Category: Phase 2

Someone scanned this image from a comic I own that I bought in Toronto as a kid.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 59
The personal trainer session yesterday was intense and I was for two of the kettle bell exercises using the 80-pound red kettle bells. I also finally figured out what I was doing wrong with the Bulgarian Bag overhead swings. I still need to make the hip movement align with the arms but it was a break-through.

The strange foot injury was painful yesterday, but this morning seems to have relented. I will test it (carefully) in yoga class today.

For sanity reasons I did not weigh in because I knew that wheat-and-dairy reactions were in play. These never lead to reasonable numbers on the scale.

I managed to make bacon-and-eggs because I found 15 minutes to buy milk. Is the insane schedule lightening?

The Justice League movie seems to be without a Green Lantern. Maybe they’ll introduce this new girl with a power ring. The weather still sucks in Vancouver.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 58
The Vancouver School Board Choral Festival had about 400 kids. It was loud. My wife’s choirs did well. I’m now deaf as when the kids all got talking in the cafeteria and John Oliver Secondary … gasp.

And the diet went sideways. Not enough time. I was trying to prepare scrambled eggs and the milk was off. And no time to buy more.

Plus this mystery ankle is not helping. I have a trainer session today. I am not weighing in but rather sticking to the fitness piece.

I knew this week would be crazy so there’s no point whining about it.

In honour of Logan, here’s a Wolverine picture. It was a really snowy and vile night yesterday in North Vancouver.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 57
Hi. Welcome to the busy week. A child goes off on a 2-week trip. Multiple music performances. Volunteer board meetings. Oh, yeah, and a real day job I should be paying attention to. A lot.

Oh, wait. This is a fitness blog. I hurt my ankle on the weekend somehow and I don’t know what it will let me do. I must remember to smack myself stupid.

I did see a Deadpool teaser that was really funny. Look for the subtle and not so subtle Logan references.

Oh yeah. Somehow I have only 20 days left in this Phase.

This Guardians of the Galaxy image is closer to what I remember as a kid.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 56
The sanity chip is not well screwed in. What British sci-fi comedy am I referencing?

A funny thing happened on the way to Yoga class. My ankle, between the heel and the actual bone on the side was registering as painful. Out of the blue. In class it was giving me moderate trouble but went completely bonzo when I tried a balancing pose on one leg. It did not like that.

What the heck?

I’m in a mental state of hypersensitivity. This can be characterized with this fictional exchange.

Other Person: “Rob, you’re really taking things personally.”
Rob: “Yes, that’s because everything is personal.”
Other Person: “Huh?”
Rob: “See that discarded cigarette butt over there? It may not look it, but I’m taking it personally right now. Don’t get me started about the unraked leaves at my son’s school that have been there since October.”

And it snowed. In Vancouver. In effing March.

Drax (the green one) is part of Guardians of the Galaxy. I think they should vacation in PEI.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 55
Time to put this derailing train of a diet/fitness program back on the rails. Yikes.

It has been 120 km/h all week and when things aren’t right, the eating goes sideways. The advice of taking more sleep is valid but difficult to achieve. The laundry sadly does not march itself down to the basement to do itself. Although maybe there’s a Harry Potter spell that would do that. Hmmm.

Today’s going is to just keep things simple and not eat out of stress or panic.

Each of the tasks I face, with the possible exception of weight loss, are do-able and achievable with sufficient time and focus. But all these are stealing time and focus from each other. Decommissioning activities or delegating have their own overhead.

The key thing for this coming week is to not to add anymore obligations!

Zatanna the sorceress calms me down. Ucluelet by the water is a place to calm down.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 54
Big snack attack last night. I think if I can navigate through the next few days without any major slipups, I’ll be good. I have a meat and veggie supply shortage so I need to shop tonight.

Sleep would really help as would fewer last minutes projects with children and strange happenings on the volunteer front. I keep reading articles about sleep and its requirement and it’s been tough getting enough rest. And I eat to compensate.

The kettle bell workout yesterday was good. I managed to warm up, do most of the work and stick with the heavier bells.

Today may be more difficult to get to the gym. Lunch appointment.

Early image of Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy. Brandon came to mind today at 14° today.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 53
My lifestyle does not support my weight loss attempts. I am too stressed and too busy. Or, is it that I have too much stressful stuff going on that makes me busy or is it too much stuff making me stressed?

Anyway, I think I have to not give up because, honestly, why think that way? Giving up means a one-way ticket to profound health issues. And that won’t help the stress.

However, making sure I’m not going mental in the process is a good idea too.

Off to the gym for kettle bell homework.

I saw a new trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy. Looks like fun. Saskatoon is a meagre 16° today.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 52
Pink sequined outfits and a bad diet day. Huh? Yesterday went according to plan in the morning. I took my son to a dance competition where Dads were scarce, where there were more boy dancers than last year, but existed a stunning number of little tiny girl pixies. Shortly upon arrival, I realized I wasn’t going to be able to leave the dance theatre to find a proper lunch.

Downhill from there, sadly.

There was a weigh in yesterday with the personal trainer, but for mental health reasons, I’ve hidden the results until I’m ready.

May the lo-carb routine survive today.

I found this cover to an old Justice League comic that looked totally unfamiliar. Snow still in Vancouver. Seriously.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 51
I undertook one of my least favourite activities: the early morning workout. Circumstances forced me to reschedule to the morning. Part of the workout required that using a think rope, I drag a punching bag with a rope across the floor. With the personal trainer sitting on it.

I didn’t look at the number on the scale but I’m still not really making huge gains. I still feel stronger and I’m keeping at the workouts and I’m trying not to go sideways on the food.

The real challenge is that I know giving up won’t work. But staying the course is going to require much for mental fortitude that I ever thought was needed let alone thought I had.

Anyone know a health food store with a jar of fortitude on the shelf?

I wonder what this guy did to have Spider-man on his hood? Let’s pretend it’s not 1° in Vancouver and go to the beach in Parksville instead.

Mutant Diet Phase 2 Day 50
Wow. This Phase of the Mutant Diet has about a month left.

Last night I discussed with my wife the need for us to dial back our reactions to frustrations. These include (but aren’t limited to) other drivers, school system issues, work issues and children doing stupid stuff. We are pretty much setting the dial to 8 where a 4 is more balanced. (By the way 10/10 on the scale is where you are so angry that are can be arrested for a violent offence. E.g. road rage.)

Relevance to diet/fitness? I found with my frustration with hurt arm muscles that diet/fitness activities became more frustrating and I became angry. And it helped me eat more of the wrong things.

Conscious dialing back to 4 will help I think. The reasoning is that I never found my driving skills to improve when I was apoplectic after being cut off by another driver.