From KT – June 16, 2013
Yo DaVita!
I hope most of you did a strong job on achieving your health goals this weekend! Weekends offer incredibly opportunity to allocate time to health … If we make it a priority.
There are over 4,500 of us now, and over 400 family and friends. Just picture that arena, full of 4,500 folks cheering you on…And 1 dog so far!
I have quite the mixed story for myself.
The good news is I got up at 3:30 am on Saturday am, drove up to Bailey, Colorado, and joined 250 other mountain bikers for the Bailey Hundo. We started at 6 am. I finished my 50 miles (including 5200 feet of vertical ascent) in 6 hours and 50 minutes. About 30 of the 50 miles were single track, which means it was just a narrow path through the woods, up and down the hills, around trees and rocks, etc. Absolutely beautiful. Absolutely exhausting. For those not familiar, mountain biking requires significantly more effort per mile than road biking because of the flat tires and gravel roads or uneven natural trails in the woods. Five of us road together, pulling each other along, making it much more fun and a higher success rate experience … Just like the spirit of Match the Mayor. As many of you know, I was wondering if I would be able to finish, especially with a low sleep week. It was glorious !!!
Today I had my first session ever with a Personal Trainer. As many of you also know, I have had my share of injuries over the past several years. I finally decided that given the number of hours I work, and the travel I do, I needed to spend the extra money and get some help to make sure I am getting more out of each hour of exercise. I have always been good at getting rigorous cardio workouts, and good workouts for a small number of muscles tied to particular activities (like running, or biking). But I have not been good at paying attention to all of my body, and the integrated system, the integrated miracle which it represents. The one exception was when I did yoga regularly for a year. That made a difference I could literally feel in my day-to-day movements. When I decided to keep this demanding job a few years ago I told myself it was okay to do that if I took advantage of the fact that I get paid a lot for doing the job, and that I should spend some of the extra money to make up for the reduced time I would have to invest in my health. This way I will hopefully stop over-working a narrow set of muscles and do more to support them by investing in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, flexibility, strength, balance, etc. around that narrow set. The personal training session was 90 minutes long. (by the way, I do not mean to whine about the demanding nature of this job – I love my work for the Village, I love trying to serve you well, I am an incredibly lucky Midwestern boy to have this job, we do so many special things for other human beings, and have the potential to do even more!)
After that I did 26 solid minutes on the bike, then 18 minutes of PT for my shoulder and knee.
So this was a great weekend! Not only for endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility!
It was also a special weekend in that I did zero work on Saturday! (well, I did do 40 minutes of voice-mail as I drove up to the mountains in the dark) Plus, I did only about 2.5 hours today. That felt wonderful also.
I did have one diet coke after the race, and one today on Sunday. That is fine, right on goal.
Now for the bad news. I have not lost a single pound. No excuses. I am accountable.
Tomorrow I will get up and try to start anew.
And keep sharing with me your successful stories, to help me get moving on that third goal!!
One for All & All for One.
Yours in Service, KT
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Laurene said,
June 17, 2013 @ 12:43 pm
This is very motivational Thanks for sharing
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Kathleen said,
June 17, 2013 @ 1:03 pm
I have lost 26 pounds so far in the past year or so, and didn’t really think I looked any different. I have gotten into a smaller pants size, but when you see yourself everyday, I guess you really dont see the difference. I was reviewing some photos taken in Jan 2012 at a company function, and I can truely see the difference. Not only has my hair gotten longer, but I have a waist!! Thank you so much for your insperation, and keep up the great work!
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Barbara said,
June 17, 2013 @ 1:11 pm
Good job on the diet coke and exercise goals!! Weight loss is a nice addition, but I think the first two are actually more important than the third.
I have not been able to reach my goal of 360 minutes of physical activity per week. The first week I exercised for 345 minutes; just 15 minutes shy. But last week I just managed 320 minutes. Our family had a long weekend – mini-vacation. So I wasn’t in my usual exercise routine. I do feel better, as I have increased my activity from a usual average of about 270 minutes per week. I’m going to keep working toward my 360 minute goal.
Davita Shooting Stars rock!!!
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Melissa said,
June 17, 2013 @ 1:37 pm
Awesome job! That sounds like a great and tough time! Good for you!
