I am Jester. Hear me whimper.

[Jester]

I know what you mean. I love my pasta too; it is my achilles heel. And my rice. God, I love rice. I'd eat it every day if I could.

I grew up on pasta. Jewish family? Sure, in theory. But we had pasta about three nights a week growing up. I identify more with pasta from my childhood than any other food, period. I also love rice, moreso because I love sushi. I love sashimi too, but they don't sell that on the cheap in the grocery stores here, just rolls and nigiri sushi.

Yes, there are low-carb alternatives. I am bypassing them. I will return to pasta and rice at some point (and will still have them occasionally even now), but for the most part, I am just saying no. And that has nothing to do with Nancy Reagan.


Today is Wednesday. Double duty at the toy store and the restaurant doing magic. Between shifts right now. The original plan called for me taking off from working out Wednesdays.

Fuck that shit.

I know I won't be working out Sunday (cookoff), and Friday may be iffy (at work till 7:30, sun goes down at 7:30, gym closes at 8 that day), so while I won't be able to make the gym (closes at 9, which is when I'm done at the restaurant), I decided that I'm going to do something utterly painful that I hate.

The Loop that I often ride my bike is a perfect 5 mile loop. I won't ride at night. But tonight, against my nature, I am going to try to jog the fucker.

No pain, no gain. 23/30, damn it!

[jedimaster91]

I just discovered I live close to a national forest with some amazing hiking trails. There's this super hardcore 6.7 mile trail (one way) I've got my eye on. Can't do 13.4 miles in one trip now, but I'ma get me a hiking buddy and work up to it. Booya.

[Jester]

Then figure out what you feel you can comfortably do, do half that distance up the trail, then turn around and come back.

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest!

[ArcticChicken]

Or, assuming you both have cars, you and your hiking buddy drive to one end of the trail, park on of the cars and both hop into the other, drive to the other end of the trail, hike it, and get in the other car, and drive back to the other end of the trail to pick the car up. Don't forget your keys in the wrong car, though, that would suck.

[Jester]

The Loop that I often ride my bike is a perfect 5 mile loop. I won't ride at night. But tonight, against my nature, I am going to try to jog the fucker.

Excuse #1: I've been on my feet all day entertaining people.
Excuse #2: I'm tired.
Excuse #3: I just want to chill out.
Excuse #4: I want to watch tv.
Excuse #5: I want to muck about on the computer.
Excuse #6: I want to work on my chicken wings sauce recipe.
Excuse #7: I need to go to the grocery store once I figure out all that I need for said sauce.
Excuse #8: I fucking hate jogging.
Excuse #9: I'm sure I'll hit the gym tomorrow.

Okay, Excuses 1 through 9, I have one thing to say to all of you:

Go fuck yourselves.

Time to go sweat.

23/30.

[jedimaster91]

Then figure out what you feel you can comfortably do, do half that distance up the trail, then turn around and come back.

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest!

There are other, shorter trails as well. But my overall goal is to be able to do the whole 13.4 miles and not keel over dead.

I need to preview a couple of the shorter trails anyway because my Weblos need a 5-miler to sign off on a badge. Me being the benevolent leader that I am (*snerk*), I'm not going to throw them into a 5-mile hardcore hike without some prep work. So we'll do a 2-mile and a 3-mile first. The actual 5-mile will probably be in a flatter area so as not to kill them. Wusses, I say. WUSSES!

[raw456]

Okay, Excuses 1 through 9, I have one thing to say to all of you:

Go fuck yourselves.

Time to go sweat.

23/30.

Excuses for me not hitting the gym tonight

#1: My mother in law arrives from overseas tomorrow so I need to tidy up
#2: I walked/ran 4km yesterday and have been at the gym Mon/Tues
#3: Have housework to do, dinner to cook, clothes to wash/dry/iron


I will 2nd your statment - "Go Fuck Yourselves"

I WILL be at the gym tonight and tomorrow (Friday) I have to walk home from the train which is a good 5km so that will be tomorrows workout.

My new mantra when I feel the burn is "muffin tops only belong on muffins"

[Jester]

I'm back from The Loop. Eating tuna and drinking juice. Mmmm.....love it. (No, I am not having tuna and juice because they're good for you. I'm having them because they're good for you AND I really like them!)

Anyway, my time was weak. My form laughable. It was more of a old man jog/shuffle than a job. But I am not upset. I am happy. I am fucking ecstatic. Why? Why does this piss poor performance have me pumped?

I just jogged 5 miles. Not jogged and walked. Not jogged with breaks. Jogged. 5 miles. Without stopping. Occasionally actually breaking into something resembling a real jog, but no matter how good or bad it was, I never stopped. Not once. Not only that, but midway through I came to a shocking realization. While I have done a few 5k's (5 km = 3.1 miles, for those who are confused) and jogged here and there, I don't think I've actually jogged a straight 5 miles since high school.

I graduated in 1988.

