Daily News Archives
April 2005
04/30/2005 - Did my pecs/delts/triceps workout a day early; Fence day.
04/29/2005 - Daily News Updates: Fitness Vs. Personal subjects.
04/28/2005 - Lisa is out of town; LISS cardio.
04/27/2005 - Excellent workout yesterday!
04/26/2005 - The month in review; Looking forward to bulking again!
04/25/2005 - Not much fitness news today; House projects going well.
04/24/2005 - Almost forgot to do today's update!
04/23/2005 - Weekend projects.
04/22/2005 - Bad night's sleep; Keeping goals in sight during busy times.
04/21/2005 - House projects are taking up all my free time.
04/20/2005 - Trying to get back into the groove.
04/19/2005 - First day back: busy but enjoyable.
04/18/2005 - What I did on my Spring vacation, by John Stone.
04/17/2005 - No update - on vacation.
04/16/2005 - No update - on vacation.
04/15/2005 - No update - on vacation.
04/14/2005 - No update - on vacation.
04/13/2005 - No update - on vacation.
04/12/2005 - No update - on vacation.
04/11/2005 - No update - on vacation.
04/10/2005 - No update - on vacation.
04/09/2005 - No update - on vacation.
04/08/2005 - Last update before my vacation.
04/07/2005 - ...and even more weight loss from the flu.
04/06/2005 - More weight loss from being sick.
04/05/2005 - Weight loss from being sick.
04/04/2005 - Feeling somewhat better.
04/03/2005 - Still recovering.
04/02/2005 - Incapacitated.
04/01/2005 - Stomach bug attacks from nowhere.
April 30, 2005
I decided to do my pecs/delts/triceps workout yesterday instead of today. Today I'm putting up our new privacy fence, and I don't want to stop mid-way
to do my workout. Aside from the logistical issues, putting up 225 feet of fence is hard work: I'm sure my workout would have been less than stellar if I'd done
it today (and I probably wouldn't have felt like finishing the fence after the workout!) One thing I didn't consider is the DOMS I'd be feeling this morning, and I'm definitely
feeling it! I'm going to do some cardio before we start the project; I'm sure once my muscles warm up they'll feel just fine. Tomorrow, though, is another story: I'm
probably not going to be able to get out of bed! 
I'm going to go get on the elliptical and warm up for a bit. It's going to be a long, hot day!
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April 29, 2005
Whenever I use this space to talk about personal subjects outside of fitness and health, I always get a handful of emails from people who feel I should discuss only fitness-related matters. I also regularly get emails from people who think I should talk more about my personal life and less about fitness and health, as that stuff is covered quite well on the rest of the site and in my prior updates. Of course it's impossible to please everyone, so I always just write about whatever is on my mind. It is tough coming up with something to write about every single day, year after year! Some days I can't type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts, but other days I sit and stare at the blank monitor. Sometimes I think about stopping the daily updates, but on most days I enjoy doing them quite a lot. I find that I enjoy writing the updates a lot more when I'm not pressured into always writing about fitness and health. Fitness is a big part of my life, but it's not the only thing in my life! Over the past few years I feel like I've come to know many of you through your emails and on the forum, so it's only natural that I'd want to talk more personally with my "friends". Fitness and health will always be the main focus of JSF, but hopefully there's a little room for some "off-topic" musings as well.
Workout time - have a great Friday!
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April 28, 2005
Lisa left last night for a four-day meeting, so it's just me and the dogs until Saturday night. I'll probably just keep busy working on the house while she is gone. The poor dogs always get so depressed when Lisa goes away for her quarterly meetings. I try to spend extra time playing with them to help cheer them up. It's just not the same around here without Lisa!
Yesterday's cardio workout was excellent. I was thinking that I'd like to get a recumbent bike to go along with the elliptical. It would add some variety to my cardio workouts, and I know Lisa would love to have one (she hates the elliptical). I know some people hate doing LISS (Low Intensity Steady-State) cardio, but I actually enjoy the time I spend on the elliptical a lot. It's the perfect time to think about things without being disturbed. I get a lot of mental clutter sorted out during my cardio sessions!
