New Plan of Action

Sunday's workout was a much reduced from the killer 12 Days of Christmas or 900's that I was doing while I trained for the Half Marathon.  But, I'm going down a new path with my health and fitness, so the crazy killer workouts are on hiatus for now. 

My new plan is much more about building and relying upon my personal will power, so I may be screwed from the get go, but we will see.  Here are the major changes:

1) Eat 3 meals a day and one post work snack -- most often a homemade smoothie (yogurt or Banana, Frozen or fresh fruit (most often some combination of Blueberries, Strawberries, or Peaches.  Maybe Pineapple, but nothing from a can).   Hiroko and I don't eat in restaurants very often, and I eat basically the same breakfast everyday. One serving of either Cream of Wheat or Oatmeal (not from the prepackaged pouches) with fresh or frozen fruit, a few walnuts or almonds added, and some Honey, two pieces of toast or a bagel, and coffee cream, no sugar. I have an amazing capacity to eat the same thing for weeks on end without getting tired of it. I always take my own lunch to work. The size of which I am attempting to reduce.  Also, I want to get away from taking sandwiches because the never fill me up.  I also want to move to more rye bread rather than white or wheat.

2) No Snacking, No Grazing, No Eating Because of Boredom, which is my major issue.  Snacking is my downfall.  I love sweets and have no real self control when there are around.  So, sweets are pretty much out of my life until I can control myself. 

3) Beverages:  this is the area that comes most natural.  I drink alcohol very infrequently -- like less than one beer a month.  No real reason why other than it is just not my thing.  As for soda's . . . don't get me started.  I consider to be just shy of poison and do my best to avoid them.  I may have a root beer from time to time, but that's is about it.  Sports drinks and energy drinks are poison unless you are in the middle of an athletic event, I see no need to drink them and I still prefer water.  Basically, I drink water, coffee, tea (mainly green) never sweetened (which is seen as a SIN in the South, but I don't care), and the occasional OJ. 

4)  Nothing to eat after 10pm.  Hiroko and I eat rather late and often don't start dinner until 7:30 or 8pm.  It is an old habit from Japan.  So when we find ourselves wanting an after dinner treat or something to eat while we watch TV.  It is often well after 10pm.  So now, I have two rules to stop this behavior: No Snacking and No Eating after 10pm.

5) Stay Active: I hate TV, but we are getting free cable . . . (Ssshhhh . . . don't tell!)  So, I get sucked in.  Plus, it is Hockey and Football season!  My idea is to try to stay active around the house and resist the urge to sit on the couch and zone out on TV.

6) Ride My Bike back and forth to work and do small nightly in home workouts of abs and push ups.  I am good about riding to work, but have gotten slack about riding home and will often get a ride from Hiro.  My bike rides need to be both ways, which helps out in the waist and wallet.  I think that by doing a smaller nightly routine, I'll be able to keep a better level of motivation and maintain a base level of conditioning. 

Well, that is the basics of my new plan of action.  I have been following it for over a week now and think that it is more than workable.  My main goal is to reach the point where this is no longer an exercise in self discipline, but simply the way I choose to live my life.  Running started out this way, and I am no longer at the point where I need to force myself to run.  Running is just part of my life now.