This time around I am going to focus on my waist line, my weight doesn’t really show the progress as I usually stay at 250 no matter if I am in shape and feeling good, or a couch potato. It is the muscle that I gain and lose that makes the difference. So the first line of my updates will be the +/- of my waist line.

As for vacation, I must say USE IT. There is nothing better to charge your batteries than going away for at least a week with NO phone, computer or any other device that will allow you to easily connect with the outside world and vise-versa. All that I did was leave my hotel information with the emergency contacts according to my company information and that was all. If it was an emergency than people would be able to contact me, if not well too bad. Sooner or later you will have to learn that there are very few true emergencies anymore, and most are fabricated.
Technorati Tags: diet, loose weight, fitness, personal goals

Well it has been hard, that is the basic status.  I have deleted all of my news feeds from my Google Homepage, so I am not tempted everytime I open my browser, I unsubscribed from most of my RSS feeds and a lot of different RSS-feeds-email.  I have also limited my daily morning routine to a couple of sites (Dilbert, TSN.ca, etc).

That said I am still visiting Fark and Slashdot.  I tried to cut them cold turkey, then once a day, but now I am visiting a couple of times a day.  This is something that I am going to have to try to curb in the coming weeks.

The problem is that I am not sure what to do with the time that I am freeing up.  I am not really busy at the day job, and most of my online stuff that has to get done can’t be done at work.  So I am left with some free time and nothing to do with it, and therefore end up going to Fark and visiting some of the articles linked there.  I should take it as a good sign that I am not rushed any more and the free time is a result of me cutting back on the intake of information. 

Starting after the Easter Weekend, I am going to go another step farther though.

1. I am going to make a list of go-to sites, but only visit them in the mornings or early afternoon. (coffee breaks)
2. I am only going to check my work email twice a day.  Once in the morning around 11am, this will give people time to reply to the emails that I sent the previous day. and again at 3pm, this will enable me to catch the majority of the emails sent in the run of a day.
3. Only check my personal email once every couple of days, and my business email once a day.  If someone needs to get ahold of me I have my cell.
4. Turn off my cell for a 24 hour period every week.  I still have voicemail so it shouldn’t be a big deal.  I will still have it on me so I am not worried about losing it.  I just think that everyone has to disappear every once in a while.  There is no need to be too connected.

I think that these few steps should save me another 30 to 60 minutes a day.  With this new time I am going to figure out how to learn French and maybe learn to play the harmonica.

I have recently been trying out the "Low Information Diet", we are bombarded with so much stuff it is hard to get almost anything done.

I have found that there are a lot of great things that come as a result of a low info diet.  I am getting a lot more done at work and at home, but I must admit that it is very hard.  News and information is addictive.

• Less wasted time - You spend a lot less time reading, watching and listening to CRAP.  Most of the "news" out there is crap.
• Most News is Wrong Anyway - The news today is so sensationaized that you never really know when something important.  Everytime there is going to be a bit of rain or snow there is a weather warning.  It is WINTER for **** sakes.
• If it is important, your friends/co-workers will tell you - You might be worried that you are not getting the latest news, but no fear, if something important is happening, or happened, others will be sure to let you know.  There is no point in paying attention to "breaking" news for hours, or get the 30 min summary that has been checked out the next day.
• Be Less Anxious - News is so sensational (see above) that everything is a disaster.  It is hard not to be affected by this.  Most of the time there is nothing that you can do about it, and the only affect is an emotional one.
• The News is Old - Have you ever noticed that depending on the season that the same stories are on the wires, told like they are breaking.  IE Razor blades in apple at Halloween

So give it a try and let me know how you like it.  You should be sure to start out easy, you may think that there is nothing to NOT paying attention, but if you spend hours of your day doing it, you will find it hard at first since all of the time that you used to spend watching CNN, you now have to do other things.

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Moving Average - 250.8 lbs

Work is really getting in the way of my getting back to my target weight.  I have been working so much I had to skip my Tuesday Morning hockey and my weekly basketball was missed from a site visit.  Then there is next week where I am going to be on site for most of the week so I am not going to be at home so no gym

I am going to have to do something to ensure that being on the road is not going to be too hurtful to the diet I am going to keep track of everything and not eat fast food.  I will try to get to the gym if there is one in the places that I am staying, but it is nothing like my local gym.

On another topic, and on the diet diary trek, I am working on an app for the site that will make it easy for you to keep track of everything that you eat. There will also be recipes that you will give you ideas on what you can eat depending on what you are interested in.

I have added a relatively new blog by a Toronto personal training and lifestyle coach which as it is continually updated has some really great tips.  If I was closer to TO I might even look her up.

But her most recent post about going out on the town, and her very strict diet, by choice, is something that I can’t do, even while I am trying to lose weight.  Basically when she is out on the town she is sure never to slack off on what she eats.  So she will not even eat fries, and when she does she thinks that she has failed. 

