Fall 2012: A Retrospective

Well, here it is almost four months since my last post. Time flies when you're having fun. I've been having a lot of fun: one day at a time.

As I reread my last post, I'm elated that my apprehension regarding carrying over good summer habits into fall were misguided. (Or at least unwarranted.)

Credit the fact that my new habits were well instilled by summer's end, or credit my pigheadedness. Either way, my lifestyle has been upgraded to include much better habits of exercise and nutrition.

As August ended, school began. I've begun my fifth year teaching at the elementary level, after having completed 10 years at the 7th/8th grade level. Last year I was involved in completing a Preliminary Administrative Service Credential Program. This year, I'm involved in providing some on-campus support for a new district-provided software program called Illuminate. What I'm mostly involved in at school is being a part of a team that aims to provide a positive educational experience for all students. We make a difference in the lives of our students, and often, in the lives of the families. It's very rewarding work.

I was concerned that work responsibilities would interfere with my running and eating. My work schedule did provide some challenges, but the challenges have been met. I'm still eating five or six meals a day, with a good dose of protein and good fat in each. I'm still limiting my carbs to post-workout meals. I'm still running three or four days a week, including a longer weekend run.

As a result of my lifestyle changes, I've continued to get more fit. The book Younger Next Year has helped me to become younger this year. I've had many comments about my summer transformation into youth. I think it mostly had to do with losing enough overall fat, so that my face thinned out. I also grew my hair out: no longer a buzz. One of the best birthday gifts I got in November was a reading on my scale that put me five pounds under what my driver's license read. One hundred and ninety put me just outside the high end of the healthy range for my age and height. Where I used to have a gut, I now have a waist! Who knew that my goal of running three times a week for 30 minutes would provide such side benefits? I. am. pleasantly. surprised!

I've continued to follow the rules of the Precision Nutrition program, which mostly means I eat well and often. I also get enough sleep. I have a blender at work, and I take a giant salad for lunch each day, with a good slab of meat thrown in (4 to 6 ounces). My main shortcoming has been on my water intake. But if good hydration is my biggest health challenge, then life is good. And it is.

I completed my 10 week running program, and I've begun my next phase: continuing to build endurance without injury. I traded in the annual school pancake breakfast for the school's annual 5K: a Turkey Trot. That was back in early November. I ran a personal best over that distance, and now I've returned to running 3 miles every other day. Because I run various hilly routes, that distance and pace continues to provide the needed stress to trigger positive adaptations: I'm getting fitter. Woo hoo!

All-in-all it's been a great start to the school year. That's how I mark time: Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring. Summer vacation, Thanksgiving vacation, Christmas vacation, and Easter vacation, punctuated with school quarters and on-going responsibilities. A good mix of being productive, being engaged in work and play, plus enjoying family, friends, and projects. Perhaps next I'll write about some Winter goals? (Mostly, I'm hoping to do more of the same! Plus, I'm enjoying the football season on TV.)

I hope you all had a good fall, and I hope that  the winter finds you navigating your journey with a good mix of on-going improvement and good fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

(Sorry, no pictures. I'm away from my camera and my store of pictures.)

Summer 2012: A Retrospect

CSUF: Arboretum/trail

Looking over my posts since last May, I can see that I've been on a trek towards improved fitness. I've done it a little at a time, and I'm enjoying the journey.

My weight has gone down 11 pounds this summer. I broke the 200 pound barrier. My Calorie King app predicts I'll hit my 187 goal by December. Wouldn't that be nice? (In '08 I once got down to 190, but 187? Haven't seen that since I don't know when. Decades maybe.)

I've got a 10 week plan for running developed that should carry me through October.

I've got a nutrition plan that should be sustainable through the school year. I've upgraded my eating habits.

CSUF: Same plant, up close.

Last summer I did a major decluttering program (FlyLady.com) that has made my home much more pleasant to live in.

This summer I did a major decluttering program that has made my body much more pleasant to live in.

