The BIG Day

Well today was the Big Autism Walk at Lowes Motor Speedway here in Concord NC. It was an awesome experience !!!! There were TONS of people there all walking to support Autism Research. I walked all three laps (just under 4 miles.) It was great having Dee and Bailey there cheering me on. The view from the track was great, I can't even imagine what it is like to watch a race there. It was a bit warm for 10am in October, it was right around 80 degrees, and it was overcast and very humid, so I was sweating like crazy !!

There was a total of 4,500 walkers and they raised over $330,000. Thank all of you who have supported me, and sponsored my walk. It was a great exercise goal, and kept me motivated through out the Summer. I am going to try and do a 5k run/walk at the Charlotte Airport in November.

Midweek update

This week was very busy. I was finally able to get in and see my new Dr here in NC. I had a bunch of insurance issues at work, so I took me a while to get an appointment with a local Dr. I really like my new DR and the office. They even have a scale that can weigh big people like me (my past three doctors only had the old fashioned "balance" type scales that only went up to 350lbs.) I weighed in at 405 pounds, but I was fully clothed, with my keys, wallet, cell phone, and $2.00 in change in my pockets, so I figure that was about 5 pounds or so. I really need to concentrate on my eating to make the weight start coming off. The Dr renewed my old prescriptions for my high blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol, so I am back on track with that too.

I also walked 5k on Tuesday night getting ready for the walk on Saturday, so that is on track.

Sorry I am a cyberslacker :-(

I am sorry I have not posted anything all week. I have not been on the computer late at like, like I usually am. I will try and be more diligent in the future. I have been getting some walking in at least. on Wednesday the whole family went for a walk. It was great having Dee and Bailey out walking with me. We managed to walk a whole mile (that is a lot for Bailey !) On Thursday I walked another mile, and I went the hard way (mostly uphill) to build up my stamina. On Friday I walked 1.4 miles. Tonight I walked 2 1/4 miles. I am shooting for three miles tomorrow.

Friday night at the gym

I managed to leave work a bit early on Friday, so I got to the gym at a decent hour. I did another "Speed Mile" where I try and go as fast as I can for one mile. I averaged just over 3 miles per hour. Then I did some upper body work too. It was a nice way to end the week.

Two plus miles

Just a quick update today. I went for a walk tonight, I had initially planned to walk a mile, but I felt pretty good after the first mile so I kept going. I ended up walking 2.7 miles in 1 hour and 1 minute. The cooler weather is certainly making it easier to walk in the evenings.

Packed Gym Today

I stopped by the gym on the way home from work today, and it was crazy !! They were having some fort of member appreciation "party" going on. It was full of the usual after work people working out and even more people there for the party. They even had Hooters there catering some food (are Buffalo Wings healthy food ??) I was able to squeeze onto a treadmill and walked just over a mile. I really ramped up my speed to 3.0 mph or higher for the whole 20 minutes. It was pretty intense !! The only bummer was my iPod shoe tracker seems to be out of calibration, it was off by almost 20% I will have to look at recalibrating it.

Two walks today

I spent a nice Sunday with my family. Bailey and I went to the big park a few miles from the house. Bailey played on the playground for a while, then we explored the "Fit Trail." It is a walking trail through the woods, and it has stations every few hundred feet where you do exercises like jumping jacks or sit ups. Bailey really enjoyed it, and had a blast looking for the next station along the trail. On the way back to the car, Bailey kept stopping and drawing on the trail. It was very cute, and she had a good time, but it really messed up my running time on the Nike+ site. We ended up walking 1.42 miles in just over an hour.

After dinner, I washed the dishes and went out for another walk. My goal was to walk 3K (about 1.8 miles.) I walked the three Kilometers and a bit more (I was on the other side of the development when I hit my goal. I walked 2.29 miles in 51 minutes (22'22" per mile or 2.68 mph.) I got a pleasant surprise on my iPod, when I finished my walk, Lance Armstrong came on and said I had set a new record for walking a mile. What a great reward and pick my up !!

