Fitness and nutrition anecdotes

Here's a glimpse into our physical milestones this week:

• Jamie and I have launched full-bore into a nutrition/fitness plan. The book is called "The Metabolism Advantage" by Dr. John Berardi, a guy whom I've come to know and respect over the past few years. The premise of the book is that even though the old adage says our metabolism slows down a lot as we get older, science has proven this just isn't true. Our metabolism slows down because we're not as active as we were in the younger years. The nutrition and exercise plans in the book are very specific and fit our goals, so we're going for it. It's a dedicated eight-week plan with long-term principles to follow, and we're through the first four days. I have not cheated on the food one time yet, even though he builds in a 10% allowance for cheat meals.
• We bought and ate more vegetables this week than either of us ever had before. My body was already heading this direction anyway, which was interesting. A few weeks ago we ordered pizza on a Friday night, and I cooked up some broccoli to eat with the pizza. Just for me. That never would have happened until recently, and it feels good.
• Jamie got a huge compliment in the gym. She was doing some overhead squats, and a trainer asked her if she was a professional powerlifter, because her form was perfect and he never saw anyone doing that move these days.
• The last two times I've been to the gym, I've gotten down on the floor to use the foam roller before my workout. Standard stuff -- been doing it for more than a year at the gym and at home. But the last two times, someone walking by has kicked me while I'm on the floor, I assume by accident. Neither person stopped, apologized or anything... they just kept walking like nothing happened. What's that about?
• One effect of the clean eating was a digestive adjustment. Translation -- if a diet breaks a person, then I "broke like the wind". I was getting the kids out of the tub last night when bathtime was over, and I let a little, silent one squeak out while I was drying off Samantha. She looked at me very seriously under her towel hood, twitched her nose a couple of times, lowered her voice to a whisper, and said, "Daddy... was that you or me?" I'm trying to model honesty, so I confessed my flatulant ways.
• Sidenote -- why don't our own farts gross us out, while everyone else's seem so nasty to us? I could see that if I told Samantha she was the culprit, she would've thought it was funny and ignored the smell. But when she heard I was to blame, she almost started gagging immediately. Weird. Sidenote over.
• I had just finished my workout at the YMCA yesterday when Jamie and the kids showed up. I decided that instead of daycare/playtime during Jamie's workout, the kids would probably rather play basketball with me. They almost jumped through the ceiling when they heard it was "backetball" time with daddy (that's how Jack says it). At one point during our play, Samantha yelled out, "This is the best day ever!".
• Jack likes to throw down the dunks when I lower the goals to 8 feet and hoist him over my head. The ball goes through the net, I put him down, he runs to get the ball (which is almost as big as him... he doesn't go for those mini-balls), then comes back and says, "Peez?" Who could say no to that?
• They get almost equally excited when it's my turn to shoot and I make one. That isn't very often as I was never a great shot (my brother was always the accurate one). When I finally drain one, Jack points his fists to the floor, locks his arms, grits his teeth and yells, "Daddddyyyy!" I sense the next Bill Walton. Throw it down, big man!
• The changes are already helping me at work. I'm more focused and effecient at the office, which was really needed right now. I've been having some trouble getting back on track after Thanksgiving/Julian/Las Vegas business trip/Christmas/Lasik surgery/New Year's.

If it seems like all we did this week was exercise or eat, that's about how it feels. It ain't easy cooking and eating six healthy meals a day, especially when you have two kids who just won't eat those things. So I guess if you add in their meals and snacks, that's ten or twelve different meals every day this week. We've been running the dishwasher with full loads every single day. Jamie also worked at the kids' school on Tuesday and Thursday, so she's had no time to herself to catch up on things.

It'll all be worth it, though, and we're excited about getting back on track with our health. I haven't had a piece of dark chocolate since last Wednesday, so you know we're serious about this. :)