Running Man Dan

Monday Weigh-In

2008-07-21T19:40:00.004+01:00

It's been a bit of a slow week on the fitness front. I have not been running since last week, but I have been watching the food intake as well as cut down on the beer!!

As you can see from the chart I'm up and down like the Syrian Empire. This morning I was 184.4 lbs.

I have started doing push-ups three days a week with the help of http://hundredpushups.com.
They claim that by the end of six weeks I should be able to do 100 push-ups in one go. So far, so good! I'll keep you posted.

I am running tomorrow night with Tim, and hope to be able to push it a bit further this time.

Monday Weigh-In

2008-07-14T21:54:00.003+01:00

It's a week since I started out on my search for fitness and I think it's gone pretty well so far.

At least the line is now heading in the right direction!

Running Buddy

2008-07-10T20:30:00.002+01:00

Tonight I went for another run along the seafront, and this time I ran with my mate Tim.

Having someone to run with makes a world of difference. I found myself not really thinking about running, if that makes sense. Usually, when I run on my own I'm thinking about:

how far I've run
how far I've still to go
the slight pain in my side/leg/or wherever!
how hard it is to breath
whether it's okay to stop before the end

It feels like there is a constant mental battle going on.

But tonight, I did not think about any of those things. I just ran. I slipped into a rhythm quite quickly and it felt good. Consequently we ran further and faster!

So, I now have a running buddy which will make getting out the door a whole lot easier.

Gyminee.com

2008-07-09T15:49:00.003+01:00

I have recently signed up to gyminee.com (user name RunningManDan!), which claims to be:

“the premier fitness social network for detailed tracking, online accountability, and motivation. Whether you are trying to lose weight or get fit.”

I discovered gyminee whilst searching for people to follow on Twitter. I noticed that quite a few people tweeting about fitness/exercise were also talking about gyminee.

Some of the features include:

Set goals i.e. body weight, resting heart rate, body fat etc and track your progress visually
Follow user submitted workouts and track your progress
Plan your exercise diary (which integrates with Google Calendar!)
Monitor your diet

If, like me, you struggle with motivation when it comes to exercise gyminee could be your answer. The ability to see my actual vs, target weight is a great motivator.

Potentially one of the best things about it though is the fact that it’s social. You can engage with other users to gain advice, support and encouragement. And of course, contribute to the success of others.

Twitter test

2008-07-07T21:34:00.001+01:00

Trying to set up TwitterFeed, so this is a test!

One Broken Heart for Scale

2008-07-07T15:18:00.000+01:00

I’m a bit of an Elvis fan. Not like the Japanese. I don’t dress up and sing karaoke. I do have a couple of his records, and a slightly unnerving amount of Elvis memorabilia, such as Elvis Pezleys, fridge magnets, mugs, photos, books etc, scattered about the house.

A couple of years ago my brother bought me the ultimate in bathroom scales.

However, I don’t think Elvis is quite up to the job in hand as I’ve never trusted the readings. I now need something a little more accurate and easy to read.

So today I bought some electronic scales from Argos. I was amazed at some of the scales on offer, particularly the Salter MiBody USB Analyser Scale!!

Just for the record, One Broken Heart for Sale reached number 11 in February 1963!

Let's Get Started

2008-07-07T11:59:00.000+01:00

Today is Day One.

My quest for fitness starts here. And what a day to start by the way! It is miserable outside. Howling winds and pouring rain.

My new regime will see me rising at 5:30am during the week. That way, I will be able to have breakfast, go for a run, cycle or paddle on the sea, shower, dress, be useful around the house and get to work by 9:00am.

I plan to do a number of things with this blog, including 'The Monday Weigh-In'.

As it is Monday today and I weighed myself this morning, I can confirm that the starting weight is exactly 13.5 stones, or 85.72 kg, or for our American cousins, 189 lbs.

I am 6''3 or 1.905 metres tall. Therefore my current Body Mass Index is 23.6, which makes me normal weight for my height.

I'm not in this to loose weight. It's about the fitness levels. However, I could have a BMI of 18.5 and still be normal!!!