April 2, 2013
I don't even remember the last time that I had posted on the blog. Who would have thought that I would not have much time to train, live my day to day life and not be able to blog about it...
Time has gone so fast, and here we are almost 1 month away from the St. George Half Ironman. It has been a crazy ride to say the least! I am just anxious to get to race day and then to finish the race! For the better part of 3 months, workouts have been about an hour a day, Saturdays being a little longer. Now, the intensity is beginning to go up, as workouts turn into two a days, with swimming about every day.
I am currently down about 70 pounds, and have been for the better part of a month. I haven't really lost anything to speak of and I haven't gained anything either. I have grown somewhat frustrated with the diet program, as I don't feel like I have progressed through the program as I feel it has been or was designed. I am not saying that it is entirely the program or the person pushing me to stay on that is entirely a fault here. I put a lot of the blame upon myself for not pushing back and following the program for the planned time frame. As it is though, I have lost 70 POUNDS, and I haven't felt this good about my health in a really long time!
Recently, I completed a book, Born to Run. The book has really inspired me to love running again. I can recall back in high school, loving every opportunity I could get to run. I wasn't fast, I didn't win races, but I loved being out and running in nature.Running in Utah is quite a bit different than running in Washington State. I am completely unfamiliar with places to trail run here in Utah, but am anxious to find ways to start incorporating trail running into my reinvigorated lifestyle.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
30 Day Challenge
As many of you know, I have been working hard at taking control of my life and getting healthy again. In the last year, I found out that I had Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, high cholesterol, and borderline high blood pressure. Of course I knew I was obese, but I was naive about the rest of it until I met with my doctor. Having any one of the two of these symptoms is what some people call metabolic syndrome. When you have metabolic syndrome, it is incredibly hard to lose weight. Three months ago to the day, I started a program called the Weight is Over (WiO). The whole idea behind it is to give your pancreas, liver and stomach a reboot. Rebooting your pancreas, liver and stomach isn't a medical term, just a great description of what it does.
I decided to do the WiO program because I knew that my health was deteriorating, and I didn't want to leave my wife and my daughter without a husband and a father. Every time I feel like I want to quit, I think of my reason why I am doing this, and it makes me stay strong. In the three months since I have been doing this program, I have seen great success! With a total weight loss of over 60 pounds and nearly 50 total inches lost, I haven't felt this good in a long time. I now only have one more month before the program is over, and I am hoping to be down another 30 pounds!
So, to the title of this post . . . The 30 Day Challenge! I want to challenge anyone that has any of the following symptoms to look into this program and try it for 30 days.
I decided to do the WiO program because I knew that my health was deteriorating, and I didn't want to leave my wife and my daughter without a husband and a father. Every time I feel like I want to quit, I think of my reason why I am doing this, and it makes me stay strong. In the three months since I have been doing this program, I have seen great success! With a total weight loss of over 60 pounds and nearly 50 total inches lost, I haven't felt this good in a long time. I now only have one more month before the program is over, and I am hoping to be down another 30 pounds!
So, to the title of this post . . . The 30 Day Challenge! I want to challenge anyone that has any of the following symptoms to look into this program and try it for 30 days.
- Overweight
- High Blood Pressure
- Elevated Cholesterol
- High Glucose levels or Diabetes
- Fatty Liver
If you live in Utah, specifically Utah County, you can contact Rich at Elevate Fitness in Orem by calling:
801-221-9060
Let Rich know that I referred you over to him, and that you want to take part in the 30 Day Challenge. If you don't live in Utah, or in Utah County, you can still contact Rich and he will be able to set you up to participate in the 30 Day Challenge.
Below is a video that I had been asked to participate in, and elaborates more on the 30 Day Challenge from my point of view.
Below is a video that I had been asked to participate in, and elaborates more on the 30 Day Challenge from my point of view.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Elevate Indoor Triathlon
January 26, 2013
Last night, I went to sleep thinking, I was going to pass on competing in the Elevate Indoor Triathlon. I guess that is what I get for thinking. Instead I woke up, and started getting all of my gear together to go and compete!
