Day 951- We need to lead a spartan life

I try but, who am I kidding? The definition is goal worthy.Rigorously self-disciplined or self-restrained.
b. Simple, frugal, or austere: a Spartan diet; a spartan lifestyle.

I suppose its all relative to the group you are in. In society today, based on the habits of others I would say a small percent of the people do or attempt to do what I have done. I speaking of the Rigorously self-disciplined or self-restrained.Of working out every day. I try to eat frugally by sustained on fruits vegetables and whole grains. I must admit I fall on that side of the line than overindulgence.

It is an odd thing. Once you work at repeating an action ( even a highly self disciplined one) it becomes second nature. You kinda do not give it much thought. I like the fact that I have challenged myself to be of this mindset and have stayed the course.

Man it is pouring some 4 feet from where I am writing this.

Today I got into a decent flow and burned 1290 calories in the hour.Passing yesterday's 1256 by 34 calories. I did get 3 minutes more rest between workouts. Since I got 3 minutes more rest I was able to burn 34 more calories in the hour. Heck if I was able to that consistently I would burn 340 more calories in 10 days! With an extra 340 calories burned I would have burn 1624 calories in an hour. Wow that would be something.

There are 49 days left until November 18Th 2010. I feel great! Forty nine until 1000!

Day 950- And we finished with a flourish *

A flourish is defined :1. A bold or extravagant gesture or action, made esp. to attract the attention of others.
2. An instance of suddenly performing or developing in an impressively successful- Yes Yes! We can call it all that!

After a slow start I burned 656 calories in the last 30 minutes. My legs were waking up slowly at 513 am and came alive at around 543 am.

A fellow gym member said this to me, "quitting is forever, while pain is temporary" You know that is so true. Here is a question. Discipline weighs one ounce while regret weighs? How much a pound? Twenty pounds? I remember one of the quotes in the movie "junction boys". Coach Paul bear Bryant said, "son, once you quit, its hard to break the habit." Gosh darn that is true for anything. It is the will to strive to be our best that keeps us mentally at our best. Discipline is the exact opposite of quitting.

Its is desire that fuels the discipline and it is discipline that fuels the desire. Right? When you invested time and energy you are less likely to quit.

Burning 1256 today and by resting a little less than yesterday gives me a victory for the glorious day of 950.

Now we heading down the home stretch 50 days to go---

Day 949- I just love the challenge!

Today, was a day of waking up in fog. With surprisingly high humidity and a few aches and pains. But do you know what? We did it anyway. Yes sir, we got on that machine and we gave it all we got. Why? Why? Because we would not have it any other way. A challenge of heart and mind and soul. Who wins? You do because we persevered. We did not quit. Is it the size of the dog in the fight? No, it is the size of the fight in the dog. Well, we did not allow any distractions to nullify our desire to do our best.

We can and should all learn from this.Leadership begins with us. We do and if others follow so be it.

The burn was 1245 today the rest was 23 hours and 17 minutes.The attitude is the measuring stick.

As God as my witness, Day 950 is being delivered to us.I am so excited to hit that plateau!

Day 948 We bounce back with enthusiasm

Why is yeast like enthusiasm? Because it helps to raise the DOUGH!

We march on knowing full well a day of rest does not only the body some good, but the soul and the mind. Working on 20 hours and 12 minutes of rest since my last cardiovascular work out, I was able to burn 1257 calories in an hour. I wanted to do more and I finished with a very strong push.

As we near 950 days and November 18Th is in sight my enthusiasm rises. I thank God for how well I feel. I am a big advocate for exercise and constant movement along with eating as healthy and lean as we can. In fact last week I was thanked by two people for motivating them to do things they might not have done otherwise. Both told me how much better things turned out after our conversation. The bible says we must all strive to live life abundantly. Well, let us all do that!

Live life ABUNDANTLY! I am gearing up for Day 949!

Day 947- We have a hit a rest post...

As I lean against the wall I look to gather some energy. Today, is my first day off from working at least 8 hours a day. Can I get an AMEN? September 5TH was my last day off from that daily activity. I love it. I feel blessed that God has given the strength to carry on this long.

On this day, I chose to use area 3 of the gym I work out in, to complete my 950TH sixty minute cardiovascular workout in the last 947 days. Yes sir, hit the big 950 today! Felt great as I was challenged by the machine's increased resistance and the lack of air in that part of the gym. Today is a delightfully cool day. My between work out rest was less than yesterday having only rested 23 hours and 50 minutes.Yesterday, I rested for 25 hours and 5 minutes.

We are challenged daily and blessed daily. Let us all keep that in perspective as we strive for our goals.

So its on to the day off, so far I have worked on and washed my car. which is now a grand total on 75 days old.Yep, day 872, July 13,2010 the day George Steinbrenner passed away.

