Health & Fitness Focus

This past week has been more than annoying, with the AS kicking back into swing.  It has been a dream run for ages, almost so long that I was wondering if the diagnosis was real.  Anyway back to medication, and some serious amount of pain.

Despite all this the absence of my regular hobby of university studies, is causing me some loss.  But I am determined to fill the void.  The balance of the goals for this year are almost taken care of, except for the health and fitness.  Next on my reading list was Tim Ferriss' next writing installment, The 4 Hour Body, and it is a fair sized book. 

I must admit the starting chapters really struck a chord.  He talks about the old adage of 'what you can measure, you can improve'.  So I have started the next spreadsheet!  The foundations of 33% diet, 33% drugs and 33% exercise has been laid, and you can chose to skimp on the diet adherence, but the mathematical formula simply increases the drugs and exercise! 

In the next chapter there are some of the usual before and after photos, but the interesting angle is that the pictures show what 30% body fat looks like, then 25% and finally 12%.  Now I have previously been around the 13%, and let me tell you that I did not look like that!  There was also a suggestion to strip down to your under wear and photograph yourself, then the usual suggestion of prominently displaying it somewhere.  As I am not anywhere near obese, I have decided to skip that part for now.  There was also a suggestion of a photographic food journal, which I agree is bound to cause some thinking!

The diet component is around slow carb dieting for 6 days, eating the same types of meals.  Proteins, legumes and vegetables.  There is also a rule to avoid drinking calories, which was my starting rule today.  I did manage both coffees without sugar, which wasn't as bad as I thought.  My coke zero was fine, as I had been transitioning to this for the past couple of months anyway, and the plain water was way over rated, but consumed anyway.

I also managed to make my lunch using the menu selection, but I did find that tomorrow's lunch needs to be way bigger, as the chocolate hunting frenzy of early afternoon was the only way I was making it home to dinner!  Of course my sister had taken advantage of being home, and had cooked dinner.  I was too hungry to stop the rice going in, and frankly it was a wonderful surprise to have dinner on the go.  It turns out that the weight watcher's campaign is starting for her, so despite not being on my plan, I was happy to fit in with hers.

Rule # 5 is take one day off per week and eat anything your heart desires.  Although you should do at least five days before you take up this opportunity, I will mark down yesterday's effort for afternoon tea as adhering to rule # 5!

I also have a breakfast routine with a co-worker that doesn't fit Tim's plan, nor did the latte (but I did manage the no sugar).  So a few minor tweaks to go on the diet component, but for all things to be a life changing success, well it takes 21 days to break a habit, they say.