Competing in the triathlon was a lot of fun. April and Ellie had even come to support me. The indoor triathlon had a swim in two endless pools with staggered starts. The swim was 10 minutes at a minimum of 800 psi's. I swam at 1100 psi, and it gave me a time bonus.
After the swim, you ran from the pool room to the Computrainer room. I got to use my own bike, and everyone rode the same course for 13 miles. I had a really great ride, especially for being on the WiO diet where I don't get to eat any carbs at all. That being said, I still felt like I was able to maintain a decent pace, but not using all the energy that I was going to need for the run. After the triathlon was over, Greg, who is the triathlon coach at Elevate Fitness, came up and told me that I had one of the fastest bike times at 32 minutes.
After the bike, I had my transition to the run on the treadmill. If you have never done a triathlon, the feeling in your legs because of the bike ride make it really hard to start running really quickly (at least if you aren't a professional). I knew that my best 5K time is just over 33 minutes, and that I wasn't going to hit that since I hit that PR when all I had done was a run. Knowing that, I just wanted to be under 40 minutes. As the run progressed, my legs were getting incredibly heavy. I looked at my time, and I had just a half mile to go and just a few minutes to finish before I would be going over 40 minutes. At that point, I was really happy to be running on a treadmill and bumped the speed up from 5 mph to 6 mph to 7 mph to 9 mph. By doing this, I was able to finish my run in 37:58!
Overall, this triathlon was a great motivator for me. With the St. George Half Ironman coming up, I have a lot of work to do, but I know that I will be able to do it and be ready.
Competing in the triathlon was a lot of fun. April and Ellie had even come to support me. The indoor triathlon had a swim in two endless pools with staggered starts. The swim was 10 minutes at a minimum of 800 psi's. I swam at 1100 psi, and it gave me a time bonus.
After the swim, you ran from the pool room to the Computrainer room. I got to use my own bike, and everyone rode the same course for 13 miles. I had a really great ride, especially for being on the WiO diet where I don't get to eat any carbs at all. That being said, I still felt like I was able to maintain a decent pace, but not using all the energy that I was going to need for the run. After the triathlon was over, Greg, who is the triathlon coach at Elevate Fitness, came up and told me that I had one of the fastest bike times at 32 minutes.
After the bike, I had my transition to the run on the treadmill. If you have never done a triathlon, the feeling in your legs because of the bike ride make it really hard to start running really quickly (at least if you aren't a professional). I knew that my best 5K time is just over 33 minutes, and that I wasn't going to hit that since I hit that PR when all I had done was a run. Knowing that, I just wanted to be under 40 minutes. As the run progressed, my legs were getting incredibly heavy. I looked at my time, and I had just a half mile to go and just a few minutes to finish before I would be going over 40 minutes. At that point, I was really happy to be running on a treadmill and bumped the speed up from 5 mph to 6 mph to 7 mph to 9 mph. By doing this, I was able to finish my run in 37:58!
Overall, this triathlon was a great motivator for me. With the St. George Half Ironman coming up, I have a lot of work to do, but I know that I will be able to do it and be ready.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
10th Week on WIO
December 31, 2012 - January 7, 2013
What a week! Vacation is over, and getting back to somewhat of the normal schedule. I have been a little nervous going into the gym to weigh in, as I wasn't sure how things really went over the holidays. It has now been just over two months since I started the WiO diet. Since I am able to go to the gym next week, I knew that I needed to get into Elevate to see where I was at, so Rich and I had a workout, then I weighed in and got measured. It wasn't how I expected, however, I lost 9 pounds since the last time I had weighed in. That is an average of 3 pounds per week! I was stoked, even though I wanted to see more. Isn't it interesting how much higher we hold ourselves when it comes to things like this?
I just want to say to those that are doing the WiO protocol or any other diet, don't be so hard on yourself! I have found that it is much easier to have someone that you work with on your weight loss, even if you are self-conscience. The person you choose will be there to encourage you when you are doing great, and when you are having a hard time.
