Food

We spend very little on food in the US. Prices have risen over the last decade, but are still much lower than they were in the 1900s. "The West Wing" touched on the fact that food used to be a much larger portion of a family's budget than it is now. The didn't get the facts of Mollie Orshansky's life right, though. Food costs have dropped with the advent of more efficient farming. Factory farming has lowered the cost even further.

At the same time that food was getting cheaper, we were spending more and more money on health care. It may not be a direct cause and effect, but it's more than just a correlated relationship. People are eating foods that are not good for us, and are able to eat them in larger quantities than we did in the past. Items that used to be rare treats because of the cost are now regular items because they can be.

Everything that we consume affects our body and our health, even if we don't see that effect immediately. No one is expecting anyone to eat perfectly 100% of the time. If you can eat healthful, whole foods 90-95% of the time, you'll be fine. Your body can deal with 5% ice cream, Cheetos and frozen burritos. Don't deny yourself treats completely, but try to have a diet that you wouldn't be embarrassed to admit in public.

Day 9D--Off week

Well, I missed an entire week of working out. It was my birthday and then I got a cold that knocked me on my butt and standing up was too hard. I thought about the exercise I was missing, but was too out of it to actually do anything.

I went back at it today, and will probably be sore tomorrow. Even with the week off, I didn't really lose much progress on any of my exercises. I was going to add one today, but don't want to overdo it anymore. Instead, I will be doing a ton of cardio today. I plan on breaking out the Wii games that I know will burn some calories and fat. I haven't used the Cardio Workout in a while, so I think I'll try that out again. It's mostly boxing, but it works the abs, too. Plus, it's fun to punch.

Day 82--Sinus infection

My cold's been gone for about a week, but it morphed into what I think is a sinus infection. I think I'd rather have the cold. The sinus infection is causing headaches and a loss of my sense of balance. It's been almost two weeks since I've worked out and I have only the rest of this week until my run. I've lost a lot of time that I was hoping to use to build up to the run, so I'm now hoping that I can finish in under 45 minutes. Honestly, I'm just hoping that I'm able to finish.

I did get a heart monitor yesterday, which I'm also excited to try out. I know I'm improving my heart's strength, but it will be nice to be able to graph that change.

Day 81--Weight

The positive side to feeling crappy all week is that I haven't eaten much all week.

Because of the reduced calories, I managed to lose some weight even without working out.

I've hit the 130 pound mark.

I weigh 129.4 pounds.

This is the lowest I've weighed since I quit smoking a few years ago. I still have 11 pounds to go until I hit my Wii Fit Plus goal, but only 29.4 pounds to go until I hit my driver's license weight and my smoking and single weight.

Day 80--Death

Ok, no one actually died, but there were moments when I wished for death. I'm sure that all I have is a cold, but it kicked my ass. Even with a constant flow of decongestants, I still went through several boxes of tissues this weekend. I made it into work on Tuesday, but barely made the two block walk home from the train. I feel like crap, and not being able to work out for a week just adds to it. I am hoping that I feel up to it tonight, though.

My run is just a bit over a week away. The race packets go in the mail tomorrow. I'm also hoping to get a run in tonight, now that the weather is above frigid. I did stop my transit beginning May 1, so that's when I will begin biking my commute each day.

Day 71--More running

I was playing nurse to my sick girlfriend yesterday, so I didn't get a work out in at all. Tonight was bowling and then I ran a mile with my dogs when I got home. We ran the mile in 12 minutes, which is not a record setting time at all, but I'm pretty happy with it. It's only our second run, and that 12 minutes includes the time it took for two pee breaks, a poo break and a near-deadly off course sniffing. I plan on getting back at the Wii tomorrow, and start the 6 week challenge on EA Active More Workouts.

I know the running doesn't seem fit with the blog's title, but it really does for me. I've always known that running is great for cardio-vascular health and a great way to burn calories. I think most people know that to be true. Even with that knowledge, it took the small segments on the "track" on EA Active to break through my mental block to running. It had to build up my endurance and confidence to the point where I would consider running in the real world. Even if the running isn't done with the Wii, it's all because of the Wii. I also know that running won't really help tone and shape my arms or back, which is why I will continue to use the Wii for that part of achieving the "Perfect Body"

Day 66 & 67---illness

I'm still feeling craptacular (it's a word, I swear) so I have not worked out at all. It totally sucks that I can't work out, but I can barely get upright, so exercise is out of the question. On the bright side, the illness is stopping me from eating much of anything, either, so I probably won't gain weight with the lack of exercise. I'm hoping to be back at it tomorrow.

Day 65--nothingness

I was not feeling well yesterday, so I didn't do anything after work but crawl under a blanket and stayed there until crawling into bed a few hours later. If I didn't have deadline work on my desk, I would still be in bed right now. I'm not expecting to get a workout in tonight either, even though I have an off week from bowling. I'm hoping that I feel better tomorrow so I can catch up on the missed days and take advantage of the spring/summer weather we're supposed to have this weekend.