No Pain No Gain

The old saying goes "No Pain...No Gain." Well here comes the pain :-( I am really paying for all of the work I did yesterday. My knees and shins are KILLING ME !! They are really sore, along with my feet too. I guess I really over did it. I thought about resting today, but I was really afraid of loosing all of the momentum I had built up this week. I went for a very late walk (@ 11:45pm.) I only walked 1.15 miles, but I walked the "hard way" around the neighborhood to make up for the shorter distance. If you walk clockwise around the outside of the development it is up hill for almost 2/3 of the way. I may have to think twice about going in that direction, unless I am specifically looking for that type of workout.

Whew !! What a day

I had a totally awesome day today !! After picking Bailey up from school, I mowed not one, but TWO lawns. I mowed our yard, and the neighbor's yard too since they are selling their house and are out of town. It was a good workout, especially the back yard since I had to mow up hill going across the yards. After we got back from our neighborhood homeowners association meeting, I put the mower away and ended up cleaning a big chunk of the garage up. Once Bailey was in bed, Dee and I watched the Biggest Loser from last night. The weather has finally cooled off a bit, it was "only" 85 degrees today, so when I left for my walk at 11:15 it was almost cool out. I initially was going to walk a mile, since I had already "worked out" mowing the lawns. The first 1/2 mile was all up hill, and was pretty hard, but I decided to really push myself and actually jogged part of the down hill section. I finished my mile in front of the house, and thought that I could make another 1/2 mile or so. I really started to get my second wind and blew past a 1/2 mile. I figured I would just keep on going until I really started to get tired. I ended up walking 2.83 miles !!!!! It took me just over an hour ( @ 22 minutes per mile or 2.7 mph.) I would have been ecstatic walking 2 miles today, but I went even beyond that :-) I was really starting to get worried about my upcoming Autism Walk, but after today, I feel really confident that I will do great !!

Upping my Mileage

I am going to concentrate on walking farther each day. I keep reminding myself that in less than a month I have to walk 3.75 miles (all at once !!) I have been able to walk a mile fairly consistently, but due to time constraints I have not pushed it much past that lately. All this week I am going to walk a bit farther every day. I started off Monday just over a mile, Tonight I walked 1.55 miles. I am shooting for 2 miles tomorrow. The Nike Shoe attachment for my iPod works great and I think it will help me track my walking much better.

After Dinner Workout

I got stuck a bit late at work again today, so I decided to go to the gym later in the evening. I am glad I made that decision, when I passed the gym on the way home, the parking lot was beyond full. I guess every one feels guilty after the weekend and wants to work it off. I was able to spend some time time with Dee and Bailey and had a nice dinner. I headed out to the gym at 10:45, and the crowds were gone :-) I walked just over a mile and did some upper body work (boy Taco burps suck while working out !!) It was a nice way to start the week.

Sorry for no weekend posts

I apologise for not posting all weekend. We had a pretty full schedule this weekend and I was on Daddy duty Friday and Saturday nights (giving Dee some much deserved grown up time.) I was not able to go to the gym Friday night, I needed to get right home from work so Dee could make her meeting. Bailey and I went to the park for a walk to 7:30 after it cooled off. Unfortunately it was almost dark after we were there for a 1/2 hour, but I was able to walk almost a whole mile (0.9) On Sunday we went to the County Fair, and we did a lot of walking there. Too bad Bailey and I both forgot our pedometers :-( I was kind of proud of myself, I resisted all of the yummy foods they had, except for one Corn Dog I had for my dinner. The Fair Food is what I like best about going to the fair, but I did not partake in any Funnel Cake, Fried Oreos, Cotton Candy, or other fried goodies that usually tempt me, so I see that as a small victory.

One Mile Around

I was able to do a walk around the neighborhood tonight. I literally walked AROUND the neighborhood, I walked the entire street the circles the neighborhood. It clocked at almost exactly one mile (1.07.) and it took me just under a 1/2 and hour. One mile is a nice round number to base some of my walks around, pretty soon I hope to be walking two or three laps around the neighborhood. The only bad thing about that route is the hills. It is mostly up hill the first half or so, with a downhill stretch in the middle, and another hill at the end (just when I am to my tiredest.) With a bit more practice I hope that won't be as big a deal. It was too hot for Baily and I to walk after school so we are going to walk tommorow night at about 7:00pm.

Free Weights

The gym was almost empty tonight (I got stuck in road construction traffic, so I got the the gym pretty late.) so I wandered into the free weight area. I did some heavy (for me anyway) bench presses with 45lb plates on each side. I did some reverse curls and lat pulls, and finished up with some 300lb+ leg presses. I also did a mile on the treadmill as a warm up. Pushing up the intensity of my work outs seems to be going will, I really feel it in my arms and legs. Hopefully Bailey and I will go walking after school.