At the beginning of this process, I had mentioned that I wasn't going to mention any stats about my weight loss because I wanted my family to see me at Christmas before I said anything. So, now that we have gotten past the holidays, here you go:
What a week! Vacation is over, and getting back to somewhat of the normal schedule. I have been a little nervous going into the gym to weigh in, as I wasn't sure how things really went over the holidays. It has now been just over two months since I started the WiO diet. Since I am able to go to the gym next week, I knew that I needed to get into Elevate to see where I was at, so Rich and I had a workout, then I weighed in and got measured. It wasn't how I expected, however, I lost 9 pounds since the last time I had weighed in. That is an average of 3 pounds per week! I was stoked, even though I wanted to see more. Isn't it interesting how much higher we hold ourselves when it comes to things like this?
I just want to say to those that are doing the WiO protocol or any other diet, don't be so hard on yourself! I have found that it is much easier to have someone that you work with on your weight loss, even if you are self-conscience. The person you choose will be there to encourage you when you are doing great, and when you are having a hard time.
At the beginning of this process, I had mentioned that I wasn't going to mention any stats about my weight loss because I wanted my family to see me at Christmas before I said anything. So, now that we have gotten past the holidays, here you go:
It is crazy to think that it has been 10 weeks and I have already lost 54 pounds. I am incredibly grateful to my wife for supporting me through this, as well as those at Elevate Fitness. One last thing that I want to mention, is that normally when people go on diets and they lose weight, sometimes it is mostly water weight. When I weigh in at Elevate, the scale I use shows things like the body fat, water weight, bone density and a few others. I am proud to say that I have actually gained water weight through this whole process.
Now, below is a photo comparison of a face shot from the start of this journey, it has been fun to see the transition.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
9th Week on WIO
December 24th - December 31st, 2012
I would say that this week was probably one of the toughest weeks that I have experienced being on the WiO Diet. Going home to spend Christmas was definitely great, but watching everyone eat Mom's great home cooked meals was a little more difficult that I had originally envisioned. The very first family meal was on December 23rd, and I wanted to eat what everyone else was having. The WiO folks have come out with what is called the "Inhibitor Pill", which is supposed to blog a percentage of the fats, carbs and calories. I brought 5 of them with me to Washington, but had really wanted to only use three of them. I had thought that I would take one of the pills that first Sunday dinner, and was surprised at how many of my family members were encouraging me to NOT take one and to stay strong. I didn't take one...I stayed strong, but I have to admit, I wasn't incredibly happy that night. I was pretty frustrated and didn't feel like my normal self.
When Christmas Eve came rolling around, I new that I was going to be ok, as we traditionally have foods that I was going to be able to eat. I only missed out on the potato salad and rolls, but I knew that I would have some rolls the next day.
Christmas day wasn't too bad. The smell of cinnamon rolls was definitely there, and it was tough not to eat them, along with the hot chocolate and candy canes, and the oranges. But I had in the back of my mind the dinner that I would be enjoying, as I knew that I was going to take the "Inhibitor Pill" that night. I can't even begin to describe the tastes of food that I enjoyed that night. My family traditionally has mud pies (ice cream, oreos, fudge and whipped cream) for dessert, however, a couple nights before we had a dessert that is my favorite of all, so I held out for that. The taste was amazing, it took me about 5 minutes to eat a little tiny piece, as I wanted to enjoy every single bite that I was eating. It is interesting to think back upon it and realize that I probably enjoyed the whole meal a lot more, as I really took my time eating it.
New Years Eve wasn't really that tough, as my family really went out of there way to make sure there were some great tasting snack foods that I was able to eat without having to take another pill.
Overall, I felt that the week went really well and that I had some really good workouts this week. Looking back now, I am not sure that I would recommend to anyone that is participating in the WiO Diet to take the "Inhibitor Pill" as I felt that it actually made me crave food more and I found myself justifying that I could eat something because I had taken one. Stay strong and try to stay away from taking one if it is at all possible.
