Cab-la-Goob-La Gobbler Deux!

Do you know what was the best/worst fitness/drinking event I did last year?

Me neither.

But in the top 11.6 of best/worst ideas in fitness/drinking had to have been the Cable Guy Challenge.

A Bit of Background
Last year, in a stunning shift in paradigm, I challenged not Steven, but the Mayor to a long-term weight loss/fitness challenge.  We had to ride bikes, lose weight, and do weekly challenges.  One week, Steven stepped in for the Mayor and challenged me to a Cable Guy themed event.

The challenge was to ride the trainer for an hour, drinking as many cold ones as possible, while watching the Cable Guy and doing a Cable Guy-themed drinking game.

Needless to say, it was a sh!t show from start to finish.  I didn't actually read the challenge, so I over rode.  And, Steven drank Heines which was hilarious.  I drank Coors Light--lame!  Then, after all that, drinking and riding, I was wasted.  So wasted that when I went to the BX90 the next morning, and they tried to make me do 500 million weighted lunges, it broke me.

So Why are We Discussing This Again?
Well, it was one of the best/worst ideas we've had in the world of wacky, misguided fitness blogging.  And, I personally, had a lot of fun doing it.

And, I think we should do it again....

Umm, No
No, really, hear me out.

Instead of riding the trainer (which is a hard activity to love), and instead of having '"rules" and "winners" and what-not, instead, we will just do whatever we want, like the Awesomeness Challenge, only with Jim Carey.

Here's How it Could Work 
What: Do something that involves something physical (walking, cycling, skipping, basketball, yoga) for 127 minutes (length of the Cable Guy).  Add (in whatever way you want) Heineken.  Add in watching The Cable Guy.

Who: Everyone!  Everyone is invited.  Just let me know, somehow, if you are in.

Where: Where ever you want.

How: You decided.  See "what."  You also decide how to document said entry.

Why: Because it is awesome, and during the doll-drums of the year, we all need to be reminded of how fitness can and should be fun (and misguided).

When: Sometime between November 18 and November 30.  Hence the "Gobbler."

How do we win?  Who is the judge?  What do we get?
Winning is based on the totally subjective deciding of me and Steven*.  If we decide that you are the winner, you can name your prize!  (And, we will decide if we give it to you).

*I have not discussed this with Steven, so if she is too busy being awesome in other parts of her life, then judging will solely be done by me.

Needles--So Very Pokey!

How's the Needle Challenge?  So far, so pokey.

I just can't seem to get my biscuit in gear.

True, things started off alright.  On Thursday, I took the new ironic cross bike out for a ride in the park, where I learned that owning a bike with racer-gearing is a humbling experience.

Holiday as Dog-stacle

Friday--did nada, oh, except for hanging out with my family visiting from Oklahoma and then seeing the $nacks at Christophers.

No one told me everyone was wearing plaid to the Snacks!

Saturday--was planning on going to spin class, but the family visit continued through brunch.  And, Saturday night was George Clinton* and the Parliment Funkadelic.  (More on George in a bit), after which I got my fill of vitamin C at a local bar that fresh squeezes all of their juice.

P Funk!

Sunday--I hemmed and hawed and decided not to, then decided to do, then decided not to, then decided, for reals, to do the Cranksgiving.  I didn't want to go because it was cold and wet, but that is not a great excuse when you own $5,000 in outerwear.  The event involves racing around town on a bike, going to 10 different stores to get 10 different items to donate to charity.  I rode around in a mockery of fast-ness in the cold, which reminded me that could also be fun.  If only all my grocery shopping were done by bike and by speed, I'd be much happier.

Monday--I packed up my stuff to do spin class after work, but we decided to go the Obama rally, so instead, I took the dog to the park and made dinner.  We did drive the bikes down the Bait shop and rode them over to the rally to avoid parking hassles, which was smart, but not a workout.  If only standing in the cold and yelling "forward" burned calories.