Walk in the Park

I picked up Bailey from her first full day of school today. Our original plan was to go straight to a near by Park and go walking. I looked at the Thermometer on the Jeep and it said it was 96 degrees outside, and the sun was blazing down on us. We decided to postpone out walk for a little bit and wait for it to cool off. We headed out to the park at 6:15 and it was "only"92 degrees, but at least the sun was starting to go down, and not directly over head. Bailey and I walked one lap around the walking track, and down and back the woods trail. We walked just over a 1/2 mile, not counting the trip out to the bathrooms (I think that was at least another 1/4 mile ;-) I let Bailey play on the playground while I kept walking the track (the playground is in the middle of the walking track.) I managed to walk another mile before we had to go and meet Mommy. I liked the change of scenery walking in the park, and the track was a lot less hilly than our subdivision. Bailey liked it too, she very proudly told me that playing on the playground is good exercise too !! We hope to have a repeat on Thursday, possibly at another park.

Laboring at the gym on Labor Day

I actually managed to leave work a few minutes before the mall closed today, so I was able to get a nice workout in and still get home at a reasonable time, although it was still after Bailey went to bed :-( I did a 1/2 mile on the elliptical machine. I really kicked up my weight training. I still did the same basic exercises, but I notched up the intensity a lot. I have been just doing lighter weights up to now, trying to see what my strength/ fitness level was. Tonight I really pushed myself and bumped up the weight a lot. I felt the burn a lot more and it was a more satisfying workout. I also felt more manly (not that I am there to show off.) Lifting half the wight stack looks better for a big guy like me than just a few weight plates like I was doing before. It was a good way to start the week, and I have a much better schedule this week, so I can geta lot more excercising in.

Sunday Stroll with Daddy

Bailey and I had another great Daddy/ Daughter walk last night. We walked almost 3/4 of a mile before Bailey's legs got tired. We talked again about how important exercising is and what good exercise walking is. Bailey is still really enthusiastic about our walks and I am working really hard to keep that going. Bailey really likes the pedometer I have, and she made sure I had it with me. I made a deal with her, I we do all of our walk over the next two weeks, I will buy her a Sponge Bob pedometer I found on the Internet. Bailey is really excited about getting it !! We are going to try something a bit different on Tuesday, after I pick Bailey up from school, we are going straight to a park close to the house and walk the walking trail there. Wish us luck !!

Walking with the next Generation

I got stuck late at work tonight (2 1/2 hours +) I promised Bailey that we would go for a walk today, and I had missed our "walk date" once already this week due to getting stuck at work. I told Dee and Bailey to go ahead and eat dinner with out me. When I got home at 8:30 I had a pleasant surprise waiting for me... Bailey was sitting there all ready to go for our walk. She had he sneakers on, and was raring to go. Luckily I had changed into my work out clothes before leaving work, so off we went on our walk.

That walk was one of the best times I have spent with Bailey in a long time. She went on and on about how important exercise is and that walking is good exercise. She also talked about eating healthy, and how to make good food choices. She was very proud that the two of us were exercising and "making out tummies smaller." It feels really good that she is learning these important lessons so early. I hope that I can continue out walks and be a positive influence on her.

We walked about a 1/2 mile together, and made a date to go walking again on Sunday when I get home from work. After every one went to bed, I went back out and walked another mile or so. I forgot the pedometer on my walk with Bailey, but brought it on my later walk. Boy do I hate my pedometer !! It seems nice but keeps resetting it's self while I am walking and it is hard to get it on the right setting. I really miss my old Weight Watchers pedometer, it worked much better. Oh well we will see if I can get the new one to work correctly.

Evening Workout

I got stuck at work a bit late today, and I didn't get to the gym until after 6:45. The good news was that it was not as crowded as it usually is. The bad news is I didn't get home until almost 8:00. I did walk a mile and a half on the treadmill, that is almost 1/2 my walking goal for the Autism Walk in October (3 3/4 miles) So my endurance is starting to build up.

