I flew out of Denver on Thanksgiving - the day AFTER the busiest travel day of the year. The volume at the airport was about the lightest I have seen for DIA. As we approached the security lines, I noticed 4 lanes were open. Three of them had the new Level3 scanners, but the one to the far right (on the North security checkpoint for you DIA flyers) only had the traditional metal detector.
My wife and kids and ran through the normal security drill. We took off belts and shoes, double-checked that pockets were empty and placed our belongings in bins. I pulled out my wife's netbook, but happily left our iPads in the bags (I still don't quite understand distinction between the two for screening). The five of us walked through the metal detector without incident and then began to gather our belongings and put ourselves back together. A minor inconvenience at most. Entirely acceptable.
As we were waiting for the kids, I glanced over to the other lines to see if the Level3 machines were being used. Most passengers seemed to be going through the old metal detectors, with the Level3 machines being used very sparsely for secondary screening. I did not see anyone getting "the pat down".
I'm not sure whether the media over-hyped the security checkpoint issues or the TSA dialed things back significantly. I suspect it was the latter. If they have, indeed, dialed it back, I wonder whether how temporary that is.
In any case, although I was geared up for some minor civil disobedience (having my junk groped in defense if liberty), security screening turned out to be a complete non-event.
Another quick travel note - getting a nice steak and glass of wine out on Thanksgiving is actually quite challenging. Settling for a burger and an inexpensive Australian Cabernet while enjoying the excited chatter of a couple dozen cheerleaders and their parents was just as good!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Geek-to-fit: Day 3
Weigh-in: 229.5
Right-o! 4 lbs lost in 3 days. A very strong start.
Made egg whites with fresh tomatoes for breakfast. This healthier eating thing doesn't suck.
Busy day out and about. Still managed to get in some walking. Not running due to the ankle injury. Probably overdoing even with this, but I can't just sit around!
Big food challenge at lunch. Bonnie asked me to pick up Carl's Jr for the family since we were on-the-go with cheer activities. I managed to resist a big, heavy burger and discovered a great Apple Walnut Grilled Chicken Salad on their menu. Under 500 calories with dressing and candied walnuts. Still less than even a McD double cheeseburger (which weighs in at 550). Feeling good about being more mindful of what I put in my body.
Tried out Cardio Boxing class on "Your Shape: Fitness Evolved" on the Xbox 360 with Kinect. That class was a total blast. I took several short classes and was pleasantly surprised to see that the game estimated almost 400 calories burned. I was already under my calorie count, so I decided to indulge in a piece of the Key Lime pie we had in the fridge from Village Inn. Ya know, key lime pie never tasted so good!
Hoping many more days flow this well for diet and exercise.
Right-o! 4 lbs lost in 3 days. A very strong start.
Made egg whites with fresh tomatoes for breakfast. This healthier eating thing doesn't suck.
Busy day out and about. Still managed to get in some walking. Not running due to the ankle injury. Probably overdoing even with this, but I can't just sit around!
Big food challenge at lunch. Bonnie asked me to pick up Carl's Jr for the family since we were on-the-go with cheer activities. I managed to resist a big, heavy burger and discovered a great Apple Walnut Grilled Chicken Salad on their menu. Under 500 calories with dressing and candied walnuts. Still less than even a McD double cheeseburger (which weighs in at 550). Feeling good about being more mindful of what I put in my body.
Tried out Cardio Boxing class on "Your Shape: Fitness Evolved" on the Xbox 360 with Kinect. That class was a total blast. I took several short classes and was pleasantly surprised to see that the game estimated almost 400 calories burned. I was already under my calorie count, so I decided to indulge in a piece of the Key Lime pie we had in the fridge from Village Inn. Ya know, key lime pie never tasted so good!
Hoping many more days flow this well for diet and exercise.
Geek-to-Fit: Day 2
Weigh-in: 231.5
So after a disheartening fall and ankle injury last night, I was surprisingly upbeat. I was convinced I could find other compelling ways to get my cardio conditioning while my ankle healed. A crazy idea hit me ... go buy the Microsoft Kinect I had been drooling over. That should be low impact, right? Um, sure ... Kinect adventures had me lunging from side to side and jumping to control a river raft. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved had me doing running in place, squat thrusts, and the Tai Chi warrior pose. My ankle swelled to the size of a softball. Worth it? Heck, yeah!
A little advanced planning enabled me to go out to Village Inn with the girls and NOT consume 1,000 calories. Managed to get a very nice, large breakfast for under 500 calories. Discovered that I'm quite fond of egg white omelets. Going to have to switch to those at home for breakfast.
