PHASE II

Well phase II started out well then it has hit the skids. After a wonderful weekend that included walks with the kids, the dreaded head cold has hit. Add on top of that Daylight Saving Time and the kids getting up an hour earlier, finding the time is an issue again. This has slowed my progress and has drained my energy levels. This is the time that I should be getting some low intensity training in. Fortunately there is a lifetime that the missed training can be made up. Hopefully in a day or two, the fatigue can be over come and my feet will start moving.

It was discovered on Sunday that there is going to have to be some work to get my heart rate up to where it needs to be at this stage. Pushing Aidan in the jogging stroller only got my rate up to 110 for the mile and half that he would tolerate it. It would be nice to get another 20 BPM for 20 minutes so it may be the treadmill to get paces and intensities worked out. So, tonight will be the night to get the home equipment set up. That includes my bike on a trainer for those days that my knees bother me. I look forward to the times when the kids can be sent to bed on their own and the grown ups can go catch up on things.

My healthy habits have stalled also. It is not that I have fallen off the wagon, but with the illness has come a loss of appetite and not eating enough. This too shall come to an end soon. Healthy snacks are easier to find around the house now, but with the passing of Halloween the unhealthy stuff is also easier to find. On top of that, JC makes a killer pumpkin cake that I can't get enough of. This is the time of year that always seems to find its way to my waist.

All thins reminds me when I did my first triathlon. Not knowing much about the sport, every book on the subject was read, along with enrolling in a class at the local gym. During one of the classes, one of the other students asked the question, "Should we be following a special diet in order to compete?" The instructor's response was that we are engaging in exercise and our bodies are going to need fuel. So changing our diets at this time would do us more damage then good. With the additional fuel that our bodies were going to burn, if we just maintained our current eating habits, then we would see a weight loss. It was true, by the time that the triathlon arrived; my body was 30 pounds liter. Therefore, exercise in itself would be beneficial to losing weights, but that is not the goal this time around. The goal is to become healthier and to do that, what food is consumed needs to be considered. It is going to come down to the choices that are made and choosing not to eat the junk and fast foods that have been part of my diet for years. So far it has been over a month without fast food. I almost gave in this weekend when JC was craving it. But, we were able to find something else to eat and didn't make the easy choice. We both are better for it, even if she doesn't know it.

It just occurred to me that my small steps are rubbing off without others knowing about it. Sneaky aren't I……