How’s that chin-up challenge going?

The one I committed to in my last post? Don’t ask. Don’t ask about my 50 squat/day challenge, either. Or the 22 push-ups/day. It’s November 23, and I’ve probably executed the exercises one day out of every three since launching those efforts on November 1. For that matter, don’t ask about the carb-cutting I started in September, either. I lost four pounds in September, and put them back on in October. The only good news is that I haven’t added any others.

The spouse, listening to me whine and moan about my lack of discipline and strategy in the face of calendar-chaos (seriously, this has been a rough few months), told me the other night, “you always do better when you have an event to train for.” Yes, of course! That’s true! So I went and bought an issue of Trail Runner magazine at the bookstore, and scanned some favorite websites looking for upcoming virtual races. (Don’t tell my knee surgeon. Or my mother. [Oh! Hi, Mom!]) I also started tracking my food intake again. Every time I do that, I’m reminded that I eat a lot more carbs and fat than I admit to myself. I hauled my arse out of bed early for some fast, chilly walks with the Big Dog (our rescue doberlady, who also needs to lose a few pounds), trying to get back into an early morning exercise ritual that has collapsed since the return of Dark Dawns. The spouse doesn’t want me walking before sunrise, even if accompanied by the 90+ pound doberman.

But there’s still the matter of my dwindling upper body strength. Today, after work, I stopped at a local trailhead where some cool bird rarities have been spotted. A fellow coming back to the parking lot with a camera told me where I could also see a barred owl. I stood at the location he described, combing every nook and cranny of every tree with my binoculars raised to my eyes for about 15 minutes. And I had to keep taking short breaks to lower my binoculars because MY ARMS GOT TIRED! My arms got tired… FROM HOLDING BINOCULARS! Folks, this means war. I drove home stewing and muttering to myself, making a mental list of weight-lifting exercises that also require endurance. Who needs to use their arms, at considerable resistance, for long periods of time? Climbers and swimmers.

I would say that I won’t sign back on until I’ve made some arm progress worth reporting on, but I’m reading a book I want to tell you about soon. So, until then… stay safe and stay healthy.