Fitness Goals/Oil down $4

I elected to create a FreeMind file of my fitness goals. You can click on the image to get a better view.

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A fire sale on oil? Down $4. My idea of hell (other than being consigned to driving the roads of Sicily for eternity) would be to be consigned to the energy pits for eternity!

Fit by Fifty: The Close of Week 2; and More Penis Talk

Two gold stars-one for each week. While you might find my calorie counting and routine mapping compulsive, it is important to me because if I don't measure these things two things will happen. Thing 1: Without measuring, I'll not be able to systematically map my progress or monitor feedback; Thing 2: I'll lose focus--and likely not do it at all. Having an outcome (a graph etc) ensures that I complete the process.

In order to measure my physical activity in terms of quality and quantity, I set up an Excel worksheet. Here's WK 1. I exercised for 86 minutes. You can see that I've kept track of my time in each zone. (My hrm does this for me).

Because each zone is different in terms of load, I've adopted Sally Edward's point system. I get one point for each minute in Z1, 2 points for Z2....


Here's WK 2. I exercised for 233 minutes--144 minutes longer than WK1. It was a little lower in WK2 @ 2.31 v 2.39. But I had 5 days of activity.



I'm sure that you must be asking, "Why bother measuring time in zones?" It is an excellent question, and I promised in an earlier post that I would discuss the importance.

Your body burns different types of fuel at different workout levels. The fuel your body burns is the same fuel that you stuff in the gas tank: carbs, fats and protein. Protein is nominal in all zones. Your body is smarter than you are and alot more efficient. Accordingly, it is going to burn the most effective fuel for the exercise load. As you can see from the figure below, as your exercise intensity increases, your body switches to stored glycogen (carbs).

You understand, then, why it is important for athletes who must compete at these high intensity levels must carb load. They have to have as much glycogen in their muscles to fuel their activity (to include replenishing it throughout the activity). When the fuel runs out, you bonk (you get stopped dead in your tracks, maybe pass out from low blood sugar).

It is true that you burn more calories at higher intensities and ultimately a calorie deficit enables you to lose weight. Nevertheless, it is useful to keep in mind that if you are fat and not fit then you cannot exercise at a higher capacity for very long--you risk injury to yourself by overloading your heart and your body's infrastructure.

I have to put myself in this category (though no one would call me fat to look at me). Exercising more moderately will help you build a base from which to condition the body. You will NOT be uncomfortable, and you will be improving your fitness. The key is to exercise for longer periods at these lower intensities more frequently.

As I'm building my base, I want to be in the 2.3-2.5 range for at least the first month--maybe two-- to get in the habit of exercising and to not re-injure my foot. Understand that I'm doing the same types of exercise as I did with a 5 year younger body previously. Accordingly, I'm trying to listen to this older body! So far it is not yelling at me.

I've been surprised by my lack of foot pain. Also, my ankles have not rolled in the past two weeks.

Here's my final chart. I took Macy and Daisey out for a 2.6 mile walk/run. I saw a neighbor on the way. He was diagnosed about 3 years ago with Type 2 diabetes. He took control of his health at the time by losing 60 lbs, stopping smoking and exercising. I asked him about how he was doing. Well....he's not doing so much. We commiserated. I evangelized a bit, and I told him that by managing his diabetes, he would help keep his penis healthy. His ears perked up. He was surprised to learn that diabetes contributes to erectile dysfunction. If you'd like, you can read about it here.

As I was going through my cool-down, I encountered two dogs, Toby and RJ....both are un-neutered males and were intent on sniffing my two girls (who are spayed). This could not happen as a dog fight would ensue. I had a nightmarish vision of leashes tangled around limbs (Daisey already had Macy's tangled around her leg) and then great skin burns and bone snaps from them tightening. When we have these dog threats, both M and D start snapping at each other.

