I couldn't get out of bed Wednesday morning. I was so tired. Went to work, and made it through.
When I got home we only had the youngest boy with us. The oldest two where at the lake tubing for their young men/young women activity. The younger daughter was at my in-law's for piano lessons. We decided to go grocery shopping because we are so exciting. We also got some dinner.
My wife had been to a meeting at the youngest's new school. We're both excited for him to start. He will be going 5 1/2 hours a day to an autism school. The meeting was just about policy and procedures. They have an open house for his school tomorrow.
Had a good night at the gym last night. It was arms day. Pretty typical workout, three different sets of exercises focusing on bicep, triceps and delts. The one change was a new triceps exercise using the pull-up bars.
We put them on the lowest setting, and then bent with our heads under the bar. You then simply do an arm extension. These seem really simple at first, but after about 10 your arms are tired. I'm feeling it in my triceps today.
I also felt good because there was only one other person at the gym, and she was new. She was fairly fit, but I was able to outwork her easily. I was an entire cycle in front of her at the end of the workout, including a run.
When I got home the oldest two still weren't there. The finally turned up just after 10:00 p.m. One of the boats had run out of gas, and they had to go and tow it back in. They had a great time. Pretty good day.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Sunday Recap
Yesterday was a busy day. We started with a Lutz Family Reunion. We haven't had one of these in decades. Got to see lots of cousins and aunts and uncles that we used to see a lot. Also got to see my little sister whom we haven't seen in years. We also got to meet her husband. Here is a photo.
The biggest downside was that my youngest, autistic son was overwhelmed. After four and a half hours at the reunion, we left for my in-laws for dinner. My youngest was freaking out because he was so tired. His older brother decided he would calm him down by taking him for a walk. My wife and I both told him not to. He went anyway.
After a time I started to worry and went for a car ride to find them. After a few minutes I received a call from my Mom's house. My youngest son had got close to the in-laws and freaked out because it wasn't where he wanted to be. He scratched his brother and took off. His brother saw that he was safe and followed him up to the other grandma's house where he could have Popsicles and watch Animaniacs. He fell asleep in a chair.
When I got to my Mom's house my little brother and his family where there from Nevada. My folks where at a meeting, so I stuck around to entertain and enjoy their company. I left my with at her folks' house for awhile.
When my folks got home they had a car full of used clothing. We helped them carry it in and then I went to get my wife and daughters. When they got back they had a clothing party. All if the woman folk went through the clothing and shoes. We were there for hours.
My youngest woke up briefly and came and laid in a nest of used clothing. My daughter and her cousin decided to try on a pair of pants.
It was finally time to go home. The youngest woke up at about 3:30 am but let us sleep while he watched tv.
Long day, but good.
The biggest downside was that my youngest, autistic son was overwhelmed. After four and a half hours at the reunion, we left for my in-laws for dinner. My youngest was freaking out because he was so tired. His older brother decided he would calm him down by taking him for a walk. My wife and I both told him not to. He went anyway.
When I got to my Mom's house my little brother and his family where there from Nevada. My folks where at a meeting, so I stuck around to entertain and enjoy their company. I left my with at her folks' house for awhile.
When my folks got home they had a car full of used clothing. We helped them carry it in and then I went to get my wife and daughters. When they got back they had a clothing party. All if the woman folk went through the clothing and shoes. We were there for hours.
It was finally time to go home. The youngest woke up at about 3:30 am but let us sleep while he watched tv.
Long day, but good.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Level 6
Okay, I realize I'm horrible at this blogging thing. It is either feast or famine. But I had a pretty good day on Friday and wanted to write about it.
First off, we are having a biggest loser contest at the gym, and so far I'm ahead. In the past seven weeks I've dropped 26 pounds (most of it occurring in five weeks time.) That's great. It puts me down 74 pounds overall.
Second, we had level testing at Fire House Fitness. Our trainer, Jason Muir, has six levels of fitness he would like to get everyone through. Just because you hit these levels doesn't mean you are done, but he gives you a special deal when you pass the last level and show you are committed to working out. I took my level six test on Friday.
All levels start with a static squat. For level one it is 60 seconds. It goes up in 30 second intervals for each level until level five, then you jump up to a four minute squat. Level six it jumps another minute to five minutes. Sometime during the past few weeks I had kind of pulled one of my gluteus minor muscles and it has put a bit of a strain on my lower back. I haven't been able to do a five minute squat since then. I really just had to go to my happy place and power through it, but mission accomplished.
I was the only person going for level six at 5:30 a.m. so everyone else had started their run by the time I was done. For the lower levels you run around the block, which is around .5 miles. You then move up to a run down the street that is about .8 miles. Then one to two of those runs for level five. Finally you do a combination of the other two and run 1.5-1.75 (I'm not sure of the exact length, I just know it is over 1.5 miles.) Running has never been my strong point, but in the past two weeks it has gotten much easier. I'm not sure if it the extra 10 pounds coming off, or what. I ran about 1.25 miles without taking a break, and finished up with only one 30 second walk. My runs in earlier tests (the .8 mile run) usually took me just over eight minutes. This one that was twice the length took me 14:23 seconds. I was quite proud of that.