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Lora said,
June 17, 2013 @ 1:41 pm
In my journey of health & well-being, I went to a mineral springs resort in New Mexico. The historic mineral pools were amazing; one was an iron pool for joints, one was a lithum pool for digestion, etc. The best part was the ‘whisper zone’ around most of the pools…complete quiet while soaking my bones!
I also took a yoga class in a Yurt. The class was great, but the most memorable part was that they gave us a piece of ‘paper’ that was made from wildflower seeds and asked that we write a word of reflection on it. They then take these & plant them in a meadow behind the Yurt for the wildflowers to grow….very cool.
It was a much-needed and wonderfully serene experience. Here’s to our health!
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Darleen said,
June 17, 2013 @ 5:35 pm
Kudo’s to you KT! Your inspiration is much appreciated. As we get older, it doesn’t get any easier. I’m learning at a late age that staying consistent, counts. Seems like the only thing I’m consistent at is being inconsistent, lol! We need to encourage each other….we are family. Loving this journey with new friends.
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Diana said,
June 17, 2013 @ 10:12 pm
KT- don’t worry so much about losing pounds. You are probably gaining muscle weight. It’s all about how you feel and look. I’m sure you are looking great. After all with all the exercise you do there is no way you have much body fat. As far as the diet coke, it’s ok to indulge as long as it’s reasonable. One diet coke a day is reasonable to me. My addiction is coffee and boy can I drink coffee. No wonder I average 5hours a night and 2-3 on a bad night.
Keep up the GREAT work. Thank you for the motivation.
As for me I’ve lost 25lbs and feel fabulous!!
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Lauren said,
June 18, 2013 @ 7:50 am
KT I am really enjoying reading your progress, and appreciate you sharing your daily challenges and victories! I am curious why you stopped yoga after a year if you felt a difference in your daily movements? I practice bikram yoga very regularly (5-7x per week)and find it tremendously therapeutic for the overall body (works the muscles/joints, improves strength and flexibility, and has many poses focused on benefitting internal organ systems). It is fantastic that you are investing in a personal trainer, but consider adding yoga back into your varied exercise routine…and if you do you should give Bikram a try. Above all, it is a great way to relax and calm your mind.
Keep up the great work and thanks for the motivation!
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Alejandro said,
June 18, 2013 @ 11:14 am
Hi KT,
Impressive the mountain bike ride…that is tremendous workout!
About losing pounds or not; it might be hard to evaluate weight loss focussing just on plain weight; measuring body composition (percentages of body fat, water, muscle, etc) would be a much better indicator of progress. Since you are working out very often, your muscles may be growing and even when your fat might be decreasing; this could be happening to you.
Now if you want to loose some weight, fish oil (3000 mg/day), CLA (1000 mg/day), coconut oil (1-2 table spoon/day) and seeweed may stimulate some your metabolism. Another strategy could be to follow a lower glycemic index diet; that is eating lots of veggies with healthy oils, moderate protein and low in carbohydrates; avoiding as much as possible grain and desserts.
One more thing, Vitamin C might help recovering from workouts and heal any ligament; it is essential for collagen formation. For more info, I suggest reading Linus Pauling’s work on Vitamin C. He recommended from 4-10 grams/day; depending on individual.
Thank you for sharing part of your life with us and serving as inspiration for those who are ambitious and want to rich great goals in life.
Alejandro
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Angela said,
June 19, 2013 @ 1:01 pm
Hi KT,
I really enjoy reading your journals, they are inspiring. Everyone struggles with fitting in time for workouts and for me I find working out in the morning is great. When I start my day being motivated and feeling good it makes the day go a lot better.
I was very excited to read you have practiced yoga. I practice hot yoga at least 5 days a week. It’s practiced in a 105 degree room and while sometimes in class I think I am crazy for doing it, afterwards my body feels so much better and mind is clearer and more focused.
Also, one thing I keep in mind is eating healthy and exercising are a part of my lifestyle. When I make this connection eating healthy and exercising are just part of my daily routine not an additional to it.
Good luck, Can’t wait to read more!
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KT's responses to June 16 comments said,
June 20, 2013 @ 11:32 am
I really enjoy reading your journals, they are inspiring. Everyone struggles with fitting in time for workouts and for me I find working out in the morning is great. When I start my day being motivated and feeling good it makes the day go a lot better.
Good luck, Can’t wait to read more!
Angela Mam
Good luck to you too Angela!
KT
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