Minert.com

I'm back writing again!  I'm getting back into the swing of things by writing some more Android stuff. Check it out on my Android page!

I'm back writing again!  I'm getting back into the swing of things by putting together some new Android posts.  Check them out on my Android page!

Somehow, Mandy convinced me to try and go a whole week without turning on the TV at home. I can watch TV at the gym, but nothing at home, not even in the morning when I'm getting ready. Three days in, it's been an interesting experience.

Monday night was great, as we got quite a few things done around the house. We spent some time reading (I love my NookColor by the way), and the evening went by pretty quickly. Last night was a different story. Neither of us felt like doing much, so she read while I killed most of the evening on Twitter or playing Angry Birds. Made for a long evening, and not really any more productive than watching TV would have been. Tonight we went to the gym, so that took up a good portion of the evening.

I think what I'm learning is that I don't need to have the TV on at all times whether or not I'm actually watching it. It is okay to enjoy the quiet now and then. Hopefully we can detach ourselves from it a bit as tome goes on, and be willing to find other sources of entertainment. I can't wait for it to warm up so I can get back on my bike, and the detachment from TV will surely make that easier.

Saw this posted on our work portal, and thought it was worth sharing.  How do you make your life better today than it was yesterday?

Every year in June, Lincoln has a city-wide bike ride to help support the local trail system.  It's called Trail Trek, and there are rides anywhere from 10 to 100 miles.  I didn't have a bike last year, so I wasn't able to ride, but that's all changed now.  As you read in my last post, I have a bike now!

I've set a goal to ride in next year's Trail Trek.  I expect to at least be able to ride in the 25 mile ride next year, and possibly the 50, depending on how my training goes this fall and next spring.  Between my bike, and the exercise bike at the gym, my goal is to ride 6 days a week.  I'm really enjoying riding, and think this could become my new hobby.

I do want to thank my friends Ross and Angela for being so encouraging about riding.  They ride everywhere, and have been encouraging everyone they know to get out and ride.  I've caught the bug, and hopefully I can convince some of you to get out and ride too!  If you're in Lincoln and want to ride sometime, let me know.  I'm always up for someone to ride with, and there are about 10 of us that meet up occasionally to go on rides too.  Some have been biking for a long time, while others are just starting, so there's someone for everybody to ride with.  I've already met some great people through the bike rides, so hopefully more of you will come join us next time!

After some discussion, Mandy and I decided to go out and buy bicycles this past week.  We settled on some Specialized bikes - she bought the Crossroads Sport, and I chose the Sirrus.  I tried out some of the cruiser bikes, but settled on a road-hybrid as I didn't think the suspension fork and seat were for me.

Of course when you buy a bike, you don't stop there. You have to buy a kickstand, water bottle holder, front and rear lights, and helmets.  This of course is the bare minimum - there are many, many add-ons that would be nice to have in the future.  Throw in a bike rack for the car, and we basically spent enough to buy a third bike.

I've been riding the exercise bike at the gym, but wanted an opportunity to get outside, and I have many local friends that ride.  Thus, I wasn't completely out of shape for biking, but as I've found out, there are still some different muscles required for actual riding.

We bought the bikes four days ago, and of course had to take them out that night.  We went for a quick 4-mile ride that night - we're fortunate to have a bike path just a few blocks from the house.  Friday night I rode 2 miles to go meet some friends at a coffee shop.  Rode back home as well.  I took Saturday off in preparation for today's ride.

Some of my Twitter friends had decided to go out at 7:30 this morning and ride the MoPac trail toward Eagle.  It's a little over 20 miles round trip.  I wasn't expecting to make it the whole way, but figured I could go a good distance.  Woke up this morning to 50 degree temps and drizzle - not exactly ideal riding conditions.  We decided to tough it out anyway, and I'm glad we did.  

There were six of us that started off together (two more caught up to us a little later).  Unfortunately, we lost one rider about a mile out as the side-wall on his tire ripped out.  The rest of us rode at a leisurely pace out past Walton.  We reached 148th Street (just past 5 miles) before 4 of us decided to turn back and head for home. 

We made it back, with the total ride time being just about 1:30.  My rear end was hurting pretty good by the time I was done, but otherwise, I think I held up pretty well.  Our group wasn't riding too fast, so I think I could have gone further had I been riding a faster pace.  My legs held up good, so I maybe could have done 14-15 miles if we'd been riding faster.  Regardless, I feel pretty good about how well I rode today, and I'm looking forward to more time out on the bike.

I created an account at DailyMile to log my progress.  DailyMile is a social network for runners and bikers, so if you are into either, look me up on the site!  If you're in Lincoln, I'm always up for meeting new people to ride with. 

After a long hiatus, I finally decided to put some time back into my blog.  I've gone through and cleaned it up to focus on my work (since I was the only one who used it anyway).  Decided to change up the design a bit too.  

Hope you like the new design!

Time for a two month summary!  Hard to believe we’ve been at this for two months already.  I had hoped to have more dramatic results than I do, but that’s where phase two comes into play (keep reading).

Here’s where I’m at after 2 months:

• I’ve lost 5 pounds
• I’ve increased my bench press strength by 50 lbs and am now able to bench press Mandy :-)
• I can go 30 minutes straight on the elliptical machine (up from less than 5)
• I’ve lost 4 inches in belt size
• I’ve added about 10 yards to my golf ball flight distances
• I’ve got more energy to do things after work (like golfing)

Now that exercise has become a routine part of my life, it’s time to move on to phase two – eating better.  I’ve tried several things over the years, and am already eating better than I was a couple years ago, but I need to step it up further.   I am working on limiting my caffeine intake over the past month, so I’m going to try and cut it off completely going forward.  I’m also going to work on limiting my food intake when I’m not hungry.  I tend to eat when I’m bored, so I’m doing two things to help remedy that: find more things to do, and drink water or chew gum instead.  I should be able to drop about 400-500 calories a day just by making this change.  I won’t deny my body food if I’m truly hungry, but I’ve got to work on learning this difference.

I’ve got more phases to go, but I’m going at this gradually.  In another couple months,  if phase two is going well, I’ll look into phase three.  This isn’t a diet plan, it’s a life change. What I’m doing now has to be a long-term change, not just a short-term idea.