Day 948 is online I will chat with it in a bit....

Day 946- Saturday's are special around here!

This my 135Th consecutive Saturday of getting up at 530am and writing before I head to the gym. Yep, I would say Saturday's are special around here. A chance to reflect on the workout ahead. As I write this I have about a half hour prior to my challenge. My goal today is as it always is to beat yesterday's total of calories burned. My rest will be at least 24 hours since I finished my workout at 550 am yesterday. Yesterday, was an awesome day of activity.

We start the day with a sense of anticipation that today will be an awesome day. Earl Nightingale called it an attitude of gratitude and expectant. I am both grateful and I expect the best.

Powerful concepts to start the day. As I look ahead with the big number looming. I realize that we are 54 days away from 1000 days. As I use quick math it tells me the month of October will be the last full month before I hit that number. Also, that 54 divided by 7 equals 7 weeks and 5 days. So we are down to 7 more Saturdays until we hit 1000. Which means a week of Saturdays are left. Oh wow, it has come to this.

What an incredible journey it has been.I read in a magazine that one way to reduce stress is by keeping a journal. I agree with that. There is definitely a feeling of stress reduction as I put my thoughts to words then recording them in a journal format.

Time is up! Let us blast out a good strong 1320 ++ today.The curtain is getting ready rise here we go !

Today we came out like a house a fire! Today we BURNED a good amount of calories in the first 15 minutes . Had a solid 328 calories burned with in 15 minutes. I felt awesome and maintained a good flow. Burning 1308 calories in an hour was an increase of 27 calories from yesterday. I rested 24 hours and 4 minutes which was over an hour more than I had on day 945. Whew! I felt sensational. We know that all is well when we give it that fist pump.

We all remember that right? That private victory that makes you say "oh yes!"

I feel the reason why we give that fist pump is because we are the only ones who know what it took to get to that point. The delicious taste of victory. Yes, it is private. Yes, you got what you came for!

Folks, work hard at getting that feeling. If you you get it often you are one very blessed soul. So, when that feeling comes your way pass it on to someone else.

I was thing one crazy thought when I was working out today. Here it is.In the grand scheme of things would the manufacturer of a product rather have you buy the product or sell it? The answer is buy and sell. Certainly before you sell it you have to buy it. But here is the philosophy, If I was to buy a product then was able to immediately distribute it I would be more valuable to the manufacturer. As my ability to generate revenue just increased many times more. The key to all this is a systematic form of duplication.

As I pondered this thought for a few seconds I said face book. Anything that self promotes just by using it.

Anyway, just a thought. My time is abundant today. I will work from 11am until later in the evening. I am planning on taking my first day from work off;
since Day 926 (September 5Th) that I will not be going to work. For the last twenty days I have been working at least 8 hours a day. On May 20TH I started working a second job. Since I have begun working a second job I have only not worked on five days. Of course, I have continued with this wonderful work out streak.

OK, I am getting lazy. Five days off since day 818.So that is 128 with 5 breaks. Not bad, one out of every 25 days.

Day 945- We beat yesterday's numbers in three categories

Day 945 ---you are mine! Can I get an AMEN?

I believe that was the last thing I wrote yesterday! And you know what? It was the last thing I thought of yesterday. Man, I woke up early after I went to bed a little earlier than I had been. That was the key. When I woke up I felt refreshed and was psyched to get after it! Just getting up earlier increased my determination.When you focus on something and believe you can accomplish what you are focusing on, you generate an amazing power. It is difficult to describe. Best example would be, you are almost on auto pilot. You feel yourself getting where you wish to go but your not in total control .

All in all it is an awesome feeling! I wish all could have it everyday. If they did the world would be a more amazing place than it is right now.

Tomorrow, I will get more rest than today because the gym opens later. I should be able to beat todays 1281 but not today's 450am.

Today, I beat yesterday's 1253 and rest of 23 hours and 54 minutes

Today I burned 1281 on 23 hours and 29 minutes of rest.That's 2 wins, calorie burn and rest.The third number I beat was number of consecutive days yesterday was 944. Today was 945--- Only 55 days to go to hit QUAD CITY! In case you did not know, QUAD CITY is 1000 days. Quad is the number of digits required to write the number 1000! Quad is short from quadruple--

With steely resolve we look forward to Day 946--BRING IT ON!

Day 944- We fight every day to do our best everyday

Hey, some days the numbers do not reflect the spirit. The enemy is not the lower numbers. The enemy is the lack of desire to hit the higher numbers. I know I can be at the gym earlier and burn more calories than I did today. There is the fight the knowing and the doing that's where the big word comes into play. What is the big word? Desire. Desire is the word and it has a side kick its called discipline. Discipline fuels the desire. When I think about tomorrow's workout I cannot help but envision the numbers I have put out in front of me getting met and then exceeded.