Speaking of cardio, I'd better get going. Today I'm 30 minutes behind my proper schedule. I seem to be running perpetually late these days. Oh well. Take care, and have a wonderful day!
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April 27, 2005
Yesterday I had one of my best back/bicep workouts in a long time. I improved the number of reps I did on every exercise. Last night my biceps and forearms kept cramping up any time I tried to use those muscles. This morning my arms and back are pretty sore!
I'm running a little late this morning. I'd better go do my cardio and hit my abs. Have a great day!
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April 26, 2005
What a crazy month this has been! I lost some muscle when I was sick with the flu at the beginning of the month, then I gained some fat while on vacation, and now I'm kind of back to where I was right after I recovered from the flu. I have a feeling my pictures on Sunday are not going to be all that great. I'm down to 188-189 pounds, but I'm still just above 9% body fat. Another 4-6 pounds is going to make all the difference in my abs (I hope!) I guess we'll see what happens over the next month. Hopefully my cutting cycle will be over by the end of May and then I can relax and enjoy the summer. Summer should be fun, but I'm looking forward to next Fall's bulk a whole lot: I'm going to get my 17" arms, I'm going to improve my lats and traps, and I'm going to do it on new, commercial-quality strength training equipment!
Time to eat - later today I'm working my back, biceps and traps. See ya tomorrow!
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April 25, 2005
I'm afraid there's not much in the way of fitness news today. My focus lately has been on the many house projects I have going, and I guess my recent Daily News updates reflect that. I hope no one minds if I use this space to talk about things aside from fitness from time-to-time...
Lisa and I spent the entire day yesterday repainting the entire kitchen. I also repainted a number of drywall repairs I've been working on over the past week or two, and put up a new stainless steel pot rack. Everything came out great! My drywall patching skills have improved a lot over the years, and the repairs all came out better than expected. Lisa and I worked from 9:30 AM until almost 10:00 PM, stopping only for food.
On Saturday we picked out a beautiful 18x18 tile ("Trevi Beige", made by Italgres). It will be installed in about a week. It was fun painting yesterday and not having to worry about getting paint on the current kitchen floor. We made quite a mess! At one point I was getting down from the counter and I put my foot down right on the edge of the paint tray. The tray flipped over, coating my leg and the floor with green paint. It was pretty funny, actually.
The exterior house painting is done, so this weekend I'm putting up a new fence (the old one is literally falling apart) and the roof will be professionally cleaned. The landscaping and the sod goes in starting on May 24th. As you can tell, I'm very excited about our home's "transformation"! It's long overdue...
Cardio time, then work. Have a great Monday!
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April 24, 2005
I was about to walk out the door to go to Home Depot for paint, and I kept thinking "I'm forgetting to do something..." Oh yeah, the web site! You'd think after over 2 years of daily updates I'd have no trouble remembering to update the site. Oh well, I guess I have lots of other things on my mind these days. I'm outta here. Have a great day!
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April 23, 2005
Ah, Saturday at last! Another big project weekend is in store for me. This morning I'm going to take care of some patching and painting before my pecs/delts/triceps workout. After my workout and meal, Lisa and I are going to pick out the tile for the kitchen, laundry room and entry. The tile is going to take about 2 days to install, and then no one can walk on it for 24 hours. Not having access to the kitchen is going to present a bit of an inconvenience! Thankfully we have a spare fridge/freezer in the garage, and I can store some dry food in my office. I'm going to have to cook all our hot meals on the grill during this time. Actually, that won't be such a big deal because I got pretty good at grilling eggs and whatnot last summer while we were without power during two of the hurricanes.
The exterior house painting is almost complete. It's taking a little longer than I expected, but I'm very pleased with how everything is turning out. For those who are interested, I'll have before/after pictures of everything (inside and outside) once the projects are all completed. We're probably looking at another month at least. We have not done any major fixing up around here since we had the house built in 1994, so these projects are long overdue!
