Rediscovery

One very nice thing I am already rediscovering is the fun and adventure of creating new food. I've had veggie skewers so far, a veggie bake which was amazing. Its fun to come up with new ways of preparing the foods I need to make this adventure a reality. Its nicer this time as well to have someone to share the adventure with.

I have already had one person ask me about the food I am using to start the road. Really its pretty basic, I am using foods as close to the origin product as possible. Basically what that means is a little processing as possible. No white breads, enriched flours, canned foods, frozen dinners, etc. etc. Whole grains, veggies, fresh when possible, frozen where its not, no canned veggies, beef, pork, chicken and fish, lean cuts grilled on the foreman, the charcoal grill or on the stove top with no added oils or such. No salt at all, no butters or margarines, no additives. Water water and water... My only concession is BBQ sauce, VERY sparingly and steak sauce. I will also allow myself one free meal a week. That could be either a whole meal done smartly, ie: home-made pizza or a big honkin' bowl or two of homemade spaghetti, OR, it could mean a BIG honkin' bowl of icecream. You really need to allow yourself a treat. The temptation to cheat is greatly diminished if you know that on a certain day you can address what you are craving. The key, as I mentioned, is to do it smartly...

On another note, I just returned from my first real walk. By real walk I mean one that was just me on the road at my pace. I have been walking with Gabe, or just farting around playing soccer or volleyball with him, but that was at his pace. This was my first real test and it went pretty well, was gone for about 45 mins, should have perhaps been 30. Shamed to say I am WAY out of shape and I was really feeling the return trip. Thats fine, you need to feel it, but with my blood pressure concern I really wanted to be sure I wasn't pushing the envelope too much at this point. A new twist for me. I always used to walk listening to music or nothing at all, but I have discovered the joy of walking with an audio book. Its great! I would tell myself just walk till the end of this chapter, and it was fine. Currently I am listening to the Gunslinger, the first of the Dark Tower series. I have read, re-read and devoured the whole series many times but its very interesting to hear someone else put voices to the characters I have mentally voiced for so long.

Well... that about it for now. I will say, I figure 2-3 months of this cardio, getting the BP down, dropping at least 30 lbs and I will be back in the gym. I plan to go heavy in the gym, looking for muscle mass and power. More on that later.