Along the way, I've done a few household projects, done a bit of vacationing, done a lot of BBQing, and done a fair amount of watching grandkids.

All in all? It's been a great summer: a pleasant mix of relaxation, restoration, and being positively engaged in life. I've read some books, run some miles,  watched some TV, and even done a bit of professional development.

CSUF: Up close... same plant.

So now what? The 2012/13 school year begins tomorrow. Summer projects will turn into Fall projects. My projects are all part of my life-time Process Of On-Going Improvement (POOGI); a POOGI that includes being Younger Next Year, which includes training for the endurance event called life. It's all a matter of balancing  purposeful stress with  intentional rest which leads to positive personal adaptations.

That's the plan. What really happens will be the inevitable dance that happens when plan meets life, but that's half the fun. That's what I call Navigating Through Life!

CSUF: Floral eye candy.

Enjoy the voyage!

Nutrition: The backbone of body recomposition?

Bike path at CSUF

The last month has found me enjoying my summer vacation. The weeks have been well balanced with rest, relaxation, interacting with grandkids (and their parents), exercise, and a lot of BBQing.

My running has continued and improved. My last two jogs were of the two mile variety, and I maintained a slow jog through out. One of my goals is to run one half an hour, three days a week. My walk/jog/runs are becoming much more jogging, and a lot less walking. Yeah! (Progress -- slow but sure.)

Two weeks ago I had a nice run, but during the post-run stretch, I overdid it and strained my back! C'mon! I took it easy for a few days, and I'm back (95%). I learned one stretch not to do! (The one I made up!)

Ball field: CSUF -- from right field

The last few days my wife and I have been helping the Haan's with some child care while Joanna, my oldest daughter, was in Montana visiting my youngest daughter, Danielle (her sister). In addition to watching kids and running, I've been learning about how to improve my nutrition in order to cut fat and gain muscle (aka body recomposition).

Since Februrary, I've accomplished some body recomposition as the result of my new habit of running. I've added muscle, especially to my legs. In addition, I'm losing fat. My total weight is down about 8 or 9 pounds, which means I've probably lost at least 10 pounds of fat and gained a couple of pounds of muscle.

Increasing my understanding of nutritional complements my recomposition efforts. I found an online resource in Dr. Barardi and his team at at Precision Nutrition (Pn). Their website provides a wealth of information, while at the same time, they keep it simple.

Softball field: CSUF

My mantra for 2012, "I am in charge of my habits, I let it be easy," fits in well with Pn's philosophy. They emphasize small, but important, incremental changes in habits. It has been said that form follows function, and a lot of what we are physically, is a result of the functions of our lifestyle: sedentary or active, ignorant or informed. Pn tries to help improve our compliance -- habitually doing what you know you should. They do it in baby steps, one new habit at a time.

Some of my best mentors in life have been authors. I think I've found a new mentor over at Precision Nutrition: I call him -- The Doctor. (Perhaps he'll help me enjoy new fitness adventures, a little at a time?)

I'm fine-tuning my eating (and drinking) habits based on what I'm learning. "Slow but sure wins the race, " especially when attempting to change long standing habits of diet and exercise. "Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out!" Turtle on! (That's what I'm doing.)

Running is my friend.

CSUF Blooming Jasmine

Trail running is my friend. It helps release the endorphins and create a calorie deficit for the day. I'm trying to make a habit of burning 500 more calories a day than I eat. That should equate to one pound of fat burned a week.


I'm grateful that I live in a town that has horse/biking/running trails that make it easier to run on trails. I find it so much more interesting and relaxing than running on streets or on a tread mill.

Today I did a 3 1/2 mile trail run. My "runs" are really walk/jog/runs. I generally walk up the steeper hills, then I do a controlled run on the way down. When the ground is mostly flat, I generally just jog, aiming to keep my heart rate at a level of intensity that helps me burn fat.

