Wikipedia defines self-arrest this way:

Self-arrest is a mountaineering related maneuver in which a climber that has fallen and is sliding down a snow or ice slope arrests (stops) the slide by himself without recourse to a rope or other belay system.

Self-arrest can be performed by using an ice axe or by using the climber’s hands, feet, knees and elbows. Self-arrest with an ice axe is a difficult maneuver, but without it the probability of effectively arresting a fall is greatly diminished.

While I am not falling down a physical mountain, I am falling down a metaphorical mountain. A mountain of junk food and laziness. Back in June, I was 294 pounds. Through putting in place a healthy eating lifestyle (thanks to Weight Watchers) and exercising (thanks to Life Time Fitness), I have been able to shed over 50 pounds. Over the last few weeks, I have decided that I don’t need Weight Watchers any more. It was more for financial reasons, but my arrogance was also in there. I had been eating pretty much what I wanted and was still losing weight. I thought that exercise alone was going to do it. WRONG! That decision has caused me to slide down the “mountain” to the tune of 10 pounds gained back.

So, back to self-arresting. I am sticking my ice axe back in the mountain and stopping this slide. I have re-dedicated myself to getting back into the Weight Watchers program and getting myself to the gym at least 3 days a week. It all starts today. I will keep you posted.

I know that the day before Thanksgiving is not exactly the best time to talk about diet and exercise but I have to get this off my chest. I fear that if I don’t get myself under control, I will end up back at 290+ pounds and miserable. So, how do you get your motivation back?

A little background first, over the last 5 ½ months, I have lost 53 pounds using a combination of Weight Watchers and exercise. It has been a great time for me and I have been feeling stronger and more fit every day. That is, until a couple of weeks ago. That is when I got derailed from my exercise program and diet. I can’t even tell you what caused it, it just happened.

So here I sit, on the day before Thanksgiving, trying to figure how to get back on track. What I think will help is to go back and look at what I was doing during my most successful times. The only problem is that I have had to quit Weight Watcher due to money issues. $40 a month is a little more than I can swing right now.

Here I go, beginning on Friday (we’ll call it my “Day After Thanksgiving Resolution”), I am going to get back at it and write about it here.

whitestone presents: awake o’sleeper

This is an awesome short film by some very talented filmmakers and muscians.

Posted using ShareThis

I don’t think that I am a very good blogger. It has been almost two months since I last posted.

Well, I am still doing Weight Watchers. I have had success beyond my wildest dreams. I am down 36 pounds since June. I left the “260’s” behind last week, never to look back. I have been working out on a regular basis and that feels good. But, at my age (42), it has been a bit painful. I always seem to ache a little. Maybe that is just the way it is.

But, enough about weight loss, what I really want to talk about is simplifying my life. There is a lot of “crap” that flies around every day and I want to try to reduce it. I don’t know what form that will take yet but I hope to have some “words of wisdom” soon as I start researching it. For now, I will direct you to a couple of my favorite blogs…43 Folders and Zen Habits. Go there and read some great stuff that I hope to steal one day (just kidding…maybe).

Those of you as old as me will remember the Boomtown Rats’ 1979 song “I Don’t Like Mondays”. Well, I DO like Mondays. It has become my favorite day of the work week. Here’s why:

1. On Mondays (and Saturdays), I go and walk at a park near my house. It is very peaceful and serene early in the morning. I have found that this really sets the tone for the rest of the day.
2. The reason that I get to walk on Mondays is that I telecommute on Mondays. There is so much less stress and I get so much more done. Over the last few weeks, I have had a shift in attitude about how work can and should get done. I am in the process of reading a book called “Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It“. It has really changed my opinion about how work can and should be done. I highly recommend reading it.
3. Monday is my weigh-in day at Weight Watchers. This means that everything starts over. I have a new set of Flex Points for the week and all the bad stuff that I did the previous week is “erased”. Actually, I have been doing very well so far. Since I started on June 17^th, I have lost 19.4 pounds. Also, on my way home from my weigh-in, I get myself a little treat. Something that I would not normally eat. This week’s treat was a bottle of Dr. Pepper.
4. Finally, I like Mondays because that is when a lot of my favorite TV shows air. They are: Heroes (coming back September 22^nd), Weeds, and Mad Men. Also, American Gladiators is on Mondays during the summer. My youngest daughter and I really enjoy watching that together. So, I guess, that counts as one of my favorite show, too.

Today was a good day. I walked 5 miles this morning (in about 80 minutes). I have never walked that far in a single stretch before. Also, I was able to wear one of the new shirts that I bought a couple of months ago. Then, they were too tight. Today, it fit OK. At least passable for the park.

I have had a good eating day, too. I really haven’t felt hungry all day. Maybe it’s the exercise in the morning that helps. I have a lot of points left for dinner.

It has been kind of a lazy day. Everyone has been just kind of chilling and doing their own thing. Except of, of course, my oldest daughter who is sitting in bed recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery. She can’t “do her own thing” right now.

So, I think this is about as creative as I can be today. Maybe, I can do better tomorrow (maybe).

I started my workout program this morning. I am doing the Homegrown Muscle program at Men’s Health. It was tough getting up early but I did it and I feel much better. I couldn’t quite do the whole thing but I figure that as long as I keep improving, that is the important part.

This is a continuation of my commitment to getting in better shape before I turn 42 (which happens in a few weeks). I started on Weight Watchers five weeks ago and have lost 17 pounds. I’ve been doing well without exercising too much. Now it’s time to get moving.

NOTE: This post was supposed to be for yesterday (7/24). As you can see, I haven’t fully implemented my organization system yet.

Yesterday, I went to a Franklin-Covey seminar on their organizational system. It was very informative and the presenter kept us engaged and entertained all day. I have been sort of a junkie for productivity and time management stuff for the past 5 years. However, this is the first time that I have attended a seminar or class on the subject. I am looking forward to implementing it and getting better organized. I will keep you posted on how I do.

This is my first post.  Hopefully, they will get better from here.  Check back later.