BrowserMetrics

Well I am a glutton for punishment so here we go again...

Am I set up for failure this year? I need to not think in those terms. I will do it. I WILL do it. It will be done.

Health

Target weight 210 lbs. Again. Today I stepped on the scale and weighed 222.2 lbs down about 6 lbs from last year. I think this may be my natural weight, but I want less. The goal is the same as last year, but the amount to lose is less.

Lower my blood pressure. I don't know what it is now, but it is still high. I need to eat better and exercise to help lower this. Losing weight may help, too. 120/85 target same as last year.

Exercise

Hit the same amount of walking exercise as last year: 142. Spread it out over the entire year as during summer it disappeared.

Bike 100 miles. Get on this.

Row 30K. Hopefully I don't fuck up my shoulder.

50 straight pushups. 75 straight squats. I want to break this down throughout the year. Half way there in the summer. Fully there by October. Hopefully I don't fuck up my shoulder.

Professional Life

Be the UnitTest guy at work. Do some pair programming. New job? Yes! Learn another programming language. Swift and release an iOS app.

Personal

Keep up with the Japanese learning. So that I can go to Japan to see a Nogizaka46 concert.

Read more books.

Clean up the home. Give away and donate 50% of the clothing in my house. Get rid of some books. Tidy up.

Fix up the bathrooms 15 years in and they should get some updating.

Cut the coffee spending in half. This means joining the coffee klatch. I need to buy a kettle for the home.

Cut the dining spending 25% again. But for real this time. Need to make healthier lunches.

Less meat. More vegetables and fruit. Eat at least one of each each day.

Labels: get off your butt, resolute

I'm gonna post this, but it will be gone in a few weeks because of the copyright police. For now, though enjoy!

Hadashde summer isn't my favorite of the three singles from last year, but everytime I listen to it from the live I love it and join in with the rest of the fans on the call...

Hai! Hai! Hai! Hai!

Also, 3rd Gen! And an Ayatii blunder!!

So good.

Let's go to Japan in November to help close out their tour!

Labels: get off your butt, Nogizaka46, so kawaii

Just keep walking...

Labels: get off your butt

New Year’s Resolutions are lame. You will break them by the January 2nd if not before. That being said I’m writing out my New Year’s Resolution in order to be transparent. How long will they last? It is up to me. I need to work on my perseverance.

Health

• Target weight 210. Stretch goal of less than 205. Today I’m about 230 wet. 210 is 20 pounds away. I have 12 months. That’s about a little over a pound a month. It can happen. It must happen because my pants are getting too tight.
• Lose 5 inches around the waist. What is it now? What constitutes the waist? I would like to lose my belly or decrease that by 5 inches. Anything to get me to fit in my pants.
• Lower my resting heart rate by 4 BPM. What’s it now? I will say 84 BPM. If I can get it to average under 80 BPM success!
• Lower my blood pressure targeting 120/85. What’s it now? I would say 125/92. Maybe it might be, but it needs to be less.

Exercise
In order to get healthy, I’m gonna have to get off my butt and do some exercise. I got an Apple Watch to help me track it, but I need better metrics.

• 150 miles on a bike. I haven’t ridden faithfully for 5 years. I’ve always wanted to get back to the feeling of joy as I pedaled by bike. Two hundred may be a bit too far. My rides around the block were usually 10 to 13 miles. The ride at the NCR trail to Sparks is 12 miles. The airport loop is about 12 miles, too. There’s gonna be a lot of bike riding if I actually get on the bike.
• 120 outdoor walks. That’s about 10 a month. I didn’t say the average, because it depends upon the weather. What is a walk? 15 minutes!
• 5 sessions a month on the rower. I’ve got it in the house. I’ve got to use it. What’s a session? 15 minutes! Hopefully, I don’t hurt my elbow doing this.

Professional Life

• Learn a new language and use it. Maybe use it to write an actual iOS app.
• Maybe a new job. Not a new position, but somewhere else. Is it possible to even change jobs at this age in this particular field?

