Saturday, August 24, 2013

Finding a Rhythm...

It's been a challenging week or so. I've tried to keep up with some working out, but having some friends over, drinks, and job change celebrations have kicked my calorie count a bit too high. I'm fortunate to have kept my weight around the same, but that certainly won't be enough.

Last Wednesday I was offered a new position at my job, which I eagerly accepted. I no longer have to take inbound phone calls all day long. Monday was my first day with the new position. Other than feeling a little lost making my way around some new tools, my stress level plummeted to a comfortable low. I didn't have to talk to a single person all day, listened to some music, and basically had a great day overall. I might not be making more money, but keeping my schedule (in terms of the days I work), and the overall feeling of peace is a fantastic reward. I'm looking forward to the new challenges and opportunities that will be presented to me and my new team.

Now, it's about finding that rhythm again to get a workout routine in place. My wife put it best the other day, every day that there isn't a workout is a day lost on the way to becoming a spartan. I don't have an unlimited amount of time here. June 2014 will be here really quick.

Time to go workout...

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Missing a beat...

I haven't disappeared.

It has been a trying week, though, and my push to be a spartan has certainly been set back by a week. I need to get on the scale and see what damage has been done, but I'm sure it's still something I can recover from.

I have, however, stayed away from sugary soda during this time (I will typically have diet cola - or coke zero). I've been very diligent in making sure that after my initial cup of coffee, or two, in the morning, especially at work, I switch to water and keep it that way. So far so good. I haven't had a regular cherry coke, pepsi or coca-cola in the ... what? last three weeks now? It's helped me keep more on track thank I would have been otherwise.

This week has delivered some grade of stress that I haven't found the motivation to "work out." Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal, but on Wednesday my car was being much louder than normal (it's had a knock in the engine for some time), bad sign. At work that morning I found two emails that had been sent to me on my day off (Tuesday) scheduling me for interviews for different positions the following day. Prep time.

Thursday was just... well, difficult. Went to work and the car sputtered when I got to the light at the freeway off ramp. Went to work all dressed up and had my first interview at about 11 AM. It lasted an hour. My second interview wasn't until 2:45. I got an email about the first interview at about 2:14 indicating that they'd moved forward with another selection. A turnaround that fast indicates that I wasn't seriously considered for the position in the first place. I was just filling some bullshit quota. I was a little annoyed, and the timing was just perfect since I had the second interview just minutes away.

The second interview went better. At least I didn't get any emails before the end of my day, anyway. Haven't heard anything by phone either, so who knows? I don't return to work until Monday after a three-day weekend, so we'll see then, I suppose.

I did take the car into the shop. The engine quit on me three times heading home on Thursday, and two or three times going into the shop on Friday, so it's looking like an expensive fix. But I do have a little support there.

It's time to get back to work.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Carving out time...

There are two things that can be serious roadblocks to making it to my goal of being a spartan. Time and injury.

Now, time is broken up into two parts (so, you could say three things are roadblocks, but it's my blog, and I say two). Age is just a part of time. 37 years old can make one prone to spontaneous injury. And then the problem of just carving out the time required to exercise, meal plan, and execute the meal plan.

One of my favorite breakfasts is the breakfast burrito. Start with a large tortilla, put a little cheese on it while you warm up the tortilla and then load it up with sausage, egg, and hashbrowns. Sometimes bacon instead of sausage, but I think sausage works best with this all-in-one combination.

Order something like that at a cafe or restaurant and you're probably looking at somewhere around 600 - 900 calories depending on the size, the place, and how they prepare the other ingredients. I like to make it at home. I use Bountiful Baskets for the tortillas (roughly 70 calories), and then get about one-and-a-half egg (105 calories), I usually make two at a time - one for me, and one for my wife - and I make them together with three eggs. A serving of hashbrowns (70 calories), and then, the key, a serving of turkey sausage (another 70) - comes out to about 315 - 350 calories. Turkey sausage basically tastes the same as pork sausage because of the way sausage is seasoned. It's also about 1/3rd of the calories for the same serving size.

So, it might not be a bran muffin and orange juice - but it's once again an example of how homemade trumps eating out.

Then there's random injuries. I pick up my kid to carry him upstairs while explaining how it's not a good idea for him to play with that noisy toy outside of mommy and daddy's bedroom while mommy is still asleep (the one day a week she can sleep in a bit) and somehow wrench a muscle in my back. Awesome. Not debilitating, no, but sure doesn't feel great all the same.

We'll have to see how that ends up all working out. Also, speaking of homemade, tonight, we're going to try homemade sushi for dinner. Nothing fancy (and certainly no tempura), but it should still be fun.