This is a very bad thing for people that are just starting a diet and they used to eat a lot of crap.  To someone like this, if they felt "bad" about every time that they eat something they like but is not on the list they are doomed to fail in the long term.

When I am on a "diet" and I use this term lightly because all it means to me is that I am consciously changing what I am eating to get a result, whether it is to lose weight, have mre energy, etc. But I still have a day, or meal that I can eat what I want.  This is a once a week thing that I know is comeing, but I can change depending on what is going on.  So on a Friday after work we go for beer and nachos, or maybe on game day we will have fish and chips, or burgers.  This is a meal that I keep track of, but I don’t count it as a failure. 

One high calorie meal every once in a while will help you lose weight if you are on a low calorie diet.  A low calorie diet will help you lose weight but it may also slow your metabolism, so that means once you reach your goal and figure that you can eat again, you will only bounce to your old weight.  Eating one high cal meal will lessen this jump. 

For this example, I think that she is always eating right which is something that we should all strive for, but I think that it is no easy to go from "good old home cooking" to eating right in one step.  So if you go out with friends I say eat up, if you feel like it, and if you do don’t lose sleep over it.  Just don’t go out often

As for the dislike of beer?  Well to each their own, but I LOVE MY beer, but at least she buys the local stuff, there is nothing like drinking the local micro

Cheers,

Jeff

Moving Average - 250.06 lbs

Yesterday was my first day at the gym since I started keeping track of everything.  I had to work late so it worked out to be a very long day.  I played hockey in the morning as I have been since the new year, and then didn’t leave work till 7pm to go to the gym.  It was a short workout so I did get home by 8:15pm, I love living downtown so that I am so close to everything.

As for the training I focused on Chest and Biceps.  I did three movements for each, the first two I did 3 sets with one warmup and the last one I did 2 sets.

Since I have been playing a lot of sports lately I didn’t bother do much cardio and just stretched as it was a 20 minute walk in a snow storm to get to the gym in the first place.

I am feeling good today, not too sore, but I have that feeling that you get when you work out, the one that tells you that you did something.  I really missed that feeling.  I am going to get to the gym tonight I hope and then again in the morning.

Cheers,

Jeff

Moving Average - 252.04 lbs

I am not feeling very good today, throat and head cold.  Nothing to bad but just enough that with the weather it makes me not want to leave the house.  I don’t think that I am going to make it to work today let alone the gym.  Hopefully if I get enough rest today then I will be able to get to the gym before I go to work tomorrow.

Moving Average - 251.64 lbs

Played hockey as usual this morning.  It was a good day, there as a lot of people there so I didn’t get the ice time that I usually get, but it was a good skate none the less.

There was one thing that I did notice and that was I was very sluggish at the start.  I didn’t sleep very well Friday night so I think that was to blame but I think that I am going to be trying to get up earlier before I leave and be sure to have something to eat even if it is only a granola bar.

Sunday I am planning on going to work for a little while so I figure I will go to the gym on my way.

Moving Average - N/A

This was my first Friday, and again there was no gym.  This is going to stop on the weekend, probably Sunday.

Today is the day that I go for beer after work, but I kept it to only a couple.  For supper it was a mess though, Steak Sandwich with fries, and onion rings to start.  Not something that you want to be eating when you are trying to lose weight but I figured that one day filled with food debauchery can’t hurt too much.

Money is the last taboo

I have been thinking about some of this stuff lately, and noticed that when I bring it up with some people that they cringe.  It seems to me that money is really one of the last socially awkward converstation topics.  Sex, not really a problem.  People will talk openly about sex and relationships which is huge.

However that said I think that money is one of the most important things that people should be thinking about, and not becuase I am some capitalist pig.  It is because it is one of those things that is so simple, but the industry makes look so complex.  You know how it is, you go to the bank and they try to sell you this and that, they are salesmen and therefore you don’t really feel like you can trust them.  All of this makes it seem hard, when it really isn’t.

Money/Finance Blog

I am going to start to mingle the odd money/finance post into this site to try to point people in the right direction.  Since I am in my mid-20’s that is really what I know, and my ideas and comments will probably apply to those in the same age range the most.  I will try to point you to other blogs, and tools that you can use to assess where you are and ways to set goals so that you know where you want to be.

KISS (Keep it Simple STUPID <- Engineers Moto)

And most of all I will try to make it as simple as I can, because money is a tool, and people should learn to use it as such.

Moving Ave: n/a

I got to play some basketball today, but still no gym. The basketball was pretty good, a very good run.

In the afternoon I got to go cart racing and that was a blast.  My arms are still burning.

