Get Fit

This post is part of my ongoing “Get Fit” series, an effort to lose a little weight/tone up, and save money by reducing the number of meals I eat out.

The Craving

I’m not sure what happened, but around last Wednesday my cravings went into absolute overdrive. And honestly, I’m having a hard time fighting them off.

Maybe the sweet craving was set off when I went to get my hair cut last Friday. Upon ariving to the salon (No, I don’t go to the barber) this lovely box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts was practically calling my name.

I can’t begin to tell you how good they smelled, but if you’re wondering, I didn’t have one.

After getting my hair cut I made my way to the grocery store and ended up buying that lovely bag of Cheetos you see to the right.

Why did I buy them? Why else… they looked really freaking good at the time. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good they’d taste.

You might not be able to tell, but the bag hasn’t been opened at this point -  I’ve thought about tearing it open on multiple occasions, but something has allowed me to resist.

All and all I’ve been doing pretty well with sticking to a healthier diet, but did slip and have fries a couple (one time with a burger, the other with a chicken sandwich) times last week. I guess it’s safe to say I’m struggling with the cravings at the moment.

Workout Slump

My workout routine has been going great, but I did hit a slump last week after picking up inline speed skating again.

Speed skating is something I did a lot in my younger days, but have always valued its strenuous workout and the element of competition. I even committed by buying some new skates (seen to the left).

Think of new skates as a new pair of boots – they have to be broken in. Only, breaking in skates is a bit more painful. Let’s just say I’m letting something heal on my left foot that is preventing me from skating and doing cycle classes at the moment. Speaking of cycle classes, I’ve cut back to three a week (from six) since I’ve picked up the speed skating practices.

Oh, and if you are making a ugly face and thinking, “Really, speed skating?” let me give you some insight. The team I skate with has bred a phenomenal group of athletes, some of which have gone on to become world class athletes.

For example, you may of heard of Joey Cheek (seen to the right), a guy I used to skate with when I was younger. He picked up a couple metals (one gold) in the last winter Olympics for long track speed skating. He and his brother Michael (Who I still skate with today – mostly watching him go very fast) are immensely talented.

Ok, back to the slump.

I’ve been doing some weight training, but I feel like the lack of cardio over the past week or so has hit me mentally. Not to mention, I know it’s what I need to burn some unwanted jiggle (fat just sounds nasty… but I can’t say that jiggle sounds much better). Again, not that there’s a lot of it, but there’s definitely something to work on.

Size Doesn’t Determine the Struggle

At first thought, you might assume that an overweight person struggles with food more than someone that might be considered “thin.”

I think most people would probably put me in the “thin” or “semi-fit” category, but I’m hear to tell you I struggle with food… a lot. As I type this I’m still thinking about that dreaded bag of Cheetos.

What scares me a bit is that the last time I hit a wall like this I was able to quickly process the negative aspect of what I was about to eat and trashed it. The Cheetos aren’t in the trash… but they should be.

Maybe the difference when it comes to those that struggle with cravings is the willpower to resist, or to simply eat something healthier. And if you’re one of those folks that naturally eats healthy… I’m not sure you can understand how hard it is, at times,  to resist the craving.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to keeping you up-to-date with my efforts. At the very least, I hope this series can be, in some way, motivating.

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How I’ve Saved $210 in 30 Days

by Ryan Shell on December 15, 2009

This is part of my ongoing “Get Fit” series.

My first post in this series highlighted that I was trying to alter my eating habits to get in better shape, but to also save money on my eating out expenses. From that post,

“In doing this I will not only be cutting calories out of my diet and reducing the amount of fried food I eat, I’ll also be saving a nice chunk of money. If I can stick to this plan I’ve estimated that I’ll save, at a minimum, $200 a month by not eating out for lunch.”

Yesterday, I took a moment to compare my spending habits for the last 30 days with the previous 30 day period. To my delight my eating out expense had reduce by $210!

Now, if you are thinking, “That’s more than I spend eating out all month!” cut me some slack. I’m a single guy with a busy lifestyle, so the dream of eating at home for every meal simply isn’t part of my reality.

