"Dump Your Plump"

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

“No man or woman is an island in the world of effective weight loss” are the words written to begin the PD article describing the “Dump Your Plump” competition, which kicks off its 18th year this January 25th. The competition was created and is sponsored by the nonprofit organization, Wellness Council of Northeast Ohio, which promotes wellness in the workplace.

The program was designed to get people to work as a team to meet their fitness/weight loss goals and lasts for 10 weeks. There are prizes for exercising and pounds lost, which is funded by the $25-per-person entry fee. Teams are made up of co-workers or friends and the idea…a good one…is that people stay committed longer when they’re responsible to more than themselves. If you’re interested in getting in on it, check out the rules at www.healthyohio.org.

Personally, I’ve always done better working out alone, though you can work out alone in the program. I used the concept of being on a team by writing the blog. I feel like anyone reading is kind of counting on me to keep doing what I’ve said I was going to do…and that has clearly kept me honest. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating that if you’re going to start a program, set achievable goals…but then let someone know what you’re doing…as a way of keeping you committed. It works.

I hit my fifth double in a row and am proud of the way I’ve begun the New Year. I started with a run…thinking I’d go 15 minutes and see how I felt. I ran the hiking trails in the Metropark, which is again frozen, but not snow-covered. Footing was a little treacherous with the foot tracks left in the mud now frozen with unforgiving ridges looking to twist my ankles. Still…I plodded on and felt pretty good over the first 10 minutes. At that point, I decided to lengthen the run and added a loop that had me going 25 minutes instead of 15. There was some mild discomfort in the right calf towards the end…which is what kept me from trying to make it 30 minutes.

I headed home and climbed on the bike for a 60-minute ride. I’m really getting tired of the trainer every day and hoping the running is coming back and I’ll actually be able to take a couple of days away from stationary riding soon. I know I’ve got to be careful with the running…its been one injury after the other for several months now…and I struggle with prudence.

Jason stopped over after the ride and I showed him my secrets to making pinole. He likes it and thinks it will help him have the energy he needs in his new found commitment to getting fit. My last batch seemed to be lacking something and as we were making his, it dawned on me that I’d forgotten the cinnamon in my last batch. It makes a big difference.

I suspect tomorrow will be a day for only one workout. I am getting a little fatigued…and that’s when the injuries come. We’ll see…

Bike duration: 60 minutes. Run duration: 25 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 130 biking. 145 running.
Calories burned during workout: 900 biking. 425 running.