1/15/2010

Classes start next week which I’m definitely happy about. Then, the following week, PSN starts up again, three nights a week (two basketball and one football). That should get me just a wee bit of exercise during the week… Not exactly sure when the fitness testing is, however, my goal was to do a ten minute mile. As of this morning, I’m down to 11;06 from 15 which is fantastic. The pull ups are going to be a different story.

Over the holidays, a ‘Wii’ was purchased. We have three games, ‘Wii Sports’, Wii Fitness Plus’ and EA ‘Sports Active’. The Sports Active, a truly amazing and creates workouts for you based on your goals, body composition, etc. I’ve done three of them and have worked up a good sweat after each routine. I’m also progressing well on the Wii tennis which is enjoyable as well.

As of this morning from Nov. 1st, I’m down 24 pounds on my goal towards the 62. I think after the 62, I’ll still have a little more to go but gymnastics is not until the fall so I have plenty of time. I saw Jillian Michaels on Leno recently and he asked her how often she goes to the gym; she responded approximately 3-4 hours/week. He asked how she keeps her figure to which her response was “diet”. Now, that’s some food for thought!

1/8

For some people, the snow can be an annoying nuisance especially for those of us in the lower Northeastern part of the country where most people are clueless on how to maneuver vehicles properly in such weather. However, shoveling can be some great exercise if you’re doing it properly not overexerting your back. A few weeks ago, we had a major blizzard which dropped a couple feet of snow in the Philly area. That was a bit daunting and it took us about three days to ultimately dig out of it. Since, we’ve had a couple of small storms which have been great exercise for me in shoveling the necessary parts of my property and neighbors (if necessary) per our township code.

I’ve seen a dietician a couple of times and she’s been very helpful. What I really enjoy about our meetings is the creativity she has in finding different foods within each food group; in other words being more creative in meal planning and making yourself feel satiated. As many know, when eating the same foods constantly, it becomes redundant and deters one from being successful in the battle of the bulge.

12/31

I started the blog with lots of enthusiasm but haven’t posted in a while. I brought the car in for service and complements of the dealership’s free wifi, I’m able to post from here this AM.

I got an ‘A-‘ in my first class which was some validation for me that I’m not totally crazy for going back to school with a bunch of 18 year olds. However, the academics doesn’t seem so daunting as much as the physical requirements. Fitness testing including the mile run begins next semester along with aquatics and more advanced movement courses. In the fall is gymnastics and adventure education. Gymnastics seems a bit daunting, adventure education sounds somewhat fun and interesting.

I’ve started training for the mile on the treadmill at the gym, it’s a little cold and slippery outside (especially today) to go outside. So, my goal is to get the mile in less than 10 min. Right now, I’m at 14:20 but I’m increasing my speed everyday; this is one of the nice things about the treadmill. I do, however, find it very tedious and boring, I’d much rather bike or use the elliptical. However, I have to do it so I am. If anyone has any tips/suggestions for training for the mile, I’m all ears.

Since the beginning of November, I’m down about 20 lbs. which is fantastic. Since it’s the holiday season and all, we got a will and the wii fitness. Those things really are amazing, the technology is incredible. According to my wii fitness level, I’m 48 y/o and my mii profile looks like the ‘Newman’ character from Seinfeld. This is quite annoying and am working on changing it.
Happy New Year everyone.

Opening Post

For those of you who are not aware, I've returned to school to pursue my teaching certification for Physical Education. This was not an easy decision; after being laid off at the end of September, I knew that Social Work just wasn't for me so this is what I decided to do. I've taught English, Spanish, Social Studies, Math, Spanish, etc. but have always wanted to do something more fun. Most everyone loves PE, I know I did when I was in school.

While I'm sure we all would like to lose those few extra pounds, gain more muscle (especially for those New Years Resolutions), etc...I've created this blog so I can tell you some of what I'm doing but also to get suggestions from you on how you keep yourselves in shape, certain exercises, foods, trade secrets, etc. I'm very interested to get feedback, both positive and constructive.

My professors often say nobody wants to hire an out of shape PE teacher. The majority of my classmates are undergraduates at least 10 years younger than I so keeping up with them is certainly not easy. To give you some info. on me, to date, I've lost about 18 pounds since Nov. 1st. This AM, I got my wedding ring back on which was fantastic. A brand new gym just opened in our neighborhood which is fantastic and cheap plus I get access to all the Temple facilities. However, the athletes have an amazing facility, us lowly students get the second rate equipment. :)

Honestly, I attribute the weight loss to just eating less, portion control makes a big difference and I pretty much eat what I want. (My wife can attest to that:). So….I will continue to update; as I said before, please continue to read, check it out and comment!