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1. Climb more stairs.
2. Eat more food.

Hey, I'm just trying to be realistic! If I really go all out on #1 then #2 is going to happen anyway. ;)

2013 was a rough year for me. For two straight years I stuck to the plan. I climbed a minimum of 20 extra flights of stairs each and every day. Our cat died in the spring of 2013 and some weight started going back on. Like many, I eat more when I'm feeling down. I stuck to the plan just the same though.

In July of 2013, I seriously sprained my ankle. It happened at a rest stop 250 miles from home. I drove the rest of the way and then went straight to the emergency room. Based on its current condition and the swelling, they gave me the talk about how fractures aren't so bad. Fortunately, it wasn't fractured. It was an extremely bad sprain though. It prevented me from doing any climbing at all for months (unless one counts hobbling around the house on crutches), which completely took out the entire summer's hiking season. The lack of activity also put a nail in my weight loss coffin. Needless to say, I was feeling down. Sigh.

Speaking of injuries, our dog Honey has been through many surgeries in the past year or so (to the tune of $12,000+ in various vet bills, liver surgery being the biggest). Her most recent surgery was to have several teeth removed. That was just a few weeks ago. They broke while she was playing with her soft toys. Yeah, soft. Even the vet can't understand how she did that. She said her teeth were really strong and hard to extract, what was left of them anyway. It's a mystery within a conundrum. She's doing excellent right now though and if asked, she'd definitely say the medical attention was worth it. They believe she can live out her normal lifespan.

So anyway, hopefully much of that bad news is now behind me. I've got some pent-up climbing demand and I intend to put it to work. I've been planning to make 2014 a banner year. Midlife crisis? I don't think it is but I would not swear to it in court, lol. I was a bit discouraged recently because my ankle still isn't back to 100% (nearly 6 months later). I slowed down my pace considerably in recent weeks and my ankle is doing pretty well in response. Surprisingly, my legs are holding up great. I did several marathon sessions recently as a test. The forced rest has not hampered my leg strength to a noticeable degree.



The past few months were spent climbing enough to reset the time on the stair climber to a nice starting point in preparation for 2014 (much of it at 50 feet per minute in 5 minute sprints). That's 0 months, 18 days, 0 hours, and 0 minutes of climbing since I purchased it roughly 14 years ago (minus a trivial amount of time that was on it when I bought it new).

I'm going to climb at a consistent 25 feet per minute in 2014. It's a leisurely pace that I can maintain fairly indefinitely. I would have set the pace higher if not for my ankle, but it will be plenty sufficient for what I intend to do. It's definitely enough to make me sweat, especially at the one hour mark (700+ calories per hour at my present weight).

50 miles of vertical is my minimum goal. It will take me 10,560 minutes. That's exactly 7 days and 8 hours of exercise. I'll need to average roughly 30 minutes per day (slightly more than that to cover when I'm potentially sick or out of town of course).


Or bust! That's the minimum time I wish to see a year from now. You won't be getting any updates between now and December 31, 2014. No record keeping this time. I'm letting the climber do the work. I promise to make every effort to post its time on that day (the exception being anything outside of my control), and that should be reason enough to keep me motivated. I like games and this is definitely a game now. This game starts at midnight! This is in addition to any hiking/climbing I do in the real world next summer (and I plan to do plenty).

As a side note, I would not consider doing this had I not turned climbing 20 flights of stairs each and every day into a nearly permanent habit (ankle injury notwithstanding) several years ago. Baby steps for the win.

It is also my intent to make climbing 20 flights of stairs each and every day a permanent habit again. Seems odd to use the "again" word, but it is the best I can do. Would you believe that I actually asked the nurse in the emergency room if I could simply scoot up the stairs on my butt 20 times per day just to keep the habit going? She told me no! The ankle needs to remain elevated and get rest! Seriously. (I'm fairly sure she thought I was nuts for asking. I just really didn't want to end the streak! Hahaha!)

And lastly, Happy New Year!! May prosperity flow like warm slop to pigs on a cold frosty morning! Bliss! Or something like that anyway. Feel free to come up with a better analogy. ;)

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I went 13 straight days at 211. I made an attempt to hold the line once 210 was breached. Some might argue that the seasonal peak is in. Others might argue that my girlfriend made a batch of brownies a few days ago though and they are all gone now. You'll see that damage in May's chart. Oops. :)


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I'm not at all worried about the long-term trend. That's all that really matters to me. I'm confident it is still down, especially if this is factored in. Further, hiking season is officially here. I intend to do some this weekend. The weather is predicted to be fantastic.

May 3, 2013
No school due to great weather: Seattle principal gives students rare ‘sun day’ off


No joke.