I am really torn about what to do for afternoon/ evening workouts. When I work the opening shift (9am to 5pm - hopefully) I don't get to the gym until 6:00 at the earliest, so I never make it home before 7:00. With Bailey's new bedtime of 9:00pm, I feel that it is really cutting into my "Family Time." Not to mention that if Dee and Bailey wait for me to eat dinner that is too late for a 5 year old to eat (especially going to be bed @ 9.) Dee and Bailey have been very supportive of me going to the gym, but I can't help feeling a bit guilty. I may try out some other options like just doing strength training (weights) and walking the neighborhood after Bailey goes to bed (if it cools off any time soon, right now it is still in the mid to upper 90s during the day , and upper 80s by 9 or 10 pm.) So once fall arrives that may be a better solution. I will have to think about it and try and come up with a solution that works for everybody.

I promise !!

I promise that I will not use the phrase "made it to the gym" for at least a month !! I was looking over some of my older Blog posts and I was embarrassed to find that 75% of them stared with some version of "I made it back to the gym today." I guess you can tell I do a lot of my posting LATE at night. I had better start going to bed sooner, or at least get a good Thesaurus. Going forward I vow to be more creative, or at least non repetitive with my posting.

Monday at the gym

I made it back to the gym Monday after work. I got a pretty good work out and still made it home before 11:00 PM . I walked a mile and got a good upper body workout. I am going back tomorrow after work too, but @ 6:00 I am afraid it will be packed again. I will have do do an improvised routine with the equipment that is free.

Weight training

Made to the gym again tonight after work. I decided to give my knees a bit of a break tonight (they are getting pretty sore with all of the walking.) I did a 1/2 mile on the elliptical machine and then did some more intense upper body weight training. Up to now I have only done light weight training, but tonight I upped the weight so I was using the mussels more heavily. It felt really good, but I am sure I will be sore tomorrow :-)

I am hoping that my knees will in better shape tomorrow so I can walk around the neighborhood when it cools off in the evening.

Walking, Walking Walking

I made it back the Harrisburg Peak Fitness tonight after work. I was going to go for a mixed workout with cardio and strength training, but I changed my mind midstream. I ended up doing all cardio on the treadmill. I walked 1.75 miles on the hill setting, averaging 2.5mph. I am slowly but steadily making my way up the almost 4 miles I will be walking during the Autism Walk in October. I would like to hit the gym again tomorrow, but I am not 100% sure since we have Bailey's open house at school and we are taking Dee out to dinner for her Birthday. If not I want to at least walk around the development.

Take Care !!

Tried a new Location

I made it to the gym today. I tried out a different Peak Fitness location in Concord NC (I usually go to the one in Harrisburg.) I was not super impressed with it. The layout was very confusing, and the equipment was all jammed together. There was no room to move around. I went around 5:30pm and it was really crowded. I saw that most of the treadmill they had were the same kind I used to use at Golds Gym in Georgia. I like the set up and program options it has. Unfortunately the ones they had in Concord were old and not well taken care of. The running belt was off center so I had to walk all of the way to the side and I kept bumping into the handrail. The belt or belt motor was wearing out, because every time I put any real pressure on the belt I would "bottom out" and the belt would stop. That made for some awkward walking. I suffered through about 20 minutes on the darn thing before I gave up (I did manage to walk 3/4 of a mile.) By then all of the other treadmills were full and the universal equipment was occupied too. I decided to cut my losses and meet Dee and Bailey at the Birthday Party they were at. I hope to get a much better workout tomorrow back at my "home" gym in Harrisburg.

Best Workout so far

I had another late night gym trip on the way home from work. I had the best workout tonight !! I walked a mile and a half in 37 minutes. I even tried out the elliptical machines, and did a 1/4 mile in 5 minutes. The elliptical are very deceptive, it seems easy at first but you really feel it later, especially my butt, LOL. I got in a good leg work out too, with leg curls, lifts and presses. I also did 20 back extensions and 50 count them 5-0 crunches !! I was amazed I was able to do that many, but I bet I will pay for them tomorrow. Friday nights are great at the gym, it was empty, I guess every one was out partying.

No trips to the gym over the weekend, they close @ 5pm and I wont get off work before then. I am going to try and do some walking around the neighborhood.

