Cross Training

Time to get going again.

2010-06-03T18:46:00.003-04:00

It is time for me to get back on this. Time for the stresses of life ot take a back seat. I will be getting back to the workouts, and will start running again in the next few days. I need to be healthier and so does my family. God is doing some things in my life, and I feel like I need ot get started on this again. Let's do this together people.

I've been really busy

2010-02-06T11:06:00.001-05:00

I havn't written an article in several days, mostly because work has been insane and I have not had much time to write outside of school, work, and family. I havn't lifted in a couple of days, but have done several cardio sessions. I will be working out again tomorrow night, but I close today, and had a migraine last night that sidelined me. Gotta get ripping again, weigh in is only 3 days away.

Why are you so weary?

2010-01-29T09:20:00.002-05:00

Jeremiah 6:16 says, "... Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the ood way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your body and souls."

I used to be tired a lot. The constant go, go, go of everyday life had worn me down, and I had let it affect not only my physical body, but my spiritual well being. Physical and spiritual weakness open us up to all sorts of attacks from the evil one. I reached a point where I stood at a crossroads and asked a question that everyone asks, why am I so tired or worn out. Why can't I resist the attacks of Satan? I realized at that point that my physical body was so worn out, and out of shape, that I didn't have the strength or endurance to run the race that God had called me to.

By striving to get in better shape physically and spiritually, I have looked at those crossroads, asked where the good way is, and have walked and sometimes ran down it. With physical well being comes an easy path into spiritual well being. It eliminates a lot of distracitons from your life, and it shows discipline which is an important part of the christian walk, but also in life.

If you are at a crossroad and are asking why am I always so tired, or why am I not motivated to do these things, ask those ancient questions, and then look to the ancient One for the answer.

Measurements week 3

2010-01-27T08:53:00.002-05:00

OLD MEASUREMENTS

Weight: 245.6 lbs

Neck.........................17 1/2"
Chest Over the Amrs..........57 1/4"
Chest Under the Arms.........48"
Belly at Navel...............47 1/2"
Waist........................43"
Hips.........................47 1/2"
......R Hip..................23"
......L Hip..................23"
Right Bicep..................15 1/4"
Left Bicep...................15 1/4"

NEW MEAUREMENTS

Weight: 236.3

Neck.........................17" down 1/2"
Chest Over the Amrs..........55 1/2" down 1 3/4"
Chest Under the Arms.........46 Down 1 1/2"
Belly at Navel...............45 1/4" Down 2 1/4"
Waist........................43" same
Hips.........................44 1/2" Down 3"
......R Hip..................25 1/4" Up 2 1/4"
......L Hip..................25 1/2" Up 2 1/2"
Right Bicep..................15 1/2" Up 1/4"
Left Bicep...................15 1/2" Up 1/4"

Wow, what a difference 2 weeks can make. The one that is a little crazy is hips down 3 inches but individual hips are up 2 1/4" and 2 1/2". The only thing I can guess is that I lost butt fat, that gets measured in the hips measurement, but my legs have gotten bigger from the weight lifting and bike riding. Sweet.

Tonights Diet Meal.....

2010-01-25T18:29:00.003-05:00

So here is tonights diet meal that me and Mandy threw together.
Whole wheat Panko breaded chicken tenders, with a chioptle mustard sauce
Olive Oil Roasted potatoes with pepper and thyme
Steamed Broccoli

Link to Daily Calorie Tracker

2010-01-23T10:50:00.005-05:00

Here we go try this out. You will have to wait at the site for a period of time before you can download but then it will let you grab it. Just plug in your current weight on the first page and it will calculate all the other boxes for you. Made the chart this morning when I couldn't sleep. Let me know what you think.

http://www.easy-share.com/1909082958/Daily Calorie Tracker.xls

It's been a few days....

