Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Mt. AIRY FOREST in CINCINNATI, OHIO

Summertime is hiking time. During the cold dark months of late fall, winter and early spring it is appropriate to workout indoors. As much as possible, with increased hours of light and warm temperatures it is best to get outside (and forgo the joys of netflix). Yesterday afternoon after visiting customers, and after the Cincinnati temperatures had 'cooled' to 88° it was time to take a hike. I drove to the Mt. Airy Forest where I expected to find a number of trails. If I was without my MapMyWalk app, I would have been quite nervous as I would have not known in what direction I was traveling or how to get back. The app solves that problem and lays down the path one has travelled always on a real map of the area. Although the trails are not part of the this app - the roads that surround the the park are always present. As long as one's battery is charged, and a cell signal is available - one always knows where one is, and how to return to the point of origin (aka one's parked car). Quite a handy feature!

Showing my 'Payton' pride in a shirt that I recently picked up at a thrift store.

Part of my hike had me sharing the road with automobiles - this was a welcome sign.

After all the twist and turns, the hike was completed after I had walked 11 miles.

Cincinnati is on the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone - therefore sunset arrives after 9PM.

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Kellogg's - Fruit Loops Cereal	550	130	5	5	675	60
	550	130	5	5	675	60
L U N C H
Apple Cinnamon Rice Cake, 14 Cake	700	154	0	14	0	42
	700	154	0	14	0	42
D I N N E R
Vegetable Fried Rice	250	32	11	5	216	1
Sweet and Sour Seitan	400	54	15	17	1,166	38
Prosciutto	100	0	7	11	815	0
Cantalope - Fruit	100	24	0	2	2	23
	850	111	32	36	2,199	62
S N A C K S
Red Delicious Apple, 3 medium apple	285	75	1	2	5	57
MILK CHOCOLATE CHERRIES	100	14	6	1	6	12
YOGURT RAISINS	150	25	6	1	13	22
Wasabi Peas	150	22	3	7	245	4
DARK CHOCOLATE GINGER	170	29	7	1	5	25
	855	165	22	11	274	119

Totals	2,955	559	60	66	3,148	284
Your Daily Goal	3,537	442	118	177	2,300	132
Remaining	582	-117	58	111	-847	-151
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 1,607 extra calories from exercise today

Your Exercise Diary for:

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	185	1,681
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	-74


Daily Total / Goal	186 / 30	1,607 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	186 / 210	1,607 / 4,130

one last thought...I am a city boy, anytime I see natural wildlife, I find it particularly exciting. A couple of weeks ago, while hiking in the Indiana Dunes, I spotted a wild turkey. Yesterday while hiking a trail in Cincinnati, I was brought to a stop as there was a snake on the trail. Before I could snap a photo, it slithered away. Back in my hotel, I tried to figure out what kind of snake I might have seen, but that was impossible as there are many types of snakes that could be found in this part of the country. The last time I saw a snake was on a trail at the base of Devil's Tower in Wyoming about 4 years ago. Other than that, I have no memory of ever seeing a snake in its natural habitat. It is somewhat jarring, even if they are not dangerous.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

STAIRWAY TO FITNESS HEAVEN

Stairway to fitness heaven

Once used by tobogganers, Swallow Cliff steps provide a tough but rewarding workout

I just made an appointment to visit one of my customers in Lockport, Illinois next week. Before ending the conversation I was asked about my exercise routine. I let my customer know that I am in training to hike Half Dome in October and that I have been climbing stairwells in tall buildings. I was told of an outdoor set of stairs at a no-longer-functioning toboggan run at a Forrest Preserve Park in Palos Hills, Illinois. Apparently this incline is 'only' 125 steps. The stone steps are not exactly all the same height (which allegedly makes this just a bit more challenging.) The folks that come to exercise here, will go up and down multiple times. I will consider exploring this either before or after my June 11th appointment in Lockport.

On Wednesday afternoon, I wrapped up my 'show' schedule (for a while.) I packed my bags and left Shipshewana, Indiana and returned to Chicago. Once I returned, after a short break, I used the fitness room in my building for my daily workout. I am slightly amazed that I managed to NOT miss a day while I have been criss-crossing the country the past week or so. My healthy eating has suffered a bit, at least my workout regiment survived. I have been telling myself for the past few days that I need to return to a caloric consumption much closer to 1000 calories/day than 2000/calories per day to reverse the direction of my weight in recent days. TODAY, THURSDAY SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TIME AND PLACE TO START (AGAIN.)

WEDNESDAY MENU

breakfast three apples, oatmeal, three sausage patties 910 calories

lunch deli roast beef slices, deli turkey slices, deli ham slices

tomato, three apples, deli slice swiss cheese 665 calories

dinner Turkey & Cheddar Lunchables, two pears 464 calories

total calories consumed 2039 calories

calories burned
stair climbing from ground level to 25th floor 80 calories (4 MINUTES, 7 SECONDS)
8:00PM elliptical machine 32 minutes 507 calories
stair descending from 25th floor to ground floor 20 calories (2 MINUTES, 55 SECONDS)

total calories burned 607 calories

MONDAY NET CALORIES 1432 CALORIES