Posted by Mark
We arranged to go to the Shumways on Saturday to celebrate the arrival of Joe and Griselda Jensen, our in-laws from Washington. We agreed that since Saturday is a busy day, we would should all meet at 8:30 a.m. for an early breakfast. I had the idea the night before that I might just put on my shoes and run there if it proved a reasonable distance. It just so happened my my sister-in-law, Wendy, was at our house during the discussion and volunteered to clock the distance on her way home that night. When she called and informed me that it was just 12 miles, I was hooked. So I dutifully got up at first light on Saturday morning and made the trek.
The Shumways, knowing I was planning on doing this, piled all the kids in their van and met me enroute with water, hugs and orange slices. What an encouraging experience that was. Chloe, being caught up in the spirit of the moment, was so proud of her Daddy that she broke out and cried her eyes out until I asked her to run with me for a little while to shake it off, which she gladly accepted. Together we logged an awesome father/daughter jog that was a memorable experience. The two of us hitting the open highway together for a victory run was awesome.
For the grand finale I recieved a huge hero's welcome when I later arrived at the Shumways house. Everyone was yelling and screaming as I finished the home stretch and made the gruelling climb up their driveway. I felt like the winner of an Olympic event. All told, it took me 1:30 to do it, not exactly an olympic speed but good for me. But most of all, I really appreciate the love and encouragemt I got from my family. Thank you guys for always supporting me! I'ts nice to be loved, recognized and encouraged by the people whom I love the most.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
An Interesting Article
posted by Stacy
I stumbled upon this article today. Suddenly I felt a pang of guilt and put down my delicious FRIED onion rings...drat!
Exercise Alone May Not Fight Weight Gain
Katherine Hobson, USNews.com US News Article Link
There's a lot of attention paid to what works when it comes to losing weight. But that's not really the hard part; anyone can diet or exercise in the short term, but maintaining a loss, avoiding age-related weight creep, and keeping up healthful habits over time is much more difficult. That's why the researchers behind a new study, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, wanted to examine the habits of people who were eating what they considered a normal diet and were "living life as usual," says one of the authors, I-Min Lee, an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston... And they made some interesting discoveries about the power of exercise.
When researchers followed more than 34,000 non-dieting women (average age 54.2) over many years, they found that regular physical activity was associated with gaining less weight over time—but only in women who weren't overweight or obese. (That means a BMI of lower than 25, or less than 150 pounds for a 5'5" woman.) And those women had to exercise quite a bit: An average of an hour a day of moderately intense activity—such as a brisk walk—or the equivalent (if you exercise more strenuously, less time is required) during a week was the amount of activity recorded for the normal-weight women who gained less than 5 pounds during the 13-year study. (Just 13.3 percent of women studied fit that bill.)
That may sound like bad news for those people of normal weight who aren't exercising that much, not to mention everyone who is overweight or obese, says Lee. But it doesn't mean that physical activity of less than 420 minutes a week is worthless. Working out at a moderate intensity for 150 minutes a week, as the government recommends, is associated with a lower risk of many chronic diseases, no matter your weight.
But it does underline that exercise on its own, with no attention paid to calories, is unlikely to carve away excess weight or prevent gain. (Even people training for a marathon can gain weight; it's far easier to eat than to burn off what you eat.) Remember that none of these women were consciously dieting; the study can't say whether exercise is useless for overweight or obese women who are actively attempting to lose weight by also changing their eating habits. And that "usual diet" consumed by the women probably differs by their weight. It's likely that normal-weight women eat fewer calories as a matter of routine, without thinking of it as a diet.
Yet exercise also appears to be an important factor in maintaining a healthy weight, according to this and other studies. Research published in 2008 found that women who dieted and were then able to keep off 10 percent of their body weight for two years also exercised more than the government recommends, about 275 minutes a week. The amount of exercise needed to sustain a healthy weight may be in question, but the principle is consistent: Get out there and move.
I stumbled upon this article today. Suddenly I felt a pang of guilt and put down my delicious FRIED onion rings...drat!
Exercise Alone May Not Fight Weight Gain
Katherine Hobson, USNews.com US News Article Link
There's a lot of attention paid to what works when it comes to losing weight. But that's not really the hard part; anyone can diet or exercise in the short term, but maintaining a loss, avoiding age-related weight creep, and keeping up healthful habits over time is much more difficult. That's why the researchers behind a new study, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, wanted to examine the habits of people who were eating what they considered a normal diet and were "living life as usual," says one of the authors, I-Min Lee, an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston... And they made some interesting discoveries about the power of exercise.
