Back To Normal, In Biking Terms

Not much change lately besides the weather of course.  Okay so a lot has changed, and I have been able to bike excessively for the first time since September.  already for march i have biked about 65 miles with another week plus to go for the month.  This is already far surpassing my March 2011, in fact I do not believe i biked to work until late April or early May last year.  This week i will be biking to work three times and I am loving it.  The route to work is much more dangerous and busy but the simple fact of not driving and getting exercise is great.  On Saturday I biked for over two hours and then walked around for another four or so hours.  We are for sure being spoiled here in Michigan with these 80 degree temps.  I am trying my best to take full advantage of this as this weekend it is expected to rain and next week will be 50s and 60s, still not bad but also not 80.  Okay I'm off to enjoy the Summer, or Spring as some people like to refer to it.

Summer? Spring? Nope Still Winter?!

Work might be stressful, but everything outside is getting crazy awesome!  I was planning to ride my bike to work for the first time since September or October but being me I could not find my bike pump for the life of me.  I tore that room apart, ripped every box open, and now all I am left with is a disaster zone.  Tonight the plan is to watch a clip of Hoarders and go wacko on the apartment.

So an update on my 30 day challenge, I have currently ran about 17 miles in the first half of the month and only skipped this past Sunday as it was my mother's birthday and I literally had no time.  So far I am loving this challenge, sometimes it is sucks especially when I am running inside on a treadmill.  Now when I get to run free outside everything changes, granted when it was snowing and below freezing it was not a pleasant run, but God did it feel amazing.  Now that it has been warmer this week and just happens to be getting nicer I am loving it even more.  That and as of tomorrow Summer dress code is in full swing at work, shorts for me!

As for the other half of the challenge, I am still enjoying making calls to friends that I have not spoke with in quite some time.  I have slacked the past couple days but I hope to make those calls up in the days to come.  In fact I am pumped to really catch up with many people on this list.  One person it took a couple days to get through to so hopefully the rest of the list goes through much smoother.  Also trying to root myself in my new place and become more comfortable with my life as it is.  Going to try having more friends over for dinner or to play Just Dance or Mario Party 9, also doing a volunteer trip in the next week or so planting trees on a Saturday.  I have been in this area for over a year and need to get used to live here, so far so good.  With the changing of the season things look to just be getting brighter!

Running, Running

Things are starting to look good.  Work is still very stressful and I slept through my workout/weight training this morning, but in general things are good.  I now have a roommate and have run at least a mile for the first four days, three of them outside.  It has been cold but still exciting to get outside again.  There is just something about the air through the hair and trees swaying in the wind with the sun shining down that just makes one happy.  Now add twenty degrees and it would be perfect.  With temperatures soon to go up in the next month and with daylight savings less than a week away I am aching even more to be outdoors, especially to get on my bike again.

Even though it has only been a few weeks since I have really tried getting active again i can already feel it working, in fact in a week or so alone I have lost about three pounds.  I just seem to have more energy and happier lately.  As the season begins to change I am excited to see what Spring brings.  This kind of humors me because just about two posts ago I was all excited for Winter.  I guess this just goes to show you how odd this year has been so far.

As for the other part of of my monthly challenge is to try and get in contact with people since I have not been diligent with it lately.  So as stated before I am calling a different person out of my phone every day.  So far I have four people down.  It is good to hear how their lives are going, be it them living in Florida, New York, Mid Michigan, or even just down 94.  It is good to know that even though you have not spoke to some people in quite some time things never change when it really counts.  Real friends are always there for you and it is nice to see how lives are progressing; be it a new job, grad school, living far from home, attacking debt, braving fierce storms, or just life in general.  I am really excited for this challenge because it is great to hear from people again and I have quite the list to get through and to surprise people as it has been a while since talking to many of them.  Hopefully this leads to keeping in better contact from now on.  I'm mostly just making my way down my phone's contact list that way it is easier to keep track of (that and so no one can be offended that I called one person before another).

Until next time, next a strong mind and a healthy lifestyle.

March!

So February is over and that means month one of my 30 Day Challenge is complete, now onto the second month.  For March, I have decided that I will run at least a mile every day and to keep myself accountable on this and to record my progress I will be tracking it at http://www.dailymile.com/people/zerfas.  Today I have completed my mile so far on the right step.

My second part of the challenge for my mental health will be calling a friend every day, most likely I will just go right down the line of numbers in my phone.  I haven't kept in touch with people lately so it will be great to hear from them, especially because I am not on Facebook until April so it is hard to see what is going on in the outside world.  I don't have much else to say today, but more updates to follow.

Winter!

So my new favorite sport is cross-country skiing, this weekend was a blast!  First time ever, but I think I am hooked.  Even thinking of buying my own skis, poles, and boots and hitting the back-country, aka state parks and other trails.  I have never been so sore in my life but loved it so much.  There were of few fails for sure, quickly followed by much laughing.  The first hill I concurred Heather said I looked constipated.  So I may not have been the most graceful or the fastest, but God it reminds me of why I love Michigan and being outdoors.  As much as I cannot wait until Spring finally arrives so I can hit the trails with my bike, I think for a bit longer I will enjoy the time that is Winter.  Well if this is what you want to call this current season of somewhat cold and no snow.

Also I have begun a bit of weight training as of last week Thursday.  It is a pain in my ass but is one way to beat the stationary life of this cold darkened season.  As an update on my 30 Day Challenge, I'm still not biting my nails, and I haven't done so well on my workout games.  I would not say that is too bad as I have been to the gym a few times.  Look forward to my next post when I pick my next challenge.  Post of this blog for more ideas.

"30" Day Challenge February Update

At the beginning of February I started a 30 day challenge that I plan to do for the entire year of 2012. So for the next year every month will bring about a new challenge, not only for physical health but also mental. I'm starting this now in February because it is my most stationary month. I work in an office and since it is busy season it means about 10 hours a day. When I get home I am often exhausted and not really up for being active.

At the beginning of February I started (stopped) doing two things. First since it is an awful habit and doesn't look pleasing, I ceased chewing my nails, so far so good so let's pass that topic. The other and what surprisingly is more difficult is playing 30 minutes of a Wii exercise game; so Just Dance, EA Active 2, Wii Fit. So far I have done this about half the time, so not quite what I was looking for but better than nothing.

Hopefully for the March my motivation improves. Not going to make any excuses, it is time to buck up and start getting results. So if you have any feedback let me know, I'll be gone from Facebook for a while so post here or message me. I'm thinking making a blanket for charity and something with running, I'll keep you posted.

Dear Gas, I Don't Need You (as much)

So I decided to start commuting to work and what a great choice it has been. It is only around 11.9 miles each way but that is 11.9 I do not need to drive and less gas I need to buy. So far I have commuted to work five days saving about $23, enough to cover food for about a week and a half. I for sure like these savings especially when gas soared around $4.19. By the end of summer I plan on relishing in my 100 dollar bills like Scrooge, minus the fact that I have insurance and loans, but a boy can dream.

Another great benefit to biking to work is my increase in exercise, once I get to work I feel more alert and when I get out I have no choice but to get a workout. The time biking to and fro also gives me plenty of time to think and process about the day ahead and the day just completed. Last week was my first week in which I broke a hundred miles since about October and I could not be more pleased. I have been waiting a long time for great weather and I am pumped that I have a spanking new bike to get me there. I had more to say but then I went on a 45 minute walk and the sun made me forget everything. Oh well there is always next time.