My Journey - Slim Down Dad

Monday: September 18, 2023 I recently read Choose More, Lose More for Life by Chris Powell. There were several interesting pieces of information in that book, but there was one takeaway that I wanted to implement in my regimen right away - Carb Cycling. Carb Cycling is a tried and true method of burning body fat, especially when combined with exercise. It has been widely used in the Bodybuilding Industry, and I thought it would be easy to work into my current diet. In the book, Chris Powell mentions that you may experience energy fluctuations as your body adjusts to the new input of carbohydrates. Today was my first workout on a Low Carb Day, and I certainly felt the energy reduction. My Upper Body Workout felt more demanding than usual, but it meant digging a little deeper and pushing through. I felt accomplished when the workout was finished and hope that my body adjusts better in the future. Wednesday: September 20, 2023 Have you ever had one of those days where it seems like someone needs something from you every moment of the day? Between my girls having a half day at school, after-school activities starting again, and issues at work - I felt like I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I reached a point where I had to put a pause on everything. I walked away from my computer, turned my phone on Do Not Disturb, and told my kids I was going to the basement to exercise (and don't bother me unless it is an emergency). It took about twenty minutes before the stress began to fade, and I could relax and forget about the dozens of things I still had to do today. I spent an hour and fifteen minutes exercising, leaving me feeling drained but good overall. Today was my second Low Carb Day in the cycle. My energy level was low early on, but I felt a second wind come on and was able to finish strong. Thursday: September 21, 2023 Yesterday marked five weeks since I injured my foot while running. I had just completed a session of the 10K Runner App (Week 8 - Day 1) and was rounding out my workout with some sprints when I felt the telltale pain in my heel. Being injured in your 40s sucks. Your aging body takes longer to heal, and the recovery isn't pleasant. I spent the first couple of weeks painfully limping around the house. After that, I spent a few more weeks carefully watching my step as I healed. Here we are, five weeks later, and I still have difficulty pushing off of the toes on my left foot. Don't get me wrong, my condition is far better than it was, but the nagging discomfort when I try to walk too quickly (or come down a flight of stairs) is annoying. I decided I was healed enough to test the waters with a jog around the park. The rule I set for myself was simple. I would start jogging, and if I experienced pain that worsened as I ran, I would stop altogether. The last thing I wanted to do was make the condition worse. If the pain was manageable, I would be happy with a single lap around the track. This would mean jogging for three-quarters of a mile and taking roughly ten minutes to complete. There was some immediate discomfort, but I kept the pace easy and my strides short. I felt slow and uncoordinated, but I hadn't been out for a jog in five weeks. After nearly a lap, I realized my discomfort was steady and didn't worsen. This caused me to tweak my goal - let's make it two laps around the park or twenty minutes, whichever comes first. After my second lap, I decided to take it a little farther and make the run two miles long. I ran the first mile at 12 Minutes and 25 Seconds. My second-mile pace was 13 Minutes and 49 Seconds for a total time of 26 minutes and 40 seconds. Unfortunately, the 10K Runner App doesn't collect as much data as Apple Fitness, so I cannot compare this session with my last. I can determine that I ran a longer single duration (Week 8 - Day 1 of 10K Runner is 23 Minutes of Running before a 3 Minute Walk). The funny thing about all this is that I have been paranoid that I would regress. I was sure my endurance would slip, and my first run back would be abysmal since I hadn't gone running in so long. Not only was it decent, it was pretty close to where I was when I stopped. It seems my sessions on the Rower and Strength Training have maintained my cardio endurance. One thing to note was that I was very sore when I stopped running. The discomfort in my foot blossomed into pain, and I limped back to my car. I'm going to keep the runs light - perhaps once per week until the Achilles Tendonitis is behind me. Saturday: September 23, 2023 Today was supposed to be a light day overall. I had plans to attend the annual Modern Classics Ride-In hosted by Martin Moto. It is a local motorcycle event that draws hundreds of riders, some of whom bring impressive classic bikes from the 70's and 80's. The event was postponed this year due to heavy rain passing through the area. I spent some time working on my laptop but ultimately ended up on the couch watching more than a few episodes of The Goldbergs. I eventually dragged myself off the couch and decided to work out. I followed my Upper Body routine and spent a little more than an hour in my basement pushing dumbbells. I increased the weight on most of the exercises by 5 pounds. My thought process was that if I could consistently do 20 reps over 3 sets, then the weight needed to be increased. The added weight made most of the exercises more challenging and wiped me out by the end. I think it will be another few weeks before I increase the weight again.