And now one about fitness!

Alright!  We're in a bit of a slowdown now, with weather turning cold, wet, and dreary and my paths turning muddy and difficult to safely traverse.  So, what's a guy with little space and fewer funds to do?  Improvise!

Now, I should be able to swing a decent treadmill or exercise bike within the next month or two now that the last of the new surprise bills (taxes/tags on the car,) are squared away!  But, until then, I managed to find a nice little dumbbell set at Walmart.  It's put out by Golds Gym and comes with two bars utilizing these quick release pins that are nice and solid, but easy to adjust on the fly, 4 weights (two at 20lbs and 2 at 5lbs) for a max combined weight of 50lbs between the two hands.  I've also got a mid-range resistance band for some solid cardio and core work.  The dumbbells actually work great for sit-ups - propping one foot under each bar weights me down enough to sit up without lifting my feet with a little effort.

Anyway, I'm still floating about 10lbs off my goal weight but am kicking my routine into overdrive and getting back to the carb-free lifestyle.  It's a bitch, I'll tell you, avoiding carbs at all cost?  Bread, tortillas, sugar (refined or naturally occurring,) rolls, muffins, bagels, cereal... so much shit I never thought about before just looming over every grocery list and quick run to the store.

To get around it all... well, I eat a lot more salad now than I once did.  Rolling meat and cheese up into kale or lettuce, quite tasty and surprisingly filling when you get used to eating normal fillings.  Eggs.  Oh...my...god...eggs.  Scrambled eggs, egg omelettes, eggs over easy, quiche in a cup (no, seriously, microwaved quiche is a thing and actually very good...I'll try to post a video soon,) raw eggs - straight down the hatch - it's the shell that poses most threat, just wash it good before cracking, baked eggs (no flour, not quiche, just a sheet of eggs in a cookie sheet with whatever ingredients you want draped across,) and whatever the hell else I think of or stumble upon.  Eggs are awesome, people.  And no, unless you've already got cholesterol issues, you're fine - did the research, you can do yours, but for an adult male of my height and build, I can take 3 fried large eggs a day.  The bad cholesterol increase is nominal and the good cholesterol increase is substantial.

Ugh, but there's so much more to all of this.  Good spirits and lots of rest are absolutely vital.  In order to get a good workout, you need sleep and a clear mind.  Sure, a nice jog through the wood or ripping a shit-ton of reps off with the dumbbells can clear your mind and get rid of the stress, but it's so much easier to get started in your routine if you've already dusted the weight off your shoulders.  Take my word, a clear mind and positive outlook can be the difference between a good workout and an absolutely amazing soul-filling, spirit-lifting, mind-blowing, I-can't-believe-I-just-muscled-through-that-many-sit-ups sort of workout.  For instance, when I was a kid, I could swing 10, maybe 15 sit-ups, and I mean the lazy kind we pulled when no one was looking.  More of a half-crunch than sit-up.  I was skinny as hell and quite fit, at the time.  My best routine, greatest mood, as of late...I was working out because I was enjoying working out and bettering myself...but it came just about a month ago when I ripped off 30 solid 'real' sit-ups.  To put that in perspective, my idea of a 'real' sit-up involves lying on your back, feet braced, hands clasped behind your head as you pull your torso up and twist at the wrist to touch your left knee with your right elbow, lay back at safe and moderate speed, then come up and twist the other way, touching your right knee with your left elbow - boom, one 'real' sit-up.  I did 30 of those that night.  I then proceeded to collapse upon the floor, gut wrenched in pain and exhaustion, with a huge grin of pride on my face.

Alright, that's enough rambling, off to work out a bit and make myself a tasty mug-quiche.  Best of luck in your own endeavors, friends.