See Also:
The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.000

December 31, 2012
The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.019


The stars aligned. I got a good night's sleep (which is rare since I am an insomniac most nights). The sun was out. I mowed the backyard and weeded the front yard to some degree. I was therefore in good spirits. I worked out to the second episode of the first season of Alias. It was apparently motivating enough to knock exactly 4 minutes off my best time. It took me just 40 minutes and 57 seconds to climb 200 flights today.

It is not a coincidence that the time ended in 57 seconds again. Call it a 3 second safety buffer. I started off at a 50 feet per minute pace. At first I thought I could get down under 45 minutes (with the intent of slowing down at some point). That's how long the episode was (no commercials, Comcast On Demand). 44 minutes started looking doable. I then started shooting for 43 minutes. Hope rose that I could do it under 42 minutes. And lastly, I really pushed near the end to make it just under 41 minutes. My pace varied from 47 feet per minute to 53 feet per minute (the final push at the end). I averaged 48.8 feet per minute.

Under 40 minutes was right out. First, I weigh about 6 pounds more than the last time I made a serious attempt. Second, I was alone in the house (my girlfriend had errands to run). Third, there is no phone in the room with the stair climber (to call an ambulance in theory, lol). Fourth, I don't have health insurance at the moment.

I managed to give myself a temporary dehydration headache. I drank a 12 ounce glass of Gatorade before I started. I drank another 12 ounces as I was climbing. I followed it up with yet another 12 ounces after I was done. That was definitely not enough liquids. Once I realized that I was on a record pace, I didn't want to stop to get more fluids though.



I felt like Ted Stryker attempting to land a plane. Let's just say that I don't think I'll ever get over Macho Grande. ;)

Niesen


Holy mother of...

Spring has finally sprung. It hasn't shown up in my weight yet, but I've been exercising a lot more over the past week. The day before yesterday I watched the first episode of the first season of Alias while working out (at a much slower pace). There are a LOT more episodes to go! It is very likely that I'll be climbing well more than the minimum 20 flights per day in the coming months. Once again, 20 flights remains my minimum though. It keeps me in the game and allows me to climb as many as I like whenever I like. Over the past few months, I've only been doing the minimum. It was clearly enough exercise if today is any indicator.

There was very little pain (other than the slight dehydration headache which was entirely preventable). My legs are not sore right now. The limiting factor was my cardiovascular system. It was the air I could breathe in and how fast my heart was beating that mostly decided my speed. I'm definitely not a believer in the no pain, no gain theories, especially when it comes to exercise. All it takes is modest and consistent exercise each and every day to make a huge impact overall. Baby steps! 20 flights a day seemed like a chore when I started. Now they seem trivial. It takes just 4 minutes now (or 5 minutes if I'm feeling especially lazy).

Give it a try. You might like it. Walk up the street once a day. Climb some stairs. Just do something that you think you can do each and every day for the rest of your life, even if it seems trivial. You will not regret it. I sure haven't. Anything is better than nothing.

I continue to climb at least 20 extra flights of stairs each and every day.


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It doesn't look that great but... I gained weight last March too. I guess that's just par for the [seasonally adjusted] course.


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I'm down 7 pounds since this time last year. The long-term trend works for me. I originally expected it to take "3-4 years to get down to my goal". Still seems plenty doable. No pain. No gain. (Not sure that's how they intended me to view it, lol.)

I mowed the yard yesterday (first time this season). I also did some weeding today. The seasonal effects should now start working in my favor. June is when the effects really kick in though (if the last two years are any indicator).

I'm also zipping through the 20 flights of stairs. Some days I use the physical stairs (2 sessions of 10 flights each) and some I just go 4 minutes continuously on the stair-stepper (50 feet per minute). It also keeps me in good enough shape so that I can climb [nearly] as many stairs as I like without giving it a second thought. :)

I'm very much looking forward to hiking season this year. It has nothing to do with weight loss. That will just be a bonus.

See Also:
The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.000

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It has not been a good month, but you could have probably guessed that from my posting activity. That said, I continue to climb at least 20 flights of stairs each and every day. It is definitely a permanent habit now. Today I climbed 100. What motivated me? The incredibly uplifting Alice in Chains of course, lol.

Dirt (Alice in Chains album)


Oops! ;)

In all seriousness, that's a great album. Pretty dark though!


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The death of our pet cat near the end of January marks the turning point. I think it was a trigger for allowing winter's doldrums to take center stage. Let's just say summer can't get here fast enough.

On a lighter note, I'm roughly 7 pounds lighter than I was on February 28, 2012. This is pretty much in line with what I would have predicted at this time last year. The path to get here was not nearly so predictable.

