one of those really bad dips, so I'm up $1,000). I finished writing a 500 page book, and have started the arduous task of revising.

I have a few goals for this year.

- I want to have $10,000 of my own money in the stock market by the end of 2009. I have $8,500 to go.

- I want to get all my assignments in on time for my remaining classes in my Masters.

- I start Thesis I in the Fall of 2009--I want to have all substantial revisions complete in my novel by the end of Thesis I, so that the novel is ready for minor revisions by the start of Thesis II in the Spring of 2010.

- I want to send out 200 submissions for short-story publications. This hooks into a 2-year goal:

-- There are a few grants that I want to apply for in 2010. In order to qualify for these grants, I have to have 5 short stories published. Every quarter of this year, I want to send out 50 short-story submissions so that I can reach that goal of five publications.

- I just had my cholesterol checked and was roundly scolded by my doctor. If I don't lower my cholesterol myself in 6 months, I'm supposed to go on Lipitor. This leads me to a few very important goals (doctor's orders):

-- I need to exercise four days a week. I'm going to keep a calendar.
-- I have to stop eating out. My goal: only one "fast food" meal a month.

That's it. I'm also going to change the format of this blog. It's always been a little soft on the helpful financial information, and I'm fully embracing that lack. I'm going to use this as a sketchbook for ideas and how my life is going in general.

For the ten or twenty people who glance at this when I occasionally post, thanks for reading! It's good to know that a few people are glancing over my life--it keeps me on track.

Happy 2009 to all. I am, as always, Indebted2You.

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