The whole package
Much has happened since I have last written. My blog has become increasingly infrequent as I seek to find a reason to train again as I once did.
Currently I'm perhaps in the worst shape of my life. My waist has expanded from a 28-32 to 36-37. My weight has ballooned to 12 stone, from 10 and a half. I have an appointment with a consultant in regards to ongoing foot problems, but at least I'm getting them sorted.
Without going into detail, I have contentions about doctors. Seeing the same doctor who knows you and your body is a useful thing. The surgery I attend is largely paid for by my taxes. However, it is difficult to see the same doctor twice (the records don't always say which doctor you have seen last). Therefore, to receive an overall check-up, and a rigorous routine and the like is difficult. But not impossible.
The main cause of my current ill-health is my choice of hobbies. Many of my hobbies involve me spending a huge amount of time sat on my backside (painting, reading, writing, gaming ec.) This has led to many evenings with me sat down for 6-7 hours or so, for many months. My health is more damaged by this than by smoking or beer, I think. But this is something I have realised.
The 10k in Scarborough came and went recently. I thought several years ago that I would aim to dip under 40 minutes. For my body (squat and muscular) this was a big ask. It required a lifestyle that even now I am not educated enough to adopt. I ran 41:50 fairly easily a few years ago; last year I ran 46 and felt it slow. I didn't dare run it this year, not least as I think it easy to expend energy for a one-off event to run a mediocre time. The challenge of a race is to maintain the training beforehand - something that I have struggled with for a fair time.
The biggest difference I need to take is in my diet. Socrates was wise when he affirmed 'everything in moderation, including moderation.' Thanks to the mild tedium that I have let my daily life become, I have sought to avoid moderation by binging on food. The pattern is familar; I don't eat unhealthily. I consume enormous amounts of carbs, fresh veg and red meat. But, like when I lived in Hull, I eat an extraordinary quantity. As I so often say to people, I used to eat 500g of meat, a jar of sauce and three peppers (and half a bag of pasta) in an evening. Such a meal would fill three full plates of goodness. Three plates of goodness, though, isn't good. Fortunately, in Hull I had no heating and no car. Therefore, I shivered many of those calories off. Now, though, I have heating, and I have a car. And, from that, any excess food is not burnt off.
In the evening, I found myself cooking an entire meal again at about 10-11pm. Food at that time is especially delicious.
In addition, I found the sleeping pattern to which I am most inclined is to take seven hours. I sleep at 3am, and wake at 10am. Of course, for work I wake at 7am if I sleep at midnight. I'm waking currently at 6am after sleeping at midnight, and feeling little in the way of ill-effects. One thing I would say about sleeping patterns to those who read this blog to see if they experience any the ambition and confusion that I do is this: waking up early should not be associated with neglecting morning routines. Each morning I read papers, eat well and shower for a long time. It takes me an hour from rising to leave the house. I used to work immediately upon rising, and resent it. That is no good.
I am finding myself walking to work more frequently at the moment. I intend to walk to work on Monday and Tuesday next week, and to continue that practice for a long time to come. I am reminded of that famous internet picture of the American gym with escalators leading to the front door: why should I drive to the gym to perform less cardio than it would take to merely walk to work and back? The thing about walking to work, too, is that I have to complete the journey.
The nature of my existence is that I can be unhealthy for a fairly long time from now without too much ill-effect. The nature of me is that I don't want to be.
I have pretentions to complete 90 days of the P90x programme. Truth be told, I need to purchase the equipment, and to get my head round how I will aptly diet for it. The problem for me is that I rarely sustain routine on a daily basis, preferring instead big efforts every 3-4 days, or even once a week. That will need to change if I want to enjoy the fitness to which I aspire. And that fitness, which will lead at the very least to this blog beginning again, will involve some lifestyle changes both profound and known only to me.
It's time to see how educated I really am.
Currently I'm perhaps in the worst shape of my life. My waist has expanded from a 28-32 to 36-37. My weight has ballooned to 12 stone, from 10 and a half. I have an appointment with a consultant in regards to ongoing foot problems, but at least I'm getting them sorted.
Without going into detail, I have contentions about doctors. Seeing the same doctor who knows you and your body is a useful thing. The surgery I attend is largely paid for by my taxes. However, it is difficult to see the same doctor twice (the records don't always say which doctor you have seen last). Therefore, to receive an overall check-up, and a rigorous routine and the like is difficult. But not impossible.
The main cause of my current ill-health is my choice of hobbies. Many of my hobbies involve me spending a huge amount of time sat on my backside (painting, reading, writing, gaming ec.) This has led to many evenings with me sat down for 6-7 hours or so, for many months. My health is more damaged by this than by smoking or beer, I think. But this is something I have realised.
The 10k in Scarborough came and went recently. I thought several years ago that I would aim to dip under 40 minutes. For my body (squat and muscular) this was a big ask. It required a lifestyle that even now I am not educated enough to adopt. I ran 41:50 fairly easily a few years ago; last year I ran 46 and felt it slow. I didn't dare run it this year, not least as I think it easy to expend energy for a one-off event to run a mediocre time. The challenge of a race is to maintain the training beforehand - something that I have struggled with for a fair time.
The biggest difference I need to take is in my diet. Socrates was wise when he affirmed 'everything in moderation, including moderation.' Thanks to the mild tedium that I have let my daily life become, I have sought to avoid moderation by binging on food. The pattern is familar; I don't eat unhealthily. I consume enormous amounts of carbs, fresh veg and red meat. But, like when I lived in Hull, I eat an extraordinary quantity. As I so often say to people, I used to eat 500g of meat, a jar of sauce and three peppers (and half a bag of pasta) in an evening. Such a meal would fill three full plates of goodness. Three plates of goodness, though, isn't good. Fortunately, in Hull I had no heating and no car. Therefore, I shivered many of those calories off. Now, though, I have heating, and I have a car. And, from that, any excess food is not burnt off.
In the evening, I found myself cooking an entire meal again at about 10-11pm. Food at that time is especially delicious.
In addition, I found the sleeping pattern to which I am most inclined is to take seven hours. I sleep at 3am, and wake at 10am. Of course, for work I wake at 7am if I sleep at midnight. I'm waking currently at 6am after sleeping at midnight, and feeling little in the way of ill-effects. One thing I would say about sleeping patterns to those who read this blog to see if they experience any the ambition and confusion that I do is this: waking up early should not be associated with neglecting morning routines. Each morning I read papers, eat well and shower for a long time. It takes me an hour from rising to leave the house. I used to work immediately upon rising, and resent it. That is no good.
I am finding myself walking to work more frequently at the moment. I intend to walk to work on Monday and Tuesday next week, and to continue that practice for a long time to come. I am reminded of that famous internet picture of the American gym with escalators leading to the front door: why should I drive to the gym to perform less cardio than it would take to merely walk to work and back? The thing about walking to work, too, is that I have to complete the journey.
The nature of my existence is that I can be unhealthy for a fairly long time from now without too much ill-effect. The nature of me is that I don't want to be.
I have pretentions to complete 90 days of the P90x programme. Truth be told, I need to purchase the equipment, and to get my head round how I will aptly diet for it. The problem for me is that I rarely sustain routine on a daily basis, preferring instead big efforts every 3-4 days, or even once a week. That will need to change if I want to enjoy the fitness to which I aspire. And that fitness, which will lead at the very least to this blog beginning again, will involve some lifestyle changes both profound and known only to me.
It's time to see how educated I really am.
posted by A teacher at
04:59
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