So Easy

It's so easy to be lazy, especially over Thanksgiving weekend. Friday night is generally a rest night for me, but I didn't work out last night, Thanksgiving, so I figured I'd hit it again today.  It doesn't look like it's going to happen.  I should add, by the way, that it's easy to be lazy over Thanksgiving weekend unless you're one of the ladies in my family who do 99% of the cooking. So, I guess I'm thankful for the women in my life who cook all of that good food.

I've found it a lot easier to stay motivated when I have specific goals in mind. Right now, since I'm primarily working with free weights, I want to lift more weight, making small gains each week. When I was a younger man, I did a bunch of crazy lifts that I'd seen in magazines and videos (that's what we had to look at before the internet). Now I keep it simple: bench, squat, dips, curls, shoulder press, crunches, rows.  If I had a chin-up bar I'd drop the rows and do chin-ups.

Another thing I did in my youth that I don't do now is not logging my sets and reps. I write it all down now, and it is invaluable. When I started logging my work-outs I would record each day on one page. In other words, if I did bench, dips, and crunches, I'd record all those reps and sets on one page.  A few days later, when I did those sets again, I'd record it all, but it would be on a different page. This makes it difficult to compare your current sets with what you did previously.  So I started recording each exercise on its own page. For instance, if I do bench today, I record it and date it 11/26.  The next time benches come around, I record the sets and reps underneath my previous entry. That way I can see exactly what I need to do to improve on the last session.

But alas, I cannot stay in my garage forever. Soon I have to start running and swimming. Maybe even some biking. I'm not opposed to those things, but I need to get motivated. What? Set a goal? OK, I'll run 15 miles a week until the end of the year.  But first, I need to find a video about running to show me how.

Perhaps next time I'll include a reveiw of the American Top Gear. Or perhaps not. Who cares?

Nutrition

What I know about nutrition: Halloween candy is good.

I just listened to the Tri-Talk podcast about nutrition.  To date I have not done anything differently gastronomically since last January when I started "training" for a triathlon.  That's not to say I haven't thought about it.  It's always there, like that blender you can't remember turning off. "Isn't there something else I was supposed to do?" So I was pleased to hear the subject of nutrition come up. I have a lot to learn.

Turns out, I need to eat food.  Not too much, not too little. Don't eat a lot of Halloween candy. Eat healthy food. That's what I need to do.

Or is it that simple? The host kept using phrases like glycemic intake, post workout insulin uptake, and yam. I can barely run a can opener. You're going to have to tell me what specific foods to eat, and I'm talking name the brand, exactly what time to eat them, and how many times to chew.  Until then it's Casey's pizza and Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies.

The Casey's/Little Debbie Diet may not be working, however. I've gained six pounds! For all of October I've been at 158 pounds, which seems scrawny enough, but over the summer I had hit 152.  I haven't weighed that much since I was in boot camp in 1993.  So, what have I learned about nutrition? When you're hungry, find something to eat, but make sure you're training for some kind of endurance race or getting yelled at while you do push-ups.

Due to the overwhelming number of requests I've received, I'm relenting and showing you a picture of the gym to which I belong. Enjoy:



Where the magic happens.

 PS. OK, Blogger is messing with me. I just ran the spell check and it doesn't like the "ver" in "over".

Still Going

After seeing the trailer to the American Top Gear, I realized I wasn't done going on about it.  Oh, it looks bloody awful! I haven't been this upset since they remade The Office.  So, am I going to watch it? Of course I am! How else will I find things to complain about it unless I actually watch. I'm only praying that the American version is only an hour long.  BTW, wasn't it great this season when the BBC in their infinite mercy decided to show us the entire one hour and twenty minutes version the Brits get to see? Absolutely fantastic!

My All Time Favorite British TV Shows (keeping in mind I've only seen a handful)

1. Benny Hill (This may top any of my lists)
2. Top Gear
3. Monty Python's Flying Circus
4. Fawlty Towers
5. Keeping Up Appearances
6. The Office
7. Dr. Who

Oops, I just named every British TV show I've ever seen.

Are the British known for their jazz? Heavens no. I was reminded of a song that is just brilliant while listening through my iPod today. Everyone loves Dave Brubeck's Take Five, as well they should. But there is another excellent song on the Take Five album: Blue Rondo A La Turk.  The actual video is rather boring; Dave Brubeck hardly moves at all, but here it is:

Disappointed

Just got done working out. Should I be embarrassed that I had to ask my wife to spot me? Probably not. Should I be embarrassed that she had to spot me for a buck fifty on the bench? Probably.

Lately I've taken to loading up my little iPod thing, what's it called? Oh, yes, the Nano, or something. Anyways, load it up, run through it all, load it up again with all new songs and podcasts, and run through it again. Since I have the Nano, that's two days worth of listening. So what's the point of that little report. Well there isn't one.

Every once in a while people will post what's on their iPod, or what their favorite albums or songs are, or which Streisand movie they like best (Meet the Fockers). It's always interesting to see the eclectic tastes of all your friends (Wha? He likes A Star is Born and What's Up Doc?). Not long ago my friends were posting what albums meant the most to their lives or something along those lines. One friend listed Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints. Now, I thought I was the only person in the world who owned that album, and here was someone listing it as one of his all time faves.

As mentioned earlier in various posts I'm too lazy to link to, I enjoy Pawn Stars and Top Gear. Honestly I didn't think anyone besides my wife and I watched those. When I say "those" I mean Pawn Stars. My wife doesn't watch Top Gear except when I force her to by turning up the volume while she's in the room. Anywho, I'm fine with being in the viewing minority (except when they cancel the show). It somehow makes me feel elite.

Only, it seems, I'm not in the minority. Recently I heard that Pawn Stars is one of the most popular reality shows on cable (sounds like a baseball statistic). More dishearteningly (is that a word?), 60 Minutes did a piece on Top Gear and said it was one of the most popular shows IN THE WORLD! Dang it! I'm not so elite after all. Steve Kroft did throw me a bone, however. He went on to say that included a small cult-like following in the U.S. Honestly, that's all I ever wanted to be a part of, a small cult like following, so I'll take it.

So, now I see they're making an American version of Top Gear. Come on! Do we need that? We already have a show called Top Gear, in English and everything. When I heard about the American version, the first person I thought of was Adam Carrolla, so you can imagine my disappointment when I read he was originally attached to the show for NBC's version, but is not slated to be on The History Channel's version. Dang you History Channel! How can you get so many things right, and then totally blow this one?

So much for things going my way.