You can see the spike in my heart rate. I was already tired, and I was putting a load on my heart by tugging my two girls and commanding "This way". They dutifully followed with the boys wistfully following behind.

Utilities, redux/Fit by Fifty Update

Moon, Persimmon and Moth

by Anita Munman

I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for the State; and as for the man who sets private friendship above the public welfare - I have no use for him either.

Sophocles, Antigone

My hope is that whomever wins the election, that they will be a good governor--be courageous and not compromise our fiscal well-being by pandering for voters. But it is the political silly season--so I'll not hold my breath.

Michael Kahn has an article in Barron's about utility stocks. I first mentioned here that I thought utility stocks looked weak. I bought some SDP (double short UYG) at $58 and sold at $65. I exited and was looking to re-enter. Kahn specifically mentions electric utilities. You can find a list of the HERE on FINVIZ.

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I've reinvigorated my efforts in getting my books reorganized. Of course you know why: I cannot find a book. Given that I'm on my FBF kick, I particualarly wanted to get my fitness, health, nutrition books in one place. I found Fitness and Health, by Brian Sharkey. If you are looking for a good all-round book on fitness and health, this would be a good one to get. I have the Fifth Edition. I sat down and went through the entire thing again.

What actionable item came from that time? I reconfigured my protein needs (reduced them) for my diet. Endurance thletes (which I am not) require 1.2-1.4 grams of protein per kilogram. Strenght athletes require 1.4-1.8 grams. the RDA is .8 grams per kilogram. I figure with my training, I need 1 gram per kilogram.

The point of interest is that our diets tend to have more protein than our body requires. If you want compute your protein needs you can do so as follows:

Your weight in lbs ______ (a)
Divide by 2.2 (to convert to kg) / 2.2 (a) / 2.2
Your weight in kg _______(b)
Your protein per gram intake based
on your activity level (between .8 - 1.2) _______(c)
Your total daily protein grams _______(b) x (c) = (d)
Calories per gram of protein 4.3
Your daily calories from protein _______(d) x 4.3 = (e)
Your daily calories (based on your BMR click to calc) _______(f)
Your % of daily calories from protein _______(e) / (f)


I provided a link for you to calculate your BMR. BMR is Basic Metabolic Rate--the amount of calories your body needs (based on your weight) to sustain basic functions. Do you know what yours is? If not, I'd encourage you to find out by clicking the link. The difference between what we consume in calories v. our BMR = weight gain. It doesn't take long for it to add up--particular for us middle-agers! Of course, the very next thing to do is to look at the amount of calories that you consume.

As I look at the weight that I've put on, I realize that my enjoyment of wine has contributed to this increase. Prior to cultivating my knowledge and enjoyment of wine, it was unusual for me to have more than 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks PER WEEK. That is far less than the couple of glasses of wine that I began to enjoy PER DAY. Here's a chart

Source: http://www.davidstuff.com/wine/calories.htm

Per week, then, ONE THOUSAND calories (100 x 2 (per day) x 5) v. 200 calories, OR 800 additional calories, is a formula that expands one's body. So every 4.4 weeks, this formula yields an extra pound of fat all things being equal. That's 12 lbs per year.

But all things are not equal--wine sure does taste good with good food.....Sigh. Now you know why I'm on my FbF path. I hope that I inspire you to get on your on Fit by ## kick. Time for another chart that will remove some of that unwanted wine weight!

Here's my exercise from yesterday. I was going to 'rest' but after reading my fitness book, I decided that I'd exercise.

The exercise above represents my running/walking the trail to get to my SIL's to let her dogs out. It is something that I do when I can. She only lives 2 miles away by the road. By the trail, which the above represents, she lives 1.1 miles away. I would have preferred to keep my exercise in the green level. I'll write more on that later as to why.

