Post Finals

Post finals now. Thankfully it's over -- but this round was extraordinarily light. I only had one final -- and just one final speech, essentially.

TOP LINE AND BOTTOM LINE

I think I've been stagnant at weight loss and more importantly body fat reduction for the past ~6 weeks. While that does suck, there's only one solution: Learn from the stagnation and improve things such that you begin to drop more weight (or inches from the waist -- however, one should smartly describe the process).

In the end, in the immortal words of Jim Zaleski, the famous Iowa coach "cutting weight is pretty simple: eat fewer calories and burn more calories and you'll cut weight." Got it.

That's the one line statement -- but I'd like to flesh it out a bit more.

CALORIES - INTAKE (FOOD)

As far as calories go: I'd like to eat smart calories AND have strategies in place to achieve that goal. For instance:

* Try to finagle a way to bring more lunch to work;
* Finagle a way to eat out smartly when I need to (sandwich or salad from 7-11) -- even when on the way to the office.
* Eat more soup and salad, all else being equal;
* I've always liked the ideas of smaller plates to make things feel bigger than they are;
* smoothies are good high quality calories -- and deliver lots of fruit and other nutrients to the body.

CALORIES - EXPENDITURE (EXERCISE)

I think to smartly exercise for me, is going to take two additional augmentations:

1. Push for 12 rather than 8 hours per week of exercise; and
2. Bring back the military training.

I also need to commit to getting up early enough to not only get a high quality workout in, but also to fix a lunch (salad) for the office).

THE GOOD NEWS - RESOURCES

I went for a mini-walk around the complex tonight and something dawned on me: I've got it better than I've had it in a few years. I'll have more resources (both time and money) to devote to the issue, particularly in the next month. I have no girlfriend so there's even more time to devote to it. I have a regular job now -- which also pays -- so there's income that can be used to fund adventures and equipment as the need may be.

CYCLING THOUGHT:

It also may be time to start ramping up the intensity on some of the indoor cycling rides. Perhaps instead of a straight 25 mile ride, 5x5 miles -- and each one faster than the last. . . that would definitely make things a bit more challenging.

ROWING:

I would like to get myself up to the 1 million meter rowing mark.

WEIGHT / BODY FAT GOALS

I think it may be time to smartly rework some of the weight and body fat goals I currently have in place. Particularly a goal for New York -- and a goal for beginning and end of school.

But I'm yawning and tired -- another goal is to get more sleep - so I think I'm headed to bed to get up tomorrow and fight another hard/long day. But a good long hard day and a fight I'm willing to endure. . .

kc