I suppose it's no coincidence that Lent can be good for the weight-loss, given that both diet and Lenten sacrifice are primarily about self-restraint. Opposite goals, but the same result (cause fasting is designed to make you closer to God, while dieting is designed to keep you further away from meeting him)(eh? eh?).
This Lent I'm giving up pop altogether (not an easy task) and fast food/eating out. There will probably be a couple sit-down restaurant trips, given some things that are coming up, but they'll be few. The eating out thing has gotten really pernicious for me - I'm consuming too many calories, spending too much money, heck, I'm even letting dirty dishes sit for longer. So it'll be a good focus. Not an easy one, but hopefully a rewarding sacrifice.
Managed to run two miles yesterday, and felt good doing it, but have pretty bad shin splints today. Just going to do some lifting and cut back to a mile-long run.
When I started running after having a 10 year break, I got shin splints really bad. I took a couple months off and when I started up again, it happened again. I decided to go with the run/walk combo from a running book. At my pace, it was recommended that I run for 5 minutes and then walk for 1. It worked. Plus, having a sprinters mentality, I liked the interval side of it.
I don't have to do the walk breaks anymore but I did them for a year or two.
I'm usually able to push through them, with a little less running for a couple weeks, and then they tend to go away. New shoes might help too... they've got a little more life left, but when the time comes, I'll happily go for a new pair.
In October I hit a low weight of 159.8. Then... I took a couple of months off of the diet through the holiday. I came out the other end at 175 (oh, so that's how this got to be a problem in the first place). Today I am proud to announce that I weighed in at 159.6.
[high five!]
Well done. Now time to work on maintenance. Take it from me: the older you get, the tougher it is to stay at a good weight.
I will post again tomorrow, which will be the accounting day of the first Resolution month and the start of the second resolution month. This "month" will be six weeks, which will end on March 31 (Easter Sunday!) We will get the Resolution month on track with the actual calendar and treat Lent as a month.
Even if you aren't a regular observer of the Lenten season, now is a good time to renew your commitment to fitness. See you tomorrow!
After a week off after the Miami 1/2, I signed up for my next half-marathon (Cheshire, CT, in April).
Now in Week 2 of training (12 week sched) - but tough to run outside after 30+ inches of snow, and shoulder's still sore from a major shoveling effort last weekend to clear the driveway.
I've been running indoor at my club, but 33 laps around a small track is somewhat like a mouse on a treadmill (boring). Saturday's long run will be 6 miles.
But nice to have something going/goals this time of year.
Cadbury. Creme. Eggs.
And that's (among the reasons) why Easter week is usually terrible for my waistline!