2010-01-23T10:43:00.002-05:00

Exercise routine is getting good, weight train in the AM when I can, then ride bike at night while watching TV. Diet is coming along too. I realize I was probably eating 3500 - 4000 calories a day before, so that fact that I am watching it and keeping it low, like around 2000 calories, should translate to weight loss at the next weigh in I hope. That and all the water I drink everyday. I have been drinking 4 or 5 20oz bottles of water everyday. We will see how well it all pans out. Wrote a calorie tracking sheet this morning, with a lot of helps built in, gonna post it for download if I can figure out how.

Blood Test Results

2010-01-18T17:02:00.002-05:00

So I had Mandy call for me today and get the results of my blood test from the doctor.

Total Cholesterol 185 (very good number, under 200 is good)
LDL 133.1 (borderline high, need to get this under 100)
HDL 22 (this is a little low, 60 is optimum for heart disease prevention)
Triglycerides 151 (under 150 is goal, so I am just over normal)
Glucose 84 (goal is 70 - 130 before eating, so I am great here)

Excited to hear that I am doing very good on this. Numbers all came back good, and I look forward to getting the numbers that are a little out of whack, back where they need to be.

Here is my before shots....... don't laugh.... seriously.....stop laughing!

2010-01-17T15:19:00.000-05:00

So here are my machines....

2010-01-17T14:58:00.004-05:00

These are the pieces of equipment that we got. A NordiTrack elliptical, the Weider Crossbow (aka Bowflex), and the Whisper Air bike (looks weird but all the moving parts are hidden so no chance of little hands ending up in the spokes!!)

10 Fitness Goals of 2010

2010-01-15T09:32:00.002-05:00

Below is my list of Fitness goals for 2010

1. Bench Press 1.5 times my own weight
2. Be able to run 1.5 miles in 10 minutes or less
3. Be able to jump and touch the rim of a basketball hoop
4. Be able to leg press 2.5 times my own body weight
5. Do 20 pullups in 60 seconds or less
6. Do 40 pushups
7. Be able to run 300 yards in under 60 seconds
8. Be able to touch my toes
9. Be able to toss a basketball 75 feet while kneeling
10. Hit target weight of 200 lbs

Will try to get a current measure on all of these soon, so we can see progress. Will try to retest all of these every month or so.

Fitness Equipment Aquired..... Sweet

2010-01-15T08:49:00.002-05:00

An unexpected bonus at work still allowed us to get the fitness equipment that we wanted to. I actulaly ended up with even better stuff, and more of it than I initially thought we would. I got a Weider CrossBow 1500e (Think Bowflex) with 330 pounds of resistance, a NordiTrack Elliptical, and an exercise bike, all for 170 bucks. Pictures will be posted as soon as the home gym is set up. Excited about that. Mandy has a doctors appointment this morning to get the doctors clearance to start exercising, so starting tomorrow, let the shredding begin. With only 11 days till my next weigh in and measure, time to get going.

Measurements Week 1...ish

2010-01-13T22:42:00.005-05:00

My wife made fun of me, but I want to track this stuff. Especially considering the fact that I will be getting my new weight bench tomorrow (well, new to me at least), and want to be able to track the inches lost or gained.

Weight: 245.6 lbs

Neck.........................17 1/2"
Chest Over the Amrs..........57 1/4"
Chest Under the Arms.........48"
Belly at Navel...............47 1/2"
Waist........................43"
Hips.........................47 1/2"
......R Hip..................23"
......L Hip..................23"
Right Bicep..................15 1/4"
Left Bicep...................15 1/4"

We will see what these look like in 2 weeks. Start the Countdown!

Results are in

2010-01-12T22:32:00.002-05:00

So the results of the physical are in. There is nothing at all wrong with me. Blood pressure 122/72, weight 245.6 lbs, heart rate 82, blood ox 98. Doctor said I am incredibly healthy, and that losing weight would only make it better. Said that with a blood ox reading that high I can do just about anything I want, that is extremely high (which is good). Having the blood drawn on Thursday morning for the workup, but he does not forsee finding anything, in fact he is only doing it because I insisted. Glad to see that I am very healthy. Let the shredding workouts begin.