Yesterday's daily toil I believe put a crimp on today's performance. However, that should not have mattered because I know I did not prepare well enough mentally to deal with challenges. At times honest self appraisal goes a long way in getting you refocused and energized!

Burned 1253 rested 23 hours and 54 minutes---Tomorrow will BE BETTER!

Day 945 ---you are mine! Can I get an AMEN?

Day 943- We beat yesterday's start time & its burn total YES!

You see, that how you want to start the day. With a win. I had a brief conversation with a fellow gym member. The chat revolved around this question. When you do not feel like working out do you just take it easy for that day? I thought about the answer to that question for a second. My reply was no because everyday I try to beat yesterday's total. That brings me to a very solid philosophy on improvement. The philosophy centers around this simple question how can you improve on something every day if you skip a day. Let us imagine for a second there is a big scoreboard in the sky. Everyday is listed and how good of a workout you had on that day is listed next to it.So it is now a given that your name,day and workout will be recorded.Notice there is no way to separate all three. They are joined at the hip. It changes the whole dynamic of wanting to work out does it not? So when the question a rose what happens when you do not want to work out came up I was taken a back. My mindset is not in the whether or not it will be done it is can I beat yesterday's performance. There is a vast difference between the two lines of thought.

As I mentioned earlier I got on the machine at 502 in the am and burned 1293 today.

Compare that to yesterday's 1279 I win!

Also I rest for only 22 hours and 42 minutes.

Compared to 22 hours and 54 minutes I had yesterday.

I feel awesome. We are at 57 days from quad city. Heck 57, that was the year I was born.

We go for 944 tomorrow!

Day 942-We are charging now!

We woke up at 430 and was on the machine at 514 in the am. while it was still dark outside. Ah, as the early autumn air filled my nostrils and woke us up. Our focus was to have a strong work out. Also to enjoy the 60 minutes of losing myself in the challenge. To think nothing else but the breathing and the movement of muscles. As Marv Levy the losing coach of an amazing 4 straight super bowls used to love to say" where else would you rather be?"

I realized something the other day. I workout twice in a 24 hour period of time on most occasions.

Well my burn was 1279 in 60 today after a 22 hour and 54 minute rest. I won on calories lost on rest--- It is a win.

Day 941- Once again beaten to the punch

I love it. It should be this way competition is great. If someone is there before you then, welcome to the free enterprise. Welcome to a lesson on "life is all about having options." Socratic method of teaching asks. Is that the only option you had was to use the machine that was occupied? For what I wanted to get out of my workout the answer is YES!. What did you want to get out of your work out? I wanted to burn 1300 calories in the hour. Is that the only machine that you can burn 1300 calories an hour on? I do not know. Why do you not know? Because I have not tested them all yet. Why? Because I have not had the time. Why?

Pretty crazy huh? The solution would be own the equipment maintain it and then you have more control when you want to use it. All bet are off when comparing yesterday to today in terms of numbers. The effort I can truthfully evaluate. My effort was awesome I burned more in the second thirty minutes than the first thirty minutes. I sweated a great amount and felt great after. Barely burning more than 1200 calories in an hour is definitely not what I am used to but it was my second workout in less than 20 hours! Heck, that is 2 a day!

Day 940 We will work on beating yesterday's total

As this day unfolds we start with plenty of rest. The air is cool I have a tremendous oasis of time ahead of me. After today's work out we will be six hills away from the big quad city. One thousand days will be sitting there. The question is how is my body? What does it feel like? I suppose in an effort to answer that I need to know the criteria. Is there any major challenges? The answer is by the grace of God - no. I saw a friend of a friend at the gym yesterday, and I told him to tell our friend the day is 939. His response was something I had not heard before from anyone other than myself. He said, "it is a blessing." How true, how true. Amen was my response.

It is 716 in the am. When the clock strikes this hour the other six days a week I am either done with my workout or just getting started. Today I am here loving the break but dying to get the workout going. as of the last few days I have paid attention to the time I have taken in between workouts. Today, should I get on the machine around 8am or so I will have rested 24 hours. Yesterday I was able to rest 24 and 35 minutes.

As I get this nice chunks of rest I need to increase my calorie burn per hour.a snapshot of this week's burns show:

• Monday 1250
• Tuesday 1259
• Wednesday 1266
• Thursday 1268
• Friday 1286
• Saturday 1344

With 24 plus hours of rest 1350 is the goal. Once I get a clear concise mental picture of it happening I will be able to hit that number. As I did yesterday prior to my work out I am focusing on getting that clear concise mental picture.

