Saturday, February 14, 2015

2/5: Over the First Hurdle

Today was the first day since the start of Project: HULK that I had Evie for a few hours after work.  On days where Cecilia works, I pick Evie up at daycare and have some Daddy-Daughter time for a few hours until she gets home.  It's easy to get home and head right to the gym, but when you have a few hours to sink into being home, you really don't want to head back out.  I have about a .2% success rate of exercise on days like this.  However, today I was resolved to make the time.
Of course, I had a thousand excuses to get myself out of going, some of which even turned into rationalizing why it would actually be bad for me to go to the gym today (I swear, I'm a master at this stuff):
- It's getting pretty late (it was about 8:30 by the time Cecilia got home and was settled in enough to take Evie)
- You've already worked out twice this week, you can skip tonight and be fine
- Your phone battery is low.  If you can't listen to music, you'll be bored out of your mind on the treadmill and will cut your workout really short anyway.
- The Walking Dead has been pretty good lately!  You've had a long day of work, why not just watch a few episodes and relax tonight?
- You're really tired, it would really be more beneficial for you to just go to bed and rest up.  If you go to the gym, it will be harder to sleep!
See?  These are pretty good!  I sat on the couch and deliberated for a good 5-7 minutes.  Then I decided I would actually address a few of these, but still get my workout in.  I told Cecilia I was going to charge my phone for half an hour, watch one Walking Dead episode while it charged, then hit the gym.  And that's exactly what I did!
So, it was a big victory to make it three days in a row at the gym, and I feel confident in saying that I've passed the first hurdle in the short life of this project so far.
The rest of my day wasn't stellar, but it was the best workday I've had since the start of the project.  I forgot to eat breakfast, but did take a protein bar in with me and ate it at my desk when I got in.  For lunch, I skipped Subway and went to Kroger and ended up trying some sliced chipotle chicken from the deli.  It wasn't the greatest, but, hey, I tried something!  I made time for a handful of nuts for a snack as well, and I made a point of getting up from my desk a little more and walking around the office floor.
All in all, best day yet!
Steps:  11,523
Miles:  5.28
Breakfast:  Sort of
Lunch:  Yes
Water:  96 oz
Alcohol:  Nope!
Daily Grade:  A -
Hulk chicken
HULK try chipotle chicken...it was meh!

2/4: Another Record Day

After setting the bar high by hitting my all-time step goal yesterday, I crushed it today, topping 16,000 steps (and still counting) and over 7.3 miles!  I did 78 minutes on the treadmill.  I have some pretty bad blisters on my feet, but after getting home and taking a shower, I feel great.
Yesterday I got to bed late, which made for a very tired day.  I skipped breakfast again and got a late lunch for my first meal.  I had a protein bar on the way to the gym to tide me over until I got home from the gym for dinner (leftover Mangia! pasta from the weekend!).  Drank three 32 oz glasses of water tonight.
The exercise is going great, but my next addition will be making sure I get something in my system for breakfast in the morning.
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Solid Kickoff - 2/3

Tuesday was a pretty solid day.  Despite a long day at work, I made time to get to the gym, and did 63 minutes on the treadmill.  Hit an all-time high with FitBIt steps:  15,521!  This was good for 7.11 miles over the day.  I came home and had some roasted chicken that the wife made and drank two 32 oz cups of water.
Worst part of the day was getting up late and skipping breakfast before work - didn't eat anything until a late lunch.

hulk run

Setting Some Goals

Outlining a few goals for Project:  Hulk!
1)  Write on this blog every day about how each day went
2)  Reach 10,000 Step Goal Every Day (Using FitBit)
3)  Go to bed by 11:30, be asleep by midnight
4)  Drink a gallon of water every day, and drink less coffee at work
5)  Eat regularly, and more moderate portions when doing so
6) Cut out alcohol

Getting Ready for Tuesday's kickoff!

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I'm still brainstorming all the ideas for this project, but am getting excited to kick it off on Tuesday.  I've been looking for aggressive yet attainable goals that I can include in this project, and to make it as competitive and exciting as possible.
Hulk THINKING tonight!