Thinking Outside the Box

So where've I been and what happened to all the talk about games? Well, I've been sicker than I can recall ever being with a cold for almost two weeks. It's not often I'm sick enough to be off from work for more than a day, let alone an entire week. I wasn't able to complete my workout program and haven't been doing much beyond sleeping, drinking copious amounts of tea and water, and lying mostly-comatose on a couch or bed. I'm finally back at work and generally alive again, albeit still packing a cough that might pass as a worthy mating call to local, lonely albatross (albatrosses, albatrossi?). It'll be at least a week before I test myself out in any kind of rigorous activity, which will likely mean restarting the 9-week program on easy. As for gaming, I really haven't done any. I cancelled the Monday night board gaming at the beginning of January due to a confluence of general lack of interest (although I have to thank William for being a ...

Not stellar by any stretch. As I mentioned previously, my schedule sucked and my motivation seriously took a nosedive. Following my very brief 4-day Christmas break I also caught a very tenacious cold which I'm finally almost rid of. I've found another interesting bug (at least I think it's a bug) in the software I'm using. If you miss a workout, and then go back and do it on a later date, it actually puts it as done on the original date, and not the date you actually did it. That's going to through my tracking way off, as I've been doing some current workouts plus some catch up workouts. I'm going to try doing a few more of each and see if my hypothesis proves correct before posting up any more statistics.

I don't quite know how this year is going to shape up just yet. I've got some changes planned, which may or may not impact this blog and my gaming habits. For now I'm not setting any rigid goals, plans or (gasp) resolutions. Too many people try to change too many things all at once at the beginning of a new year, and I've been guilty of doing so myself. The keys to lasting changes are small, obtainable sub-goals that add up to a cumulative result. Without a well-defined and realistic goal firmly in mind, one is doomed to failure. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is looking forward to 2012. I certainly am, whatever it brings me.

Ugh last week was a long one, but I apparently survived. Mostly unscathed, at least if you don't count my almost utter lack of sleep. The company Christmas party went very well, and our performance seemed very well received. Now I just have to finish mixing three of five songs in less than four days. They're definitely not going to be my best work, but they should still sound pretty decent. With all the craziness going on last week, I have finally missed some workouts. Both my Thursday and Saturday workouts were skipped entirely. This was a conscious choice by me. I simply didn't have the energy or desire to do them on those days. They are marked in my calendar to be made up. While all three make-ups likely won't happen this week, I think I might be able to slate one of them in. Even with all of that stuff I still managed to lose a little weight. It's more likely due to my lack of sleeping than any food intake changes I made. But hell, I'll take i...

Busy busy busy busy busy. Work, practicing for a late-notice show with one band. Recording with another band (with a week less time than I was promised). Plus regular Christmas stuff and just trying to keep up with all the meetings I have to organize in addition to my normal job duties! Busy only barely starts to describe things. So on that note; Monday night gaming is cancelled for this Monday and next. I just don't have the free after-work time to make it happen. Tonight I'll be doing drum cleanups and hopefully tracking bass parts if it all goes well. But you don't care about that, you're here to read about my pain and out-of-breathness. Week 4 is finished and I've yet to miss a workout. The program thinks I did though. I made the mistake of starting a new program (9-Week on Easy) on the same day as finishing my first program. Since I marked Saturday as a workout day, it decided I'd missed that workout. I'll slip it in next Sunday I think,...

Another week is finished, and I am happy to say that I didn't miss a session for the entire three weeks of the Cardio Kick Start program on Easy. There were certainly a few exercises in the workouts that were not easy. There was one that I simply couldn't do at the end of my last session and I did have to skip it. One-leg hip bridges were beyond my ability that evening...especially at the end of my workout. Here are the stats for week three! Workouts: 4 Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes Calories Burned: 809 Average Heart Rate: 123 bpm Max Heart Rate: 175 bpm Distance: 0.94 miles As you can see, I worked out a little bit longer and burnt more calories than last week. The distance was a little higher also, but I think the distance measurements in this case are weak relations at best. I don't really know how they're rating distance traveled when I'm actually running in place. However, I'll keep posting them up. Over the three week program my weight we...

Another week has passed and I still survive. The workouts this week have been a mixed bag. A few were easy, the last one was harder than I expected, but progress is being made. Here are the stats: Workouts: 4 Duration: 1 hour, 38 minutes Calories Burned: 684 Average Heart Rate: 119 bpm Max Heart Rate: 173 bpm Distance: 0.90 miles So it would seem I'm either not working as hard as last week, or my heart is a little stronger. I'd be inclined toward the second option, as my recovery times after high exertion periods is a touch shorter. Don't get me wrong, I'm still winded and red-faced, just not for as long. This week is the last one of the Cardio Kicks Start program on Easy. I'll be following it up with a 9-week program, also on Easy. Tune in next week for another update on my progress, and don't forget to let me know you stopped by!