CSUF Soccer Field

When I started out running in February, I could only run for a minute or two, then walk. Today, for the first mile or so, I actually ran/jogged for about 10 minutes straight. I was pleased. I've built up some stamina, some cardio/vascular capacity. I keep a running diary, and it indicates that on one mile run back in April I logged a 12 minute mile. So that's the time I'll be trying to beat. Perhaps I'll visit a local track so I can log my quarter mile splits.

CSUF Bike Trail

Getting back into shape is a slow process. It took years to descend into my own personal canyon of decreased fitness, and it will take me some time to hike out. But, I'm glad that I'm going in the right direction, and I'm glad for the personal indicators that help me to see progress.

Onward and upward!

Summer Projects?

My daughter Joanna asked me, "So Dad, what summer projects do you have lined up?"

Tennis Courts at CSUF

I paused. My to-do list is very short this summer. With a 10 week summer vacation from teaching, I could, and have done, some pretty substantial multi-day projects in the past. But this summer, my to-do list is kind of puny: wash the dog, fix the sprinklers, repair a window screen, etc. Nothing big there.

Seeing my indecisiveness, Joanna stated the obvious for me: "Well, I guess your big project is your fitness project."

"Oh, yeah. That," I replied, seeing for the first time the elephant in the room.

Water anyone?

I started running back in February as a part of New Year's goal: "I'm in charge of my habits. I let it be easy." I wanted to improve my fitness: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Running was going to be a key component. I hoped to build up to running three days a week, 1/2 hour a day.

Since then, I've established running into a habit. Oh, yeah!

That habit has enabled me to pursue another part of improved fitness: weight loss. Surprisingly, all my running since February really hadn't effected the scale much, although I've done some reshaping: gaining some muscle, and losing some fat... even my face shows it. But the scale hasn't.

I'm very happy with the improved stamina, flexibility, and core strength I've gained, but I decided to readdress the weight issue. At 6 foot tall, 216 pounds was too heavy. Just ask my blood pressure. Since February, I have dropped five pounds, and yesterday's blood pressure was the best it's been in a year, back in the normal range. A pound a month weight loss, while building muscle, is okay, but I wanted to see if I could speed things up a little on the fat loss.

Soccer Stadium at CSUF

"I find it easy to achieve my goals with the help of God and others." That's another one of my affirmations. This time, Joanna supplied a puzzle piece that got me thinking. She said, "Well, they say that if you split the calorie difference, the deficit you want to create, between fewer calories eaten and more expended through exercise, they say you'll lose weight." Hmmm...

Ponderer that I am, I decided to just exercise 500 calories worth a day (3,500 calories a week) which is a pound of fat burned off. In addition to the exercise component, the nutrition part is this:  Eat well: 1750 calories a day, aim for 30% protein, 45% carb, 20% fat, 5% alcohol -- 7 meals a day (250 each) at 7, 9:30, 12, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10.

On the stadium's wall (CSUF)

So does that sound like a summer project or what? Racquetball, yard work, and house work are rounding out the 500 calorie a day deficit project. I use my new Timex heart rate monitor during exercise to capture the calories burnt and a couple of computer Apps to track other parts of the program. Part of my cool down routine is logging the data! 

I'm about a week it to this new experiment, and I'm happy with the results. I maintained my 210 lb. weight for 3 or 4 days, then, after a blip up after some good celebratory eating, I dropped to 208 for two days in a row. That's where I am now.

I've got a plan. I'm working the plan. And I'm having fun doing it. (Summer projects: Don style.)

(The pictures are taken from the iCare 5K race course at CSUF. I ran the race in April with Joanna, then came back later with a camera. Enjoy.)

Reflections on the trail...

Mom & Me: Shore House Cafe

This morning I did my weekly long run, which is now 10K (6.2 miles). I've only done it twice. Last week was the first. The path I run is part footpath, part equestrian trail, and part bike path. I run through chaparral, along baseball fields, golf courses, and even a few blocks of homes. Today I saw a red tailed hawk, about 50 feet away.

