Twisted Sideways » Fitness

Kickboxing in Austin

Rusty — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:44:13 +0000

Today begins the first day of a 6-month session of Kickboxing for me. I went to a class a few weeks ago and enjoyed it. Although I was VERY intimated because the class is actually held in a legit Martial Arts facility and they expect you to bow and follow other forms of etiquette not usually found in your typical gym. After going through CrossFit and the casual yet organized feel of the gym there, I was caught off guard when I walked in. It also didn’t help that I walked in about 10 minutes late the class either.

I’m hoping to stay committed for the duration of the next 6 months. Hopefully by posting here will add some level of accountability to me going twice a week. By friends and family not seeing results or updates here, is a sure fire way of making sure I say on top of all of this.

So here’s to the next 6 months!

Fitbit is Back

Rusty — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 18:17:08 +0000

A few months ago I lost my FitBit and I have been pretty bummed to say the least. I’m kind of a data freak and this little device was one that I became obsessed with in terms of tracking my fitness levels, food, weight, sleep patterns and a whole slew of other things in life.

After loosing it at the family ranch and having placed an order on the FitBit website, and after months of delays because of back orders and other demand issues, I finally got my replacement. And all of this comes at such a good time too since I starting up CrossFit again after taking the month of November off. Because I am so obessed with this little guy and all the data it collects, I set these small, random and totally dorky goals to meet each day, week and month.

For those of you not familiar with FitBit, Fitbit is a tiny magical device($99 USD) that automatically tracks your fitness and sleep statistics. Throughout the day it will track your calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled, your activity level, and even track your sleep patterns. All of this data is synced wirelessly through your base station to Fitbit’s website where you can get very detailed daily and historical graphs.

December is a hard month to get on board with this thing again since it’s the Holidays but I’m hopeful to be getting on track again.

Losing Weight

Rusty — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:41:46 +0000

So it’s been awhile yet AGAIN since I posted here. I used to be so good at posting updates but I have been so busy with trying to run a business that by the time I am done using the compute for work, the last thing I want to do is be on the computer more.

So here I go – This is probably going to be one of the more humiliating and honest posts I have written in awhile:

Running this business has taken it’s toll on me for sure. It’s been a lot of fun and I have learned a ton of new things. But a lot of that negative toll has been weight gain – long hours on the computer, working from home where there is a constant source of food and drinks and the ability to move from my office straight into the living room to watch TV when work is done… It’s all been very nice and “comfortable”.

At the end of September I got the scale one morning and couldn’t believe my eyes. I weight in at 272 pounds. It was the biggest that I have ever been and probably one of the lowest feeling moments I have felt in a long time. I kept thinking to myself, I’m in contender weight for being a contestant on the Biggest Looser. I knew I had to do something about this and to honest, I wasn’t really excited to get started either since I knew the holiday’s were quickly approaching. I have quite a sweet tooth so Thanksgiving and Christmas are usually big struggles for me.

Weight is something that I have struggled with almost my entire life. I just wasn’t blessed with a high metabolism. I have joked for years that when I eat a chocolate chip it goes right to my gut! And that seems to be pretty true recently.

I do have good news though, I started a pretty strict diet shortly after getting on the scale that morning and I have since lost over 30 pounds – I’m down to 242 with about 43 more pounds to go.

I purchased a device called FitBit. It’s been a wonderful tool to help me track my fitness goals and be held accountable with friends online that have access to my profile. FitBit keeps tracks of my steps, activity levels, calorie burn and sleep patterns. And their website allows me to enter my weight, food intake and other activities that adjust the FitBit as my fitness level and goals increase and decrease. I’m pretty excited about having lost the 30 pounds over the past few months. Now I just looking forward to next 40 or so more coming off.

If you want to see my progress you can view my online profile here: http://www.fitbit.com/user/2299F3

Trying to Lose

Rusty — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 05:26:53 +0000

Tonight, my brother Jason got married here in Austin. Most of the family was together or at least what was invited. It was a small, intimate gathering. My brother Mike and I were taking some pictures as my friend Jen was snapping a few shots here and there before we left. Dude, I need to lose a few pounds. I have been telling myself this for the past few weeks and I have yet to do anything about it. Because some dude at Gold’s Gym forgot to reinstate me after I cancelled my previous credit card, I haven’t had a members to Gold’s Gym the past three months. I finally got everything squared away and was able to get the same amazing rate back that I have been paying for the last 5 years.

Now that I got that taken care of, I need to get to the gym. My friend Chris also posted a blog post about needing to get back in shape. I really need to make this a priority again. Gold Gym. here I come.

Day Two: Completed

Rusty — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 04:22:00 +0000

Day two of our training has come and gone. It was a bit more difficult for me today cause I ended up with what felt like a numb foot for part of our training time. After much walking and restretching, I was able to determine that it was caused by the way I was walking and landing on my left foot.