Mondays step count

2010-01-12T13:32:00.001-05:00

So today saw another 22 steps pass beneath my feet. I have found that I am pushing myself to walk farther simply because I am tracking how far I am walking and wanting to get the number as high as possible. My next goal is to have a day of 30,000 steps. This will probably be the day that we go to Sea World. Today is also my annual physical. I will post the results of it later tonight.

Todays Step Count

2010-01-10T20:21:00.002-05:00

Sundays are busy days for me due to 2 things. Working at the church in the mornings, then working at Lowes in the evening. Between the two locations i walked 26,000 steps today, a personal high. That equals out to 9.8 miles. Whoa.... no wonder my back and feet hurt before I got some good walking shoes. A good day. In negotiations with a few people to try and get some good deals on some exercise equipment, details and pics to follow if I land them. If you have any that you are trying to get rid of, let me know, maybe I will come pick them up for you.

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's Temple?

2010-01-08T18:41:00.002-05:00

1st Corinthians 3:16-17 says that we are God's temple and that He lives in us.It goes on to say that anyone who destroys God's temple will be destroyed by God, because God's temple is sacred and we are that temple.

So if we destroy God's temple we are most definitely against what God intends for us. So what is destroying our bodies, or defiling it as some translations say. Tattoo's? Piercings? What is the litmus test for what is okay and what isn't. My take is unless you get a nasty infection or disease (which despite all the precautions they take before performing these procedures is enough to keep me from getting it done) from doing these things you are altering the temple, but not destroying it. Destroying it to me is harming it seriously. Obesity, overeating, vitamin deficiency, not exercising and taking care of the temple, these things are what I would consider destroying God's temple; my body.

Obesity severely increases the risk of heart disease. Obese individuals are twice as likely to suffer from high blood pressure as people with a healthy weight. 80% of people who develop type 2 diabetes are obese, and this number is getting worse. According to the CDC, that number has risen to 90%. Obesity seriously increases your risk for the following ailments as well:

+Depression
+Arthritis
+Cholesterol Problems
+Asthma
+Sleep Apnea
+Steeply increased risk of endometrial cancer, colon cancer, gall bladder cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and post-menopausal breast cancer
+Stroke
+Liver and Gallbladder disease
+Dyslipidemia (High Total Cholesterol or High Triglyceride counts)
+Has even been linked to Gynecological problems such as abnormal menses, infertility, infertility, and increased risk of miscarriage and stillbirth

Our bodies are His temple, and he wants his temple to be as good as possible. To ensure that, living a healthy, balanced lifestyle is what we need to do. Remember next time you pick up a cookie or soda...... am I defiling God's temple.....is this really worth it?

These are just the physical maladies that are caused by this problem. What about all of the socio economic issues? The mental issues?

Yeah when I said that.......

2010-01-08T15:34:00.002-05:00

When I said that I would be getting exercise equipment last night what I meant to say, was that I would be fixing the car. Crap. I really want to get more aggressive with the health and fitness regimen, but it looks like we will continue on the same course we have been. Double crap.

January 7th update 2

2010-01-07T16:04:00.002-05:00

So we are going to buy and elliptical or some form of exercise equipment tonight!! Excited about starting even more working out (Wii Fit is good, but doesn't really burn like I would like, I am going to try the running part on the elliptical when we get home, and see if it register). Also planning to pick up some free weights so we can get aggressive about dropping some pounds. Also went to the library today and picked up a few books on fitness and working out, as well as a couple on gardening, as we plan on starting an organic garden in the back yard this spring. Woo Hoo.

On a side note, have been eating very healthy for several days today and limiting calorie intake, so I decided to splurge at lunch a bit today. With my plain Chicken sandwich I decided to have a small fry. Big mistake. Shortly after eating the fries I got a stomach ache at the library, and let's just say, that I am not sure whether I need to count those calories today, since they were not in me very long. I guess my body is getting used to the healthier non processed foods, and didn't take kindly to that lump of fried potatoe.

Last Night Update

2010-01-07T09:09:00.000-05:00

Walked another 1900 steps at the grocery store last night. Today another Wii workout and more. Will update again later. Plus today will be trying out some of my new recipes.