At least we wore cycling caps!

Tuesday--I was tired and nervous.  After work I canvased for a couple hours, which was a nice walk, punctuated by empty house-door knocking and some snacks at the headquarters.  Then, stayed up way too late to watch acceptance speeches.

Volunteering = snacking

Wednesday--so. sleepy.  Did nothing.

Thursday--told myself I needed to sleep in to get rested from Wednesday.

So there you have it.  It is already Day 8 and I am behind in this challenge.  I still have high hopes for turning this Needle Challenge around, and George Clinton is the reason!

Okay, so I have seen a lot of P-Funk concerts.  My friend Pete is obsessed with funk music, and I liked hanging out with Pete, so I started tagging along.  I've seen them in Kansas City, in New Orleans, and at least three times in Des Moines.

Usually, George Clinton, looks, well, busted.  He is famous, but he looks so rough that he routinely gets tossed out of stores and hotels because he looks like a bum.

"I am coming for your baloney!"

Also, for most of the concerts I have been to, he comes out for a few songs, but then retreats to the back.  He is sort of like the exclamation of the concert.

So, when the show started at the Val Air on Saturday night, and there was a man in a tailored beige suit and fedora on stage, I thought nothing of it.  I just assumed he was one of the rotating cast of P-Funk-ers that plays the shows.

Then, one of the younger guys on stage says something like, "oh, I bet y'all came here looking for some guy in crazy, colored dreads, well, he ain't here tonight."

Then, I got a little mad.  "What?  Clinton wasn't even going to show?"  I felt duped, though, in all honesty, my tickets were free.

Then, the guy pointed to the guy in the fedora and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the legend, the one, the only, George Clinton."

Then, the fedora guy took off his hat and bowed.  "Ha, I thought, he must be some sort of George Clinton impersonator, but he is doing a really bad job."

Then, my friend Pete commented on George Clinton's suit.

"Wait," I said.  "That's George Clinton?"

"Yeah," said Pete.

Holy Heck, he looked completely different.  He looked like a preacher.  Clean-cut, well-groomed, in a suit, and to top it all off, he looked "there."  Not all cracked out.  And, he stayed on stage for virtually the whole show.  He did sit down a few times, right up front, but hey, the guy is 70!  He was dancing and singing and conducting everyone else.  It was like a new person!

Here's a picture I snagged right after the show.

Just kidding.

But seriously, he looked good.

And, if George Clinton can turn from a cracked-out looking bum to a suit wearing, orchestra conducting, bad-ass 70 year old, well, I can get off my biscuit and do some push ups.

Part-Time (Vegetarian) Lover: The Fresh 20

Here are some things that keep me from eating "perfectly."

1. I hate grocery stores.
2. I hate grocery shopping.
3. I hate meal planning.
4. I hate making lists.
5. I hate spending a bunch of money and not using all the ingredients.
6. I have a low tolerance for leftovers.
7. I get sick of eating the same things, but I lack creativity or the willingness to research (and we get both Eating Well and Cooking Light) every month.
8. I am a control freak.  If it can't be my way, even if I don't know what that way is, I don't like it.
9. I don't like complicate cooking on weeknights.
10. I am food snob, despite issues 1-9.
11. I am just a bad person with no will power.

But recently, I have found a solution to nearly all of these problems.  And, it is called "The Fresh 20."

My sister, Easy-E, told me about F20 a few weeks ago.  E has the kind of energy and work ethic that makes beavers jealous, but when she isn't scrubbing her bathroom or shopping, she does a lot of reading.  Lately, it has been about food and food issues.

Now, she has trotted out a lot of crazy ideas, most of which I ignore.  But, there was something about the idea of the Fresh 20 that stuck.