It’s time for new shoes for sure. I am headed out on Monday for new ones. I really don’t want to spend any money on new shoes, but I got to have the right stuff to make it worth it. Plus I don’t want to end up with a big injury. Hopefully Satruday’s run will go much better.

Day One: Completed

Rusty — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 05:13:00 +0000

Last night, Tuesday, we started the long process of training for this half-marathon! And boy did I wake up a little sore this morning. It was even hard to go to sleep last night because my legs ached a bit from the stopping and starting. Today, Wednesday, we have a break to rest before we head back out tomorrow for another round of week one.

Our workout schedule is broken into three workouts a week with changes in the workout each week. Day one of week one is complete. Jen and I started talking about doing some light weight training on our days off from running. She just needs to go join Gold’s gym while they are running their special.

More updates to come!

Training for A Half-Marathon Begins

Rusty — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 23:23:00 +0000

So I have decided to begin training for a half-marathon! It’s the baby steps to the big one for sure. So I plan to start small, work my way to the 5K and then up from there. I am doing this with my good friend Jen for a few reasons. The biggest, being my ass. I know I need to lose a few pounds and I figured that I could get started now rather than waiting until the new year to start those resolutions. This nine to five job has kept me at work and in a chair much longer than I would care to be and by the time I get home each day, working out or getting any kind of excerize has been the last thing on my mind.

In college I used to run quite a bit around my neighberhood in Hyde Park. But that was when I had all the time in the world and more time than I knew what to do with.

So tonight we begin. Tonight it’s about the baby steps. It’s about holding each other accountable to make this happen. To many miles to come.

Does Exercise Release Tension?

Rusty — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 01:49:00 +0000

I sure hope so. I’m heading to the gym to blow off some major steam. Oh and to lose a few pounds. That couldn’t hurt either. With school starting back up today, I hope that people didn’t have the same idea about the gym. But then again, it is 8:45pm so hopefully most of the peeps are gone. Can’t complain either that the Gold’s added a ton of new flat screens to the cardio area either.

Cell Phone Blues

Rusty — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 03:36:00 +0000

So this weekend while out on the river kayaking with some friends of mine, we decided to manover around some rocks and swiftly moving rapids. Little did I realize how tight of a squeeze it really was until I was well into the rapids. I was thrown from my kayak, pulled underwater, the kayak went over the top of me, I slammed the back of my head on a huge rock (still underwater not wearing a helmet) and had my paddle ripped out of my hands all the while the lose prevention cord attached to the kayak and the paddle decided to break loose and take off down river. It was exciting and I loved every minute of it.

However, the “dry” bag that my cell phone was in, somehow let water in it filling the bag and destroying my cell phone. Pictured here is my new phone. I’m excited about the new phone, really I am, but not excited about the fact that I have NO numbers anymore. I don’t even know numbers. My cell phone has caused me (and I am sure countless others) to simply rely on knowing the number one time to make an entry and never think about it again. My downfall this week.

And the funny thing about all of this, I’m not even really interested in the phone I got. It’s new, it’s new to me, it has a camera on it which I have never had, and I’m not excited about it one bit. I miss me old phone and all the beautiful contact information it held… My life on hold, at least until I get a phone call.

Why Diets Suck

Rusty — Sat, 23 Jul 2005 17:54:00 +0000

So I have to admit, until last week I hadn’t been the doctor in almost ten years. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go, it was more that I didn’t need to go. I just don’t get sick. After having my tonsils removed as a kid, all my illnesses stopped. Before that however, I was also getting sick and I hated it. I’m not trying to sell you on the idea to go and get your tonsils removed because they play a valuable role. One which escapes at the moment, but they do!

Work has been stressing me out big time the past few weeks. I have been under a lot of pressure to get a lot of things done and little time to make it all happen. After a recent run in with a co-worker she noticed that my face looked pretty red and I told her I was sure my blood pressure was through the roof. Little did I know that we had a blood pressure machine on site. Some sweet little machine that raps around your arm and pumps up the bag itself then spits out a reading. And little to my surprise, that puppy gave a reading I wasn’t expecting. Big enough to cause me to ask around for a general physician.

Long story short of all of this. Doctor tells me that I need to lose 30 pounds by February. I tell him no problem, I can do it all by Christmas. Thing is, this crap has been harder than I thought. The doctor wants me to come in every two weeks for blood pressure and weight measurements so there is some added pressure of having someone check up on me every two weeks. But I have to tell you, watching my roommates eat pizza and all the French bread is killing me. I have done well thus far by avoiding this stuff but the fact that it still looms inside of the fridge almost saying “Eat Me Rusty, I will taste delicious” makes me glad there is some pressure from the doc’s office!

It sucks! It sucks! It sucks! This whole South Beach diet is great thus far. It has a lot of stuff to enjoy but I can’t but think if my freaking metabolism was higher and better I wouldn’t have this freaking problem. Did I mention that this sucks?