I’m changing the format of the daily post a little. I keep a training long on another site, so I do a lot of cut and paste between the two posts. I’m likely just going to do a straight copy and paste from now on, so if you’re following along you’ll see a slight difference. I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep the table up for Stage 2 of the lifting program. As I get busier with outside work it’s just taking more time that I don’t seem to have.

I got this insane idea to start another project yesterday. Hey, I might as well since I’m home at the moment. We’ve had kiwi vines up the side of the garage for the last 9 or 10 years. They grow a lot, fruit little, and if you’re not careful they fall off when they’re ripe. They’re actually mini kiwis, about the size of a grape. Anyway, in the end we decided that they were history. I spent part of the morning and afternoon cutting and clipping the vines back to a small stump. Late in the day I decided just to see how hard a job it was going to be. I put the fork into the ground, the plant moved easily, and except for the two-foot long roots it actually came out pretty easily. So did plant 2 and 3. I was thinking how easy this task had been until I got to the last plant. I suspect it was planted too close to the edge of the bed and the roots had spread down instead of out. Well, there was a point I didn’t think it was ever going to come out. I mean it was loose, I put my entire weight behind it and it didn’t budge. I did eventually get it cut out with the spade, although it’s a good thing I only plan to make this a vegetable patch.

I’ve still got to clean the bed up a bit and dig in some better soil. Then I think I’ll just put the umbrella out for the table and relax for a couple of days. Of course, then I’ll need to start planting. This weekend coming up is our long weekend (Victoria Day), but I’ll likely wait until Tuesday to start planting (depending on the forecast). It’s a full moon and we’ll usually get a lovely clear night… and if it’s cold, definitely frost.

Between errands this morning and about 4 or 5 hours of garden work I didn’t get in any planned exercise. Well, no HR monitor stuff. I definitely broke a sweat at least a couple of times in the garden. Especially with that damn kiwi vine. I adjusted my cals down at lunch since I pretty much figured I wasn’t going to get on the treadmill. The plan I’ve come up with is:

2150 - no exercise (or no HRM style exercise)
2400 - 60 min days
2700 - lifting days

At my current weight I’m getting roughly that (from the book) for no workout, active, and strenuous days. It’s a little higher actually, but I’m not aiming for maintenance either. I figure that way if I’m busy doing other things (although still moving) I can just drop the calories a little. The next couple of weeks will be the busiest (until planting is finished) and then it should be easier to plan. At the moment I’m pretty much driven by what the weather is like outside. It’s only going to affect the cardio though, I still plan to keep the lifting days Mon/Wed/Fri. Once I get through the planting and such the plan is:

Mon - lifting
Tues - cardio
Wed - lifting
Thurs - rest
Fri - lifting
Sat - cardio
Sun - rest

I realized that perhaps 5 days in a row was my biggest problem for my general fitness level. By Thursday I was struggling, so perhaps that might serve me better as a rest day. Anyway, we’ll see how that goes. Stage 2 of my lifting program starts Friday (be afraid, be very afraid).

Food for the day:

Food: 2142 (23% fat, 42% carbs, 32% protein)

Breakfast: chocolate pecan bread, jam, peanut butter, orange (285)
AM Snack: almonds (164)
Lunch: lentil soup, smoked turkey, fruit salad (532)
PM Snack: soy nuts, apple, protein shake (305)
Dinner: pork souvlaki, broccoli, butter, salad w/dressing (505)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (353)