Things that just irk ya

I have discovered something new in life. Eating healthy. Alright, maybe this isn't a new discovery maybe it is a re-revelation.

I'm still fighting those extra pounds I threw on from a bit of a wild style of living for the last four years. Working everyday in the summer helped, eating fewer larger meals, and more tide-me-overs helped. Drinking less alcohol really helped.

Now that we're in one of the worst winters and I'm only pulling hours for coaching. That leaves me with roughly 160 hours a week with nothing to do. I mean nothing. I'm riding around with the maintenance crew helping with plumbing, woodwork, snow removal...but I'm not getting paid to do any of this at least not anymore. It just gets me out of the house which I love.

What do I do to fill my time now? I work out. I read. I hop on the computer. And I plan things.

Working out isn't that big of a deal to me. High school I had to work out pretty much everyday. College I dropped off after leaving Concordia and stuck to a regiment of 12 oz. curls. When I moved in to BlauHaus I took over the water softener business for reasons unknown at the time other than no one else would and I'm at least half-way familiar with it. But while I was down in the basement I came across a bar, a couple of mini bars for curls, a bench, and almost 500 lbs of weight plates. I was very happy to see these things because it means that I get to focus on some of my weight training goals.

- Increase bench press rep weight by 10%
- Increase bicep curl rep weight by 15%
- Increase triceps ext. weight by 30%
- Increase squat rep weight by 20%
- Increase lunge weight by 25%

Those are my biweekly goals. That's right. Every two weeks I achieve the desired weight on the bars. And since I don't have much else to do during the day I go to the "gym".

Where does the food fit in with this? I can ruin a great 3 hour workout in a manner of 15 minutes. No problem. Sometimes even less. Fried foods, griddled foods, the extra butter, chips, pie, cake, burgers, pizza, coke, beer...all of that stuff that is sooo tasty and yummy wrecks everything that I did in the morning. So where does that leave me?

Ideally I would be cutting all that crap out of my diet. But when I'm coming home from a tournament or practice and stop at Casey's to pick up a big boy jug of Gatorade for the week (I cut my Gatorade so that it is easier for the stomach to process. It also decreases the amount of sugar/serving and makes the half gallon last a whole week.) I have to walk by their diner counter. At this diner counter is everything you need to keep you going. Cheap 32oz fountain drinks. Fried pork and chicken samiches, pizza, chicken nuggets, doughnuts, hot ham and cheese samiches, etc. And the smells. Oh the smells.

There is something special about the smell of warm fried foods that just sends me up the wall with enjoyment.

After a couple of minutes of debating with myself in my head I glumly walk to the fridges and pick up my Gatorade and a pack of Peanut butter cracker samiches. The clerk, Tom, always laughs at me when I get to the counter. "Couldn't do it could ya?"

You'd think that for someone who enjoys cooking as much as I do would have no problem passing up the drive-thrus, garbage foods, and other assorted crap. But, humans are like water we take the path of least resistance. Willing to spend 6 bucks for dinner at Wendy's when I could have spent 6 bucks for three nights worth of dinners if I were willing to cook it myself.

But in the end I suppose it's worth it. I get to perfect recipes, find just what I like in what styles. Plus if it keeps me living healthier who am I to complain? I put my body through the paces on a regular basis and work it like I'm still 15. Which I'm learning the hard way that I am not.

Last week we had a specialties practice where I was the gunner. My job for three hours was hit at the liberos who were practicing a new style of pass designed to take the brunt of an attack with the result of a soft pass. After the first hour I couldn't feel my hand. After the second hour I couldn't feel my arm. At the end of practice I couldn't feel my right side.

What does that mean for my workout? New focus on a couple of different muscle groups. That way I can recover from something like that practice in a night, not three days.

Getting old isn't for sissies

Buck