I elected to cross over my neighbor's dam. It is overgrown with bushes. When I got home, I discovered that I had seed ticks all over me. If you do not know what a seed tick is it is a tiny, tick--smaller than the head of a pin or a grain of pepper. But they bite you. If they get engorged, you can see them easily- as they swell up to the size of a pin head and are much darker (from YOUR blood). Their bites, like that of their larger brethren, are quite itchy. All of them are welped up on me today, but I'm not miserable. I had a devil of a time getting them off. Clearly some had latched onto me during my first pass through the bushes. I used an alcohol rubdown, but that was not enough to get them off.

I stayed within my allotted calories yesterday, AND I was not the least bit famished. I'm timing my snacks better.

I'm debating on whether or not to do this again today. I actually feel fine, so I may try this. What is instructive is to watch how one's heart rate manages the same load over a training period. I used to be able to run comfortably on the trail at 154--that was my pace that I could keep and go the distance. I cannot manage 154 now at my fitness level. But I plan to get there.

Fit by Fifty: Week 2

I've completed Week 1 without injury. Seems like such a small thing. I went for a 2.5 mile workout--walking/jogging. There's some hilly terrain, so a couple of times I had to walk to get my heart rate down below 160. When I become more fit, 160 will require more effort to reach and when reached, will feel more comfortable (meaning I will not be winded). A this early juncture, 160 is TOO easy to reach and results is breathlessness. Breathlessness means I'm training too hard. You can see where I was bumping against the orange line.


One's training chart is not much different than a stock chart....you must develop a base from which to accelerate. My goal for developing my base is to train in the green/yellow zones for a couple of months. At the end of two months, I'll see how a easy it is to stay within the green zone without bumping against the orange zone. If it is still easy, I will continue to build a base for another month.

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Here's a chart of HERO. I did not exit my position two days ago when it was up 9%. I'm marginally green--but much will depend on what happens with Nat Gas and a host of other factors in the market. The energy sector was not a good performer on Friday.

FBF: Progress Report

I've lost two pounds. I always weigh myself in the morning. It's a bit of a cheat because your are dehydrated. But it's a good baseline without noise for comparative purposes.

I have a fat monitor scale. I've not stepped on it yet. You have to be hydrated well for it to give an accurate reading. I will do that today. I'm quite sure that my body fat % to lean mass is north of 30%. The woman to the left has somewhere in the 15-18% range.

Does that % give you some picture of a blubberous person? I'm sure that it does. And I assure you that I'm not. But weight in and of itself can be misleading. One can be seemingly thin in absolute pounds, but have too high of fat/lean tissue relative percentage. Conversely one can be seemingly heavy but have a low fat/lean tissue relative percentage. Muscle really does weigh more than fat! And...you can weigh more with lean muscle tissue and wear a smaller size than if you weighed less with greater fat%.

Here's a table from the American Council on Fitness on recommended body fat.


What stings is the "obese" rating on 32% plus (I pulled the table AFTER writing the introductory line). I'm sure that I fall into that category, but no one would ever look at me and say fat much less obese. My mother was always thin, but I'm quite sure that her body fat % was high because she did not exercise. Not a whit. Do you know YOUR body fat percentage? If you don't, it would be worth your finding out. In the spirit of transparency, I'll post mine here. (I'm secretly hoping for the batteries to be out or some other technical difficulty!) [7:51 a.m update: There were NO technical difficulties, I'm sorry to report. I'm sorrier to report that my reading was 32.9%]

While my caloric intake goal (1311) is not unreasonable, that I've had such a hard time staying within that limit tells me that my previous intake was considerably North of that. My stepmom struggles with managing her weight. She is also a much larger person than I am.I'm 5'5" and she is about 5'9" and much bigger boned (she's German). I remember that she was on Jenny Craig. They had her on a 900 calorie diet. I can say this: at 900 calories, you can barely keep your body functions going.

Personally, I think that it is pointless to try to lose weight without incorporating exercise. BUT, I know how easily activity eludes us in our everyday activities. Everything in my life that I need is no less than 15 steps from my office chair. The pedometer does not lie. I've worn that pedometer and have registered less than 1/2 a mile. Yesterday, though a rest day, it registered 3.04 miles, only because I consciously made myself get up.