I’ve still only lost two pounds, but think part of the reason is because I’ve gained a little muscle along the way. At least I like to hope that’s the case.

I also started inline speed skating (Told you I’m a dork) again last week. It’s a sport I took part in when I was younger and is the best all around workout I’ve ever had. Skating is the only thing that has been able to get me to my absolute max, and then about 10% past that. Needless to say it’s going to help get me in shape.

Let’s circle back to that $200. That’s a pair of jeans! And don’t give me a hard time for liking nice jeans – it’s something I wear quite often and they have a good lifespan.

Regardless of whether the money stays in savings or if I opt to spend it, the plan is working.

Tip: Next time you go to order a soda when eating out, think twice. You’ll quickly save $2, if not more.

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“Get Fit” is Still Going Strong

by Ryan Shell on December 2, 2009

This post is part of my ongoing “Get Fit” series, which is outside the typical marketing/public relations focus of this site.

I’ve been working out at a pretty steady rate now for three weeks; last week was a bit off due to the holiday, but I still managed to get in some good workouts.

My goal is to get a bit more toned, but also lose a few pounds along the way. The weight factor can be a mental road block if you have unrealistic expectations – especially when you’re working out at a pretty good rate, but don’t seem to be shedding any weight.

I’ve now lost two pounds since I started my healthier lifestyle a few weeks ago, but that didn’t happen until last Saturday.

Let’s take a moment and circle back to the “mental road block.” If you overlook the fact that you are building muscle at first it could be a crushing blow. There’s nothing worse than doing extremely hard workouts, but feeling as if you aren’t getting results. And for the average person, the scale is the only result that matters.

Mentally prepare yourself and you’ll have a much better experience.

Oh, and yes, I’m still on track with my new eating habits. I’ve had fries twice in the last three weeks, which is a big deal for me. The cravings are still there, but I’m learning to fight them (I’m not sure healthy eaters know exactly how hard this can be).

Heck, this happened just last night.

I got home around 9 pm and had absolutely no interest in making dinner. I instantly started thinking about going to Wendy’s – it was as if I could already taste the food. I’m not joking when I say this, but I sat in my room staring at the wall for about five minutes justifying why I was/wasn’t going to Wendy’s. In the end, I stayed home and had a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

I’ll keep sharing my experience with you and hope that you’ll find it motivating in some way. If I can change my bad habits anyone can.

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Why I Almost Relapsed last Night

by Ryan Shell on November 20, 2009

photoThis post is part of my ongoing “Get Fit” series – an effort to lose a little weight and save money by not eating out.

I almost relapsed last night.

See the unbaked cookies in the photo to the left? I took that last night around 9:30 pm. The oven was heated and I could all but taste the cookies. Before putting them in the oven I took a moment to look at the calories on the back of the package.

The serving size was two cookies and totaled 170 calories. I had six cookies (hey, they are small) ready to go in the oven and that would have been a quick 510 calories. I stopped for a moment to think about what I was about to do and ended up throwing the entire package away. As a replacement I had a few peanut butter crackers (saltine crackers and peanut butter) to curb the craving for food.

One month ago I wouldn’t have thought twice about eating these “little” cookies. Heck, I may have even cooked more.

And as a reminder, I’m only trying to lose seven pounds, but eating healthy has never been a huge strong point for me. Thanks for reading and understanding that by writing about this it helps me hold myself accountable.

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Why I feel Hungry Again

by Ryan Shell on November 13, 2009

spin1I previously told you about my plan to help alter my bad eating habits, save $200 a month and to potentially start losing weight.

The concept of paying myself (transferring money from checking to savings) when I don’t eat out has worked well thus far. In addition to trying to eat better (believe me, there are still flaws) I’ve also started working out again.

Tuesday Morning after taking a spin class at the local YMCA something happened that I realized hadn’t happened in a really long time. I was hungry. Not just that “yeah I could probably eat right now feeling,” but more of the “I’m starving feeling.”