If you recall one of the greatest athletes of all time was a man by the name of Jim Thorpe his technique for getting ready for his events was to sit and visualize his performances. Take a second and look at some of his accomplishments.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe

Yep, he was an incredible athlete!

A big part of the burn is to get to the right machine. Today I was beaten to the right machine. The machines in area 2 are very different from the one I use. i used are 2 today and fought like crazy to get #s I got.

I sweated up a storm and burn 1252 boo who? Boo me I should have got to that machine!

I had some time so I felt great and did 810 crunches!

Day 939- As we approach our 942ND workout

Our rest time will be a total of 24 hours and about 30 to 40 minutes. Since resting more has made an impact on my amount of calories burned within the hour this week I have a clear vision of my burn exceeding 1300+ calories. The key is to have a clear, concise and mental vision. As I write this blog I will focus on that.

We will be at the conclusion of today's workout only 61 days from quad city or ctown. It is interesting to think or compare, how some time back early settlers or folks that traveled on foot would plan to arrive at a certain destination. Their planned arrivals had to be in terms of days. Think about it, if we planned a walk of 200 miles and we knew we could walk 20 miles a day it would take us 10 days to arrive. On that 10Th day we would actually arrive at our destination. The challenges would all be presented of what they may encounter. Within those ten days who knows what they might be?

I, like them, have charted a path, a certain destination I want to get to. Mine has a journey and a challenge. I suppose we all do. Their are certain things we all do day after day and we will all arrive at a certain point in time with a goal or not with a goal. I have decided to take a goal with me. I have chosen to arrive at a certain date of the calendar having done something everyday until that day arrives.

I am driven by this goal as it gets larger the closer I get. As I imagine a traveler of long ago would sense their milestones would be getting ever closer to their destination.

Can you feel it?

My time is near.A clear and concise mental is coming into focus.A 1300+ burn, 22 per minute for one hour. I hear the starting horn.

My determination won out! I had a stated goal of 1300+ calories to burn in 60 minutes. I had a clear concise mental picture of it happening. Well, since it happened some where in the universe 1st. It happened here 2ND! Done I burned 1344 calories in an hour thus, shattering my goal 1300+ .

It is a bit peculiar that even though I did 1344 which was 60 more calories than yesterday I know I can do so much better.

Either way I love it and I feel great. Now what is better than that?

Great motivation from the movie "About Schmidt" where he refers to the trek by some across country. It says some made it California some died along the way some settled in Nebraska. While the there were the cowards who never started.

I suppose we all have that decision everyday no matter what it is that we set out to do .or how far we can get or we are just cowards and never even start.

Wow! Is that simple. Its funny too we all have loads of things we can do and those are 4 categories they fall under.

• Make it
• die along the way
• settle
• never try

The great thing is we can always start over every minute of every day.

Here is some thing I noticed while I was working out trying to achieve my goal.

In the 1st minute I wanted to burn 22 calories. But I was only able to burn 21. Then I said ok by the time 2 minutes is up I wish to burn 44 calories. Again only burned 42. Then I said do 66 in 3 minutes. Same burned 63. However i noticed one thing and it got me determined I only missed by 13 seconds of actually burning 66 calories in 3 minutes. So I said can I burn 88 in a 70 seconds - Yes I burned it 68 seconds. Then I said what about 64 seconds can I burn 22 in 64 seconds - Yes, then I said how about a minute can I burn 22 in a minute? Yes! Then I kept on chopping seconds off the minute and I was burning 25 per minute. Then I got my pace and burned 1344 in 60 minutes.

Day 938 When we give it all we got we reach another level

In the hopes of reaching a goal I had set of burning more calories than yesterday's burn 1268 in an hour. By the grace of God I hit another level. During thee first 30 minutes of my ride I noticed I just could not push as hard as I wanted to. As fate would have in the second half of the hour I felt a tremendous power surge. Then, whoosh! Into another level I went. In the first 30 minutes I burned 624 calories which is 104 ever 5 minutes. However, in the next 30 minutes I burned 662 calories. Man, I was flying. By burning that many calories in 30 minutes I averaged a calorie burn of 110+ calories every 5 minutes. It felt sweet moving my legs that fast.

As I said before yesterday was a victory today was a trouncing. I get more rest in between workouts but I burned 18 more calories today than yesterday.

Here is how I did in comparison to yesterday

Day 937 rest 23 hours and 15 minutes burned 1268 calories in an hour

Day 938 rest 23 hours and 25 minutes burned 1286 calories in an hour

The winner is today, despite having more rest I burned a lot more calories.

Day 937 You know, I just love this stuff!

