1 Meal / 1 Workout

Hey guys!  I've started up a new website.  I'll be doing most of my posts that are related to health and exercise, as well all the details about any upcoming events I'm planning.

Check it out!  Subscribe if you like.

Thanks!

I Love To Wash Dishes

I love to wash dishes.


Okay...that may be an exaggeration.  Maybe not an exaggeration, but at least a misstatement.


For a time, Cheryl and I hosted a "young married couples home group" for our church.  During one of our times together, we were talking about the idea of serving each other, working together, etc.  All the things you normally talk about in "young married couples home group".


One of the young husbands (as opposed to me...I was the old husband in the group) was saying that he didn't like to do dishes.  I said that I LOVED to do dishes.  That confused him...so I explained.


What I meant by this was that when my wife asks me to do the dishes, I love to do them.  I don't really love to do dishes, per se, but what I do love to do is bless my wife. 


I promise I'm not trying to sound like I'm Superhusband. Not in the least.  My love for doing dishes is at least 50% selfish. 


You've probably heard the expression that "if momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy".  It's true.  If washing a few dishes makes "momma" happy...them I'm happy to do it.  So when I say I love to do dishes, I obviously have something of an ulterior motive.


(Here comes the clever application of the previous life lesson to getting healthy...)


I'm not a "runner" like some people.  I don't run for the pure pleasure of running.  I run because it's good for me.  I run because it's good for my family for me to be healthy.  


I LOVE to run...just like I LOVE to do dishes. 

Sometimes I Feel Like a Superhero

In case you didn't know, I'm a comic book fan.  More specifically, a superhero fan.  Most superhero origin stories start with the hero discovering their powers.

If you've seen Spiderman, you might remember him trying to figure out how to shoot his web and swing from the rooftops.  Or maybe Iron Man learning to fly in his new suit.

I know this sounds like a crazy, over the top exaggeration, but sometimes that's how I feel.  I admit that I didn't get bitten by a radioactive spider and wake up the next morning with the ability to climb walls, and I'm not learning to fly a new mechanical suit.  But what I am doing is exploring all the things my "new" body can do.  Here are some examples:

1)  Walk up stairs without gasping for breath
2)  Bend over and tie my shoes
3)  Scratch my own back
4)  Run

It's funny, because I'm still discovering what I can do all the time.  On the flip side, there are still things I can't do that I have as goals.  Because I like lists, here are some things I'd like to be able to do, but can't yet:

1)  Scale a climbing wall
2)  Do a real, good form, pushup
3)  Chin-ups
4)  Run a 5K without any walking

I guess I'm still just a superhero-in-training.

10 Days to the Gobble Jog!

Wow!  Hard to believe A) how long it's been since I blogged, and B) how quick the Gobble Jog is approaching!    We just got back from a 9 day vacation (with a little work in the middle), and we had a fantastic time.  We stopped at 3 different state parks (two in Georgia, one in Florida), got to see some great friends, family, and went to the Magic Kingdom.  If you want to see pictures, you can go here:

Our pictures from the trip.

I did 3 miles tonight, but BOY, am I slow.  I can't run all 3 miles yet, and my walking speed is slow.  Of course, I didn't really expect to be able to run it by the Gobble Jog.  I've still got a lot of weight to lose.

That being said, I told my wife that when I broke the 75 lbs mark, I was going to shave my head!  Sorry, Mom!  (Mom prefers my hair.)

I hope to run my next 5k on or around my birthday (February 10th, if you were wondering).  By then, my goal is to run the entire thing.

What's an HbA1c?

What's an HbA1c?  If you're a diabetic, or know one, you probably already know.  If you don't, I'll tell you.

Glycated hemoglobin (glycosylated hemoglobin, hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c, A1C, or Hb1c; sometimes also HbA1c) is a form of hemoglobin used primarily to identify the average plasma glucose concentration over prolonged periods of time. It is formed in a non-enzymatic pathway by hemoglobin's normal exposure to high plasma levels of glucose.

That's a mouthful.  The upshot of the above paragraph is that a person's HbA1c is a pretty good indicator of their average blood glucose levels for the past three months or so.  A1c levels between 4.0 and 5.9 are typically considered healthy.  An A1c level of 7.0 or higher (and now some are saying 6.5) is one of the key diagnostics for diabetes.

On December 10th, 2009, I had my HbA1c done for the first time.  It came back as a 6.7.   I went online and did some research and found out that 7.0 was kind of the cut-off mark for diabetes.

I thought to myself, "Wow! That's not too good.  I really need to start getting in shape."

Six months went by.  As part of my employee physical I had my A1c done again.  This time:  6.9.  That's right, it went up!

That surprised me...and yet it didn't.  I hadn't changed my lifestyle in any way.  My blood sugar levels had probably been steadily creeping up over the years.  Both my parents had at times bordered on diabetic.  They mostly controlled it by controlling their weight and watching what they ate, so I had always know that I was at risk.

This time, I really made a decision.  I declared WAR!! on sugar.  No more sweet tea, no more Dr. Pepper, no more white bread, rice, or potatoes.  I cut back on my portions.