So all-in-all, a good day. Got in about 400 calories worth of exercise and enjoyed eating responsibly. I'm finding coffee and tea to be staples, but have cut soda out of my diet. I've got more energy, which is encouraging.
So after a disheartening fall and ankle injury last night, I was surprisingly upbeat. I was convinced I could find other compelling ways to get my cardio conditioning while my ankle healed. A crazy idea hit me ... go buy the Microsoft Kinect I had been drooling over. That should be low impact, right? Um, sure ... Kinect adventures had me lunging from side to side and jumping to control a river raft. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved had me doing running in place, squat thrusts, and the Tai Chi warrior pose. My ankle swelled to the size of a softball. Worth it? Heck, yeah!
A little advanced planning enabled me to go out to Village Inn with the girls and NOT consume 1,000 calories. Managed to get a very nice, large breakfast for under 500 calories. Discovered that I'm quite fond of egg white omelets. Going to have to switch to those at home for breakfast.
So all-in-all, a good day. Got in about 400 calories worth of exercise and enjoyed eating responsibly. I'm finding coffee and tea to be staples, but have cut soda out of my diet. I've got more energy, which is encouraging.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Geek-to-fit: Day 1
Weigh in: 233
I'm using some cool tools with the new effort. Being a technophile, I find that to be a major source of motivation. Tracking my weight, diet and exercise with My Fitness Pal (on iPad). Using Nike+ to track run distance and time (and therefore calories). Both of these post automatically to Facebook so my friends can keep me accountable.
Food-wise, I'm leveraging some Arbonne Figure 8 tools to help keep my calorie count down while keeping nutrition up and abating hunger as I adjust. Their chocolate protein shake makes a good low-cal lunch at 170 calories. The diet snack chews taste like tootsie rolls and provide 30 calories and some great hunger-control between meals. Finally, the fizzy drink tablets (tasty Pomegranite) replace my usual after run glass of Soy Milk with a 10 calorie water-based drink while still providing some protein and nutrients to help with run recovery.
So on to how the day went.
Started off the day with my regular weekly architect review board meeting at Einstein Bros. Bagels. I find this to be a good venue, as they have healthy, low-cal offerings like their Bagel Thin sandwiches with egg whites.
I had meetings to attend over lunch, so I really appreciated the ease of an Arbonne shake instead of going out to fetch fast food or making something in the kitchen. A couple chews in the afternoon kept me going.
The challenge ... I went to Starbucks with my daughter Brittany so we could go review and update the family calendar over a latte. Wanted an eggnog latte, but knew they would be very high calorie count, so I sized it down to a Grande instead of my usual Venti and asked for nonfat milk. Would have also gotten sugar free syrup (the combination makes a "skinny" latte), but the EggNog latte is made with actual eggnog instead of syrup. Decided to go ahead and splurge, but was later floored to see the calorie count of this version of the drink still weighed in at 480. It was tasty, but not really worth it. I expect I'll be going with regular coffee next time. A small price to pay for fitness.
Dinner was Chili Mac. Portion control was key here. 1c and 1/2c serving spoons are great for this. Thanks to My Fitness Pal, I was able to see my remaining calories for the day and determine an appropriate portion size. I was also able to put in some exercise to estimate the calories I would be credited so I could finish the day within my calorie goal. It was nice to make informed decisions about what and how much to eat. I felt more in control than ever before. Clearly calories consumed and calories expended are levers I can pull to steer toward my goals.
The day was full and I didn't get in my planned morning run, so I decided to head out about 8:30pm to get some miles in. Set Nike+ on my iPhone for 3.1 miles and headed out. I was encouraged by the fact that in spite of keeping my calories down for the day, I still had plenty of energy. I was setting a solid pace. Then it happened. At about 1.45 miles, I was crossing a patch of leaves that covered the sidewalk. I caught the edge of the sidewalk and turned my ankle badly. I yardsaled. It must have looked spectacular to passers-by. I got up, but couldn't put any substantial weight on my left ankle. I limped the 2 1/2 blocks home, despondent. As my ankle began to swell (even iced), it occurred to me that this was one of the things that threw me off track earlier this year. I'm clearly going to have to find some other ways to get my cardio training while my ankle heals. That's okay, though. It's a minor roadblock and I am highly motivated.
The journey continues tomorrow.
