I gained 4lb

Stepped on the scale for the first time in over a week today… I gained 4lb! Not sure why, been eating really well and working out like crazy, I actually went down one belt notch! Am I gaining muscle??? 4lb seems a little excessive, although I’ve never worked out this hard in my life.

I think I’ll just put the scale aside, continue to work out and eat well and see if I notice any differences in the mirror and how my clothes fit.

I have to admit, with all of the intense working out, I’ve been feeling great, almost like being on a permenant high

CrossFit “Helen”

Today was my first named WOD (Workout Of the Day). Helen, consists of 3 rounds for time each of:

• 400 meter run
• 21 Kettle Bell swings (I did 1 Pood, men’s Rx’d was 1.5 Pood)
• 12 Pull Ups (I had to do mine box assisted)

My total time was 16 minutes on the nose, I’m hoping for 13 min next time

CrossFit and biking

I’ve been biking to work about 3 days a week for a good couple of months now. It started off as a way to help get back into shape and also trying to further cut my carbon foot print. What I didn’t expect is that it’s turned into the perfect way to transition from home life to work and then back to home life again. I do an 8.5 Km commute to work and it took me 30 minutes each way when I start. It’s only taking me 20 minutes now and it’s by far the best way to clear my head each day. I actually miss the ride on the days when I have to take my car to work.

So… feeling like I’m in better shape and having decided that the gym really isn’t for me (routine bores me, and that’s usually what I find at the gym), I decide, on my brother’s advice, to join CrossFit Kitchener. You can read all about it on the site, but the main idea is to have an intense workout each day and have that workout be different each day so that there is no routine. The workouts have been kicking my ass… I seriously didn’t think I could physically sweat as much as I did during my workout, but I can’t wait to go back for more

The first visit is always free, so come on out and give it a try if you’re tired of the old gym routine (and if you’re not from Kitchener, just Google CrossFit for your town).

Badminton

Now there’s a sport that looks easier than it really is. My brother and I went to play at the KW Badminton Club yesterday. Much fun was had and we played for almost 3 hours. About two hours into the game I broke my racket!!! I had just bought it the day before, but the nice folks at the club let me play with a loaner for the rest of our staty.

All in all, a good time was had by all and now we have memberships there so we’ll be playing more often. Hopefully with a better racket

My runs

For my running, I’ve started using the Nike + / iPod thingy. It lets me track my progress and keeps track of all my runs. You can see it here. I’ve also added it to the right side of this page.

Training again

Started my training again in earnest today. I’m happy to report that I’m not dead yet. What am I training for you ask? the Men’s Health Urban Athlon

Can I throw up now?

Went back to the gym on Tuesday after being away for 4 months or so. My trainer had me working out without weights just some complex move including squats, push-ups, etc. I was supposed to get through 3 sets of each. I only managed to complete one, before getting lightheaded and wanting to throw up (really, I felt that if I answered any more of his questions, he was going to end up wearing my lunch).

Lessons learned:

• Eat more then one meal a day!
• Try and get a bit more then 3 hours of sleep a night
• Skipping rope is WAY harder then it looks!

My second appointment with him is next Tuesday… lets see if I can keep my lunch this time

Didn’t need to hear that…

Kate and I went to a fast food joint today for dinner. I don’t like to do that, since I like to eat better the that most days. She ordered a kids meal and then proceeded to ask the cashier: “Can I have mine with a boy-toy?”

May I never hear her utter those words again

Angry

I woke up really angry today. I’m pretty sure it was a dream that got me there. I think I was fighting with Maria in my dream, I don’t remember what the fight was about, but I was loosing, and I got angry. It’s not the dream that bugged me, it’s the way I felt when I woke up. To top it all off, I woke up at 6am, which is a full 30 minutes early. As soon as I realized this, I got even more angry. I think I could actually feel my blood pressure rising. Well, I decided I was going to blow off some steam. So I had my breakfast and went for my run, took the dog out and left for work. Now I feel great! It’s a well known fact that working out makes you feel better even when you’re sitting there and the last thing you want to do is exercise. Well, go exercise anyway, it’ll help.

The training has begun

I sit here, sweating and wheezing a bit. I just ran 1.1 miles, the first of the 50 or so runs I’ll be doing over the next 12 weeks to get ready for the Men’s Health Urban Athlon. It feels good, I managed to make the run without stopping and while keeping a pretty fast pace. Definitely did better then I expected to do seeing that I haven’t done any cardio work in over 4 weeks.

We’ll see how the rest of the training goes…