Here's what it is:

The Fresh 20 is a website that you subscribe to ($4 or $50 for the year).  Each week they publish a meal plan that includes 5 dinners for 4 adults, recipes  a shopping list, and nutritional content.  And, get this, while  you have to have the "pantry staples" on hand, you only have to buy 20 new ingredients each week.  And, you only buy as much as you need.

The plans are either vegetarian, classic (with meat), or gluten free.  We went with the vegetarian, because we thought it would be cheaper and both the Tiger and I have some reservations about meat and factory farms and animal cruelty.  Not enough to become full time vegetarians; I mean, come on, La Quercia bacon exists.

So far, it's been great!  The grocery shopping is so painless, that I don't mind doing it.  The meals and fairly quick and easy, and because it makes enough for 4, we have left overs for lunch.

Better yet, the meals are usually between 300-600 calories a serving, and they are filling, and with a few exceptions, really pretty good.  And because I am eating so many vegetables I feel very smug and resplendent with antioxidants 

The only problems we have fun into are when we skip a night.  We don't always want to cook on Friday nights, then we have udon noodles just hanging around the house.  Or, if the Tiger forgets to take his lunch, the leftovers start to pile up, and some of the meals are just so-so.

Better yet, the Tiger found a Group-On, so we got the whole year for on $20 bucks.

The Tiger does get a little cranky.  He doesn't agree with the principle behind stove-top lasagna, and he doesn't like being required to slice things thinly if he doesn't want to, but overall, it's been great.

And, it gives me hope!  Hope that I can eat tasty, seasonal food, without wasting my time searching for recipes or getting stuck with tons of extra groceries, hope that my dinners can be healthy and portion controlled without me having to worry about it so much.

One of the things that I have always said about trying to live a healthier lifestyle is that it takes a lot of thought and concentration, but the Fresh 20 sort of out-sources some of that mental energy.

Now that I am a part-time vegetarian, I can spend other part-time worrying about my cold and damp doom during Survivor Cross.

Also, I have an excuse to have this song running through my head full-time.

Threading the Needle: Day 1

Good morning, November.  So glad that you are here.  There are so many things to be thankful for in November: the Tweed Ride, Drag Queen Bingo, sandwich Thanksgiving, and the fact that once you get to the end of November, it is nearly December and the end of the semester.

Today also marks the first day of the Threading the Needle Challenge.  One reader has volunteered to join me by cutting out some of the booze!  Go girl!  Two days down!

Yesterday, I decided to see just where I am starting with this whole bicep curl concept, so after my H2K workout, I loaded up a 45 pound barbell with 10 extra pounds and tried to do 10 curls.  I got 6, so I am going to say that my starting bicep curl weight is 45 pounds.

But, wait!  All along, I had thought that the brown barbells at the gym were 45 pounds, but no!  Jen Veak told me, after I finished my curls that they are really 55 pounds!  All along, I have been using this barbell during workouts and I have actually been lifting 10 extra pounds.  Go me!

So, my starting weight for 10 bicep curls is 55 pounds.  I need to get to 63 by November 30! (Why 8 pound increase?)

Tonight, I lieu of an indoor bike ride, and I going to take my new (to me) cyclocross bike out for a spin around the park.

What new cyclocross bike, you ask?

This! New(tome) Cyclocross Bike!

The Tiger found a used 47cm 2008 Trek XO on Craigslist.  It's got a carbon fork and cranks, and nice brakes, and 105.  The size and the price were right, so after a quick test ride around the fancy part of outer Johnston, it is now mine!

The weather is supposed to be glorious this afternoon, and the puppy is at daycare, so she won't mind if I ditch her for a bit after work today to go for a spin around Wittmer.

That will be my first bike ride of the Thread the Needle Challenge.  I will also do my baseline crunches and push-ups, weigh-in, and measurements, if I can locate a tape measure.

Stay tuned, or if you are needling a bit of a challenge yourself, email me!  Or comment on the blog, and I will hold you November-accountable.  Together, we are going to make this the best 11th-month of this whole year.