When researchers followed more than 34,000 non-dieting women (average age 54.2) over many years, they found that regular physical activity was associated with gaining less weight over time—but only in women who weren't overweight or obese. (That means a BMI of lower than 25, or less than 150 pounds for a 5'5" woman.) And those women had to exercise quite a bit: An average of an hour a day of moderately intense activity—such as a brisk walk—or the equivalent (if you exercise more strenuously, less time is required) during a week was the amount of activity recorded for the normal-weight women who gained less than 5 pounds during the 13-year study. (Just 13.3 percent of women studied fit that bill.)
That may sound like bad news for those people of normal weight who aren't exercising that much, not to mention everyone who is overweight or obese, says Lee. But it doesn't mean that physical activity of less than 420 minutes a week is worthless. Working out at a moderate intensity for 150 minutes a week, as the government recommends, is associated with a lower risk of many chronic diseases, no matter your weight.
But it does underline that exercise on its own, with no attention paid to calories, is unlikely to carve away excess weight or prevent gain. (Even people training for a marathon can gain weight; it's far easier to eat than to burn off what you eat.) Remember that none of these women were consciously dieting; the study can't say whether exercise is useless for overweight or obese women who are actively attempting to lose weight by also changing their eating habits. And that "usual diet" consumed by the women probably differs by their weight. It's likely that normal-weight women eat fewer calories as a matter of routine, without thinking of it as a diet.
Yet exercise also appears to be an important factor in maintaining a healthy weight, according to this and other studies. Research published in 2008 found that women who dieted and were then able to keep off 10 percent of their body weight for two years also exercised more than the government recommends, about 275 minutes a week. The amount of exercise needed to sustain a healthy weight may be in question, but the principle is consistent: Get out there and move.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
How I gained 5 pounds in one day!
Posted by Mark
I bet you're thinking this is where I confess to some major caloric sin or babble on about how I have been neglectful on my workout regiment and gained weight. Wrong. I actually have been quite diligent on both accounts. I have been exercising 4 days per week with a long run on Saturday and have been keeping pretty close count on what and how much I eat. So, what's with the title you ask? Well, here goes: Last week for date night Stacy and I went out for a really cheap dinner at Olive Garden (we shared a spaghetti plate) and paid for it with a gift card (thank you, Gramma Bear). After dinner, feeling somewhat cash flush we decided to drop by Costco and look for a new scale. We were perusing the isles when we stumbled across an electronic one on sale for just $19.00. Somewhat suspicious of the accuracy of our old spring version we decided to spring (pun intended) for a replacement. Over the years we have caught our children red-handed on more than one occasion using the old one as a trampoline. They loved to jump on it just to see how far the needle would move like the hammer and bell contraptions you see at the fair. Needless to say, after all that abuse and due to the inherent sensitivity of the instrument, it probably was no longer reliable. Boy were we right. When we got home we excitedly put the batteries in and hopped on. Guess how much off it was from the original scale? That's right, 5 pounds. Naturally, not 5 pounds lighter but 5 pound heavier. So all that bragging I have been doing about losing 40 lbs. will have to be modified to reflect just 35. And I now weigh 160 lbs., not 155. Maybe we should have just left well enough alone.
I bet you're thinking this is where I confess to some major caloric sin or babble on about how I have been neglectful on my workout regiment and gained weight. Wrong. I actually have been quite diligent on both accounts. I have been exercising 4 days per week with a long run on Saturday and have been keeping pretty close count on what and how much I eat. So, what's with the title you ask? Well, here goes: Last week for date night Stacy and I went out for a really cheap dinner at Olive Garden (we shared a spaghetti plate) and paid for it with a gift card (thank you, Gramma Bear). After dinner, feeling somewhat cash flush we decided to drop by Costco and look for a new scale. We were perusing the isles when we stumbled across an electronic one on sale for just $19.00. Somewhat suspicious of the accuracy of our old spring version we decided to spring (pun intended) for a replacement. Over the years we have caught our children red-handed on more than one occasion using the old one as a trampoline. They loved to jump on it just to see how far the needle would move like the hammer and bell contraptions you see at the fair. Needless to say, after all that abuse and due to the inherent sensitivity of the instrument, it probably was no longer reliable. Boy were we right. When we got home we excitedly put the batteries in and hopped on. Guess how much off it was from the original scale? That's right, 5 pounds. Naturally, not 5 pounds lighter but 5 pound heavier. So all that bragging I have been doing about losing 40 lbs. will have to be modified to reflect just 35. And I now weigh 160 lbs., not 155. Maybe we should have just left well enough alone.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
FIT FAM
Tonight before family prayer we discovered the following:
*Bryce bench pressed a new record weight of 190 lbs
*Tanner ran 4 miles at track practice
*Sheralyn's favorite day was an intense swimming workout
*Wendy, Madi & Janelle completed an 8-10 mile bike ride
(From Blue Heron Park to Bear Creek Park)
I am reveling in the fact that we are part of an extended, FIT family!