I noticed striations (lines) across the foot path that looked like someone had lightly drawn some antlers through the dirt. Upon closer inspection, I discovered they were ant paths! They had trodden down the dusty path to form their own foot paths. Later, in the neighborhood part of the trail, an asphalt driveway across the path was bounded by some two-by-fours. This barrier not only gave a nice edge for the driveway, but created a super highway for the ants. There seemed a lot of traffic for a Sunday morning. But then, ants are probably not about weeks, just days/nights, and perhaps seasons. (An occasionally rain.)

Sunny Flower

Under one huge tree that was all abloom, I stopped and listened. The tree was abuzz with hundreds and hundreds of bees. (They also were busy on a Sunday morning.)

The trail was very hilly and though most of it is just dirt, some parts are covered with crushed granite or heavy gravel. Heavy gravel is difficult to run up, and a bit dangerous to run down. Going uphill, I discovered that the edges of the pathway were more lightly strewn with gravel. So on the return trip, I asked myself, "What would Robert Frost do?" And I took the path less graveled, and that made all the difference!

Sunny Flower's Familiy

This trail is a less traveled trail in Fullerton, in part perhaps because of the steep stretches it contains. I thought about Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken, as I ran. It reminded me of my own life. Like the narrator in the poem, 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.  (I took a road, just one less traveled by.)

Yesterday, I started rereading a book I read for the first time in 1976, Be Here Now, by Ram Dass. As a result, I enjoyed today's run even more. I also am rereading The Ultimate Beginners Running Guide: The Key  to Running Inspired.  As a result, I ran with better form. One of the "prizes" I got from last week's 10K along this same hilly path are two slightly blackened toenails. I changed the way I laced up my shoes, and I made sure I landed softly on the side of my foot. I also practiced leaning into hills as I walked up them, leaning from the ankles, not the waist. 

Hibiscus at Cal State Fullerton 

One other epiphany along the trail was encountered at the vista points. At one vista point, I missed the vista and instead watched some golfers teeing off. Silly me. How often have I missed the point of the life lesson because I looking around at others, instead of paying attention to lesson? On the way back, I ignored the golfers and took in the vista. The experience made me wonder about how many of life's lessons I'm still missing due to inattention? Vistas can be epiphanies, but they aren't always. It was a reminder to me to stay awake!

The start and finish line of my first 5K.

So, those were some of reflections on the trail from this morning. Parts of the run I just enjoyed the crunch of my feet on the path, the breeze in my face, or the "good morning" of a fellow biker/hiker/jogger. Sometimes, I just enjoyed the company of the ants, birds, bees, and squirrels. I like the road less traveled by. You?

Yeah June!

I spy six Haans!

Back in February, I embarked on a goal towards becoming a runner. My goal was to be fit enough to walk/run 30 minutes, three times a week. For the last two weeks, I'm on target. The slow road to improved fitness has been a rewarding one. This morning I posted this on Facebook:

‎1) Set some goals. 2) Make a plan. 3) Work your plan. 4) Fine tune goals/plans. This morning I did #3. 5+ mile route. Walked uphill (50 minutes). Jogged/walked back downhill (35 minutes). Climbed into my car... and said, "That felt great!" A milestone from my beginnings back in February. Woo hoo!

Papa Haan and his twins: Easter egg hunting!

I'm discovering a zone of fitness that includes walking/hiking/jogging/running. Thanks go out to my kids and fellow runners whose examples inspired me, and to authors who have coached me.

Oh, look here, under the ramp!

As June has arrived, and the school year comes to a close, I look forward to scoping out some new local trails to explore in my running this summer. On top of that, my daughter Joanna wants to play some racquetball! I took up running because I couldn't find a good racquetball partner. Vicki White was my all time favorite, but she moved up to the Pacific Northwest. She and I used to play once, sometimes twice a week. (My nephew John is fun to play with also, but he's a young dad and very busy.)

Looking for the hard-to-find eggs now.

Regardless, as June begins and summer vacation looms, I foresee some good times: on the trails, on the court, and around the house.

Hello June. Hello summer. Hello fitness!

Rachel eyes the chocolate that filled the eggs. A happy Danny!