The Trio Challenge: August 2011

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Slacker....indeed

Well, I will have to admit that yes, I have been a slacker to posting. The good thing is that I have not been a slacker to the workout routine. With that being said, i will be blogging more here as we continue down this path.

In the last few weeks, there has been much to report. I just completed my Couch to 5K training and can now say that I can successfully run 30 straight minutes without taking any breaks. In the time, I run just about 3 miles (if not a little more). So what is next? My next challenge is going to be to try improving my running times. I am going to investigate running some 5K's in the area, and then maybe look into increasing this run time and look at a 10K training. We will see.

Over the course of 10 weeks, I have lost about 20 pounds. I am at my lowest weight that I have been at in many years. My lovely wife showed my a picture from 2006 and I could not even believe my eyes. I looked like an egg with chicken legs. Not fun to look at. That is the ultimate motivation.

It is also time to start some clothes shopping. Shirts are stretched out, pants are falling off.

It is a new chapter. Let's continue to write the book. As usual, huge shout our to Brian and Bryan for sticking to this and holding me accountable. I also want to thank Ryan and Dan for their additional motivation. Great group of guys and appreciate everything.

We will be talking to you all soon. Peace, John

Hello Again

I admit it. I have been slacking on the blog. No excuses, just down right laziness. The first step to recovery is admitting it. Done that, next step is changing my actions. So with that being said I am posting again. I have continued to work out. It’s been a mixed routine. Some weight training, elliptical, running etc. I think it’s a good mix but I need to work on my legs more so I am going to add this to my regiment. The hard work is paying dividends. I don’t know if it shows in the pics or not but it shows in the cloths that I am able to where. I had some shorts lying around that I have not been able to wear in years. I was able to put them on with room. I couldn't believe that I caught myself on a few occasions pulling them up! I am starting to show some definition in my upper body which is good and I know that I am putting on muscle because I feel a lot stronger than I used to. I am looking forward to today’s workout. Look out for an updated tip of the week and poll question. Talk to you soon.

Negative Effects of Sleepiness

According to WebMed, the effects that the lack of proper sleep can have a huge impact on your body. Such an impact that many problems that we treat by other means can be cured by a solid sleep regiment. Below are the Top 10 negative effects that lack of sleep can have on your body.

1. Sleepines can cause accidents- Not just related to vehicles, simple things like spilling your drink, dropping a knife. Eye & hand coordination suffer.

2. Sleepiness dumbs you down- Its amazing the amount of impact that sleepiness can have on your cognitive responses. Your ability to concerntrate, problem solve, comprehend are all effected.

3. Sleepiness attacks the body- Routine lack of sleep can dramtically increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, & irregular heart beats

4. Sleepiness kills your sex drive- self explanatory

5. Sleepiness is depressing- Consistent periods of time without proper sleep contribute to anger issues, stress and mental exhaustion. All of these can casuse the feeling of depression.

6. Sleepiness ages your skin- With improper sleep you body can release more stress hormone cortisol. Excess cortisol can break down skin collagen a protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic.

7. Sleepiness makes you forgetful-Can affect the part of the brian responsible for consolidating memory.

8. Sleepiness can contribute to weight gain- Lack of sleep actually increases your appetite and as result you will eat more. One of the best ways to combat weight gain, is proper sleep and hydration. Those who do not sleep properly have a 30% more chance of being obese.

9. Lack of sleep may increase risk of death- British researchers found in a study of over 10,000 civil servants who cut their sleep to fewer than 7 hours of sleep nearly doubled their risk of death from all causes.

10. Sleep loss impairs judgment, especially about sleep-Lack of sleep can affect your ability to make sound judgements. In critical situations or quick thinking opportunities, a person who gets 6 or less hours of sleep a night loose their ability to make good judgement calls. In fact most believe they have "gotten used to sleep deprivation" however their abilty for accessing situations, problem solving, organizing tasks quickly and thinking outside the box are greatly impacted in a negative way.