Updates for Today

2010-01-06T17:34:00.002-05:00

So today I have been doing a good bit of research about eating healthy and I am trying to gather as much information as I can about how best to tailor my diet. I want to have a good amount of information already sourced so that when I go to my physical I am adequately prepared to ask the questions I need to, so that I get the information that will benefit me.

Today I took over 12,000 steps and took of the pedometer (I am home with the kids and the walking for the rest of the night will be marginal, will put it back on though if we go out to the store). If we go grocery shopping tonight, we will be picking up lots of salad making items. Romaine lettce, peppers, low fat cheese(maybe), fat free low cal dressings, things like that. Will also stock up on some fruits and nuts for snacks around the house.

Starting to plan out a garden that we will plant as soon as it warms up a bit. Also trying to figure out a good way to keep squirrels, raccoons, and the like from getting into my garden (I like the idea of landmines, but think the neighbors might disapprove). If any tips on that let me know.

Working on a calorie tracker and will be trying out some recipies from the Biggest Loser Cookbook in the next few days. Will post some good ones.

Todays step log

2010-01-05T22:47:00.002-05:00

Walked 22,554 steps today at work....... equates to 8.5 miles. That means that I burned roughly 694 calories today at work. Ate a subway Fresh fit meal for dinner, and looking forward to tomorrows Wii Fit Plus weigh in.

Todays Wii Workout

2010-01-05T11:59:00.001-05:00

Used Wii Fit Plus today, and worked out for 35 minutes, and burned 261 calories. BMI down to 32.78.

Food for our Safety

2010-01-04T23:29:00.002-05:00

In Acts 27, Paul tells his fellow prisoners on a prisoner ship to Malta, that they should eat food for their health. He says that they cannot survive without it. We must remember in our day to day lives, that our bodies were designed to be furnaces, not store houses. Our bodies metabolism functions best when we take in food in smaller amounts more often. Learning to work with your body will allow you to eat the same amount of food and lose weight simply by spreading it out into 6 small meals instead of 2 or 3 big ones. A healthy body will allow you to do more for God.

First day of Pedometer wearing at work

2010-01-04T23:16:00.002-05:00

So I wore my pedometer to work today to see what kind of steps I do at work. Today was a typical day of walking at work, maybe a little more than usual, and according to the pedometer, I took 19,978 steps today......yeah..... I know right? That is a lot of walking. According to walk4life.com's steps to miles converter, I walked 7.6 miles today at work. That equates to 613.14 calories..... not too shabby. If I start working out at home and can burn about 500 - 800 calories there, and then burn another 500 at work, I will be well on the way to losing the weight I want to get off.

Site additions

2010-01-04T10:13:00.004-05:00

I have added a vitamin wheel gadget at the bottom that is great. It tells you all about the different vitamins, in what type of foods to get them and why they are important. I have also included a BMI (Body Mass Index) calculator that you can use. I don't place too much stock in the BMI claculator, since they don't take into account differences between body types or body compositions, but it is here for you to use as a reference. I will include the numbers I receive on my Wii fit plus, as well my personal workouts, diet, and even the results of my physical that is coming up soon. I am getting a full physical with a blood work up so that I will know exactly where I stand and can put together a workout regimen that fits me well. Feel free to fill out the form on the side panel to be added to the recipe mailing list.

Welcome to Crosstraining

2010-01-04T09:24:00.001-05:00

The goal of this Blog will be to help you to understand the importance of physical and spiritual health and how the two tie together. We will cover topics ranging from diet and nutition, to healthy recipes, bible studies, book reviews, workout regimens and plans, biking, running, or whatever else we can cover, and hopefully we will also receive information from a few MD's over time. I want this to not only be a place for chrsitians and non-christians to find information about physical health, but also a place that they can see the importance of spiritual health as well. Look for more posts in the coming days as content will be showing up as often as I can blog. With a few days off coming up, we should see a lot of new information up by Friday. Hope to see you back here.