The Holidays

Now there is one nice turkey. I roasted it for the 4th family Christmas party this last Saturday. Are you as tired of the holidays as I am? Just the New Years to go. I've survived so far with no weight gain, thank the stars. But it has raised a few personal problems that have been simmering just under the surface and have now reared their ugly heads under the holiday stress. That's kind of why I haven' t been doing much blogging as of late. Hopefully they will play out in time and not go the way these things usually do.

The knee problem just will not resolve itself. One minute OK, the next real pain. If it is left in one position too long, it feels like something tears and pops when it bends. No fun, but at least it doesn't hurt on the bike. Weird, is all I can say. The weather and time commitments have kept me off the roads for a while, but all that can change at any time. I'm ready for a break.

Fast & Furious

The heavy weather has been hitting pretty hard already this winter. I'm glad we've got a good snow blower, as I've already used it as much this season as the last couple. I even had to blow out a bigger area for the dogs to take care of business.

So most workouts are now in the basement on the trainer, ball, or Wii. The cross training takes the edge off of the cycling boredom that sets in after grinding out intervals or just base cruising to keep the legs working. But, the XC trails should be good soon, so that will add another dimension to the training regimen. Fun, fun, fun !!

Random Ramlings ?

OK, enough with the -20(F) already !! It's not even Christmas, for crying out loud. I guess we've been spoiled with the mild global warming winters the past few years, haven't we.

My left knee just won't cooperate. Sore and stiff one minute, good to go the next. Arthritis sucks, but, at least I can still ride with no discomfort. Running, even on the tread mill, is out for now.

According to the Wii, I've lost 4.9 lbs in 17 days. Not bad, considering we've been to several holiday parties, all featuring some very scrumptious vittles. The combination of Wii workouts, biking, and pushing away from the buffet seems to be working.

Being off of work seems to be good for a couple of things. Working out and cooking time is at a plus, so I'm doing better at both. Preparing more nutritious meals and going out for dinner less often means eating better and saving cash. Plus, eating right means more energy with which to burn doing quality training.

I've been researching European bike tours, and the place I'd like go go is Spain. The food, cities, and people all interest me the most, with Italy a close second. Belgium would be cool for the beer and spring classics. I hope to go in a couple of years. That's my goal at this point. I think setting a goal is the first step in doing something, so I've been puttting aside a little money each week to make it happen.

Stay warm....

Scared ?

I always thought deer had that built in run away alarm when approached by humans. This one does not seem to have it. Last night, Mex dog was outside barking, as usual, so I called to let her in. She wouldn't, so I looked for the source that set off her alarm . A small doe was browsing under the neighbor's apple tree. I took the camera and walked towards it to try to get close enough for a decent night picture. I snapped a couple and kept walking, all the time she didn't seem to mind me so close. Pretty soon, she turned and walked towards me. Five feet away she stopped and started grazing, all the while oblivious to me and the camera. Not a perfect shot, being it's hard to frame in the dark, but not bad. The Cat 4 crew were non-plus with my efforts to say the least.

I'm sore today after two hard workouts, morning strength and balance, the an afternoon interval session on the trainer. Gotta make up some ground and get the knee back in shape.

A Dose Of Reality

The cold weather has set in here in the Northland. So has the pain in my left knee. Arthritis, according to the ortho doc, is the main culprit. Not much can be done about it, even all the supplements I take don't seem to help much. Less stress on the joints, more muscle to support the joints and better posture all combine to help the situation, according to the doctor. This brings me to the point of this post. I'm not as strong, fit, or balanced muscle-wise as I thought. Not even close.

How do I know this. Wii. As in Nintendo Wii. My wife brought one home on this last Black Friday. I was against the idea, reasoning it would be another fad gadget that would be collecting dust in a couple of weeks after the novelty had worn off. She also got the Fit system with it. This piqued my interest a bit, so I rearranged the basement kid's play area and set it up. The scale / balance sensing platform syncs with the Wii, measuring weight, balance, movement etc. You enter your personal data to complete the fitness data base, your starting point.

My numbers weren't very encouraging. It determined I needed to work on strength and weight loss. My balance was good, muscle balance was not, strength a bit too low, BMI too high. It said my body age is 4 years older than my actual age. Reality can sometimes suck. I've started a program of yoga, aerobic, balance and strength training, all of which the Wii keeps track of. The better you get, the more advanced programs it adds. All in all, the starting point of this program is humbling, to say the least. But, motivating at the same time. And who couldn't use more motivation?