Let’s Get Physical: Week 3

On 06/09, I wrote about my decision to get in shape in a post entitled “Lets Get Physical.” My decision was based, in part, on the fact that I was out of shape to the point that walking up multiple flights of stairs winded me.

I’ll be using a combination of diet and exercise to accomplish my get-in-shape-semi-quickly goal, and I’ll be following the Couch-to-5K Running Plan (starting with week 4), and “Nutrition and Hydration for Runners.”

This is a continuation of Lets Get Physical tracking my progress after week three of my program.

…

Well, it’s the end of week three and I feel exhausted. The last workout — 2.25 mile, no walking — really pushed me. My legs are dead, and will most likely feel worse tomorrow. But, you know what they say: “No pain, no gain.” Last week’s slacking threw off my routine for this week, really making me realize the importance of setting a schedule, and sticking to it.

Stats

Weight: 190 lbs.

Well, I’m now hovering around 190, meaning that since I started this whole thing, I’ve shaved off 2 pounds. But the thing is, you can’t really measure success in pounds lost, what matters is how you feel. Also, consider that the process of getting in shape requires the breaking down and rebuilding of muscles, so to truly measure my fitness stats, I should be using my BMI and percent body fat (Note: my current BMI is 25.76 and according to the chart at Wikipedia, I am slightly overweight).

Active Heart Rate: 160/60

I actually have a hard time believing this calculation, but I took it immediately after walking in from run. So, the jury’s out until I get into next week’s work out regiment.

At-rest hear rate: 76/60

OK, so this is up from last week, which seems odd to me. Then again, I am not a cardiologist, so what do I know?

Run

The running this week was a little challenging. I really had to push myself, which is great (even though it doesn’t feel like it). The tiredness I’m feeling is a sign to me that I am doing something right. I’ve been able to stay pretty hydrated, thus reducing fatigue, etc.

I’ve had to continually alter my route to give myself enough room to run the required distances, and still end up back at my apartment. This means that the hills are getting hard to avoid. I can generally avoid them in the beginning of my run, but still find my self running up hill at the end of my run. However, today I found a route that is a much more gradual ascent (so much so that it almost feels flat), and I plan on running the whole route backwards, starting running down hill and then around to the gradual incline. Should give my legs a nice rest.

Eat

My eating has stayed pretty consistent. I think that I’m getting plenty of protein, but I’m definitely not getting enough carbs. I need to focus on eating more rice and pasta’s on my off days so that I have the energy I need on my run days.

The soda thing is still going fine, and I am still drinking a lot of water. This has actually ended having a welcome side effect: I am spending a lot less money on drinks. Aside from the occasional beer, I only drink water when I go out.

Also, after my praise of Vitamin Water last week, I was encouraged to be careful because a whole bottle has more calories than most sodas. After a more thorough inspection, I discovered that the nutrition information on the bottle is based on 8oz servings. Tricky.

But one shouldn’t be afraid of calories if one is active. What I am really interested in avoiding is the caffine, high fructose corn syrups, and other things of absolutely no nutritional value that are in sodas. Vitamin Water may have calories like soda, but it also has vitamins, which soda does not. Anyway, thanks for the heads-up.

The next couple of weeks is when the program really heats up, requiring running for increasing distances / times without walking. Gut check time is now officially upon me, and I shall consider myself checked.