Nike+ Need Motivation?

I have been using Nike+ with my iPod in my workouts and it is such a great idea. Putting goals, challenges, accomplishments to help motivate people. I love it.



I particularly enjoy the challenges. I started a challenge for tomorrow called the “12 runs of Christmas.” In theory you would run 1 kilometer the first day, 2 kilometers the second day and so on until the 12th day you are running 12 kilometers.

I did not choose miles because that would be 78 miles in 12 days and I cannot do that… yet.

78 kilometers is still almost 49 miles. That is still a high goal in my book (considering I never ran 4 consecutive miles in my life before this year).

The purists will run the 1 kilometer on day 1 and 2 on the second day, but because I will not run on Sunday, I will be dividing mine out to 5 miles a day.

It will be a great goal.

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=all_challenges,553115208

Snacks and Food

The hardest part about trying to diet is being a father. What?!? What does being a dad have to do with your diet? My answer: Everything.

Kids are notorious for their snacks. Fruit Snacks, Animal Crackers, Cheeze-its, Fruit Snacks, Ritz, Club Crackers, Doritos, Pretzels and Fruit Snacks. I love all of them. A lot (can you tell I enjoy fruit snacks and crackers, sheesh).

It is not like you cannot have these around the house either, because the kids eat them. Thank heavens they eat apples and bananas as well.

Oh, I forgot to mention this
http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/v1/html/milestones/print_certif.html?id=1957500382&region=us&language=en&locale=en_us&dateFormat=MM/DD/YY

Let’s try this again…

“My name is Chris, and I like to start new workout routines and then stop them after a month when I get sick.”

“Hello Chris!”

Seems like every quarter I actually start a new workout routine/diet. The process starts about a month and half before then in my mind because I hate how I feel in my clothes and I hate buying size 40 waist pants. So again it starts.

I have been so motivated by watching the contestants on “the Biggest Loser” and the amount of weight they have lost. Granted they are at a campus, but still, these trainers are working them ragged regardless of weight. It is amazing.

So, I needed to workout but I needed to change something. Getting out of bed at 4:00 am is too difficult and I cannot get to bed before 11:00. I try and I try and I cannot do it. My wife and I are night owls and getting to bed by 10:45 (asleep) is an accomplishment.

So I get up when I usually get ready for work and work out then. I have to get up anyway and it is either run or get ready for work. So it is not so difficult to motivate myself there.

Right now I have a couple of routines I do throughout the week.

Monday: Treadmill day
I start at 6mph at a 6% incline and run 1 minute. Do the same incline at 5mph for 1 minute and then 4mph for 1 minute.
I drop the incline to 4% and run the same paces as before. I then drop it to 2% incline for 3 minutes and 0% incline for 3 minutes. That is usually 1 mile.

I up the incline again to 4.5% for 3 minutes (alternating pace still). 3.0% for 3 minutes, 1.5% for 3 minutes and 0% for 3 minutes.

I up the incline to 3% and do 3 minutes. Repeating the pacing I go to 2%, then 1% and finish at 0%.

Up the incline to 1.5% to 1%, 5% and finishing my last minute at 0% and cool down. Usually after all is done, it is 4.22 miles at 52 minutes.

Tuesday is Winsor Pilates.

Wednesday is another treadmill day. Start and continue at 4mph starting at 0% incline. Every minute I move it up .5% until I get to 10%. Then I come back down.

Thursday is core training on one of those training balls and a couple of miles on the tread mill.

Friday is another treadmill day doing whatever I want.

I have also started a diet from http://www.biggestloserclub.com. We’ll see how that works out.
Starting weight: 255.
Goal: 195.

If you are a Ute fan and want to try and run as many miles as the trip from Rice-Eccles to the Big House, check out this Nike+ Challenge.
http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l=all_challenges,955754947

Update: 1-16-07

Last week, the week ending the 13, was a minor setback. I ended up sick and did not work out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

I then told my wife it was okay for me to miss a kids good night kiss if they have snot and saliva covering their face.

Weight at week's end: 255.

I did a second Podfitness work out and they're brutal. JUST BRUTAL. three cheers for no pain no gain.

I just finished my third week of working out and finally I am starting to see some progress.

Last week in my training I decided to use that podfitness program. It did some upper body work and the next day guess what the trainer did a lot of exercises for? That’s right, the upper body.

So I figured I didn’t want to be that tired again for work so this week I was going to focus on some cardio but additional strength training. Tuesday and Wednesday I spent 20 minutes on the stair climber and then an additional 20 minutes on an elliptical trainer.

What do you think we worked on Thursday? This week he decided to focus on the lower body. Nice.

Swam better today as well, not as tired afterward.

Total weight loss: 4 lbs.
Weight: 256.