There are people on this board who weren't even BORN the last time I fucking jogged 5 miles. There are people who are legal to drink in this country that weren't born the last time I did this. I just did something tonight that I have literally not done in an entire generation!

And a lot went through my mind in that 5 miles. At first, I did what that article said, and focused on the next signpost, the next parked car, the sign up there, the lamp post yonder, etc. Short goals. Just get there, don't worry about the whole thing. Just get to that point. Then worry about the next goal. And oddly, about midway through, I stopped thinking about the short goals, and was just jogging. Not well, not great, but not struggling either.

Also related to that article, rather than verbally whipping myself and defeating myself in the process, I stayed positive. "You can do this!" "Just a little further." "You've got this." Etc. Repeated a positive word over and over to myself. Drew on the strength of my parents, my friends, my loved ones. And just didn't quit. Actually broke into a fairly decent faster jog for the last 3 blocks or so. Came home dripping with sweat, my shirt soaked, my legs sore....and I feel great. I'll be even more sore in the morning, but as always....I don't care.

And something else happened out there on the beach. I drew strength from another source. One I did not have until very recently. One that has pushed me these last few days and kept me going.

You.

All of you. All of you joining with me and saying "Fuck this shit!" and vowing to change our lives, today, now, this instant. One of you called me motivational the other day, but the fact is YOU are motivating ME.

I don't have a training partner, someone to push me every day. Most of my friends are not too big on this whole getting back in shape thing. My one friend that joined the gym with me many months ago has since let her membership expire, while I have re-upped mine. And due to my sometimes odd schedule and my odd days off from training for various events (like this Sunday's chicken wings cookoff), I don't know that a traditional training partner would work. Maybe one day, I'll get one here. I don't know.

But until that time, and even once that happens, if it happens, I still have a training partner in all of you. You keep me going. You make me keep pushing. Not just for myself, but because I don't want to let any of you down.

There will be bumps, there will be failures, there will be backslides. Every single one of us will fuck up at some point. Fall off the wagon, as it will. And every time that happens, this group, this group of strangers united in a common desire to hit life back, to change their lives for the better, this group will be there for you, to pick you up, help you dust yourself off, wipe the Twinkie crumbs from your mouth, and help you get back into the swing. I hope you will be there for me. I KNOW I will be there for you.

And I will let you know when I blow off a workout, when I stay in bed to watch bad tv and procrastinate. I will tell you every time. And I will count on you to kick me in the ass and get me moving, get me back on track. And I will do the same for you.

Fuck this shit. It's time to change our lives.

...tomorrow (Friday) I have to walk home from the train which is a good 5km so that will be tomorrows workout.

Perhaps maybe jog it instead of walk? Just a thought.

23/30

[Jester]

Oh, and I also promise that most of my posts won't be that fucking long again.

Sorry, I had a bit of an epiphany tonight.

[Sapphire Silk]

Make 'em as long as they need to be. Length doesn't worry me

Congrats on the good run!

[Jester]

This morning I am both sore and tired.

Good. It means I'm having an effect.

Just gotta take it day by day.

Length doesn't worry me.

Oh, the field day the pervs on this board are going to have with that one!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Size doesn't matter. It's what you do with it that counts. And clearly, you're doing the right thing with this thread and your posts!

But seriously, this thread is one of the best motivators I've had in a long time. All I have to do is think of this and all of a sudden, I don't even want to eat the garbage anymore.

[Jester]

Remember, Kink, this whole idea has two parts. Diet and exercise. Even my ever-expanding roommate, Mr. Anti-Social knows that. (Surprised me that he did, but then, he's no dummy.) So, are you hitting the treadmill/gym/park/trails/road/punching bag/randomly kidnapped strangers duct-taped and stored in your closet?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Not so much, no, but I have been walking more (taking the kid in the wagon and pulling her instead of driving to go short distances, for instance). Running up and down the stairs more. Tilling my gardens with a hoe and shovel. Making myself haul debris instead of mulching it. Stuff like that. Couple days ago, I was totally sore in all the right places.

I'm right now pretty low on wind, I got to build it back up. I get finished doing several hours of grueling yard work, I barely have the energy to cook supper, so, as my energy levels come back up to where I'm used to, more activity gets added back on.

I did the "naked in front of the mirror" thing this morning (and if that's not a motivator, I don't know what is) and see a difference already. Not bad for an old broad. Hell, I look better than some women half my age.

Here are my goals:

1. Peel off the layer of fat I have grown over the winter.

2. Build endurance.

I swear I had every intention of going to fencing practice Tuesday and starting back with that, but then I fucking forgot that it was actually Tuesday night and missed it. I will go this week coming up. Dumb screw up, I know. ) My knees will not be happy, but fuck them. They have it too easy anyways.

[jedimaster91]

My knees will not be happy, but fuck them. They have it too easy anyways.

Do you have PT exercises for your knees? Even if the problem is arthritis, strengthening the muscles can help. Stronger muscles can take the brunt of the abuse instead of it all crashing onto your bones.