Sunday (Yesterday) was the beginning of my fourth week on my 5 month fitness mission, so I thought I’d keep a short journal of the day to share here. I mentioned in my original post on this mission that I weighed 224lbs fifteen years ago when I was in my 30s and we had just moved out here to the farm. Well, at weigh-in Sunday morning… 224 lbs. My overall body fat has dropped about 6% or so, but I have a lot left to do. Danielle is keeping measurements, and I’m definitely down several pants sizes, but I won’t bore you with those details. So, here was Sunday. It was not really a “normal” day because we had church and then there was the Super Bowl later that afternoon. But I’ll discuss how it departed from normal. Anyway, here is a day in the life…
3:30 a.m. First alarm goes off (on my step keeper watch). I left my phone down at the office, and my second alarm (3:45) is on the phone, so part of my subconscious tells me that there will be no second alarm. If I don’t get up now, I’ll be out for at least another few hours. I slowly start to drift and then Danielle kind of kicks out. Not violently, and probably just a nerve reaction, but enough that I think she is reminding me to get out of bed… so I do. Dress and head to the kitchen to start the coffee. I make a full pot (usually drink two full cups, sometimes three.) We live off-grid so it is heating water on the propane stove and then making coffee in the French Press.
3:45 a.m. First walk. I always leave the coffee in an insulated cup on the table without drinking it and head out to do my first walk, which takes about 10 minutes. That way the coffee is cool enough to drink, but still surface of the sun hot. I only walk up to the 2nd gate. Usually I walk all the way to the front gate, but today I’m just not into it. I know I’ll get my steps so I’m not feeling over-motivated. My goal for steps now is 10k by 10 a.m., but I’m getting over 20k almost every day but Saturday, and most days I’m hitting 12 miles and getting between 25k to 30k. Anyway, instant decision making says to tap the 2nd gate and turn back so I can get coffee in me faster.
There are three gates from the back of the land to the front. I call them the “peace gate,” the “love gate,” and the “security gate.” While walking we usually go through the first two gates but I only tap/touch the front gate. There is no deeper meaning to these names.
I grab the coffee, fill my 33.8 oz bottle with water, and I’m on my way down to the office. Through the peace gate, past the office all the way to the back. On the back fence I have a shipping storage container so I touch that. Then I walk back to the office. The circuit usually puts me to between 1400 and 2000 steps depending on if I went all the way to the top gate for the first walk. I won’t mention it further, but I usually drink between 3 and 4 of the 33.8 oz. bottles of water each day.
4:15 a.m. Prayer time, plus some prayer reading, then it’s stretching, a twelve minute walk in a circle in the office (Yep. But I do change direction every minute or so,) a few calisthenics, then I’m on the elliptical. We have an elliptical machine my father gave me. No power to it, but it works just fine. I usually do 30 minutes at a good pace, then I do 3 more minutes really hard to get my heart rate going. After I step off the elliptical, I do another 12 minute circuit walk in the office.
5:00 a.m. I’m at 2939 steps. This is usually when I start my workout. I have a battery power pack that will run the TV and the Internet, so I plug it in and I follow a couple of videos I like. Today I’m doing pushups, dips, some balance exercises, and some ab work. Sun won’t be up and powering things until after 9 a.m.
6:00 6316 steps. Back outside to walk. I walk to the back container box, then up through the peace gate, all the way through the love gate, and up to the security gate at the front, then back to the cottage. I’m pretty consistently walking in the door at 6:18 or 6:19. That’s not important, just something I noticed. Get a second cup of coffee. No one is awake yet so I just get coffee and slip back out and back down to the office. All the way to the back container again, and then to the office. More exercises, pushups, etc. and then another 33 minutes on the elliptical.
7:00 a.m. 10,150 steps. Danielle time. I head back to the office the long way. Back to the box, up through the peace gate. 7am is Danielle’s getting up time, so I usually walk back up to the very front and come back to give her time to get up and moving. So I’m back in the cottage at 7:18. Usually at this point I’ve either already hit my 10k for the day, or I do shortly into our walk. We head out on our first joint walk. I usually cross the 6 miles walking sometime on this walk. We usually do the whole circuit, up to the front, back to the very back, and then back to the cottage. Since it is Sunday we stop at the office. She takes all my measurements. I’m mostly happy with my progress, though I’m losing in some areas I would rather not lose size. But it is what it is. First you cut the fat. When we get back we both usually get coffee. Sometime I make a small pot of espresso for me. we talk, catch up, hang out, make plans for the day. I leave instructions for my breakfast, depending on what plan I’m on for the week. Sometimes I’m not eating. Sometimes I’m not eating until 3pm or 4pm. This week I’m eating breakfast at 9am, so I leave instructions and menu.
*On normal days, Danielle and I do 3-4 of these full circuit walks. Today we won’t because of church and the Stupid Bowl.
9:50 a.m. 18,496 steps. I break from my workouts. I’m usually quitting at 10 a.m., but today I quit 10 minutes earlier because I need to go get ready for church. I head up to the cottage, but I go the long way. Back to the box, up through the peace gate, to the cottage. I get cleaned up, then Danielle washes my hair in the sink with water she’s heated up on the stove. By 10:15 both Danielle and Sarah are waiting in the car, and my hair is still wet, but we’re off!
11:00 Church Service in Coleman, Texas. I look at my watch when I sit down in the pew and I’m at 19,520 steps. Part of me wants to go do a couple of circuits in the parking lot to hit 20k before the service, but I fight back the impulse.
12:20pm Back home. Rest time. I do some reading and watch YouTube videos.
12:45 Lunch. It’s hard to balance eating and all the working out, and to get as much protein I need without too many carbs while still holding my calories down so I am constantly working at a caloric deficit. Well, with as much cardio as I’m doing, I’m always working at a deficit, but It is still hard to keep carbs down and not just get so bloated trying to get enough protein.
1:00 p.m. My afternoon workout isn’t until 2:00, but I don’t consider walking working out. When in doubt, walk it out. I’m walking.
2:00 p.m. Time to do my afternoon workout. Problem is I sat down and fell asleep. Which is nice. I realize I ate so much that I couldn’t stay awake. Workout is pushed to 3pm.
3:00 p.m. You may wonder why I’m not including steps. Steps are a big deal until I hit 20k, then I usually forget about them until later in the day. I start the afternoon workout. Stretching, some walking, 3 minute bursts on the elliptical. Some high intensity stuff to get the heart rate up. More arm stuff with a barbell.
4:30 p.m. Dinner. Final meal of the day. I get pretty close to my caloric goal. I hit my protein goal. The rest is pretty good.
5:00 p.m. 24,451 steps. I settle in to watch some of the Super Bowl pre-game. I know I won’t be watching the whole game, because with halftime and commercials this thing will be 5 or so hours long, and I’ll be zonked long before then. But I figure I’ll catch a little of it. I quit after the atrocious halftime spectacle. Up to bed.
8:30 p.m. I’m in bed an hour late. Overall activity: 3h and 28m of “strenuous activity.” 12.48 miles walked. 25,431 steps. Not a bad day. Not standard, but I’ll take it.
I plan on doing a video version of this sometime this week or next week, which will show my meals. It’s been 70s for the last 3 or 4 days, and is supposed to be down to a high of 32 on Wednesday and a low of 21. Maybe I’ll shoot the YouTube video that day! We’ll see. Thanks for hanging in!
Michael
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