Update

I'm professionaly fulfilled. I'm physically challenged.

I retain lots of extra fat. I have regular to semi-regular exercise rituals.

ROWING

I continue to row with great regularity. Anywhere between 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. I'd like to row more, or transfer over to other types: running, cycling, swimming and weight lifting.

LIFE

In the meanwhile, life has been ganging up on me. Professionaly, I have lots of demands on my time (but I do REALLY LOVE the new job). Moreover, I just moved into a new apartment (my own place finally again) . The new place has required lots of attention. I still have remaining projects. However, the projects are dwindling. And, with more time available for "investment" I'd like to push those time-chips toward fitness/health.

NUTRITION

I'd like to ratchet up my nutrition knowledge. I'd then like to use those habits to make even better choices. I know the short answer is more fruits and vegetables. And fewer calories, all else being equal. I should also drink more water.

CONCLUSION

I should write more often. And track more of what I'm doing. I need to also take more photographs.

Long Tim e No Post - View From New Career

Time to Take Stock

It’s an interesting point in my life, despite the failure at the long term goal I’d set to reduce myself by 100 pounds. I still struggle with my actual weight. But, to some degree, I’ve let myself just continue to be. . . and observe the realities of a brand new and demanding career.

My newfound career is, indeed, incredibly rewarding. And incredibly fun (OK, I’ll admit it: I’m a prosecutor). However, it is also incredibly time consuming. I have some financial clouds hanging over the top of me – but I think they will ultimately be resolved in my favor. (And, even if they’re not fully resolved, the career change was well worth the mini-financial struggle).

About a year ago, I went through an incredibly difficult financial period. Immediately out of law school, I simply didn’t have the income necessary to support the debt I’d accumulated. I didn’t want to go get just any old job out of law school, because I definitely had my sites set on being a prosecutor. So, I endured low pay (~$26,000, later raised to $39,000) to work as a not-yet-permanent member of the prosecutor’s office. Ultimately, that bet paid off with a job as a prosecutor in that office. While that was a tremendous benefit, the burden was the financial sacrifice. To some degree, the financial sacrifice continues (I earn in the upper five figures. . . but need to pay ~$1,200 per month in student loans). It’s all doable. And the fitness things are coming round.

My workouts over the summer were way too sporadic. Things are really crazy and unpredictable at the beginning cycle of careers, generally, and really unpredictable in my particular career. I definitely put in some 70-80 hour weeks in the beginning. The hours have massively dwindled since then. I’ve also been a bit kinder and gentler to myself: If I work all those hours, I no longer insist upon 8 workouts per week. I take multiple days off in an attempt to accliminate myself.

But, now that I’ve been in the office for about 4 months, I am getting the hang of it. And I’d like to get back to setting real fitness goals for the next year or so. Moreover, it’s been a bit difficult these days with interesting roommate predicaments. Morning workouts can be tricky because I have to wait to get into the shower, and at the new gig, I simply can’t walk in 30 minutes later than I need to be (bad idea to keep a judge waiting for you late ass). I suppose I could go hit the gym during the lunch break. . . but even that can be a bit hard – certainly difficult to schedule.

I’ve purposefully been quite easy on myself for the past two weeks, because of several factors: 1) My new part-time job is searching for places to live; and 2) the new career is demanding; and 3) I want to be frugal with the food I have on hand, so I’ve internally agreed to not go to the grocery store (except milk, juice and occasional fruit), until I move out of the loft.

FITNESS GOALS

I still hold onto the ideal that I’d like to do an Ironman. Specifically, I’d love to complete one before the age of 40. I would also like to increase my physical appearance. I’ve set a ‘get real’ deadline to coincide with when I take my new apartment (which seems to be imminent). I’ve been reticent to openly track my weight in other parts of the my current apartment(particularly on the refrigerator) because it would be embarrassing (my roommates would see it as well, and I’d prefer to maintain quiet peace about it). But, in my own place, I think I could rationally do it, and it would be fine. At minimum, I’d like to get myself down to 230 pounds. Even more ideal would be fewer than 200 pounds. And pure ideal would be 5% body fat at 175 pounds or so. I do have a gym membership, so weight lifting is definitely possible.

In order to so, I need to radically increase my nutritional perspective. And, increasing caloric burn would be helpful as well.

k

data weigh-in; measure-in - new body fat calculator site

A new and interesting body fat site is here: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/bfb.

It uses the Navy and YMCA method of measuring body fat. For me, I came up 32.75% (Navy) and 26.85% YMCA. By calipers I came in at 25.891%.

data:

N: 16.50
B: 14.25
C: 47.00
UW: 45.00
LW: 41.25
H: 43.50
T: 24.00
P: 10, 15, 20, 19, 15 -- left with: 15, 19, 15
S: 54, 57, 56, 56, 53 -- left with: 54, 56, 56
T: 15, 14, 12, 15, 16 -- left with: 15, 14, 15

New data

A story or two.