So...here I am three months later.  Fifty pounds lighter.  Friday, I had blood drawn and some lab work done. Today I got my results.

5.3!!    Five.point.three!!

I really made a change.  All the exercise and eating healthier made a difference.  A measurable, quantifiable difference...in only 3 months.

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What healthy changes do you want to make?  You can effect those changes the same way I did.  One day at a time...one meal at a time.  String a bunch of those days together and what happens?  Your HbA1c goes from 6.9 to a 5.3.

You can do it, too!

Labor Day Update

Hello everyone!

We are at approximately the 10 week mark of my journey to health and fitness, and I thought I would give everyone an update.  But first, let me start by saying thank you to everyone that has supported me, encouraged me, and/or just put up with me blabbing on about getting in shape.

There are also a couple of special "shout-outs" that I would like to do.

1)  Terran Messer.  My longest and most faithful workout partner!  I've rualked many an extra mile because of his encouragement.  (And a mini-shout-out to my other private track peeps:  Justin Clarke, Lee Westberry, and Joshua Perkins.)

2)  Brian Edholm.  My coach/accountability partner/encourager/mentor/friend.  We really ought to come up with a better title for you.  Brian has met with me faithfully every other week from the beginning.

3)  Cheryl Butler.  That's right...my wife!  She's a constant source of encouragement, and always manages to sincerely say, "That's great!" whenever I go on and on about getting new running shoes for the third time in a single day.

4)  Molly, Molly, and Becky.  You've consistently encouraged me. I appreciate your encouragement, as well as your example.

Now for the update.

My goal was 50 lbs by Labor Day.  Saturday morning I did my regularly scheduled weigh-in, and I am happy to report that I had lost 50.6 lbs!!  Wahoo!  I made it early.  Here are the "stats" in a more stat-like format:

Weight lost:  50.6 lbs (I know, I just said that.)
Inches lost:  6" in my waist, a good 3"+ in my neck
Blood Pressure:  from an average of 140/90 to an average of 120/75

The "before" picture attached to this post was taken last summer.  The "during" picture was taken tonight.  I'll let you figure out which one is which.



Thanks again to everyone!

It's Like Direct Deposit

I learned something today which you may have already known.

I went for a rualk in Alexandra Farms, the neighborhood behind our house.  I mapped out my course before I left and found that it was 1.6 miles long with only one tiny little shortcut available.  When I started out, I just set a goal in my mind of reaching the end of the 1.6 miles...which I did.

Here's where the fun starts.  I had no choice but to come back.  I had "direct deposited" 1.6 miles into my workout plan.  I guess I could have called Cheryl to come pick me up, but there were a few problems with that scenario.

1)  Macho men don't ask for directions, much less call for rides.
2)  I wouldn't be polite to ask my wife to drop what she was doing and come rescue me.
3)  I didn't bring my phone.  (See how I planned that?)

If you are a fledgling runner like myself, it's great having a track that you can do laps on.  But what's even better is if you have a course that is the complete distance that you want to go, with no shortcuts available.

Does anyone else have any suggestions along those lines?  Are you thinking about giving my technique a try?

Major Victory?

Major Victory is the alter-ego of a Marvel Superhero named Vance Astrovik.  Vance Astrovik was born in Saugerties, New York, the only son of a small-town butcher Arnold Astrovik and his wife Norma. Going into the U.S. Air Force at the age of 18, Astrovik (who changed his name to Astro when he was 21) became the youngest man to be accepted into the astronaut training program several years later. In 1988, Astro volunteered for the first manned interstellar mission ever conducted by the United States, Project: Starjump.

His ship, Odysseus I, was not equipped for faster-than-light speed; hence the journey to Earth's nearest interstellar neighbor, a planet in the Alpha Centauri system, would take about 10 centuries. To protect him from aging, Astro was covered with a skin-preserving copper alloy (which was upgraded with adamantium in the Guardians of the Galaxy series) body-suit, and his blood was transfused with a kind of preservative fluid. Astro was launched into space from the Houston Airport in the fall of 1988.

While on his way to Alpha Centauri, the ship automatically awoke him from his suspended animation in order for him to perform routine course adjustments. During the periods he was awake, sometimes for a year in duration, Astro eventually went insane from loneliness on several occasions, returning to a semblance of normality only after the ship automatically put him back in suspended animation again. During his long periods of sustained dream-state activities, Astro's latent psionic powers emerged. By the time he arrived on Centauri IV almost a thousand years later, he had full control over his psychokinetic abilities.


Major Victory is also what I experienced today when I had my blood pressure taken at work!!  Over the last few years, my blood pressure hovered just below "high".  At my last employee physical, it was 143/93.  That's actually pretty high, especially the second number.

Then there's today!  Today, my blood pressure was 111/71!!  Your eyes did not deceive you!  My blood pressure is totally normal!!!  Normal!

Where Are You Reading This?