We then moved into the thing I dreaded the most, the "3 minute drill". This is one of those things that doesn't seem like a big deal until you try it, and are told you have two chances to get through it without stopping or you fail. This entire drill is done in the push up position with your hands on a medicine ball. You start out with 30 seconds of mountain climbers, then 30 seconds of V hops (jumping both feet up to one side of the ball, back to the starting point, then up to the other side of the ball.) You then do 30 seconds of straight hops, just jumping both feet forward and apart, to both feet back at the starting position and together. By this time my "hops" felt like they were only moving about four-five inches at a time, very small. You then go back to 30 seconds of mountain climbers, and finish with a one minute plank, 30 seconds with your left leg in the air, and 30 seconds with your right foot in the air. The plank almost finished me because I was so unstable I almost fell over (which would have meant starting over.)
I finished that and was told not to stop, but to run over to the TRX system for the final test. For those unfamiliar with the TRX, it looks like truck tie downs, but hangs from a bolt in the wall, and has two handles. For the final test we do a TRX 3 ab combo. This was the first exercise I ever did at FHF, and it almost convinced me not to come back! You shorten the handles so they hang between six and ten inches off the ground, and put your feet into the handles. You get in push up position, and start off with 15 pikes (basically raising your butt straight up into the air), then without stopping you switch to 15 pendulums (keeping your upper body straight and moving your legs side to side using your obliques.) Then without stopping you move into 15 peddles (you bring your knees up to your chest one at a time, this is almost like a small one legged pike with a bent knee.) Then you move into the collapsing on the floor in exhaustion exercise, which technically isn't an exercise, but nice none the less.
At this time I realized that everyone I had thought had left the gym had really been hanging around in the front area out of site, and come back in to cheer me on after the trainers started yelling at me not to wuss out. I got a big hug from the trainers, well the ones who aren't averse to immense amounts of sweat, and will eventually get to sign the wall as a graduate. I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment, but have to keep going. I've got about another 45 pounds to lose to get back to what I weighed when I got married 16 years ago. Wish me luck!
First off, we are having a biggest loser contest at the gym, and so far I'm ahead. In the past seven weeks I've dropped 26 pounds (most of it occurring in five weeks time.) That's great. It puts me down 74 pounds overall.
Second, we had level testing at Fire House Fitness. Our trainer, Jason Muir, has six levels of fitness he would like to get everyone through. Just because you hit these levels doesn't mean you are done, but he gives you a special deal when you pass the last level and show you are committed to working out. I took my level six test on Friday.
All levels start with a static squat. For level one it is 60 seconds. It goes up in 30 second intervals for each level until level five, then you jump up to a four minute squat. Level six it jumps another minute to five minutes. Sometime during the past few weeks I had kind of pulled one of my gluteus minor muscles and it has put a bit of a strain on my lower back. I haven't been able to do a five minute squat since then. I really just had to go to my happy place and power through it, but mission accomplished.
I was the only person going for level six at 5:30 a.m. so everyone else had started their run by the time I was done. For the lower levels you run around the block, which is around .5 miles. You then move up to a run down the street that is about .8 miles. Then one to two of those runs for level five. Finally you do a combination of the other two and run 1.5-1.75 (I'm not sure of the exact length, I just know it is over 1.5 miles.) Running has never been my strong point, but in the past two weeks it has gotten much easier. I'm not sure if it the extra 10 pounds coming off, or what. I ran about 1.25 miles without taking a break, and finished up with only one 30 second walk. My runs in earlier tests (the .8 mile run) usually took me just over eight minutes. This one that was twice the length took me 14:23 seconds. I was quite proud of that.
We then moved into the thing I dreaded the most, the "3 minute drill". This is one of those things that doesn't seem like a big deal until you try it, and are told you have two chances to get through it without stopping or you fail. This entire drill is done in the push up position with your hands on a medicine ball. You start out with 30 seconds of mountain climbers, then 30 seconds of V hops (jumping both feet up to one side of the ball, back to the starting point, then up to the other side of the ball.) You then do 30 seconds of straight hops, just jumping both feet forward and apart, to both feet back at the starting position and together. By this time my "hops" felt like they were only moving about four-five inches at a time, very small. You then go back to 30 seconds of mountain climbers, and finish with a one minute plank, 30 seconds with your left leg in the air, and 30 seconds with your right foot in the air. The plank almost finished me because I was so unstable I almost fell over (which would have meant starting over.)
I finished that and was told not to stop, but to run over to the TRX system for the final test. For those unfamiliar with the TRX, it looks like truck tie downs, but hangs from a bolt in the wall, and has two handles. For the final test we do a TRX 3 ab combo. This was the first exercise I ever did at FHF, and it almost convinced me not to come back! You shorten the handles so they hang between six and ten inches off the ground, and put your feet into the handles. You get in push up position, and start off with 15 pikes (basically raising your butt straight up into the air), then without stopping you switch to 15 pendulums (keeping your upper body straight and moving your legs side to side using your obliques.) Then without stopping you move into 15 peddles (you bring your knees up to your chest one at a time, this is almost like a small one legged pike with a bent knee.) Then you move into the collapsing on the floor in exhaustion exercise, which technically isn't an exercise, but nice none the less.
At this time I realized that everyone I had thought had left the gym had really been hanging around in the front area out of site, and come back in to cheer me on after the trainers started yelling at me not to wuss out. I got a big hug from the trainers, well the ones who aren't averse to immense amounts of sweat, and will eventually get to sign the wall as a graduate. I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment, but have to keep going. I've got about another 45 pounds to lose to get back to what I weighed when I got married 16 years ago. Wish me luck!
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