Seriously, when is the last time you actually were really hungry? The realization made me feel a bit… blah. The feeling has come back time and time again this week and it’s almost like I can feel my metabolism increasing. Woot woot!

I’m no health expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know what works for my body when it comes to working out. I’ve had a pretty intense workout schedule this week and thought I’d share it just in case you are trying to get motivated.

Monday – Lifted weights with a focus on chest, back and abs
Tuesday – 6 am spin class, 5:30 pm ab class (20 min long), 6:15 spin class
Wednesday – Break
Thursday – 6 am spin class, 5:30 pm spin class, biceps/triceps weight workout, sauna for 15 min
Friday – Will do 20 min on the bike tonight as a warm-up and then 30 minutes on the elliptical

Again, I’m no expert, but this is a schedule that works for me. By doing lots of different things it helps this become more of a lifestyle and not just a random workout every now and then.

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My Eating Challenge Update

by Ryan Shell on October 22, 2009

On Monday I announced my plans to eat healthier and save $200 a month. Here is a short recap from that post,

“Monday – Thursday I’ll be eating lunch here at work. And I’m not packing a lunch in the morning… that has been a pitfall in the past. If I was running late or felt slack I could just skip out on making a lunch for the day. Instead, I’ll be stashing some bread, lunch meat (turkey) and chips (or something like that) in a fridge here at work and will make my lunch on a daily basis. Friday will be a cheat day.

In doing this I will not only be cutting calories out of my diet and reducing the amount of fried food I eat, I’ll also be saving a nice chunk of money. If I can stick to this plan I’ve estimated that I’ll save, at a minimum, $200 a month by not eating out for lunch.”

I knew I’d be saving money by not eating out for lunch, but I’ve taken it one step further. I’ve given each meal of the day a dollar amount – $5 for breakfast and $10 for lunch and dinner. When I don’t eat out I transfer the dollar amount represented by that meal and transfer the money from my checking to savings account. It had made the process very real for me and has been very effective so far. Sure it’s only been four days, but that alone is a success compared to previous attempts.

I had dinner out Tuesday and Wednesday night (sorry, I’m social), but other than that I’ve managed to rack up $70 through lunch today. In addition to the money I’ve lowered my calorie intake which can only be a good thing. Oh… and the biggie, I’ve not eaten fried food all week!

PS – I got back on my road bike for the first time in several months last night and managed to get in a quick 23 miles. It felt great to ride again – very calming.

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My Plan to Eat Healthier and Save $200 a Month

by Ryan Shell on October 19, 2009

52516eA8brown-bag-lunch_FullThis isn’t the typical subject matter for this site, but lots of people struggle with bad eating habits and weight issues, so I thought I’d share what I’m doing to start eating healthier, lose a few pounds and also save money.

If you know me, you’re probably familiar with the fact that my eating habits are less than stellar. I’m not overweight, but wouldn’t mind losing seven or eight pounds. My schedule stays pretty busy which means I find myself eating out a lot. And to be honest, I’ve eaten out for lunch almost every day for the past year (work 30 min from home). That alone is insane. Not only does it cost a massive amount of money to eat out, it also makes me susceptible to one of my biggest food weaknesses – French fries!

The madness has to stop.

I’m not going to go on some crazy diet or pledge to never eat out again because that simply isn’t realistic. Here is what I’m going to do to hopefully start eating healthier and saving money.

Monday – Thursday I’ll be eating lunch here at work. And I’m not packing a lunch in the morning… that has been a pitfall in the past. If I was running late or felt slack I could just skip out on making a lunch for the day. Instead, I’ll be stashing some bread, lunch meat (turkey) and chips (or something like that) in a fridge here at work and will make my lunch on a daily basis. Friday will be a cheat day.

In doing this I will not only be cutting calories out of my diet and reducing the amount of fried food I eat, I’ll also be saving a nice chunk of money. If I can stick to this plan I’ve estimated that I’ll save, at a minimum, $200 a month by not eating out for lunch.

This is something I’ve struggled with for a very long time and sharing this with you is an attempt to hold myself accountable.

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