Sunday once again and time for an update.
Simple week this week, work continued along it's chosen path, my diet choices were slightly less good than they might have been but still good overall. So what are the lessons this week showed me?
Firstly, my flaxseed test has been going better than expected. By Wednesday my lower back pain, which has bothered me for large portions of the past year plus, has disappeared almost completely. Previously it had improved with changes in my work/non-work split, which is as much as I can tell related to how much time I spend in regular shoes vs barefoot/vibrams, and when I had switched mattresses to one both bigger and made of memory foam. This is the first time I can recall that my back pain cleared up so completely. I attribute it to the flaxseed oil, because the flaxseed is high in Omega-3s which help reduce systemic inflammation, which is likely one of the root causes of my backpain. Since the only major change I made to my diet in the past week was the introduction of the flaxseed I think it's safe to say that is highly likely to be a major contribution. In addition to that my gums have improved in color and tenderness, and my toe is both less swollen and in less pain. It's enough that I'm going to continue with the flaxseed for the foreseeable future.
The other thing that I've decided this week is that I need to focus more on my speedwork if I'm going to get to my goals for my race in January. As a result my training for my long runs is going to shift, instead of being strictly based on mileage I'm going to be working on increasing my speed and distance in tandem each week until I hit my target pace, and then focus on making sure I get where I need to be in terms of distance. Which is not to say that I am in doubt about my ability to complete the distance, the doubt is that I can finish it in a time that I'm not ashamed of. That and the continuation of my weight training are the goals for my fitness for the near term. Long term I'm hoping strongly to be able to get back to doing some martial arts in the future, we'll have to see what I can find for that though.
So, what does the scale have to say this week? 208, same as last week. Staying nice and steady, and I'm ok with that. I'm feeling better now than I have in a very long time, and that's the most important thing. Until next week, keep being the you you want to be.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Weekly Weigh-in (Week 83)
Sunday once again and time for an update.
This week has been a nice one for me diet wise. Did some shopping last weekend and as a result didn't eat out at all over the course of the week except for ordering pizza friday night. That was even mostly because it was getting late and I just didn't feel like going to the trouble of cooking at the time. So with all the homemade food I've been feeling better, cleaned up my diet of the processed sugars and carbs. With the exception of some slight hunger between meals, which I am confident I can clear up with some changes in meal volume and macronutrient ratio, I've been more energetic and satiated throughout the day.
Been sleeping pretty well, though a couple days this week I didn't get much sleep due to scheduling. My workouts are the thing that really slipped this week. I started off the week well with a couple runs, and some good resistance workouts. Thursday onward I basically fell off the wagon with my workouts due in part to said scheduling and a diminished recovery from my resistance workout on Wednesday as a result.
Today I decided to start using flaxseed oil to supplement my dietary Omega-3 intake, and to see which of the reported other benefits actually played out. The first tablespoon went down alright with a slight aftertaste, but the second didn't behave so nicely. I'm going to try mixing it into my morning smoothie this week and see how it works out that way.
So, what do the numbers have to say this week. 208, same as last week, but my body fat is down nearly a percent, so things are moving in the right direction. Until next week, keep being the you you want to be.
This week has been a nice one for me diet wise. Did some shopping last weekend and as a result didn't eat out at all over the course of the week except for ordering pizza friday night. That was even mostly because it was getting late and I just didn't feel like going to the trouble of cooking at the time. So with all the homemade food I've been feeling better, cleaned up my diet of the processed sugars and carbs. With the exception of some slight hunger between meals, which I am confident I can clear up with some changes in meal volume and macronutrient ratio, I've been more energetic and satiated throughout the day.
Been sleeping pretty well, though a couple days this week I didn't get much sleep due to scheduling. My workouts are the thing that really slipped this week. I started off the week well with a couple runs, and some good resistance workouts. Thursday onward I basically fell off the wagon with my workouts due in part to said scheduling and a diminished recovery from my resistance workout on Wednesday as a result.
Today I decided to start using flaxseed oil to supplement my dietary Omega-3 intake, and to see which of the reported other benefits actually played out. The first tablespoon went down alright with a slight aftertaste, but the second didn't behave so nicely. I'm going to try mixing it into my morning smoothie this week and see how it works out that way.
So, what do the numbers have to say this week. 208, same as last week, but my body fat is down nearly a percent, so things are moving in the right direction. Until next week, keep being the you you want to be.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Weekly Weigh-in (Week 82)
Sunday once again, and time for an update.
Not all that much to update with this week, though a couple observations will of course be shared.
My Zeo sleep training program the past week or so has been working on relaxation to try and get to sleep faster, strangely enough it's made my time to sleep higher on every time I've tried using the audio tracks they suggest. This result seems a bit surprising on it's face, but really I don't have too much trouble getting to sleep generally.