I'm using some cool tools with the new effort. Being a technophile, I find that to be a major source of motivation. Tracking my weight, diet and exercise with My Fitness Pal (on iPad). Using Nike+ to track run distance and time (and therefore calories). Both of these post automatically to Facebook so my friends can keep me accountable.
Food-wise, I'm leveraging some Arbonne Figure 8 tools to help keep my calorie count down while keeping nutrition up and abating hunger as I adjust. Their chocolate protein shake makes a good low-cal lunch at 170 calories. The diet snack chews taste like tootsie rolls and provide 30 calories and some great hunger-control between meals. Finally, the fizzy drink tablets (tasty Pomegranite) replace my usual after run glass of Soy Milk with a 10 calorie water-based drink while still providing some protein and nutrients to help with run recovery.
So on to how the day went.
Started off the day with my regular weekly architect review board meeting at Einstein Bros. Bagels. I find this to be a good venue, as they have healthy, low-cal offerings like their Bagel Thin sandwiches with egg whites.
I had meetings to attend over lunch, so I really appreciated the ease of an Arbonne shake instead of going out to fetch fast food or making something in the kitchen. A couple chews in the afternoon kept me going.
The challenge ... I went to Starbucks with my daughter Brittany so we could go review and update the family calendar over a latte. Wanted an eggnog latte, but knew they would be very high calorie count, so I sized it down to a Grande instead of my usual Venti and asked for nonfat milk. Would have also gotten sugar free syrup (the combination makes a "skinny" latte), but the EggNog latte is made with actual eggnog instead of syrup. Decided to go ahead and splurge, but was later floored to see the calorie count of this version of the drink still weighed in at 480. It was tasty, but not really worth it. I expect I'll be going with regular coffee next time. A small price to pay for fitness.
Dinner was Chili Mac. Portion control was key here. 1c and 1/2c serving spoons are great for this. Thanks to My Fitness Pal, I was able to see my remaining calories for the day and determine an appropriate portion size. I was also able to put in some exercise to estimate the calories I would be credited so I could finish the day within my calorie goal. It was nice to make informed decisions about what and how much to eat. I felt more in control than ever before. Clearly calories consumed and calories expended are levers I can pull to steer toward my goals.
The day was full and I didn't get in my planned morning run, so I decided to head out about 8:30pm to get some miles in. Set Nike+ on my iPhone for 3.1 miles and headed out. I was encouraged by the fact that in spite of keeping my calories down for the day, I still had plenty of energy. I was setting a solid pace. Then it happened. At about 1.45 miles, I was crossing a patch of leaves that covered the sidewalk. I caught the edge of the sidewalk and turned my ankle badly. I yardsaled. It must have looked spectacular to passers-by. I got up, but couldn't put any substantial weight on my left ankle. I limped the 2 1/2 blocks home, despondent. As my ankle began to swell (even iced), it occurred to me that this was one of the things that threw me off track earlier this year. I'm clearly going to have to find some other ways to get my cardio training while my ankle heals. That's okay, though. It's a minor roadblock and I am highly motivated.
The journey continues tomorrow.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Geek-to-fit: Day 0
So a little background to start. I used to lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle. Then I divorced and started a new life. I went from 255 lbs down to 215 and cultivated a healthier lifestyle, including eating healthy foods and running.
In February 2010, I ran the Polar Bear 5K on a sprained ankle, seriously exacerbating the injury, which took me out all summer. That, combined with a ramping up of the kids' activities (and eating less healthy foods due to being so busy), pushed me back up to my current weight of 233. I'm not liking that at all.
So I'm making a fresh start of it. I'm getting back to my running schedule of at least 3 days per week and eating healthier foods. In addition, my lovely wife just started an Arbonne business, so I'm going to be trying out their Figure 8 products.
I'm going to blog the whole process. I'm going to be very transparent, so I ask my friends to be supportive and positive, but hold me accountable.
Check back for regular updates.
In February 2010, I ran the Polar Bear 5K on a sprained ankle, seriously exacerbating the injury, which took me out all summer. That, combined with a ramping up of the kids' activities (and eating less healthy foods due to being so busy), pushed me back up to my current weight of 233. I'm not liking that at all.
So I'm making a fresh start of it. I'm getting back to my running schedule of at least 3 days per week and eating healthier foods. In addition, my lovely wife just started an Arbonne business, so I'm going to be trying out their Figure 8 products.
I'm going to blog the whole process. I'm going to be very transparent, so I ask my friends to be supportive and positive, but hold me accountable.
Check back for regular updates.
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