3 News Habits - join me

So things are a-changing. Are we a-changing? I've identified 3 habits I'd like to address right now.

1) Cell phones. I've read a number of articles that posit a worrying possibility of brain tumors associated with putting a cellphone against your ear. There appears to be a correlation between these tumors and the side of the head used to answer the phone. Everyone knows that cellphone companies make massive amounts of money. And the tech is still so new, new stuff is rolling out all the time. How long have they tested the technology? Basically, we are the test. And my logic tells me, if a computer screen can frazzle up when an sms goes thru, just think how those microwaves are cooking your brain? You don't have to think, you can feel the heat.
What to do? Use the phone less, and when you do use it, use ear phones that connect to the phone.

2) Coke and bottled water. I am one of the biggest culprits here. Coke is just such a bad idea if you want to lose weight or maintain a stable mindset (or mood). Bottled water isn't very healthy, and you actually pay for the nergy it takes to make the bottle, and transport the water to you. In its place, drink squeezed orange juice, and if you consume water, buy an aluminum flask and use filtration/purification systems if you don't trust the water in your area. Water - clean and fresh - is likely to become a bigger and bigger problem.

3) Finally, exercise. My ideal body weight - I measured it, is 66.8kg. I weight about 15kg more than that. That's a lot of fat to be lugging around. And the world could seriously do with people that are less fat, less vulgar in their consumption. So I'm going to literally tighten my belt. Exercise more, eat less, be less of an ogre to the planet.

I hope you will join me.

This Gif Works!

So I have been on Phedra Cut for about 3 weeks now. When my buddy who recommended it to me, and gave me some leftover stuff, his wife made an arbitrary comment: 'That stuff is gif (poison)'.

On Sunday I started taking 4 of these at a time, (you start on 2, use them for a week, then go to 3, twice a day etc). My friend says that it's when you're on 4 that the effect really kicks in. I'm sure. When I was only on 2 I was buzzing (avoiding the coffee room in a desperate bid NOT to seem like I was on too much coffee).

On the bike the effect is also pronounced. I've gone up Northcliff a few times, it's a very tough and steep 2km climb. Basically before I was on this stuff my engine conked out at around 169. Now I get my heart rate up to 174. It's a concern, but at the same time, my maximum is about 184, and I historically have a lot of trouble raising my heart rate on the bike. Often I can't get it beyond 164.

The point is this stuff is working. It does help lose weight, and what i like is my stomach doesn't feel tight or bloated after a single meal. I find I spend a LOT of the day sitting, and this just isn't good for metabolism or digestion.

I don't plan on using Phedra Cut forever, but it is at least good to see results. Over the next two to three weeks, with more free time on my hands, I am going to be training a lot. Using 8 tablets a day means I'll probably need another bottle soon. When I've finished that bottle I'm going to stay off the stuff for at least 6 weeks, and maintain training, and see if the weight stays off.

I Said Yes To Drugs (N)

I feel great, really great, but I would just like to know what the side-effects are (long and short term). One of the not so nice side-effects has been a sort of partial eruption of breakfast (minus the breakfast). A very nasty industrial taste. YUCCCKK!

On the plus side, I feel quite a alert, and the amount of caffeine (which induces higher metabolic activity) negates the need to dose oneself with coffee every 2nd hour.

On the downside, I feel a bit jittery and irritable. Not sure if that Is because it's a Monday, or because it's a USN induced Monday, or me? Or a combination.

I've always been a bit anti-Chemicals, including supplements, but I have felt a lot lighter and my tummy has felt a lot more loose. It could be thanks to this stuff that shifts what's inside you around as though you were a 25 year old, or it could be just that my 7 hour average exercises per week are starting to do the job. Whatever it is, the idea is Phedra Cut can help to solve a problem that a lot of 30 year old's experience: Their bodies suddenly go into slow mo metabolism, and the result is weight gain. With Phedra Cut you get to have the body of a 25 year old again.

But do you also get: [Primal shrieking, ridiculous break dancing pantomime with manic eye roll_______________________ - fill in psychotic episode here]

Northcliff X 2

Had a decent 2.4km swim yesterday with Nicky. Ended it off with a length and a half underwater, and could probably have gone further. Good news is that despite resting for the past few days, my weight is under 85 at 84.25kg.

I started taking a USN product this morning which accelarates your metablosim and helps you lose weight. A few minutes after ingesting the tablets I burped and tasted this horrible plasticky-chemical gas. YUCK!!!!!!!

