The messy November

OK folks. I know I'm silent, but I'm still here.

First, kudos and deep bow to Ren, Jen and Pen, I mean Patrick, for showing up so regularly here. I appreciate that.

I'm now waiting to fly back from the UK, where I've just been attending the funeral of my friend Anton. Back in Canada for 3 days, before flying back to the UK for some previously scheduled client work.

So I've been battling the lack of structure and routine this month, with feeding myself partially out of my control and exercise options also a little limited - I've spent 6 days just on planes, and will have spent a grand total of 6 days in my own bed (and therefore preparing my own food.) I haven't thrown in the towel, but feel like I should hit rewind and go back 20 days to reconnect to the program and work on it from there.

(In fact Patrick, seriously, is that something I should do? I mean - for some of the exercises, I'm farcically unable to do what's asked - in particular, chin-ups. I can do 1, 0, 0, 0, 0 for the routines)

I realise I owe you a photo too, Patrick. It's coming ~

On the road home

Just packing up in Canberra, heading to Sydney today, and then tomorrow flying back to Canada. And while it's been a fine thing to be in the same time zone as Ren and Patrick, I have to say the diet and exercise have taken a bit of a battering. "Ad hoc" would be a polite way of putting my commitment to things, which has confirmed I'm a weak, spineless man...

And - I'm missing the discipline of the eating and the exercise. The rest of the month is messy too, with two trips to the UK, but I somehow think it's going to be easier to do what I want to do, as I'll be out of the Black Hole of Temptation that is my parent's home.

And I've also had a lot of fun in Australia. So it's not all regret...

Ping Pong + Kung Fu

How it's really done

6 minutes...

...before finally stumbling on the skipping. A Personal Best. Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week.

Diet: done.

Workout: done.

Sense of moral superiority: in place.

Week 7: farce and debarcle

OK, back on line after 7 days away. Which was wonderful, but played merry havoc with my exercise and diet. Did some skipping and some stretching, but not much else. And ate... well, didn't eat well.

I'm still in Oz, but for the next week have a home base and a better chance of managing and shaping my environment to shape my behaviour. Actually really looking forward to completing a full workout, while fearing it equally.

Day Something: on the road to Oz

So we are about at the half-way mark. Thing have definitely slipped around the edges, but what I'm noticing is that my eating has really shifted noticeably - much much reduced carbs, much smaller dinners, much more veg, and gazillion times more eggs. And I'm now pinging around between 187 and 189 lbs. I always considered 189lbs a target weight, as that was my never-shifting weight when I was at university. So to be back there again and even a little below is kind of amazing.

I ended up skipping in a hotel corridor the other day in an effort to get some exercise in. My room was tiny, no gym in the building, and snowing outside. A couple of very odd looks from guests wandering by, but got 2 x 5 minutes skipping in. Not the whole thing, but a little something something which is important.

Really looking forward to the trip to Australia. My mum's 70th birthday, and time hanging out with my nieces and nephews (ages 3 to 7) with whom I'm striving to be an engaged and totally cool uncle. That, and it's easing into summer there, so two or so weeks of warm weather I hope.

Back on the road, path

I'm off traveling for another three days this week, back a bit, and then off to Australia for three weeks to spend time with my family - my Mum's 70th birthday. Not sure how the diet thing is going to work there, were it's not typical to have an egg white and an apple for dinner...

Last week was a bit of a mess - missed a few days exercise, wasn't great either on the diet.

But I'm back, stretching and flexing and eating...