I will call today a victory. Woke up at 430 am was on the machine 515 am. All the machines I usually use were unavailable. So I used a different machine. When I got on the machine at 515am,twenty three hours and had past since my last workout. Yesterday, Day 936, I rested from 615 am to 530am which is a total of twenty three hour and 15 minutes.
Today, I did better I rested only 23 hours and I burned 2 more calories than the day before. Of course I worked out the entire hour on both days.

Bottom line, I feel great as a result of my efforts****

Day 937 You know I just love this stuff!

I will call today a victory. Woke up at 430 am was on the machine 515 am. All the machines I usually use were unavailable. So i used a different machine. When I got on the machine at 515am,twenty two hours and 45 minutes had past since my last workout. Yesterday Day 936, I rested

Day 936- With a great stretch run...

I wish I had more to give today but with a burst of energy at the end of the 60 minute workout I managed to burn more calories than I did yesterday. Bottom line, I burned 7 more calories than I did yesterday and I gave myself less rest in between workouts. Yep, 1266 beats 1259 every time.

I am of strong will I am determined to improve my burn count per hour while decreasing my rest period. Its an awesome game and it keeps me focused. Beat the number while lessening the rest. I want to develop strength and endurance.

Day 937 is now staring me in the face and I ain't blinking!

Day 935- We look at the wins and never mind the losses

The bible says---a farmer threw some seeds. If you have read the bible you will know this parable. No matter its very simple and very direct. Some of the seeds were scorched by the sun and shrivels and died. Some were thrown on rocky soil and only grew very small and for a short time before they too shriveled and died. Some fell on soil but were choked by weeds and other vegetation and died. However, some fell on good soil. They grew hundred times and produced many other seeds which did likewise.

The moral of the story? Look at the good, focus on it and believe in it and you too will reap a harvest in your life.

Today's work out yield a burn increase of 9 after I gave myself an extra 20 minute break.

I burned 1259 in 60 after resting 24 hours and 20 minutes.

Day 934- Up about as early as I can

Day 934- Up about as early as I can
Yep, woke up at 427am and was on the machine ready burn calories for an hour for the 934Th straight day. Was able to burn 1250 calories before 6 am can I get an AMEN? I felt great just knowing I had such a awesome early start to the day!

Here is a right between the eyes question. When was the last time someone gave you honest feedback and said " you are lazy". Follow up question if you can recall, how did that make you feel?

Man, I would venture to say most of if you who have read this blog often have not had that said to you that often.

Since, I finished my workout yesterday at 752 am.Then started my workout today at 455 am, I rested a total of 21 hours and three minutes which is less than the rest I got before yesterday workout.Before yesterday's workout I rested 23 hours and 57 minutes. That is a difference of 2 hours and 54 minutes. Come tomorrow I will most like get around 24 hours of rest.

Day 933- And proud of it!

Today other than the gym staff I was the first one in the gym. Managed to get on the machine @ 652am. Which gave me 23 hours and 57 minutes of rest which is less rest than I had the day before. Yesterday I had rested 24hours and 37 minutes. Today, I gave myself a 23 hour and 57 minute break. Which is 40 less minutes of rest in between workouts. However, today I was able to burn 1280 calories in the hour. I realize 1280 is less than yesterday's total of 1309.

To look on the positive of not beating the day before total calories burned in one hour, I did burn more by burning 1280 in an hour than I had all week on about the same amount of rest.

So we are down to 67 days until we hit November 18Th 2010. November 18TH 2010 will be 1000 days from February 23Rd 2008. As we are all quite aware 2/23/08 is when this journey began.

Today, I go to work for the 7TH straight day. Sunday's my scheduled work time is 1230pm. So, for now I am enjoying a little break here at 937am.

I still love the thrill of the workout. The incredible feeling of exhilaration as the momentum builds and you are virtually floating on air.

To quote Patton, " God, I love it so"

Day 932 These are special times!

We are getting ready for a workout today. Then work later in the day. Here it is 558 am on a dark Saturday morning.As I write this the sun has yet to come up. The weather the past few days has been much cooler than it has over the last few months. If summer is here it does not seem to making its presence known.

As I retired last evening I went to sleep with some things on my mind. Though they were pleasant ones I realized that my daily toil has slowed its pace. Welcoming the pace of the last two days I suppose would be a relief to most bodies. However, mine is conditioned to keep a quicker pace. So today, my goal is to quicken the pace of my activities.

The gym doors open around 7 am in the past 4 days I have been challenged to burn 1300 or more calories. As we are aware in the last days I have both increased my calorie burn per hour as well as decreased my rest in between workouts. Can I get an AMEN!

Today, My rest breaks will actually be increased. I am curious if the rest increase will help me burn more calories per hour. Yesterday, I burned 1269 calories in the hour. My minimum goal for today is to burn more than that. I want to burn 1350 today!