I'm off to spackle and lift weights. Have a great day!
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April 22, 2005
I woke up last night around 2:00 AM and I just could not fall back asleep. That's the first time that's happened in quite a while. Eventually I did drift off again, but it was well after 4:00 AM. Of course I overslept, and now I'm behind AND groggy! I'm glad the weekend is almost here because it's been a heck of a week. Hopefully everything will begin to settle down a bit, but in all likelihood things are going to be pretty hectic right into June. I'm going to do my best to keep up with my fitness program, but we all know how much "real life" can get in the way sometimes. My cutting program is going to take a little longer than I thought. Between being sick at the beginning of the month and my relaxed diet during my vacation, this month is looking like a bit of a wash in terms of cutting progress.
I'd better get going - I'm running about an hour behind again this morning!
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April 21, 2005
I wish I could have taken 2 weeks off. I'm having a very tough time keeping up with everything this week. I'll be so glad when the house is done and
things can get back to normal around here. I'm already an hour behind today, and it's barely 7:30! I'd better get off this computer and on the
elliptical. Have a great day and thanks for visiting. 
April 20, 2005
I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, but there's so much going on right now with work and the house that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed trying to keep up with it all. Sometimes I wonder if vacations are worth it: it can be difficult to get caught up and back in the groove when they are over!
I've got to get my workout in and run a couple of errands before work. I'm going to be late starting work, but hopefully I'll be back at my desk before anyone notices.
Have a wonderful day!
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April 19, 2005
I enjoyed my first day back from vacation a great deal. Everything at work went very well, and it felt great getting back to working out and eating healthy. I do have a lot of work to catch up on, so I'd better get started if I expect to knock off at a decent hour. See ya tomorrow!
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April 18, 2005
Hello, it's great to be back! Lisa and I had a wonderful 10-day break from our normal routines. We spent most of the time working around the house, and we made a tremendous amount
of progress. We bought our house in 1994, and it was long overdue for a major fixing up. On the inside of the house we cleaned everything, and rearranged and organized the kitchen, bedroom
and dining room. We're also having the linoleum in the kitchen, laundry room and entryway replaced with some very nice tile. There's still more work to be done
(the tile work, some minor painting and a bit of drywall repair), but the "worst" is behind us.
On the outside of the house, we now have an automatic 6-zone irrigation system installed. 100% coverage of the entire front and back yard and all the flower beds.
The irrigation system was installed because we're re-landscaping and putting in new sod (front and back). Except for a couple of large trees (which were trimmed), all the current landscaping has been completely removed, chopped up and hauled away. The driveway, sidewalks and patio have been pressure washed and they look sparkling new - just like the day we moved in. The house was also pressure washed because the painters will be here today to re-paint the house. I also washed and waxed our cars.
I have to admit, I skipped most of my workouts. I weight trained, but didn't do any cardio at all. I think all the exercise I was getting outside was a nice change from the elliptical. For the most part my diet was not bad, but I did have "cheat" meals for dinner on most nights, and I ate some snacks like ice cream and buttered popcorn. I gained about 5 pounds, but I suspect most of that is water weight and will disappear quickly. My waist size didn't change at all.
I'd better get started on my cardio. Have a wonderful day!
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April 9, 2005 - April 17, 2005
No update - on vacation.
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April 8, 2005
Ah, my last day of work before a much needed vacation! Lisa and I are not going anywhere; we're going to take this time to hang out together and take care of about a zillion projects around the house that need doing. Somehow we never seem to have the time to get to a lot of the bigger projects, so now's the time. We'll be doing some Spring cleaning and fixing up around the house, stuff like that. I know it doesn't sound like much of a vacation, but the satisfaction we'll feel once all these nagging issues are dealt with will provide an ongoing sense of relaxation and enjoyment. This June we're taking a "real" vacation.