PM Gym trip

I made it back to the gym tonight. I got there about 10:30 PM and stayed for close to an hour. I was able to walk 1.4 Miles on the readmill in 35 minutes on the "Hill" program. I can tell my cardiovascular system is finally starting to get back into shape. I also did some arm and back work. There is a nice guy at the gym who like to talk while you are working out, I tried to keep to the other side of the gym. When I am at the gym I want to work out and listen to my iPod, not to chat :-(

Oh BTW I weighed myself again this morning and I was 400 pounds even. It is a nice start, just 200 or so more to go :-)

Different type of work out

I was going to head to the gym today, since I had the day off today. However I got a pretty good workout today at home. Since I had the day off, I decided to take a couple of hours to put together my Daughter Bailey's swing set my Parents got her for her Birthday. Well it ended up being way more than two hours, it was more like 5 or 6 hours, and I am not 100% done with it. On the positive side lifting all of those metal poles and lugging that stuff around the yard when it is 98 degrees out was a pretty good work out. It was much harder than I imagined, with lots of bending, and stooping, and even crawling around on the ground. By the time I called it quits I was soaking wet with sweat. I should be able to finish the swing set on Saturday. I am going to the gym on my way home from work tomorrow night, so I will be able to get a proper workout in, so stay tuned.

Hit the scale this morning

I got on the scale this morning for the first time in a few months. The results were about what I expected ... 408 lbs. I am going to try and weigh myself once or twice a week to see how my progress is going. I hope to make up some fort of chart or graph to track my progress.

Crowded @ the gym today !!

I stopped by the gym on the way home from work today, and man was it crowded. All of the treadmills and elipticals were full, and I had to fight to get on the Natulaus machines. I did manage to get a good leg work out though. Once I squeezed onto a treadmill I was able to walk 1 1/4 miles in 30 minutes.

Back to the Gym

Well I made it back to the gym today. I had to get there before 5:00pm today since they are not open 24 hours on the weekends :-( I had today off, so it was easy to make time. I finally figured out how to work the program controls on the treadmill, so I was able to to get more out of my workout. I did 30 minutes of the "Hill" program, that varies the incline of the treadmill so it seems like you are walking up and down hills. I was able to do 0.9 miles, with an average speed of 2.4 mph and inclines from 2.0 to 7.0. I did more upper body machines today, and pushed myself a bit more to "feel the burn" so to speak with out going over board. We will have to see tomorrow how sore I am. I may try and walk the neighborhood again tonight when it cools down (it is in the upper 90s again today.)

Walking around the Neighborhood

I did a bit of late night walking around the subdivision tonight. I had to wait until it cooled off some, it was in the upper 90s today (It was still 85 degrees at 11pm when I went walking.) I only managed to walk o.4 miles tonight. I did not realize how hilly our neighborhood is, going up those hills nearly killed me :-) I am sure it will get easier as I get more walks under my belt.

My first trip back to the Gym

Well I finally made it back to the gym for the first time in over two years. I signed up for Peak Fitness here in Charlotte (thank you again Mom and Dad !!!!) I was amazed how much I fell back into the groove. I forgot how much I liked going to the gym. I forsee a lot of late night trips to the gym since I am such a night owl and they are open 24 Hours Monday through Friday.

I managed to do an entire mile on the treadmill, which came as quite a shock to me. I have not done any sort of serious walking in some time. I even squeezed in a decent upper body work out. I tried working my legs, but my knees are still sore from when I fell on them last month. I am planning on going back to the gym Sunday afternoon and build on today's sucess, and hopefully walk around the neighborhood Saturday night after work.

Wish me Luck, I will keep you posted.

Why a Blog ??

I started "Bill's not so big blog" to create an online journal of what is going on in my life. Particularly me getting in shape. I am really out of shape (I really do look like Eric Cartman right now.) I weigh 400 or so pounds right now, and my diet is terrible. I want to make a big change my life and I figured that a Blog would be a great way to keep any one interested up to date. Having other people read my Blog will keep me honest and hold me accountable. I am a natural night owl, so Posting to my Blog at 2:00 will give me an outlet that would not normally have to share my accomplishments or vent about my setbacks.

I look forward to posting a lot of good updates with my weight loss progress, stay tuned and hopefully "Bill will not be so big" for much longer.

My first Blog !!

Hey everybody, I have my very own Blog now !!

I want to try and keep every one updated on what is going on with me and my family :-)

Take Care !! Bill