I will have rested from 608 am to 645 am today which is 24 hours and 37 minutes. Now, if you consider the activity I have been engaged in in the last 14 hours I believe I have had plenty of rest.

We are down to 68 days after today to hit 1000 days. That is plenty of motivation for me to excited!

With a rest that included 24 hours and 42 minutes I was able to burn 40 more calories in an hour than I burned yesterday. Of of course yesterday I burned 1269 calories an hour and today I burned 1309 in an hour. I was pumped and got on a better pace than yesterday.

Today is 911. As I remember 911, I must tell my story. As I am sure everyone has some sort of recount of 911. Here is mine:

I had just returned form awesome weekend where I had went to three beautiful sporting events. The first was in Baltimore where I saw a preseason football game.The second was later that evening where I i saw a regular season baseball game no more than a 1/2 mile from each other. The third, was on the following day I saw a college football game.

The dates were Friday August 31ST,September 1ST and September 2ND. On September 2ND I was on my way back home. Now here is the oddest thing about my 911. I had taped some baseball games that were played that weekend. Up until 911 I had not seen any of the recordings.It was right at 845 am on 911 2001 that I decided to work out and watch these recordings. I was anxious to see the game that was played on 9/2. As I got ready to workout and put the tape player on. As I was ready to switch from TV to tape. My set was on Channel 3. I paused and stretched for a few seconds or I guess it was minutes. When I was ready to start my work out and get the tape player going I then noticed what was on the TV. .......

Day 931We hit them hard, we knock them out and we chalk them up!

We hit them hard, we knock them out and we chalk them up! Getting on the machine earlier everyday and burning more calories than the day before is reason why I say:

We hit them hard, we knock them out and we chalk them up!

Today, we burned 1269 in 60 minutes and got on the machine at 508 in the am.

I feel awesome as the weather has cooled off. The NFL season has started! We got 69 days to go until we hit c town. November 18Th 2010 will be 1000 days from February 23RD 2008. That is quite the expansion of time. One thousand days. Whew that is more than a habit! That is a way of life.

I guess I love that line from the movie- A box of Moonlight- where the actor Sam Rockwell says" I am off the grid!"

So be it - I am off the grid.

I workout everyday

I do not eat foods unless I know what is in them and they are fruits vegetables or whole grains.

My goal is to stay in motion as much as I can.

Do you know anyone else with that mindset?

Day 930- Its now been: two years and two hundred days

For all of us who make note of such things, since February 23 , 2008 two years and 200 days has past. Since, then I have done 933 workouts. As I get ever closer to 1000 days of consecutive workouts. The forecast is for the temperatures to drop. Please be aware that if you are working out your muscles will take a little longer to loosen up. However, once they loosen up with the cooler weather they will not fatigue as quick so you can usually work them harder and longer.

Its funny when you do something on a very consistent basis you notice when things around the thing you are doing is not consistent. For example, I tell who does not arrive at the gym that usually arrives at the gym when I usually do. When the sun comes up on clear days. The temperature change. My surroundings change when I remain constant.

Today was a great battle as I fought hard to get loose. I got up at 430 am. I was on the machine at 510am which was 22 minutes earlier than yesterday. By working out earlier today than yesterday I was able to keep my CANI going. Meaning for the last 4 days I have done my workout earlier than the day before. That translates to less rest in between workouts. Today was a 22 hour and 38 minute rest. From 632 am on September 8TH until 510 am on September 9TH is a span of 22 hours and 38 minutes.

My energy level was not what I wanted however, I did accomplish two things i burned more than yesterday 1258 vs 1251 in the hour. Two, I did give myself less rest 22 hours 38 minutes vs 23 hours.

Tomorrow, we hit the 60's!

Day 929- ITS ALWAYS GOOD TO GET A PATTERN INTERRUPT!

Day 929- ALWAYS GOOD TO GET A PATTERN INTERRUPT!
Pattern interrupt; was on way to the gym and... A funny thing happened. I decided to do a chore before I went. There you go pattern interrupt. Got to the gym somebody was on the machine of my choice in area 1 of the gym, Pattern interrupt ; I want to work out at certain pace and attack the 1400 calorie burn in one hour barrier. Pattern interrupt; Made my oatmeal perfect today, added some incredibly fresh delicious peaches with blueberries and cinnamon. Aw, I was so psyched to eat it. Ran extra water in the oatmeal. Pattern interrupt;

But you know when you start the day with a PATTERN INTERRUPT it makes it easier to embrace any others that come your way during the course of the day.

Sold out today ! As fate would have it wound up in the hotbox. Burned 1251 in an hour. Earned every second of it. Felt great during and after the workout.

What is your motto? It don't get too tough for me! 71 days left to quad city!

