Running: A FEVER

Today I walk the entire perimeter of Lake Fayetteville, though my watch did not record the full distance. In the Medical Department, I receive the lab report from the podiatrist which was good news. I will keep an eye on the situation though, in case the problem returns. I have been working out in the gym, twice this week, but I also sustained a "micro-injury" while attempting a squat for the firs...

I've seen several medical professionals this week. One of them was a new experience for me. I have never been to a podiatrist, but now I know what it is like. The exam room was a little different because there is a table that allows your feet to hang off the end. The nurse made me extremely tense by cutting and grinding my toenails. But other than the tension, she didn't hurt me. She was obviously...

The project for a good diet is a constantly-changing thing. According to Angela, I'm doing quite well, though. And I feel good about my diet. As my ability to take in calories improves, I am adding more fruit, grains, and vegetables at the suggestion of my dietician. The protein question is still up for debate, and I have quite a bit of research to do. Along the trail I see and smell honeysuckle a...

On the trail today in the early morning, I see a crawfish (also known as a crawdad or mudbug) and think it's a scorpion. It crawls across the concrete of the trail in front of me. I've included a video on the YouTube channel and the website. Loving my life, as I do passionately, like any great love, requires flexibility. As I learn about the person I love, I can apply that knowledge to love her mo...

It's exciting to be getting closer to walking a complete loop around my favorite course at Lake Fayetteville, though after all this time I am still not sure exactly how long that loop is. I've been using yogurt as my recovery meal. It's high-protein and I like it and it's convenient. But I want to mix it up a bit and I'm thinking of adding some whey, or a protein bar as options. Jerky would also b...

When people notice how much weight I have lost, they often ask me how I did it. What diet I would recommend. And at this point I can only say what I have done, what worked for me . For people who are like me, the answer is that they need to find foods they like that fit into a lower-calorie diet. This is really different for each person. But that isn't the answer people need to hear. The important...

"From life's school of war: what does not kill me makes me stronger"                                                                           -- Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols Gettin' All Nietzschean on y'all. While I need to be careful not to overdo it, I occasionally need to stretch beyond my current abilities in order to foster positive change in my being. Like going an additional...

I am happy to be working out pretty hard in the gym now. If feels good, and I'm not afraid of using the arm that has been giving me trouble. I don't think I'll damage it. And I have not been feeling a lot of pain. As usual it seems that exercise seems to decrease my pain rather than increase it. There is so much information available that it is very difficult to decide what is and is not good advi...

We live in a world of abundance. Don't be afraid to share your ideas. No one is going to steal your idea and make it into something big. Because it is not only the inspiration, but the perspiration that makes an idea into something great. Just do it. Just share it. Do the hard work. If you can come up with a plan for fitness and execute it, you can do just about anything. Have you?   Weight (chang...

Medical Department: My general practitioner looked at the special Neck x-ray that I had done recently, and said a bunch of words like "degenerative" and "calcification". Words over five syllables just sound scary. So the next step is to see a Neurosurgeon – stay tuned. I am wearing sunscreen today, so you can do not only as I say, but as I do. I have fair skin and if you do too, you'll want to be...

Work can be a distraction, even though it is an important and integral part of my life. I'm very grateful to be employed, but life is more than work. I need to remember that. It is late in the day, but it is the time of year when I need to wear sunscreen when I go out. Skin cancer is a danger associated with exposure over a long period of time, and in the past it was thought that such exposure was...

I have started going to the gym and did a new exercise on a machine that builds hip muscles using resistance and leg-spreading and leg-closing movements, as well as some weighted ab work. I did not do any upper body exercises due to the pain in my right arm. And I was quite sore after the first day. From the medical department -- I got more x-rays after a review of my scoliosis x-rays and found, a...

"Death…not really a goal." We want to live as long as possible because we love our lives. But death comes to us all. If you want to read a brief biography of a regular non-celebrated person, check out the obituaries on your town's website or in the newspaper. This is a recollection, written by a friend or family member, often with input from others, of the person's family, work, and community life...