Personal

• Blog more. Not just movie reviews or link of the days. Blog something meaningful. Start a series of posts on a topic. Blog about the bike rides. Something. Anything.  Target five meaningful posts a month.
• Cook more. Don’t eat out too much. Lessen my snack spending (lattes, donuts, ice cream) by 25%. Lessen my dining out by 25%. Currently, Quicken tells me I spend a total of $6700 on dining out of which $1400 is snacks.
• Read more books. Read literature a bit more. Maybe finish the novels on the nightstand. There are 3 or 4 I believe. Whatever needs to happen so I don’t stay on the computer all night.
• Japan. I really want to go there. I will. Tokyo for maybe a week. Really want to go there. Tokyo would a start.
• Study Japanese more. Maybe 30 minutes a night or an hour for 3 days a week.

Labels: get off your butt, I am me, resolute

Link of the Day [9.29.2016]

I don't know what today's site is about, but if it could get me to Japan on the cheap with a good itinerary from Fukuoka to Hokkaido and back to Tokyo, I will link to it.

https://tokyocheapo.com

Labels: get off your butt, lotd, NewsRadio quote

It took two weeks, but finally finished up the compilation anthology of Road & Kingdoms travel/food guide for Japan: Fish, Noodles, Rice -- Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture. Reading through it made me really want to go and travel Japan from tip to tip. From Fukuoka on the south island, Kyushu, to Hokkaido in the north, I want to travel and experience the food of Japan.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe someday...

https://docs.com/roads-and-kingdoms-japan

Labels: get me out of here, get off your butt, lotd

"Lift. Move. Regularly."

Fat war needs to start again. I've put the weight back on. I don't know how to take it off.

Fat war needs to begin. Again.

https://medium.com/message/put-down-the-pink-dumbbell-1049400ede28?source=tw-lo_917eadbad8a6-1425345717346

Labels: get off your butt, lotd

Here's some cooking I did for the Big Game: Tater Tot Nachos!

It's tater tots covered with chili, cheese, and corn-black bean salsa. It's a Big Game fiesta all its own.

Labels: cooking, get off your butt, mmm

It's been a long time since I 'pedaled in anger' as Phil Liggett would say. I got on the bike in the cool of the morning and rode for thirty minutes putting 8.5 miles on this year's cycling log. I looked at my historical cycling logs and see that I really stopped biking in 2009. In 2009, I put in 500 miles. In 2010, it was just 22 miles. In 2011, only 32 miles. Mileage went up to 65 miles for 2012, but last year it was just 13 miles. So far, 8.5 miles is a start. Hopefully, those will be only the beginning and not the end.

I'm riding my bike, because rowing has caused some issues with my shoulder and elbow. Lately, I can't row as hard or my elbow begins to ache with overuse, and my shoulder feels funny. Lifting my left arm up feels awkward. So, I need to give rowing a rest. Although, I thought that it would help in my cycling, but as much as I can tell, I still feel slow on the bike. I do feel that my cardiovascular system is functioning better than it would as I wasn't too much out of breath. I currently don't have the cycling legs. They need another 100 miles to feel right.

But I looked the part. The weather was about mid-50s, so I dug out the knickers and the jacket. Because I am now under 200 lbs, they fit better like they used to back in 2009. One thing I noticed which I had forgot is that these knickers don't fit me well. When I am in the saddle, the padding rids up in front of my crotch barely doing its job which is to pad my buttocks in the saddle. I have to pull the back up just to get the padding to slide onto the saddle. The jacket fits except for the neck being tight, but that's because I am still 10 lbs too heavy for it.

My prescription eyewear is the safety glasses I bought several years ago. The shoes fit perfect although I wish I had toe covers on. They don't fit perfect to the pedals as my left foot feels too far forward on the pedal. I'll make an adjustment to get a better fitment.

