Run 20090304 Calories

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

3 Miles
41 Minutes
221 Pounds
441 Calories

Yesterday I talked about the drop and it is still on with another 1/2 pound shed. If you are watching closely 222 is where I started and I had a quick drop to 221 followed by an increase to 223. The faulty first 221 mark did not stand long because my fitness regime was not not turned into habit. Also, I was not (and you most likely will not either) get the euphoric runners high that I am getting these days from a good run. That is because at first it just plains sucks to get your butt moving. There is pain, excuses and much more to look forward to in the first stages of any good fitness plan.

This new 221 is more steady and is where my official drop will happen. Further, the drop really can not happen if you quickly gain weight back. That is more of the nice try bucko!

In my last post I also talked about trying longer runs to burn more calories. I did not literally explain how this works. As you can see above, I am going to start documenting calories burned. This is a stat provided by almost all modern treadis. You are probably thinking it is way off and it is. My treadi doesn’t even offset for my body weight. I know I am burning more than the reported figure. However, it does not matter! It is using a simple equation based on an average body weight and will do fine to help me calculate the all important equation of calories burned. This is really the only figure you need. I don’t even know if you would call it math. Just track this number and adjust your workout so that this number goes up. Once you find the workout you like that burns the most calories, you have found your favorite workout.

To actually lose weight you have to burn more calories than you eat each day. But I want to keep things simple and focus on forming good fitness habits. Remember at the end of the day the goal is to simply move more and eat less!

Run 20090303 The Drop

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

1.5 Miles
18 Minutes
221.5 Pounds

Okay so what I call the drop has started. Just like a bear stock market or a ball rolling down a hill, weight loss is a momentum game…and so is weight gain. Some say the drop happens when a butterfly flaps it’s wings and causes ripples across the the globe that lead to a monumental event. In my case it is the overall loss of a 1/2 a pound.

If you are a frequent reader, you know I believe that dedication leads to monumental events and milestones. In short, I think we can control the drop! My milestone is only a 1/2 a pound and it has been long awaited. Either way the drop is here! My work is finally paying off!

Free Advice: I started taking some free and friendly advice from a few pro runners by running slower and longer (time) versus faster. I used to place most of my focus on the distance I was going to run. Basically, calories burned is a simple equation. If you run fast you definitely burn more. But often times faster running equates to shorter runs. Thanks to my cool TV set up, I am enjoying my time more on the treadmill. Now I can run a little slower, longer and more often for a net calorie burn increase. As for your personal program, you just need to test which focus is going to allow you to burn the most calories overall. Consider speed of run, length of run and the frequency you will be able to run. This definitely includes your recovery time, dedication, time management and how much you actually enjoy getting on the horse.

Run 20090225

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

1.5 Miles
15 Minutes
223 Pounds

So I got back at it again with a faster run. My weight is up and nothing has changed but the increase in movement. Be my guest if you can explain that one…

Oh well, I am feeling good and that is what’s important. Actually, I am a little surprised I am feeling good, because this morning I “archived” a few dress pants that I can no longer fit around my little tire tube. I guess I am pretty confident that I will be pulling them out of the “archive” soon…if I stay on this pace of run, run, soccer and relatively healthy eating.