Day 928 Always stretch while in an exercise program

Wow! I noticed a big difference in how I felt when I did not stretch. I am always looking for any edge I can find to make my workout more competitive and enjoyable. While on this journey I have learned a tremendous amount about my body. As I challenge it on a daily basis. I suppose anyone can say that. As I challenge my body on a daily basis. Think about it. Everyone does challenge their body on a daily basis.The question is... what do you challenge your body to do on a daily basis?

I guess my choice is push it and treat it with healthy rewards. I try to remain in motion all day and eat healthy. Sounds simple, try it. Just pretend your a little kid who has trouble being still. Only this time you will not get in trouble for it. Then when its time to eat just eat fruits vegetables and whole grains. Trust me, your taste buds will get used to the healthy flavors.

Day 927- Waiting for the gym to open

Up early as I went to sleep early. As old Ben Franklin would remind us. Early to bed early to rise will make a person healthy, wealthy and wise. Door to gym needs to open so I can get Day 927 on the books. After I complete my work out I will have until 9am to be at work.

This certainly makes the day interesting because it will be a little different from the normal routine. Generally, I go work out, go home, shower and get ready to go to work. I usually have 1 and a half hours before I leave to go to work.Today, with the gym opening later I will only have a half an hour to get ready to go.

As I write this I have to pause. I have to be at? I do? Why? I always thought it fascinating to ask that question? The simple word, why? Asking it with child like innocence. To make anything more interesting add these words to it.Who, what, when, where,and how. When you ask questions like, who besides you will be effected by you not getting in by 9am? What will be the potential following events should you not arrive at 9am? When would you feel the results from not meeting your time of arrival? Where would all this take place? How will you feel about this occurrence? Then the most thoughtful question. Why?

Today will be a great opportunity to burn 1400 calories in an hour. I am confident I can do it since I did not use a lot of energy yesterday. I am hoping the break refreshed my legs!

The break did refresh my legs.However I burned 1309 calories not 1400. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. My schedule was knocked outta whack due to the run from gym to home to work. I loved the workout. I ended strong and felt great. It felt different to NOT stretch.

It is now 237 pm as I write this while at lunch.

It amazes me how people can eat a so called menu at lunch. I eat is fruit,OJ and green tea and I am ready to go at it again.

Day 928 here we come!

Day 926- A day of rest..no really!

Today is the first day since Day 905 (august15TH) that I will not be going to work. For the last twenty days I have been working at least 8 hours a day. On May 20TH I started working a second job. Since I have begun working a second job I have only not worked on three days. Of course I have continued with this wonderful work out streak.

By working and working out I have had a few streak in which I have done both for periods of time without taking a day off. For instance, from May 20 TH to July 3RD I did not take a day off. That was a total of 33 days. Again from July 5TH to August 7Th I went 32 days without a day off. My shortest streak off days where I have worked and worked out was from August 9Th to August 14Th which was only a total of six days. Now I will have concluded a stretch of 20 days were I did not take a day off. A time period of August 16Th to September 4 TH.

I feel great. I awoke today at 544am which is the latest I have woken up since August 22ND.

On this special day off, I will go into the gym around 9 am and leave around 1030 am. Then after that, I will decide exactly what I want to do with my time. I have decided to do some work around the house and maybe just enjoy the day.

I have a goal of burning 1400 calories in 60 minutes. I haven't burned that many calories since---July 25TH Day 884 when I burned 1420 calories. Heck, that was not really that long ago. I seriously wonder what has changed. Well, it can only be two things; me or the machine. Perhaps, this rest will have an impact on the numbers.

Quick math says to burn 1400 in 60 you need 700 in 30 and 23.33 per minute.

233.33 in 10- about 235

466.66 in 20- about 470

699.99 in 30- about 700

933.32 in 40- about 935

1166.65 in 50- about 1170

1400-----in 60 minutes

I know this seems tedious but this how Roger Bannister went about to break the 4 minute mile barrier. He focused on each quarter mile and what time it would take for each. I like to look at each 1o minute interval. I have noticed my intensity is greater when I sharpen my focus to the first minute of the workout.

As I start, the machine is set to burn calories with zero resistance. It is then up to me to increase the resistance. I set the resistance to 100% in an effort to get the most challenging work out. It is within this time that I need to stride as hard as I can to burn the most calories.

I am not sure what determines my strength at that time. I do know that if my legs feel loose I can push hard. Since it has now been around 24 hours since I have worked out I should be feeling good enough to push with a strong pace.

To me this exciting. The thrill of it all. The question of the moment. What have I got? Am I psyched enough to compete at a very high level?

1400 !1400 !1400. Is it in me? When the resistance comes will I be charged with power to accomplish my goal?

Let's see !