The bike rides okay. I feel too low in the saddle. Might adjust the height although I know that if it is too tall then my knees begin to ache. The stem I put on it is now too long, because I dropped it down 2 notches in height. I may revert to the old stem or bring it up a notch.

The route was short and the roads were brutal. Winter messed things up.

I'm looking forward to more cycling.

Labels: cycling, get off your butt

The War on Fat: Dog days of August.



It goes up this time of year. If I was losing ground the previous month, then I'm giving up gains this past month. It's what happens.

Basically, I just felt like eating.

Also, I spent the month offline not working out to let my elbow heal.

It's time to return to some serious work. Can I really get down under 200 pounds by the end of the year? Not sure. It's going to have to be salad and yogurt or some kind of diet to get me going. And I just lowered the bar!

Labels: fat war, get off your butt, NewsRadio quote

I miss 202.8. I'm now bouncing around 203 to 206 which is sort of making me depressed. I know what's the problem: summertime. I just want to eat food during the summer. The crabs, the corn, the barbecue, the paella, etc., etc. Don't forget the ice cream! Food's too good to pass up.

I've slipped on the food end and also the exercise end. Rowing was hurting my left elbow. I was basically trying to increase my stroke rate that I was pulling too much. Eventually, my elbow started hurting. I haven't rowed in 2 weeks. I'm not going to for another couple of weeks. Not sure if that's good. I'm gonna have to find something in the mornings. Perhaps some calisthenics?

Anyway, does it look like I can make my weight? No idea. 195? That's a long way away and lot's of work to be done.

Labels: fat war, get off your butt

I despise that number.

On the first of the month, it's 202.8. On the thirtieth, it's 202.8. In between, it was up, and down. It never got below 201, and on a few days it was above 206 -- those were the days that went unrecorded. But, ultimately, it returned back to 202.8. June was a cruel month.

So, I cheated. I don't record those bad days. If I put it in, the trend line points up steeply. And when I return back to 202.8 the trend line barely point down. At this rate, I will hit my target goal in December. Of 2014!

I have put in the time on the rowing machine. I pushed 150 K this month, the second highest of the year. Still it's only 202.8.

I have a theory. Perhaps I've already explained it in a previous post. I've looked at my historical data on weight and noticed that I don't loose weight in the summer. I gain it. My theory is that this is part of evolution. Humans over the course would gorge themselves in times of plenty to be ready for the lean times. Summer is filled with foody delights. Eat before winter sets in when there is nothing to eat. I'm gaining weight because of evolution. Also, cookouts, ice cream, and beer. Good things to eat when times are plenty.

Maybe the fall, I'll finally start losing the weight.

Labels: fat war, get off your butt, surly

May, much like, April was terrible in the fat war. I neither gained or lost (in my mind), but really it was another lost month. Now, I'm actually almost back above my goal from earlier this year, 205. I'm getting back on the rowing front, but I have to do my exercises. I'll try these as calisthenics.

I've adjusted my goals so that by mid-August, I get to the 195. Need to focus. Let's do this.

Labels: fat war, get off your butt

Are you up early with the crack of dawn? How about starting it out right with some exercise? The NY Times presents the seven minute workout. This is just as good as a full hour in the gym. What a way to get started!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/

Labels: get off your butt, lotd

I am stuck in neutral. If I thought March was bad, April is even worst. There is no slope in that graph. It hovers around 203. It doesn't go below 201. It doesn't go above 205. It is a stalemate. Me against fat and no one is winning. I am not losing though.

I barely rode the rower. I only did about 50 K. Last month I did 150 K, but last month had a rowing challenge. This month the challenge was in my head and I failed.

On the eating side, I'm eating like I did before. Not too much vegetables, and not enough fruit. My craving for breakfast sausages is at a peak. I've been eating McDonald's breakfasts lately. I had their #4, sausage biscuit, but also a steak and egg bagel. Steak and egg! Steak! For breakfast. Who knew.