There will be no updates to this site from April 9 - April 17. Daily updates will resume on Monday April 18, 2005.
Enjoy your week, and keep working hard! Back in 10 short days...
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April 7, 2005
I guess I spoke too soon yesterday about the amount of weight I lost while sick. This morning I'm down another two pounds, bringing my total weight loss to 6 pounds in like 5 days. Being so sick sure took its toll on me. Hopefully now that I'm back on creatine and eating my normal, healthy diet my weight will go up a little bit. I'm afraid to measure my arms and chest. I'll wait until Monday to do that.
Just two more days and I'll be enjoying a much needed and well-deserved 9 days off from everything! Tomorrow will be my last update to this site until Monday, April 18th. I'll continue to track my weight, but I won't be tracking my food intake. I plan to stick to my cutting diet, with an extra cheat meal or two thrown in for good measure. I think the extra food will do me good right now.
Cardio time!
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April 6, 2005
I guess I was still holding some water yesterday, because today I'm another 2 pounds lighter. All told, it looks like I lost a little over 4 pounds due to the flu. Hopefully I'll gain a few pounds over the next week as I return to my normal diet. I'm still feeling a little weak this morning, but otherwise okay. I'll probably start doing cardio again tomorrow as planned.
Just 3 more days until my vacation! I can't wait!
Well, I slept in a bit this morning so I'm running a little late. It doesn't surprise me that I'm needing a little extra sleep lately. I'd better get going. See ya tomorrow!
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April 5, 2005
Of course I was only able to eat small amounts of food while I was sick, and, as a result, I lost a few pounds. I doubt it was all adipose. Not good, but there's nothing much I could do about it. I'll live. I think the reason the weight loss didn't show until today is because I was drinking a lot of Gatorade, which has a lot of sodium and causes water retention. Of course I didn't take any supplements the whole time I was sick, so being off creatine probably contributed to the weight loss. I expect my weight to go up a few pounds as I return to my normal diet and begin to take creatine again.
I'm feeling much better this morning. Perhaps a little weak, but other than that I'm almost back to normal. I'll probably wait until Thursday to resume my cardio workouts, and I may resume strength training as early as Saturday or Sunday depending on how I feel. I don't want to push it too fast and get sick again!
I'm off to work now, have a great day!
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April 4, 2005
I'm finally starting to feel like I'm on the road to recovery. That was one nasty flu bug I caught! I'm still feeling weak and achy, but thankfully no fever or chills this morning. I'm going to eat bland foods again today, but hopefully tomorrow I can return to my normal diet. I'll resume my workouts as soon as I'm feeling fully recovered. I don't want to push it and regret it later.
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April 3, 2005
I started feeling a little better yesterday afternoon. Last night I went to bed but couldn't sleep at all (I guess that's what happens when you sleep for 2 days straight). Anyway, the Theraflu I've been taking wore off sometime in the middle of the night and I started feeling really bad again. I guess that means two things: 1) This flu is really kicking my butt and 2) Theraflu works great.
I'm going to keep resting today and hope that I feel better by tomorrow.
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April 2, 2005
Whatever this is, it's kicking my ass. I've had a 102 degree fever since yesterday, my head feels like it's splitting open, and the only thing I've been able to keep down is a small bowl of soup. I've been completely incapacitated. I'm going to the ER later today if things don't start to improve.
Back to bed...
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April 1, 2005
Some crazy stomach bug hit me HARD yesterday. I started getting mild stomach cramps around mid-day, and by the time I went to bed I was doubled over in agony. I was up all night alternating between severe cold shakes, vomiting and sweating profusely. This morning I feel like I've been hit by a truck. My head is throbbing, my stomach still hurts and I got practically no sleep last night.
I'm going back to bed now, but I wanted to update the page and take my monthly pictures (what a trooper I am). My smile in today's pictures is SO fake. I felt like I was going to pass out taking those pictures. I'm off to bed now, have a good day.
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