Aug 13 2008
Day 53
I want to thank Larry for his question to me yesterday.
Before starting this project I had thought about doing it many times before over the last couple of years and considered what some of the problems or success factors might be. One of the major hurdles to overcome is the seasonal and work-oriented issues.
On the Isle of Man we are quite northerly (approx. 54 degrees North) and have long daylight in the Summer months and very little in the miserable Winter. To give you an idea how for North we are, we are level with the northern tip of the Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, Canada. We are further north than most of the population in Canada.
So seasons play a big part in how we live life on the Isle of Man. During the winter months it is dark when we go to work and it is dark when we come home from work. In the Summer it can be light the whole time I am awake. I think the sun rises at some crazy time such as 4:20 am. but I am not around to see it.
I knew that exercise would play a big part in this project and many times I have started an exercise programme towards the end of the Summer and failed as the weather turns bad and the daylight fades away. I knew that to give me the best possible chance I had to start at the end of Spring or beginning of the Summer. Any progress made would then carry me forward in to the Autumn/Winter months.
The first five weeks of my project I was at work as a high school teacher. I managed to fit in my 15 minutes of morning exercise every day and completed a resistance exercise workout in my garage 3 evenings a week. Once I finished work for the Summer break I found something I hadn’t planned. My extra freedom of time has allowed me to take part in some more enduring exercise but it has also tired me out more than the shorter and regular exercise I had done during the first 6 weeks. For example, today I felt unable to do any exercise. My body is tired and I have slept during the day. I have had to put in another unplanned rest day. The rest isn’t doing me any harm – after all it is during rest that our bodies adapt, not during the exercise.
When I go back to school four things will happen:
- A couple of weeks into the term will be the End to End mountain bike challenge. Once this is over my desire for long distance cycling will diminish until next spring.
- I will find myself following a routine similar to my first 6 weeks as I will be unable to just go off and cycle for a couple of hours during the day.
- The nights will start to draw in and I may only be able to do outdoor activities such as running and cycling at the weekend. There isn’t a lot of street lighting in the countryside where I live.
- I may start cycling to work a few times per week. I did cycle to work twice per week last September and October. It is 10 miles each way and the biggest issues was cooling down once at work enough to be able to carry on as normal. The route is a very hilly 10 miles with at least 3 big climbs. Cycling in the dark can be a bit ‘hairy’ also as there is no street lighting on the route.
I think that I can progress quite easily on the exercise programme I started out on. In a way I have spoiled the routine this Summer by going for long cycles and introducing some runs. However, my fitness levels have increased incredibly and I really do want to have a go at completing the mountain bike challenge in September.
The challenge I see ahead of me is really going to be during the later stages of Phase 2. Phase 1 finishes mid-September and Phase 2 will finish around the end of December. In December my garage is going to be freezing (sub-zero temperatures) in the mornings and the house will be cold when I wake up. My early morning 15 minutes of exercise will not be as enjoyable and the resistance training may require a lot of warm-up prior to entering the garage. I am hoping that the fitness gains I have made of Phase 1 will carry me forward in to Phase 2 and that I will enjoy the exercise more. It should be easier and more fulfilling.
From a fat loss point of view I am pretty sure that if I stick to my predominantly raw diet my body fat will slowly disappear. I am sure that time will tell.
Thanks again Larry.