How often have you heard someone (or even yourself) say "I'd love to X, but the reality is I am," as if to say that a door is closed to one? For example, "I would love to lose weight, but the reality is that I'm fat. I've always been fat, never been able to lose weight – it's just reality and I have to accept it." Or "I'd like to go to college, but the reality is I'm just not smart enough." Poppyc...

I start at Veteran's park, where trees are blooming. There seems to be a discrepancy in the mile markers. One of them says the whole loop is 5.25 miles, and it marks the 5.28 mile point? It's a beautiful day and I discover a new part of the Lake Fayetteville trail. Lack of sleep changes my resistance, both mentally and physically. I've been a little short of sleep lately and find myself indulging...

This is the time when diets and whole health plans go wrong. I've lost a lot of weight quickly and my metabolism is shot. I can't eat more than about 1200 calories without gaining. Perhaps the hardest part of this process is fine-tuning my diet. It's not easy to move just 60 calories more or less, but I need to make small adjustments now. You can avoid this by not losing weight so quickly! As hard...

It's a great spring day, so I am sorry if you are reading this in the heat of August wherever you are. Just think of me as a breath of crisp spring air in your sweltering day. And you can gloat when it's August for me and you're enjoying crisp fall weather!

I lost 1.8 pounds last night. It's a constant battle trying to increase the calories I can burn in a day. It's the Battle for Metabolism. I acquire an inversion table and try it out. It feels amazing, really unlike anything I've ever felt. I meet my friend Brittany on the trail without even recognizing her until after she has past. And get closer to some ducks than humans should be allowed to get....

I keep close track of calories, trying to slowly cut to a point that would level me out at 204 pounds, the weight I was at the end of the contest, but without starving and dehydrating myself to that point. Weight (change since Jan 2018): 215 (-59) Workout time: 40 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 1.87 Miles (74.08) Steps: 14,117 Goals: (1) Run 10.5 miles in one day by 11/18/18 (2) Lo...

I see my general practitioner, who breaks down the possible causes of my arm pain. He also displays his artistic skills on a sheet of exam table paper, preserved here as the featured image. The problem is with a pinched nerve in my neck. It also may be complicated by scoliosis, because it seems my shoulders are unbalanced. Lots of good information here. Weight (change since Jan 2018): 212 (-62) Wo...

I visit my doctor and get some information about what might be happening to my back and causing the arm pain that I have been experiencing. Heading out under the light of the moon on an early Saturday morning, I ponder moving forward with my health after the weight loss contest. I talk about my "cheat meal" and, with all the things going on with my body right now, decide not to run again for a whi...

Today I learn something from Dave Jackson's Logical Weight Loss podcast : calories burned depends on, among other things, total body weight. So I'll be getting more accurate information from my fitness watch now as I periodically update my weight in the app. The end of the "Biggest Loser" contest at work, which I am going to win by the way, is so close I can taste it, and I plan to immediately res...

I start the workout coming straight from the grocery store, which makes an excellent opportunity for an accurate diet report. I discover my medical mantra, which is "Take care of yourself, your body is your most important asset." Oatmeal, the superfood, comes in flavors that add 30-100 calories, but provide a little variety. Edamame is available in the area of the frozen foods section where natura...

I find myself a twelve-hour away from home on a short trip to the east. In a hotel that is way too hip for me, I find a gym and record the first ever Running: A FEVER episode from a treadmill. This is a good example of a situation that makes exercise and healthy dieting inconvenient. I find some ways to deal with this, though. The trip is short, so I just bring most of my food with me in a cooler....

It is the first day of spring and a beautiful one, though it was freezing when I left for work this morning. I give a full definition of anabolism and catabolism in the first ever Chemical Biology section of the Medical Department report. Two things happen when you have enough water and are not dehydrated. Anabolic hormones are released causing growth of muscle tissue vs. destruction (catabolic ho...