Confession time.

I haven’t done any purposeful exercise (meaning, a WORKOUT, not, say, a walk with Jen after lunch) since sometime in July. I haven’t been taking my vitamins, or paying attention to how much water I drink during the day. I’ve been eating whatever the hell I want, too. Now, other than perhaps one or two pounds, I have been able to get away with this shameful behavior with little consequence. My clothes still fit, I still look the same in the mirror.

But.

I FEEL like crap. Slothful, and achy, and I haven’t been sleeping well. Aha, there lie the consequences of my actions! I knew they were around here somewhere.

Calvin got the results back from his doctor – the high blood pressure and high cholesterol haven’t done any damage to his arteries or heart, so far. All the tests and scans and whatnot came back normal. BUT, the doctor literally said, “If you don’t start getting exercise and eat much better than you have been, you’re going to die.” How’s THAT for some scare tactics?

Bleagh

Willpower, that’s what it’s all about.

That’s what I told myself 10 minutes ago as I had breakfast – “cookies and cream” protein powder.  Of all the advances of science that I’m looking forward to, #35 or so would be protein powder that doesn’t taste like ass.  Expired ass.  FDA-recalled ass.  (And isn’t that a bummer about the Toll House cookies?  Argh!)

Out of town meeting this morning (complete with a decent lunch – bonus) and then my first day back in the gym this afternoon.  Cardio-only, which I haven’t done in ages upon ages.  Thank god for my new iPod, which was an early Father’s Day gift, so I’d like to take a minute to thank my lovely wife for that little gift toward my exercise goals!

This will include my first weigh-in of this little adventure.  I’m not so worried about my weight, really.  I plan to use my belt as my real measuring stick.  I bought this belt when I broke my last one two years ago.  I was just starting to put some weight back on from my good weight of 2006 then, and I actually had to add a notch to the belt to be able to keep my pants up.  For the last several months I’ve, uh, been using the notch three over from the one I added.  That’s about three inches of waistline for those keeping score at home.  When I get back to that last DIY notch I’ll know I’m doing great.

Still, for solidarity with my fellow travelers on this path, I’ll do a weigh-in on the gym scale.  That’s the scale I’ve always gone by for my actual weight since our bathroom scale sucked, so we’ll have an “official” weigh-in.

Over/under is 212.  Who’s betting?  After pizza and a Blizzard for Father’s Day, I’m taking the over, but it should be close.

Vitamins – A Retrospective

Do you remember those happy carefree childhood days when, collaring you on your way out to play, your mother would ply you with mass quantities of Flintstones Multivitamins? Thus you were armed against disease, germs, the flu, and cooties. Those curious reddish-orangeish-purplish colored chewables that tasted vaguely like pennies were all the whole WORLD thought you needed to stay healthy as a kid. As long as you had Five Alive! and Fred, you were good to go.

Fast forward to today. We poor addlepated grown-ups are bombarded with Recommended! Daily! Requirements! So many Requirements! So hard to keep up! Are you listening to Doctor Oz? Do you know your Real Age? Are you getting enough Fiber? How about Omega-3’s? If a grown woman doesn’t get enough Calcium she’s going to be the next candidate to man the bell over Notre Dame. Vitamin D! Don’t forget Vitamin D! But don’t stand in the sun too long to get it, or you might get cancer! Here, fight cancer with these anti-oxidants that combat free radicals!

Free radicals? What the hell, are my mitochondria staging a coup???

It’s enough to give a poor girl a headache. So, during one of my visits to my nutritionist, I asked his advice on which supplements I should be taking. Here they are, in no particular order. YMMV, so you should consult your own doctor or nutritionist, or your Google MD, or whatever makes your skirt fly up.

(I totally stole that from Pioneer Woman.)

1. A good, gender-specific multivitamin. One that’s time released, because the body can only absorb so much of certain nutrients at once. I take this one.

2. Fish Oil. It’s full of those “healthy fats” you’ve been hearing about, Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 supports a healthy heart, joints, vision, memory/brain function, and immunity, among other things. I take this one. If you eat fish regularly you may already be getting all you need. You can get Omega-3 from flaxseed oil as well, though it’s not as concentrated.

3. A probiotic. This is a supplement of live digestive bacterias that promote a healthy digestion. Since I have issues in this area, I take this stuff.

4. Niacin (one of the B vitamins). My cholesterol is higher than it should be, so my doctor recommended that I take it in order to support the increase of my HDL, or “good” cholesterol. I take this one. Again, time-release is your friend.

5. Glucosamine/Chondroitin, which supports healthy joints, cartilage, and ligaments. Since I’ve increased my exercise I’ve started taking this to help my body recover from the shock. I take this one.

6. Vitamin D, which can be gained by 15 minutes of sunlight a day. Since in Arizona 15 minutes of sun can translate into a sunburn (and skin cancer, which my sister already went through, and we have the exact same skin so I’m not taking any chances), I’m choosing to supplement instead. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, and may help prevent osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and cancer. I take this one.

7. When I’m trying to lose weight (like now) I add a dose of L-Carnitine and Chromium to my vitamin/supplement regime. L-Carnitine assists in fat metabolism, and Chromium increases the body’s efficient use of glucose and fat.

8. Calcium/Magnesium – the two together promote healthy bones and a healthy nervous system, and as women get older they stop absorbing calcium as well as they used to. If you’re a woman approaching your 30’s you’ve already been told this by your doctor. I take this one.

Now, for Calvin, I have him on a multivitamin for men (this one), the fish oil caplets, the Niacin (though if he goes back on his meds he’s going to need to stop taking this one), and a Calcium/Magnesium/Potassium combo for his high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

The upshot of all of this is, hopefully, a healthier us. Gatorade-style pee is entertaining, too.