Let's keep it up!
Wendy :)
*Bryce bench pressed a new record weight of 190 lbs
*Tanner ran 4 miles at track practice
*Sheralyn's favorite day was an intense swimming workout
*Wendy, Madi & Janelle completed an 8-10 mile bike ride
(From Blue Heron Park to Bear Creek Park)
I am reveling in the fact that we are part of an extended, FIT family!
Let's keep it up!
Wendy :)
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Inspired by Sisters
posted by Wendy
I ran 5K on Saturday.
(That sounds a lot more impressive than "3 miles").
I realize this is now a "short" run for many of you, but the entire time I was inspired by thoughts of my sisters & brother excercizing along with me. I am enjoying the momentum of this ride and the bonding it has created!
I ran 5K on Saturday.
(That sounds a lot more impressive than "3 miles").
I realize this is now a "short" run for many of you, but the entire time I was inspired by thoughts of my sisters & brother excercizing along with me. I am enjoying the momentum of this ride and the bonding it has created!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Almost a Half Marathon!
Posted by Mark
I ran to downtown Ashland and back today. I clocked it in my car and it is a little over 12 mi.round trip. By my calculations that is just 1 mi short of a half marathon! It wasn't an easy run but I did it and its the farthest I've ever done in one session. It's disheartening to think though that it's only half of what I have to do in just 69 more days. I have my work cut out for me!
I ran to downtown Ashland and back today. I clocked it in my car and it is a little over 12 mi.round trip. By my calculations that is just 1 mi short of a half marathon! It wasn't an easy run but I did it and its the farthest I've ever done in one session. It's disheartening to think though that it's only half of what I have to do in just 69 more days. I have my work cut out for me!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Way to Go SAM!
posted by Stacy
Look who showed up on the Skillman's door step...
Look who showed up on the Skillman's door step...
Sam Groover!
Newly wed's Sam and Cassandra Groover just joined our family fitness blog. Since Cassan has been technically part Skillman since the Skillman/William family alliance that happened more than 16 years ago, so they easily fit under the broad category of family! And they're eager to get on the fitness bandwagon which means more synergy energy for all of us!
Sam Groover has been a mountain biker for years but now he's mixing it up with a little road biking as well. (Not to mention he recently posted his 10 mile jog). Today, he rode from his house in medford up to Callahan's today and then made a pit stop at the Skillmans, which, earned him and Cassandra an invite a fabulous mexican dinner tonight.
See! Exercise pays off in many ways!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Church on Saturday
Posted by: Mark
Our High Priest Group was assigned to clean the church on Saturday morning. When I woke up Saturday it was a crisp, clear and cold day. So I decided rather than drive to the church to fulfill my assignment, I would take an alternate form of transportation. That's right, I put on my shoes. I ran the 5 miles from my house to the church. Its a pretty easy and not-too-hilly route. But when I arrived nobody was there and I didn't bring a key. So I ran up clay street to Bi-Mart hoping to catch somebody arriving a little late. Seeing none and short of any other ideas, I ran all the way back home to get my keys. Needless to say after completing the 10 mile loop I was worn out and probably didn't do as good as job as I should have done when I later cleaned the church all by myself...
Our High Priest Group was assigned to clean the church on Saturday morning. When I woke up Saturday it was a crisp, clear and cold day. So I decided rather than drive to the church to fulfill my assignment, I would take an alternate form of transportation. That's right, I put on my shoes. I ran the 5 miles from my house to the church. Its a pretty easy and not-too-hilly route. But when I arrived nobody was there and I didn't bring a key. So I ran up clay street to Bi-Mart hoping to catch somebody arriving a little late. Seeing none and short of any other ideas, I ran all the way back home to get my keys. Needless to say after completing the 10 mile loop I was worn out and probably didn't do as good as job as I should have done when I later cleaned the church all by myself...
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