I'm also seeing a pretty substantial improvement in my ability to play scales on the guitar. I played pretty much every day in February. Seeing improvement is a great motivator. It doesn't burn many calories though. Go figure.

See Also:
The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.000

I continue to climb at least 20 flights of extra stairs each day.


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I thought I had a handle on winter's seasonal effects this year but the death of our pet cat on the 21st altered my mood to the downside. I tend to eat more when I'm feeling down. I think the turning point is fairly visible in the chart. It's not all bad. Tigger nearly made it to the age of 18. He also went fairly peacefully.

I'm not starting February off all that well. My weight is already back to 206. I walked 7 miles yesterday and also climbed 300 flights of stairs as a rare conscious attempt to compensate. I'm not sure it helped all that much though. My appetite picked up as well.


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This too shall pass. The long-term trend in blue is all that really matters to me. I have no reason to believe that it isn't sustainable. As of today, I'm right on trend (not seen in the chart). Those expecting me to get into the blue zone well ahead of schedule (perhaps myself included) might take comfort in the wisdom of the Man in Black.


In other news, I will be posting another missing jobs report soon. I may not be fully back from my break, but I feel somewhat obligated to share that bit of sarcastic joy. Oh yeah, I'm feeling winter's effects today. There's no denying it.

And lastly, in January I made my I-Bond and EE-Bond purchases. So ends my trading for the year.

See Also:
The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.000

All things considered, it's been a pretty good month. I continue to climb a minimum of 20 extra flights of stairs each day.


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I started the month off at 204, which is my lowest weight in years. I ended at that same weight. Go figure.

I can really feel the seasonal effects. For the most part I managed to offset them (either consciously or subconsciously, not exactly sure which).

On the one hand, my girlfriend made 6 pies since Thanksgiving. Since there are just two of us, I think it would be safe to say that roughly 3 of them went into me, lol. The Tillamook ice cream sales this month at the local grocery stores did some damage as well. I'm particularly fond of chocolate and peanut butter with chocolate syrup on top. As I've said from the beginning, this is not a diet plan. I eat what I want and when I want. In my opinion, life's too short to be eating rice cakes.

On the other hand, I walked more than 150 miles outside. Just like last month! It was very enjoyable. Our dog would strongly agree. I also did 3 marathon sessions on the indoor stair climber. On the 5th of December, I set what I think is a new all-time personal best of 44 minutes and 57 seconds to climb 200 flights of stairs. As far as my legs and cardiovascular system go, I consider myself to be in relatively good shape right now.


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I walked outside a minimum of 1.5 miles each and every day since November 1st (averaging about 5 miles per day). I thought it was just a November thing, but I can't seem to stop. Maybe it's turning into a new habit too. Exercise begets exercise.

Once again, it all started with baby steps.

Here's a fun fact. It takes about a minute to climb up and down 5 flights of stairs. I have never regretted doing it afterwards. Something is still better than nothing. Give it a try sometime. You might like how you feel. You've got nothing to lose (except excess weight).


Considering walking! In the rain! With an umbrella! It apparently works for me. I may not be singing in the rain, but I'm smiling more often than not. :)

And lastly...


See Also:
The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.000

December 13, 2012
The cheat's guide to exercise: Taking the stairs one at a time burns MORE calories than leaping up them

I'm a believer in "baby step" theories. Doing something is definitely better than doing nothing. It doesn't take much of a behavior change to make a big difference if one just sticks to it.

Starting in June of 2011, I have been climbing at least 20 flights of extra stairs each and every day. These days, I generally break it into 4 sets of 5 flights. Now that I'm in relatively good shape, they take about a minute each. That's roughly 28 minutes per week. No big deal!

It took so little to feel so much better. I'm about 20 pounds lighter than when I started. I'm generally doing a lot more activity per day than just 20 flights of stairs though. Exercise begets exercise. 20 flights is still my minimum. It's enough to keep me in the game, so to speak. Some days I just do the bare minimum. No big deal!

No stress. No eating rice cakes. No pain, no pain. I've been doing a lot of walking around the neighborhood in recent months. And I mean a lot! I honestly enjoy it. Rain? Shine? It's all good. That's what umbrellas are for. It all started with baby steps on the stairway.


That's the difference this time. I'm doing what I think I can do every day for the rest of my life, and not because I feel the need to do it. I do it because I enjoy how it makes me feel.

And on that note, I'm off to walk a 1.5 mile loop around the neighborhood. It's a beautiful night. The air is crisp. I won't have to ask my dog to join me more than once. Dogs somehow inherently know that walking can be fun. And yet it is we humans that need to be trained? Go figure! :)

Thanks to Rik in the comments of this post for bringing the article to my attention.