Then, I took a bit of a tumble this morning. A car narrowly missed me, so I was forced to ride through a few inches of dirt and that's when my front wheel said goodbye. If I had been cycling faster I might have been able to stay up. I landed softly enough though. No scratches whatsoever. I guess a boep is good for something after all ;-)

My legs felt surprisingly vrot after not riding for 3 days. But they felt fresher as we approached Northcliff. We went up from both sides, and in the process I got my heart rate all the way to 167. In the 94.7 I only pushed it as high as 164.

On Northcliff itself you're pretty high up, at an altitude of 1724m. The climbs are long and steep, longer than 1km, from one side the climb is 2km. Ow. But a beautiful misty morning to be going up.

Here are my stats:
HR: 135/167
Distance: 34.4km
Speed Ave: 21.8km/h
Temperature: 14/17/22
Ascent: 630m
KCal: 1395

OK (ON YOUR BIKE)

After a top 100 worst sleeps in the history of my life, I really didn't feel I was capable of draping my corpse over a bicycle this morning. So I SMS-d Alex (who cycled from Vanderbijl to Durbs last week, and then did the Amashova):

Had a terrible sleep. Will try to ride tomorrow AM

He SMS'd back:

OK

OK? OK? I think I nodded off for a minute and when I woke up I felt different. Less of a gnawing, sick feeling of fatigue; an engine that was starting to turn.

I SMS'd:

Wait. On way.

And as is almost always the case, it was a great ride. The Jacarandas are in full bloom, and if you ride over the tubular flowers at just the right angle, they make a popping sound. Suburbia around here is really beautiful right now, and the mornings are crispy cool, rather than nippy.

There were some old geezers in the group, so I mistakenly expected an easy ride. Not so. There was quite a bit of frisky digging at one another. The amazing thing with cycling is that you can be fairly grey, but a bicycle is a tremendous equaliser. There were some very hard climbs, so quite unexpectedly, and I got my HR up to 171 which for me is a dizzy height. I usually struggle to get it beyond 165, or 169 at a stretch.

Here are this morning's stats:

Time: 1:29:16
HR: 141 ave/171 max
KCal: 1346
Ascent: 445
Temp: 12/12 ave/24 max
Alt max: 1694m
Speed Avg: 25.6km/h (68.4km/h max)
Distance: 38km

Last night I ran 20 minutes (217 KCal) whilst watching BUPA 1 mile in Newscastle on the screen, did 10 pullups and swam 500m. Weight is reasonable at 86.3kg (despite weekend feasting and a week off the bike).

As we went our separate ways I said to Alex, "When I got your SMS and you were like, 'OK' I was like: 'OK?' What does that mean? It's not OK!"
OK can mean anything you want it to.

Are You Dumb Enough to Still Eat at McDonald's (VOTE NOW POLL IS CLOSING)

Another Blogger, Anja Marret has touched on this subject today as well. Is obesity our fault or not?
In short, and I hope I don't take up too much of your time in putting this in the public space, here's the answer: yes, it is. You are what you eat. And if you keep eating junk food despite all the signals, all the brou ha ha, well then you're a silly creature for doing so.

At 35 I am far from the sleek demi-god I was at 24. A lot of that ios due to having precious little time to cook, and so taking the lazy route and eating junk food. I've banned McD's and KFC, but I still go to Steers. But the answer is to go shopping, buy fruit and vegetables and go to the trouble to cook. In short, it's effort. It's discipline. And if you want to lsoe weight, it's not nearly as easy as we think.

I saw a magazine cover recently that soothed: Lose weight - it's easier than you think. Actually, it's not. Especially for a guy in his thirties. To give you an idea, I lost 6-7 kilograms 2 years ago, but only because I trained and competed in an Ironman. And the weight only started to slip off after I changed my diet in addition to all that training. I caught a cold and then a follow up flu after the race (probably picked up on the long haul to Korea), so within 6 weeks had put back all the weight I'd lost. Heartbreaking.

Meanwhile, the press shifts blame from individuals to government to fast food joints. No. The road to buff starts with you.

Energy-dense, cheap food is partly to blame, the report says

Individuals can no longer be held responsible for obesity and government must act [NVDL: re-he-heheaallly] to stop Britain "sleepwalking" into a crisis, a report has concluded.
The largest ever UK study into obesity, backed by government and compiled by 250 experts, said excess weight was now the norm in our "obesogenic" society.

Dramatic and comprehensive action was required to stop the majority of us becoming obese by 2050, they said.

The government pledged to draw up a strategy to address the issue.

But the report authors admitted proof that any anti-obesity policy worked "was scant".

NVDL: It's gratifying to note that at least the majority of people who read this blog are getting wize and blocking McD completely from your diet. Keep it up guys.