Started supplementing Omega-3s again, and my overall health seems to be improving as a result. Once my chewables run out I'm probably going to switch to Flaxseed Oil, as it's a good source of Omega-3, and a reasonable amount of data from the self-experimenting community suggests that Flaxseed oil specifically improves balance, inflammation (which Omega-3 generally is great for), and possibly even reaction time. I'm not sure how much improvement I'm likely to see in most of those categories, but that's the point of testing theories on yourself right? Always testing new things means an ever expanding knowledge base on the way to the ultimate expression of myself.
In that vein I started tracking water consumption and mood this week using a couple of iPhone apps I found. The mood app is nice because it will randomly ping me for input 4 times a day, so that I don't only have readings from times when I feel extremely one thing or another. It's also nice because it will attach a location and tags to my updates so I can track surroundings influence on my mood. The fluid tracker is nice because not only can I track water consumed, but also soda, alcohol, and caffeine. The combination of those makes for a nice tracking app to make sure I'm not dehydrated, or drunk as the case may be. More data for a more complete picture of me.
So what about the weight? 208 this week, up a pound from last week. Bodyfat stayed the same, so that suggests things are moving in the right direction. Until next week, keep being the you you want to be.
Not all that much to update with this week, though a couple observations will of course be shared.
My Zeo sleep training program the past week or so has been working on relaxation to try and get to sleep faster, strangely enough it's made my time to sleep higher on every time I've tried using the audio tracks they suggest. This result seems a bit surprising on it's face, but really I don't have too much trouble getting to sleep generally.
Started supplementing Omega-3s again, and my overall health seems to be improving as a result. Once my chewables run out I'm probably going to switch to Flaxseed Oil, as it's a good source of Omega-3, and a reasonable amount of data from the self-experimenting community suggests that Flaxseed oil specifically improves balance, inflammation (which Omega-3 generally is great for), and possibly even reaction time. I'm not sure how much improvement I'm likely to see in most of those categories, but that's the point of testing theories on yourself right? Always testing new things means an ever expanding knowledge base on the way to the ultimate expression of myself.
In that vein I started tracking water consumption and mood this week using a couple of iPhone apps I found. The mood app is nice because it will randomly ping me for input 4 times a day, so that I don't only have readings from times when I feel extremely one thing or another. It's also nice because it will attach a location and tags to my updates so I can track surroundings influence on my mood. The fluid tracker is nice because not only can I track water consumed, but also soda, alcohol, and caffeine. The combination of those makes for a nice tracking app to make sure I'm not dehydrated, or drunk as the case may be. More data for a more complete picture of me.
So what about the weight? 208 this week, up a pound from last week. Bodyfat stayed the same, so that suggests things are moving in the right direction. Until next week, keep being the you you want to be.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Weekly Weigh-in (Week 81)
Sunday once again and time for an update.
Smooth week this week, nothing really to report overall.
There was one thing that struck me today while I was at work that I felt deserves mention here. I realized today that I've managed to succeed in retraining myself in terms of my food cravings. I can't recall the last time I had a craving for soda or chips or various other junk food, instead I have cravings for a steak, or fish, or last night when we went out to pick up food so I could get a salad. Sure Lara gave me some crap for going out on a lateish at night food run so I could get salad, but you know what? I'm happy with that choice, though I do wish we actually had what I needed at home to have made it and not gone out at all, but baby steps I suppose.
It's a big sign of progress to me that I have cravings for healthy, primal even, foods rather than junk food or processed stuff, similarly it's nice that when I think of things to do to fill time at work practicing pistol squats comes to mind. I've come a long way on my journey so far, and I've got plenty of places to go yet before I've uncovered the ultimate expression of myself, but I'm excited to see where my exploration takes me.
So what does the scale say this week? 207, same as last week, though my bodyfat is apparently down a half a percent. Progress is progress, no matter what form it takes. Until next time, keep being the you you want to be.
Smooth week this week, nothing really to report overall.
There was one thing that struck me today while I was at work that I felt deserves mention here. I realized today that I've managed to succeed in retraining myself in terms of my food cravings. I can't recall the last time I had a craving for soda or chips or various other junk food, instead I have cravings for a steak, or fish, or last night when we went out to pick up food so I could get a salad. Sure Lara gave me some crap for going out on a lateish at night food run so I could get salad, but you know what? I'm happy with that choice, though I do wish we actually had what I needed at home to have made it and not gone out at all, but baby steps I suppose.
It's a big sign of progress to me that I have cravings for healthy, primal even, foods rather than junk food or processed stuff, similarly it's nice that when I think of things to do to fill time at work practicing pistol squats comes to mind. I've come a long way on my journey so far, and I've got plenty of places to go yet before I've uncovered the ultimate expression of myself, but I'm excited to see where my exploration takes me.
So what does the scale say this week? 207, same as last week, though my bodyfat is apparently down a half a percent. Progress is progress, no matter what form it takes. Until next time, keep being the you you want to be.
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