As I sit here eating berries oatmeal and cinnamon with orange and seltzer I reflect on today's work out.

Here is how it shook out:

233.33 in 10- about 235 Actual calories burned 242- yeah!
466.66 in 20- about 470 Actual calories burned 481- yeah! burned 239 from 10 to 20 minutes
699.99 in 30- about 700 Actual calories burned 706 hmm? burned 225 from 20 to 30 minutes
933.32 in 40- about 935 Actual calories burned 942 ?? burned 236 from 30 to 40( still respectable)
1166.65 in 50- about 1170 Actual calories burned 1152 still fighting like crazy from 40 to 50 minutes big drop 210 calories burned
1400-----in 60 minutes Actual calories burned 1378 I only missed by the smallest of percentages! Then from 50 to 60 222 calories burned

I wanted to get that 1400. But do you know what? I just did not want it bad enough. However, I had loads of fun and cannot wait to go at it again tomorrow.

Day 925- Still firing on all cyclinders!!

As we challenges ourselves once more the time has now come. I want today to be the best. I want from today to be all I can give. Today, gets us to 75 days before we hit an admirable milestone.

My gratitude for my strength to this point is very high. Simple appreciation for the efforts I have put forth would not be possible without the strength of the Lord.

This past week was a good for spending energy. I challenged myself at every opportunity. The challenges I give me a great sense of satisfaction.

Today, my goal is to burn 1350+ in the hour.

With a tremendous push in the last 2 minutes I burned 50 calories to
burn an even 1300. Question where was that energy during the rest of the work out? I got on the machine after resting from 1030 pm until 530am. No excuses. Then, I started my work out at 655 am. That was a good break from my last workout which concluded yesterday at 614 am So, with a total of 24 hours and 44 minutes in between workouts I managed to burn 14 more calories in the hour. I sincerely wanted to burn more. Ah but, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Day 924 - I went five for five!

Yes! Monday through Friday I answered the bell for a 430 am wake up call. As a result of my earlier rising I was able to get on the machine at 513,459,509,510 and 514 am. My calorie burning efforts were as follows 1284,1335,1331,1285 and today I burned 1286.

Now here is a question. How did I do in comparison to the week prior?

• Monday 8/23 machine time- 525 am 1269
• Tuesday 8/24 machine time -528am 1309
• Wednesday 8/25 machine time- 534am 1315
• Thursday 8/26 machine time- 538am 1340
• Friday 8/27 machine time - 534am 1301

A little less calories burned. Now, I know what the weekly targets are.

As we march on it is never bad to look back.

Wednesday September 3, 2008 Day 194- weighed 169 pounds -My notes:

Was riding the life cycle.

started slow, only 60 after 1st 5 min- then 474 @ 30 min - did a 240 @ 15 min - quite the burst 60 to 240 in 10 that's a 180 in 10. WOW that's 18 a min x 60 = 1080 pace that would shatter the 978 mark! if i can do it 4 10 y not 60? do it 4 30 =509 y not 60?

September 3, 2009 Day 559- weighed 181 pounds burned 903 calories while riding the life cycle.

It is incredible how powerful the human body is. Folks there is so much strength inside of us. Live abundantly!

Day 923- I predict this is the last day of summer

The reason why I say that is .... We have a hurricane coming up the coast and it will bring strong winds and should cool things off. Here we are in the Northeast in September and its been 90 + degrees for the last three or four days. I say this is it pack up your tropical gear and get ready for cooler climes. It will be great weather to work out in. I think my September calorie burn numbers always spike in September.

Life is all about having options. Is it not? I once heard a person who at the time was about to earn himself into a million dollar a year income say-all I want is to be able to do what I want when I want with who ever I want. Think about that. Do you do what you want? Do you do it when you want? Do you do what you want with who you want? It sounds awful demanding!

Well, demand for yourself the best maybe you will get it.

Today, I answered the bell but I wish I had more. I did burn 1285 and I gave it my all.

Yesterday, was an awesome battle. Today I'm focusing on getting stronger so I can do 1350 tomorrow.

Day 922- In an effort to step up the discipline ....

I am going to get up at 430 am and be on the machine at 5am ish.So far my efforts are good I have been on the machine at 453, 514 and 509 am. I have decided to challenge myself as much as I can. I feel great so why not see what I got? My goal everyday is to beat my total calories burned of 1515 in one hour. I do realize that is quite the challenge but that is my goal everyday! Today, I wound up burning 1331 calories.

I keep score in all different ways but effort is huge. I know I have had a good work out when I am totally exhausted at the end of the work out. Being in good condition has allowed me the opportunity to realize my status.

We are in the seventies things are awesome. Keep challenging yourself in small ways.Hold yourself accountable if you do not succeed in your challenges.