Many of you are reading this as a note in Facebook.  Some of you are reading this in an email right now.  You've subscribed to my blog and have it handily delivered to your inbox each time I post.  Others of you might be reading this via an RSS feed.  Or maybe you have just pulled it up in a web browser.  None of this is really the point...I don't know why I'm going on so.

If you are reading this in Facebook, then you might have already read my latest status, giving an update on my weight loss:  40.8 lbs so far!  If you aren't my Facebook friend, then let me give you an update on my weight loss:  40.8 lbs so far!

This past week I didn't get much exercise in because I had strained my Achilles tendon a couple of weeks ago.  However, I got my Cho-Fan Achilles Brace in the mail yesterday, so I can't wait to try it out tomorrow night with a good run-walk!  I think it's going to help.

And hey!! If you aren't my Facebook friend, you can be:  www.facebook.com/aaroneousfindings

Quick Weight Loss Secrets

Would you like to lose 5 lbs a week, each and every week, until you reach your goal?  With no expensive meals, supplements or videos to buy?  No gym membership required?  Do you want a workout plan that's all plan and no work?  A plan that let's you eat what you want and not change your activity level and STILL lose all the weight you want?

Unfortunately, it doesn't exist.  But on the flip-side, there is a super simple 2-step plan that works every time.

1)  Eat less
2)  Be more active

That's the plan I've been on for the past month and a half, and it's working great.  But, like many simple things in life, simple doesn't necessarily mean easy.

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If you're struggling to do one of these two simple steps, allow me to make a suggestion.  Pick one step.  Pick the one that is the most difficult for you.  Now, decide right now one thing you are going to do to take a step in the right direction for that step.  Here are some examples.

Eat a healthy breakfast.
Park further from your office.
Don't drink your afternoon Dr. Pepper.
Go for a walk after dinner.
Don't have seconds at dinner.
Shoot some hoops.
Turn off the TV.

Take a step in the right direction, and let me know how it goes!

A Chuck Woolery Moment

In case you don't know who Chuck Woolery is, he was the original host of Wheel of Fortune, but is probably best known for hosting Love Connection.  During his Love Connection stint, when he was segueing to commercial, he used to say, "We'll be back in two and two."  His explanation was that each commercial break was about one second to fade to commercial, two minutes of commercials, then one second to roll back to the show.

Today I had a "Chuck Woolery Moment".

Last month, I had my yearly employee physical, but I wasn't able to get my TB test.  I'd been on steroids because of a upper respiratory infection, and if you're on steroids, you can't have the test.  So today and I had my test.  While I was there I asked the nice nurse-lady to check my body fat and BMI again.

The results?

In one month I've lost 2% of my body fat and 2 points on my BMI.  My own personal "two and two".  Thanks Chuck!

New Addiction

It may be too early to declare it to the heavens, but I think I have a new addiction.  To be honest, I always thought that people that talked about "runner's high" were just trying to talk other people into suffering with them.  But now that I've actually experienced...had a little taste of it...I think there might be something to it.

If you read my last post, you know that I had something of a "moment" on Saturday morning when I actually ran for the first time in years.

Last night, my work out partner and I did six "laps" on my personal walking track, which equates to about 3 miles.  We ran about a half mile of the 3 miles.

Today, I was a little sore, but I couldn't hardly wait until tonight to see if I could run again tonight...and I did.  I did 2 laps, ran about a 1/4 mile.

We'll see how I feel in a  couple of weeks.

Are You Just Fat?

So...that's the question.  Are you just fat?  That pretty much sums it up for me.

As far as I know, I don't have a thyroid problem.  I don't have any chronic illnesses of which I'm aware.  In fact, for someone as out of shape as I am, I'm actually pretty healthy.  I'm just fat.  I eat too much.  I don't exercise enough.  I have some aches and pains, my blood sugar is trending a little high, I'm not as limber as I shoot be...but basically I'm fat.

I'm working to change that.

This next part was pretty hard to write.  It took me a while to pound it out, and it still doesn't say everything like I would like.  It's something I've been thinking about since December.

Back in August of '08, my older sister was diagnosed with lung cancer.  It was advanced, and the prognosis wasn't good.  She kept her spirits up and fought it hard through two rounds of chemo.  But she lost the fight on December 20, 2009.

The entire time she was battling the cancer, she ate right, exercised, and did everything she could to be healthy.  Everything.  And still it wasn't enough.  Her health failed her.  Her spirit was stronger than her body.

"Aaron, are you just trying to depress us with this sad story?"

Absolutely not.  I just want you to know something I've been thinking about:

I have no excuse.  I have absolutely no excuse.  Here I am blessed with a perfectly healthy body (other than just being fat), and I haven't been taking care of it.  I need to quit taking my health for granted.  There are people everywhere - fighting disease, missing limbs, unable to get out of bed - that would love to be as healthy as me.

Anyway...that's what I've been thinking.  That's one of the things that has been motivating me.  I'm not doing it out of a sense of guilt.  I'm doing it for myself, and for my family.  I plan on living a long time in this healthy body.  Shedding the fat is part of that plan.