Moving Ave: N/A

Well I guess that today is going the way that I had planned.  I was going to go to the gym this morning, but late last night I was informed that I am going to a fancy dinner for work and therefore has to get to work early so that I can finish some work up.

At this rate I am not really kicking myself in the ass at all.  I really have to find a way to get more weight lifting into my daily routine.

Why Moving Average?

In case anyone is wondering what a Moving Average is, it is a method to track trends when the input information is volatile.  A lot of experts say that you shouldn’t weigh yourself daily since you can go up and down without much problem.  If you are looking at the moving average however it will smooth out the ebbs and flows so that you can see the trend.

How it is done is to simply average in the previous 4 and the most recent samples.  That is why I will not be able to calculate the moving average of my weight until the 5th day.  You can use any time period that you want, it doesn’t have to be 5

If you have any more questions about this please let us know by leaving a comment and I will be sure to answer them to the best of my ability

Cheers,

There is a lot a person can do such jog or walk every morning, play basketball or any other sport with friends but if a person wants to have muscles and look lean, then one can sign up and workout in a gym.

People workout for 3 reasons;

The first is that the person is overweight and the only way to lose those extra pounds will be to reduce ones calorie intake and at the same time workout in the gym.

The second is that the person is underweight and the only way to add extra pounds is to have more calories in ones diet and workout.

The third is just for fun and to keep that person in shape.

The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and gain or lose weight.

Just like taking any medicine, one should first consult the doctor before undergoing any form of exercise.

Here are some benefits of exercising;

1.    It is the easiest way to maintain and improve ones health from a variety of diseases and premature death.

2.    Studies have shown that it makes a person feels happier and increases ones self esteem preventing one from falling into depression or anxiety.

3.    An active lifestyle makes a person live longer than a person who doesn’t.

Working out for someone who has not done it before should be done gradually. Endurance will not be built in a day and doing it repeatedly will surely be beneficial to the person.

It is advisable to workout regularly with a reasonable diet.

A person can consult with a dietitian or a health professional to really help plan a good diet program. It starts by evaluating the lifestyle and the health of the patient before any program can be made.

Afterwards, this is thoroughly discussed and recommended to the person which usually consists of an eating plan and an exercise program that does not require the use of supplements or one to purchase any expensive fitness equipment. 

A good diet should have food from all the food groups.

This is made up by 2 things. The first is carbohydrates. The food that a person consumes should have vitamins, minerals and fiber. A lot of this can come from oats, rice, potatoes and cereals. The best still come from vegetables and fruits since these have phytochemicals, enzymes and micronutrients that are essential for a healthy diet.  

The second is fat which can come from mono and poly saturated food sources rather than animal fats. Since fat contains more than double the number of calories in food, this should be taken in small quantities to gain or lose weight.

Another way to stay healthy is to give up some vices. Most people smoke and drink. Smoking has been proven to cause lung cancer and other diseases as well complications for women giving birth. Excessive drinking has also shown to do the same.

For people who don’t smoke, it is best to stay away from people who do since studies have shown that nonsmokers are also at risk of developing cancer due to secondary smoke inhalation.

In Alabama, fishing represents a substantial impact on the state economy. Hundreds of millions of dollars are represented and about 20,000 people list fishing as their source of livelihood. However, most people consider it as a form of relaxation and a family activity. In general, it is a lifestyle option.

In the book titled “The Incomplete Psychology of Everyday Fishing;” psychologist Paul G. Quinnett dedicated an entire chapter about fishing as a source to relieve stress. In the chapter, “Ethics of Fishing” he points out that a person must appreciate and enjoy the benefits of nature. He also highlighted that fishing correct is a way for an individual to become more disciplined in his lifestyle.

“Family Life First,” an organization dedicated to introducing how to spend useful family time to parents for their children, have factual data that in the past 20 years, 25 percent of a child’s playing time has decreased. Outdoor activities, where most children spend their playing time, have also declined by 50 percent. Since 1969 to 1996, 22 percent of family time activities have lessened proven by the study of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

Any fruitful time to interact with your children is time worth investing. Fishing is a way to connect. The quality time you get is really worth the effort. The experience you get by catching fish is what makes it wonderful to enjoy and that is the important part of fishing. There are 23 public fishing lakes having plenty of fish waiting to be caught. All children can experience the excitement and adventure of fishing. You will always remember the very first time you caught a fish, and the parent who showed you how to catch it. You gain enjoyable and learning experiences from fishing that makes it a great family activity.

Alabama, for example, promotes its lakes and open banks as places best for fishing. You do not even need a boat to catch fish. There are also stores where you can find what you need for fishing. You may bring your family with you and the time of being together and enjoying the fun of fishing is the best family activity you could have.

Moving Ave: N/A

Well today I played hockey in the morning. 

Didn’t make it to the gym, but tomorrow I am planning on doing a Chest/Bieps workout in the morning before I head to work