Honesty Blog

Yea, so this has turned into an honest attempt to turn my life around. It's said that in order to be happy, you need to be honest with yourself. Well, that starts right now. In turn, I have a place to be accountable for my actions and inactions. So let's begin week one, day one:

Resolved: I'm fat.

Time to bite the bullet and admit it. I'm fat. I'm over-weight and, according to the government, damn near obese. Gone are the ideals of being "a big guy" and "muscle is heavier then fat". Been living with that my entire life. I'm 6'0" 230 and have begun to feel it. My gut is the largest its ever been and I have love handles suitable for Paul Bunyan. Time to stop denying it if things are going to change.

I haven't always been fat. I used to be skinny. Hell, when I graduated from the Marines I was a lean, mean, fighting machine. So what is the culprit to by becoming fat? Well, age is a part, but only a small part. No, my problem lies in two other factors. Over-eating and inactivity.

Resolved: Eating snacks after dinner, before bed is bad for my health.

This is a no brainer. I love me a bag of chips and large glass of juice around 11:00 or so each night. In order to combat this I've come up with a two step approach.
1. Go to bed earlier
2. Work up until bedtime.

By going to bed around 10:30 or so, I'll avoid those late night snack attacks. It will not be easy! I am a creature of the night. Always have been. I hate the mornings and crave the crickets and moonlight. I'll still stay up late on the weekends. I can't completely change who I am without a little window back to the safe. (I hope) Second, by taking the last hour or so before bedtime and writing, I'll keep myself busy enough to avoid wanting food. I'll work on my book, blog, or games the hour before bed after the wife and daughter go down.

Resolved: Running is Good for me and will remove unwanted weight.

I've always been a good runner. Well, that's not entirely true and if this is to be a blog of honesty, I need to address this. I've always been an OK runner.

When I was young I ran the mile, was in cross country, and excelled at the 800 m.

Tangent:  A group of friends even set an informal record at the 4 x 400. Of course, when we tried to re-create it and make it a formal record, we were always a few seconds off. I like to think it wasn't me that brought us down, but who can say for sure.

In the Marines I ran well. In my late twenties I worked a running store and trained people for distance running. I've run a few marathons in that distant past, but not as many as I would tell people when they came in the store. (Honesty and all) I was suppose to run The Frozen Half in Minneapolis one year with my training group. I didn't go. I told them I was there, but I wasn't. It wasn't the distance or temperature, I'd run 11 miles the weekend before, but honestly, it was just laziness and apathy. Anyway, I am no longer that runner. I went this morning. Here is the hard truth of this mornings run:

6-20-11: 

37 minutes; out 6:07 – in 6:44. Distance: 2.8 miles walking breaks: 4; Inhaler Use: 4 uses

Songs Listened to:

La Roux                       Bulletproof

Weird Al                      CNR

Jason Deruio                Watcha Say

Jesse McCartney          Body Language

Rick Springfield            Jessie’s Girl

Green Day                    Horseshoes and Handgrenades

Kesha                          Tik Tox

Jay-z                            Empire State of Mind

Green Day                    21^st Centur Breakdown

and that wasn't that bad of a run! I am no longer then runner I was in the past. The extra 40 pounds I'm sure do not help.

So, this is day one. I'll do my best to keep this updated for accountability. I'll keep the progress of my writing updated as well as I need someplace to be accountable for that as well. Until tomorrow, trying to be honest with myself and the world.