January 24

Well it has been a few weeks since my last post. Everything is going well with my training. I still have a few hiccups now and then but my weight is back down around 174-175 again. I would like to be closer to 170 by the middle of February. What I think I need is some real nice days to crank up my outside training and get a good sweat on.

I now have a personal trainer again. I team up with my wife Kim once a week and get put through some tough workouts. It is nice to be doing something different then I am used to once a week and that alone will probably help me get towards my goal. My diet has been OK, not the greatest but manageable. I still have a heck of a sweet tooth following the holidays but I hope to have that curbed pretty soon.

My wife is leaving for San Antonio for a week of training for the US Army. She will be attending a class on leadership and management of personnel. I am very proud of how well she has done at Evans Hospital. She is truly one of the best leaders that the hospital has. I will miss her greatly, but that only makes her return that much better.

That's all for now. More to come this week as I ramp up my training.

11 January

Well we are two weeks into the New Year and do far so good. I continue to pray for guidance from my Lord. This last weekend, Kim and I  went out and bought a newer car. We got a 2014 Ford Taurus.  It is a very nice ride. I guess I have reached that point in my life where comfort is more important than sporty.

My workouts are progressing well. I am back on the treadmill and losing weight again. Yesterday I was down to 175.6. I need to get down another 4 pounds and keep it there. I have included more wright lifting and body weight exercises.  What I need to do is add more lower body exercises and try and build up my knee joints to protect them from injury. There is a fine line between working out my legs and the pain I get in my knees during those exervises.

Well that is all for now. I will post later today with my update on xvhool. Lots of excitement going on there as well.

Colonoscopy Day

Well the morning started out very well, remarkably I slept soundly through the night. I had expected to be awake and stressed about the procedure all night long. After waking up and taking a shower there was nothing left to do but drive to the hospital. Mother nature decided to throw a curve ball at me and the roads were as slick as an ice rink. It took a little longer to get there but no problems. The staff at St. Thomas More were very nice. A nice surprise when I was taken back to the room was to find out one of the nurses was a long time co-worker. This relaxed me immediately.

The procedure was uneventful, After checking all my vitals and starting an IV I was given two medications and I was out light a light bulb. Hell, I really don't remember walking out to the car afterwards. My wife Kim drove me home and I went back to bed and slept for another couple hours. The doctor said everything looked good and there were no issues found during the procedure.

One thing that stuck with me after the procedure was the professionalism of the staff. I work at a hospital everyday of the week, and I can tell you that the staff that took care of me were top notch. I just hope that the staff at our hospital are doing the same things that I saw while being cared for. I was very impressed. Now I just have to wait for the official report from my doctor. Should know something in a few days.

Prep Day

Well this is fun! At least I got in a 2 Mike walk before starting my prep for colon screening tomorrow.  I have only just begun.  So far this morning I  had to take 4 tablets of a laxative.  2 trips to bathroom so far.
So the day went pretty good. The prep was not as  ad as I envisioned. Maybe because my diet leading up to today was very nutritious and not a lot of junk foid. I don't feel very hungry eithrr. I had jello and broth all day long and of course 64 ounces of Gatorade. Now I am nice and cleaned out and hopefully can get some sleep. Early to rise in the morning. Goodnight all.

January 5th

Not a bad day at work. Got a lot done at my desk and I had time to get a good set of rounds done around the hospital. I had a light lunch and dinner. Got in about 90 minutes of cardiovascular at the gym as well. Not a bad start to my training. I still feel a pain and click in my left knee, more so after spinning last night. I think it may be some tendon it is that is having problems clearing. Running doesn't seem to irritate it as much. I need to get my treadmill fixed. Tomorrow I am off so that I can prepare for my colonoscopy. Yippee

End of the Holiday Season

Well it's the finally the end of the Holiday season. Starting tomorrow it is back to work in a regular fashion without a lot of time off. Back to regular meals and a regular diet. No more gorging on large meals and feeling like crap after. The actual start of the New Year resolutions. Mine is simple, keep increasing my exercise routine to prepare for my first triathlon since 2010. Not sure which one I will do to start yet but I know for sure I need a lot of work before I am ready.

My workout plan needs to consist of running, biking, swimming and weight training. Some how I need to incorporate all of these into my program. I will have some time on Tuesday to sit down and write down a schedule that I can follow. Actually I will have a lot of time on Tuesday. Don't ask - It has to do with my doctor's appointment on Wednesday. For those of you in health care, you know what I will be doing. More to come on my schedule.

January 3rd 2014

So a New Year has arrived and is underway. A time for taking stock of our lives and a time to ask the question, Why do we hold back? Is it just because we are lazy? Or because we fear that if we crank it up, we won't be able to sustain it? Do we fear disappointing ourselves? Maybe we can't figure out how to get our full force into the game. So we simply throw our hands and give up before we start. We settle for a body, job, or life that uses the barest fraction of what we have to offer.

But, that is not what God wants for us. He has given all of us the gift to make the best of ourselves. To honor Him for that gift we must make the most of the life He has given us. Everyone of us needs to look past all those excuses we use everyday, and push ourselves to be the best we can be .... for Him. How many minutes do we spend wasting time in front of a TV or video game when it only takes 30 minutes a day of exercise to make our lives better? How hard is it to change what you eat to lose the weight you need to feel better, both physically and emotionally? That, my friends is what God wants for each of us. To take care of our bodies in a healthy manner to honor what He has given to us.

So in this New Year, the time is now. The time to become stronger, leaner, and healthier is now, not tomorrow or the next day but now.

January 2nd, 2014

Today was a rest day, well sort of. I did try out the treadmill this morning and it is running better but still needs new belts to be back to full potential. Got in a good Bob video this afternoon with Kim.  Otherwise I watched how much I ate and feel pretty good going to bed. Tomorrow holds promise of being a good day. Fingers crossed.

January 1

Well, it's the New Year. I am looking forward to the many challenges the coming year will bring. There will be times when I will succeed and times when I will fail. Health wise I am starting out at 181.2. I have my colonoscopy this week and it will be the first of many I am sure. Several big things start this year, my Master's degree program ands my advancement at the hospital.
Today I got in a short workout. My workouts are feeling pretty god but I need to up my game if I am going to attempt another triathlon later this spring. More on my program to come.