Pure ‘N Simple honey from Hillsboro, KS.

Some of the results are in and they’re not pretty.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that today I would gather some data for my effort to lose weight in 2011.

And gather I did.

Ho-lee crap. I won’t share the details until later, but let’s just say I shouldn’t waste any time getting things moving. It’s not like I’m likely to die tomorrow or anything, but I’m far outside of some safe measurements.

Here’s to a weekend of festivities, then let’s see where this rabbit hole goes.

I’ve made some momentum toward my goal of getting healthy and losing weight in 2011.

Appointments have been made. In the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 29, I will have my first physical in about two years. Let’s get the measurements! I want to know how my blood is looking, if my pipes are clogging and all that other stuff.

But another crucial bit of data I’ll be gathering will be the one I’ve not done in roughly seven years – bodyfat percentage.  The last time I had that done I was around 14 percent. I’m sure that now I’m [REDACTED OUT OF SHEER EMBARASSMENT, BUT C’MON, LOOK AT ME – YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT].

Granted, gathering the starting data isn’t as good as say, actually working out and exercising. But I’m trying to do a little prep work here so I can settle down into a routine and have a good “before” measurement.

Lastly, I’ve told my co-workers that when the time comes, when I tell them “it’s on,” I’m seriously going to need their help. Little questions like “are you getting workouts in” or “put the candy down and move away from the wrapper” are encouraged.

Have you thought about your goals? What are you doing to meet them?

Lately I’ve been feeling a little worn out.

Working in web development is so much fun for me (I do it full-time and also with part-time side projects and gigs). I like to design and I like learning and building little programs, none of which I do nearly as often as I woud like.

But I’ve been incredily busy lately. Feeling bombarded, I logged off completely at 5 p.m. last Tuesday and haven’t done anything work-related since.

It’s been fantastic. I’m actually mentally ready to get back into the swing of things tomorrow. Having five full days away has done me good.

Perhaps suspending work for a little bit was just what I needed to get me through to that real vacation I talked about yesterday.

It’s a shame I’m all out of pumpkin pie.

If you’re looking to build some stamina and get healthy, there’s still time to take advantage of Red Dog’s Dog Days, a free, community workout that happens each year in Lawrence.

I’ve been attending this year and the workouts have been incredible and butt kicking.

As a full-time web guy and full-time husband and dad, I spend a lot of time at a desk in front of the computer and being busy. Thanks to the comforts of modern life, I have the ability to expend very little energy above the bare minimum during my day. While this was suppose to be a charmed life, it really is a curse. Couple a stagnant lifestyle with the typical food temptations everyone goes through, it can be quite damaging to the waistline.

Fortunately, Lawrence’s residents seem to be committed to getting and staying healthy, so there are opportunities around town like Dog Days to get some type of physical activity in. Earlier this year, the LJWorld reported that Douglas County was among the top five healthiest counties in Kansas. A similar, different, study in the same paper last year had DoCo as the 27th healthiest out of Kansas’ 105 counties.

Those are some great numbers. However, there are some sad numbers in those reports as well: a couple of the unhealthiest counties in Kansas – Cherokee and Montgomery – are where my family calls home. Clearly, I have a lot going against me to be as healthy as I’d like to be. But, I’ve done it before and I’m confident I can do it again.

Maybe I’ll see you at Dog Days? It runs now through Aug. 7, 2010.