Many years ago I served as a committee chair for the VSCPA. There was another chair who I had worked with who lived in the VA Beach area--so I only saw him once a year at our annual leadership meeting. In a one year interlude, he had transformed himself remarkably. commended him on his sveltness. He was very proud of what he accomplished. He did it by simply incorporating 2 habits into his daily routine:

• Each hour he would get up and drink 8 oz of water;
• He would walk around for 10 minutes.

What could be simpler? I incorporated this habit into my own routine. When you have a desk job (as I always have) it is too easy to sit for long periods. Trust me---I've set records. But it is not good for your body nor your brain.


I was so ravenous last night, that I cheated. I had 1/2 a roll and a beer with my dinner.

Fit by Fifty

I've a new countdown widget to the right--it's to countdown to my 50th birthday. As I undergo this odyssey, I'll make posts here under the "Fit by Fifty" label. Perhaps it may inspire a person or two to improve their own fitness level alongside me. As I mentioned earlier, I'm going to start out slowly. I don't want to injure myself--I'm still recovering from a broken foot and some residual pain/weakness in that area.

I don't get any promotional anything from stuff I'm recommending here, and I'm not a fitness expert. But I've more than a passing knowledge of fitness and diet. And I know that knowledge without the commensurate discipline is not worth squat! Nevertheless, I do want to share with you with you some tools that I've used and had success with--tools that enabled the discipline to stick.

I'm a huge advocate of heart rate monitor (HRM) training. Sally Edwards' book, Heart Zone Training, is one of my stalwarts. I had to poke around a bit, but I found it in a bookcase. As I was re-reading her introduction (I've had this book for about 8 years--and have read it many times) she wrote it at the age of 48 (She would also be about 60 now). Yep....one of those coincidences! I have a friend who says there is no such thing as coincidences. If you don't know who Sally Edwards is, she's an elite athlete. I'm sure at 60 she is still in fantastic shape.

I'm in the process of setting up my Excel worksheets to record my workout information. I don't wish to "cheat" by impressions about how I'm doing. Rather, I want the cold hard facts--like what my scale and my jiggly body give me! Eight years ago, I had a very sophisticated worksheet--but that died in some hard drive crash, so I must duplicate it. My HRM transmits my workout information via a sonic interface. I spent about 30 minutes yesterday trying to get that to work. I finally got it working. I had my first workout today, and I successfully uploaded it.

If you have any interest in learning about Heart Zone Training, I would recommend your taking a few minutes to read this article. I truly believe in the miracle of effectiveness for this training. It is not one-size fits all, but rather, it is YOUR SIZE. You create your zones based on your physiology; further, you create your fitness program based on your fitness goals. And best of all, you get constant feedback on how well you are doing on your plan AND whether or not you are over or under doing it. Overtraining can be dangerous. It can make you tired and/or sick. If you are really overweight and out of shape, I think that you should not exercise unless you get a heart rate monitor AND get cleared by your doc. The monitor will help you stay in a safe zone as your heart and body get stronger.

My worksheet is to record my time in these zones and insure that I build an exercise base before moving to the next level. (Really, it is not different than stocks. If they advance too quickly without forming a base, they crash. Your body will do the same thing).

In addition to my exercise routine I have to invoke the dreaded "d" word: diet. But when I say diet, I mean diet as in nutrition. I want to eat healthfully (not parsimoniously). I've got another program that will help me monitor that. It is called Crosstrainer. I've been using it (off and on) for years. If you truly want to shock and surprise yourself on how poorly you eat, just write down everything. I mean everthing---every morsel of food that you pop into your mouth. This program allows you to record all of that fairly easily. If you want a little techno help, this is an inexpensive, but powerful program. You can find them on-line here.