I would say that this week was probably one of the toughest weeks that I have experienced being on the WiO Diet. Going home to spend Christmas was definitely great, but watching everyone eat Mom's great home cooked meals was a little more difficult that I had originally envisioned. The very first family meal was on December 23rd, and I wanted to eat what everyone else was having. The WiO folks have come out with what is called the "Inhibitor Pill", which is supposed to blog a percentage of the fats, carbs and calories. I brought 5 of them with me to Washington, but had really wanted to only use three of them. I had thought that I would take one of the pills that first Sunday dinner, and was surprised at how many of my family members were encouraging me to NOT take one and to stay strong. I didn't take one...I stayed strong, but I have to admit, I wasn't incredibly happy that night. I was pretty frustrated and didn't feel like my normal self.
When Christmas Eve came rolling around, I new that I was going to be ok, as we traditionally have foods that I was going to be able to eat. I only missed out on the potato salad and rolls, but I knew that I would have some rolls the next day.
Christmas day wasn't too bad. The smell of cinnamon rolls was definitely there, and it was tough not to eat them, along with the hot chocolate and candy canes, and the oranges. But I had in the back of my mind the dinner that I would be enjoying, as I knew that I was going to take the "Inhibitor Pill" that night. I can't even begin to describe the tastes of food that I enjoyed that night. My family traditionally has mud pies (ice cream, oreos, fudge and whipped cream) for dessert, however, a couple nights before we had a dessert that is my favorite of all, so I held out for that. The taste was amazing, it took me about 5 minutes to eat a little tiny piece, as I wanted to enjoy every single bite that I was eating. It is interesting to think back upon it and realize that I probably enjoyed the whole meal a lot more, as I really took my time eating it.
New Years Eve wasn't really that tough, as my family really went out of there way to make sure there were some great tasting snack foods that I was able to eat without having to take another pill.
Overall, I felt that the week went really well and that I had some really good workouts this week. Looking back now, I am not sure that I would recommend to anyone that is participating in the WiO Diet to take the "Inhibitor Pill" as I felt that it actually made me crave food more and I found myself justifying that I could eat something because I had taken one. Stay strong and try to stay away from taking one if it is at all possible.
December 31, 2012
Well, this is was the last workout of the year. I was actually supposed to do this workout on Saturday the 29th, but ended up playing basketball that day and could never get the energy to do it later that evening.
For the workout, I was supposed to walk for .5 miles, run 1 mile and then repeat, keeping my heart rate below 173 bpm. Still being in Bremerton, I had wanted to go and do the bridges, a fun, yet challenging run. If you start down at Evergreen Park and end there as well, it is just about the 3 miles that I would need for this workout.
The conditions were ok, a little chilly and it was late afternoon. The run kind of turned into a family affair. I had my Dad, my brother Mike and 5 of his 6 sons with us. I was really impressed that all of his boys finished and kept up the whole time. I think that they are natural runners, just like their dad.
The course has quite a few hills and one of them lasts for about a mile and it isn't gradual. It really slowed my average mile time down, but ended up averaging 12:17/mile. I ended up completing the run in just over 36 minutes. I wish that I could do it again, this time without the walking legs in the workout, as I feel like I would be able to improve upon the average mile time, and the overall time. I guess that will have to wait until the next time we go up to Washington for a visit.
This workout will be my last of the year, and I won't have another run until I get back to Utah, so I am hoping everyone has a Happy New Year and that I will see you back reading the blog in 2013.
For the workout, I was supposed to walk for .5 miles, run 1 mile and then repeat, keeping my heart rate below 173 bpm. Still being in Bremerton, I had wanted to go and do the bridges, a fun, yet challenging run. If you start down at Evergreen Park and end there as well, it is just about the 3 miles that I would need for this workout.