I think I've conquered my immediate term financial issues. Thus, I think I can easily and happily compete all season long in triathlons. In fact, I've now committed to pushing the envelope and going for a half-ironman at the end of the season. However, that enthusiasm may ultimately need to be tempered due to new career demands in my newfound profession (lots of trials!).

Data:

P: 24, 22, 17, 21, 25; I kept: 22, 21, 25
S: 54, 53, 51, 53, 47; I kept: 53, 51, 53
T: 14, 9, 9, 11, 11; I kept: 9, 11, 11

Ultimately this works out to 25.522% body fat according to the calipers.

Also, I had the following body measurements:

Neck: 16.75
biceps: 14.00
c: 47.50
upper waist: 46.50
lower waist: 42.50
Hips: 44.00
Thigh: 43.50



I had a really hard time grabbing the thigh measurements for body fat. I did the best I could though. . .

New Numbers Rolling In

I suppose I need to report the good with the bad.

The numbers:

N: 17.00
B: 14.25
c: 48.00
UW: 46.50
LW: 42.00
H: 44.75
T: 24.00

These numbers are roughly the same as they were two weeks ago.

Weight: 261.0
BF (on Tanita scale): 37.0%

Caliper measurements:

P: 18, 20, 21, 19, 19; i kept: 20, 19, 19
S: 55, 52, 48, 51, 46; i kept: 52, 48, 51
T: 14, 14, 16,14, 12; i kept: 14, 14, 14

the formula produces a body fat of: 25.098% (rounded to 25.10%).

Nonetheless, I have been getting more exercise in. In particular, I've been more focused on running about10 miles per week.

I should know about my career job in about a week (+/- a few days). That should relieve some stress potentially. In the meanwhile, I have to keep taking things one day at a time. Easier said than done :-).

k

Update

This is a long overdue entry.

I’ve always enjoyed using the natural break in numerical year to reflect upon my prior year’s success and failures. While the past year in training was, at best, lackluster – and the weight gain was surely a failure, nevertheless, my increased financial health (and license to practice law) should ultimately result in a more healthy life.

Unfortunately, I graduated law school with an enormous amount of debt. The debt has been mentally crippling, because I was left with a difficult choice: Leave the public agency I love to serve and maintain my then “lifestyle” – or, give up the lifestyle I enjoyed in order to practice in the public sector. [It’s the best job I’ve ever had. I do what TV shows dramatize.] So, I downgraded my lifestyle. I moved into a pretty gnarly loft with lots of interesting people, parked my car on the street and take the bus to work (1.1 miles from where I live).

Hopefully it will all pay off with an official government job in about two months. If it doesn’t, there will be more looming financial issues. The short term debts with which I’ve struggled are now coming into focus. I’ve also developed some facility with – and, earned some extra income from – some anti-competitive (read: false advertising) laws. Essentially, one our laws provides a bounty of $1,000 per false advertisement.

This debt has crept into my exercise/triathlon regimen. Particularly, last year I cancelled all of my triathlons so I could reduce debt. It was a hard yet necessary choice. I hope I can allow myself a few races this year – or, alternatively, simply pay off my “bad” debt so that I can participate without any guilt.

* * *

In the meanwhile, I spent many hours rowing this year. I never knew I would love it so much. In fact, I now have 2 million meters in the rower in less than 2 years (about 22 months). It’s such an easy, convenient and quick workout: I can get up at about 8a, row for 30-45 minutes, shower and be to work at about 930a or so. And, whether it is light or dark outside is irrelevant: It can all be done while listening to the radio. Although, I do admit to being wistful of the time when I would watch TiVO while rowing away.

* * *

It is unclear whether and to what extent I will participate in triathlons this year. Indeed, some of it turns on whether one of my larger cases will settle in the next week or two -- or head to trial (a 2-5 year process typically). If it settles, then I suspect I will be out of debt, and I’ll be free to participate in triathlons.

If it doesn’t settle, I’ll be reluctant to spend money (read, borrow money at high rates of interest) to participate. I may do it anyway – but I want to at least be intellectually honest with myself about the cost of doing these races.

Indeed, in a perfect world, I’d likely do 1-2 xterra races, a half-ironman and 3-6 sprints/international distance races. But given my lack of base training at this late point (and potential lack of funds) it seems like a bit of a pipe dream. I suppose what I need to do is sit down and decide and low medium and high track – that is, what I’ll do if I settle early and pay off debt; what if I pay off half of “bad” debt now; versus, what if I have no early term settlements and must simply slowly but surely pay off debt via regular salary.

Beyond the triathlon endeavor, I would also love to do a few running races 5ks/10ks as well.

In the end, I do recognize the importance of exercise, generally, in my life. As well, I also recognize the great motivator organized races are for me – and they are just downright fun as well!