I'm gonna have to turn this around. I changed my target. It's down to 197. I have to hit it by June. That will change. Make it July. Maybe.

When will I get on the bicycle?

Labels: fat war, get off your butt

I reached my goal. It didn't look like it until that last week and that phenomenal steep drop. No idea why, but it may be an illusion as the last day of the month it's just right below my goal. At least I reached my goal.

It was a battle. I was also participating in Concept2's March Madness -- row 5000 meters for at least 25 days in March. I was on pace to do it too, but then I got ill the last week. (Did this illness contribute to that drop?) I came up short but I did do around 150 K this past month. That's a lot. I also did a 15K piece on the rower; that is some serious sitting. My ass hurt afterward. Perhaps it's getting ready for cycling.

It's time for a reset. What's the next goal?

Labels: fat war, get off your butt

Now that's a picture of good weight loss. It slopes down!

Can I keep this up? Stay tuned for next month, but here's a preview: I'm stuck in the weight loss rutt of plateauing. I need a break through and hopefully spring time can help.

Labels: fat war, get off your butt

January arrived and I was getting to be the heaviest BrowserMetrics that ever was. This is last months weight chart. Yes, I was once 215 pounds naked. If I put on some clothes and ate breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I bet I was 218. I needed to do something.

Thus began the War Against Fat 2013 edition. I'm always battling, but the past year was terrible. Every month a party. Then good ol' Bob shows up for the first months of the year. Still more partying. It all adds up.

Yet, it's not the weight alone. I've got high blood pressure and terrible numbers for the cholesterol in my body. I've got to start getting healthier.

First comes the working out. I bought the Concept 2 Model D last summer, but didn't use it too much. I'm trying to row daily. DAILY! It's tough, because as you get used the exercise, you have to work harder and longer. I may not dedicate that much time to exercise, but I'm gonna try.

Next comes the eating. This is even tougher. All those parties are not gonna stop and food is also too good. I'm gonna try to give up french fries and meat for lunch. More fruit and more vegetables is the way of life. Actually, the Mediterranean diet sounds like the way to go: lots of vegetables and fruit, more fish and nuts, less meat and fats. It's gonna have to be tasty for me to not crave the savory disks of fat that is the breakfast sausage.

Finally, I'm gonna have to be accountable for this change. That's why I'm posting monthly my progress. Letting you know will help in letting you tell me I'm off my rocker.

Labels: fat war, get off your butt

Broke out the Gios this past weekend, because it was a very cool Saturday. I only went a few miles, but I did go out both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, I went out in the afternoon for a quick jaunt around the neighborhood. It was only a fifteen minute ride that was about 3+ miles. On Sunday, I went out early, felt good, but also did a quick jaunt around the neighborhood. It was twenty-five minutes and 5+ miles. It looks like I'm averaging 12 MPH. Back to the beginning.

I also recompiled my bike logs since 2005. I rode the most 2007: 663 miles and 45 hours 22 minutes of saddle time. I did well in 2008 logging 517 miles. It was shaping up to be a banner year in 2009, until I stopped riding in July. I had logged 497 miles by then, and would've surpassed 600 if I only kept riding. I fell off the cliff in 2010 and 2011 riding only 21 and 34 mile respectively.

I just have keep going. Anyone up for a ride on the flat Eastern Shore?

Labels: cycling, get off your butt

We need more Orioles fans.

Camden Yards celebrating its 20th anniversary, and on most nights, she's only a third full. Come on, Baltimore, show you're support!

Today's link takes you to a crazy Orioles fanatic who wants every Wednesday to be Orange Wednesday. I'll join her, you should, too. That's a lot of Wednesdays. Maybe she should've tried every other Wednesday of the season whenever the Orioles are home.

http://dundalk.patch.com/d/articles/dundalk-native-wants-town-to-see-orange

Labels: Baltimore Orioles, Camden Yards, get off your butt, great minds think alike, lotd