The conditions were ok, a little chilly and it was late afternoon. The run kind of turned into a family affair. I had my Dad, my brother Mike and 5 of his 6 sons with us. I was really impressed that all of his boys finished and kept up the whole time. I think that they are natural runners, just like their dad.
The course has quite a few hills and one of them lasts for about a mile and it isn't gradual. It really slowed my average mile time down, but ended up averaging 12:17/mile. I ended up completing the run in just over 36 minutes. I wish that I could do it again, this time without the walking legs in the workout, as I feel like I would be able to improve upon the average mile time, and the overall time. I guess that will have to wait until the next time we go up to Washington for a visit.
This workout will be my last of the year, and I won't have another run until I get back to Utah, so I am hoping everyone has a Happy New Year and that I will see you back reading the blog in 2013.
December 28, 2012
Had a great run today. It wasn't long, just something short and simple to get the legs going. The run was just over 2 miles. The run started out with just a slight incline that went over a mile, down a hill for about 300 yards then the second mile had some rolling hills. I was glad to see that my average mile time came down about 12 seconds. I always like to see the improvement, as it helps keep me motivated.
The conditions were really great for the run. It was a little cloudy, but the sun was out, still a little on the chilly side, but overall it was a great day for a run. I went by myself as I couldn't get a hold of my brother to go with me. I had done really well at keeping myself motivated to run the whole way, but ended up having to walk twice due to my heart rate getting too high (trying to keep my heart rate below 173 bpm).
I am definitely feeling like I am getting in better shape and can't wait to keep moving along in the training for the Half Ironman in St. George this May.
December 26, 2012
Had a great workout with my Dad the day after Christmas. We went out to Silverdale and walked a trail that was pretty flat, but tried to keep up a decent pace. The conditions were kind of nasty, as it was really chilly that day and it was raining off and on. I ended up getting sick that night and had some chills and a fever. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling, but thank goodness for hot showers and fireplaces that kept me warm and got me feeling better pretty quick.
We walked for just over 2 miles and I tried to keep the pace up, but had to slow down every now and again for my Dad. It was good to be able to visit with him along the way and have some good conversations though. I would say that it ended up being a nice recovery workout to my run from a couple of days before.
If you are ever up and around the Kitsap County area and want a good place to go out for a walk, try the Clear Creek Trail just North of the Kitsap Mall area.
We walked for just over 2 miles and I tried to keep the pace up, but had to slow down every now and again for my Dad. It was good to be able to visit with him along the way and have some good conversations though. I would say that it ended up being a nice recovery workout to my run from a couple of days before.
If you are ever up and around the Kitsap County area and want a good place to go out for a walk, try the Clear Creek Trail just North of the Kitsap Mall area.
December 24, 2012
Christmas Eve was the first workout here in Washington. It sure is nice being at sea level, compared to being at over 4,000 feet in elevation when running. The conditions were fair, a little chilly and it drizzled a little, nothing new for Bremerton. My training called for a 3 mile time trial run, as fast as I could. I had spent the previous day trying to map out a course that was going to be fairly simple to run, as Bremerton has a lot of hills. It was my brother Mike that had recommended the course that I ended up running. Mike even came with me on the run, which helped me a ton, as he really pushed me even though he probably didn't know it.
The course took us along Petersville Rd, up Riddell, along Perry Ave., up Sheridan to Snider Ave. I calculated the course to be a 5k, so that I could get an idea of how long it would take me to run it, and see if I could improve upon my last 5k. This course still had some decent hills, but it felt good all the same. I had to walk a few times, as my heart rate really climbed on some of the hills and my legs got really heavy for a stretch as well. I was really happy to see after we finished that I had shaved off over 5 minutes from my last 5k run. I still need to work on my pace, as the average pace was a 12:15 minute mile and my goal for the Half Ironman is 10:00 minute miles.
Again, I have to thank my brother Mike, as I know that there were times along the run that I would have started walking, but I wanted to try to keep up with him. It was such an easy run for him, as he is such a natural runner compared to me, so it was very nice to have a running partner.
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