Delish!

After my workout tonight (legs, abs, 20 minutes bike, 20 minutes elliptical) I needed something quick to eat when I got home so I could watch The Biggest Loser.  Hmm, what to have?  I had already made some corn salsa which is delish, and I decided to pair that with vegan refried bean tacos (corn tortillas filled with the beans, tomato, green onion, and salsa) I grilled each side of the taco in the frying pan to heat it.  It was great...and very messy!  Something I will definitely have again when I'm in a hurry, or when I'm craving Mexican food!

5,280 feet, plus a few smiles

Although I didn't sleep all that well last night, I woke up and said today was going to be a great day.  In fact, even posted on Facebook this morning: "... It's going to be a great week! Rock it out!"


I'm not entirely sure why I've been so positive lately and so lively. Maybe it's my diet, or the exercise, or the fact it's January there's no snow and it was another record high today of 49 degrees.  Maybe it's a combination of all of them.  Either way, woot woot!


My first smile came this morning, when one of my employees asked me if I was "slimming down."  Score.


My second smile came this afternoon, when my boss said my head looked smaller.  Not only was that a smile, but I nearly busted out laughing. I'm not sure if that was a compliment or what, but he said good job, keep it up. It's starting to show.


Filled with confidence and some strange level of energy, I headed to the gym and decided to try to jog a full mile.  5,280 feet.  Now, I did intervals on Saturday (1 lap jog, 1 lap walk, 1 lap jog, etc) for a total jog of 2 miles, but I haven't jogged a full non-stop mile since 2009!


After lifting weights (today I did my back and abs) I did my 5 minute warm-up, followed by stretching out my legs to help avoid/reduce my shin splint issue.  Off I went.  Lap by lap, I counted down (11 laps to one mile on this track)  I got to lap 6 and wanted to quit.  But I remembered a sign I saw posted online somewhere yesterday that said "you won't finish if you don't try." So I kept going.  Then again at lap 8 I wanted to quit.  What, I'm so close.  Keep going Brad, why am I going to stop now.  Lap 10, ok I'm almost there!  Finally, lap 11... everyone else on the track must have heard me huffing and puffing as I finished it!  11 minutes and 14 seconds.


Yay!  Big Smile!  It's a building block for sure.  Only need to add 5.2 more miles and I'll complete my 10k!  In due time!

Measurements - Month One

It's been a month of mixed results of training, but given the fact I started this in December and with all the good Christmas and New Year's food and candy around, I'm pretty very excited by these results:

• Weight: 271.5  (lost 9.5 pounds)
• Chest: 49.5" (lost 1.5")
• Right Arm: 15" (lost .5")
• Left Arm: 15" (lost .5")
• Waist: 49.5" (lost 2")
• Hips: 46.5" (lost .5")
• Right Thigh: 28.5" (lost .5")
• Left Thigh: 27.5" (lost 1")

Yay, I'm on my way.  Oh, here's the 1 month pics.  Not too much change visibly, but I feel great! 

Body Measurements

As part of my journey, I thought it would also be a good idea to take those "Biggest Loser" type pictures.  I haven't decided if I should post those pictures yet, but maybe by the time I finish typing this I will.  I also took measurements of my various body parts.  I took my first measurements on December 5, 2011.
Here they are:

• Weight: 281
• Chest: 51"
• Right Arm: 15.5"
• Left Arm: 15.5"
• Waist: 51.5" (I don't really know where my waist is, I followed the picture)
• Hips: 47"
• Right Thigh: 29"
• Left Thigh: 28.5"

Ok, so there you have it. My measurements forever documented in cyberspace.

Ok, and here I go, at the risk of total humiliation, here are my pictures of day 1. View at your own risk. 

Sad really, that I let myself get like this.  First off, I'm sooooo hairy. I need to do something about that.  Second, I'm using these pics as motivation to keep me going, especially on those days I really don't want to do anything!

Project: 365

As part of my journey during my 37th year, I wanted to document how my face changes throughout the year, much like this person did here.  But mine would be for the full year!  I won't show anything again about this, and am going to do my very best not to post any pictures of me over the next year...  so, here's the very first picture in my 365 day picture book!  (ok, I have already missed a few days, so there won't be exactly 365 pictures.)

What does "Lean to" mean?

So what does it mean to "lean to" a plant based diet?  Good question.  The likelihood of me, a person who absolutely loves all things meat, of becoming a 100% vegetarian or vegan is not likely.


I've been reading about the health benefits of plant based diets.  In fact, I've even practiced a vegetarian diet twice before, for 3 weeks each.  I must say that when I don't eat meat, I do feel more full of energy, and less "sluggish."


So, I thought that if I could eat a plant based diet 80% of the time, and still enjoy an occasional steak, grilled salmon, or hot dog at the game, I would still see many of the health benefits plant based diets provide.


Some friends of mine are doing the 21 day vegan kickstart to start the year. I decided I would join, and am starting the year off practicing a vegan diet for a minimum of 21 days.  The program is great, and provides weekly menu's and recipes.  So far so good!  I feel great and I'm still working it!

My 37th year.

On November 19, 2011 I turned 36 years old. It was a quiet birthday for me, as it was snowy and icy, and no one wanted to venture out to do anything, as it was the first snow of the season and that tends to be a bad one for accidents because people forget how to drive in the stuff.  So, I spent a quiet evening at home.

This gave me time to reflect on my life, and in fact on this blog, which I seem to have lost at some point along the way in the day to day business of life.

In a nut shell, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be a healthier person by my 37th birthday. What this means has been an evolving list of tasks and ideas, but what I've narrowed it down to is the following:

1.  Complete a 10k race - without walking.

2.  Lean to a plant based diet.

Easy enough. No big long list of things I need to achieve this year. No specific weight loss goals. My health will naturally improve as I work through the next year to achieve these 2 simply put goals.

I will write about this journey over the next year. I'm playing catch-up at the moment, so I'll write a few back to back blogs.

Here's to the 37th year of my life - my best yet!