July 2010 report

July was the fourth month in a row with below average sums for weight-lifting. I admit to losing interest, but I'm certainly not done with it. In July I worked out on 10 of 31 days, and this really isn't bad now that I think about it, because I took a 10-day vacation in July during which weight-lifting was not possible. So I shouldn't be so hard on myself. Nevertheless, I am not making the progress I would like--it was June 2009 when I last broke a monthly record in gross weight lifted. My last daily record was in May 2010 so on a day-to-day basis I am still in the game. But keeping regular with the lifting is a challenge I am struggling with. Again, this has to do with losing interest in this activity. For what reasons? First, I am always afraid of hurting myself so weight-lifting each night is not something I look forward to. Second, my swimming during the day, and/or my softball at night have made me tired in the evenings when I usually lift weights. For the last couple days my pectoralis muscles have been made sore due to an uptick in weight-lifting activities. This soreness is a good feeling, actually, and it makes me think more positively about what I am doing. If my exercise is making me sore, than I know it is doing something to strengthen my body. The phrase "Good work!" applies in at least two ways.

July 2010 was very good in terms of abdominal crunches. My monthly average was 9 per day, and the last time I exceeded that was January 2010. Cardio duration was well above average at 74 minutes per day. This figure was subsidized by several hikes that I did while on vacation. Given all the hiking I did, which is not an intensely cardiovascular exercise, my exercise intensity was not extraordinary. In fact, the 15.8 intensity rating was exactly the 12-month average.

I gained about 2 pounds during vacation, which I expect to lose fairly quickly now that I'm eating lower-calorie foods and smaller portions for breakfast and lunch. I am beginning to see a trend for a reduction in chest circumference. It is only a 0.3 inch decrease, but it is the first decrease since March 2009.