Day 318 - 01/04/2008

Today was the last day of the Holiday Meltdown at the gym. When the contest started, I weighed in at 184 with 21.5% body fat. As of this morning, I was 179.5 with 20% body fat. My goal was to lose 3-4 pounds over the past six weeks (averaging ½ pound per week or so), something I didn't think would be too difficult on a regular basis. Over the holidays though, with all those sweets, calorie laden beverages and stuff yourself until you pop dinners, I didn't think I'd lose that much. Of course, the 184 could have been on the heavy side for the day and the 179.5 might have been on the low end for the day, so maybe it wasn't a full 4.5 pounds loss. Regardless, I'm happy with the results and am looking forward to continuing my workouts into the new year. Of course, the new year also means there are new members to contend with. The gym isn't that big to begin with, so every new member that's added means more contention for the various machines.

A new "machine" was added over the past few weeks, but today was the first time I used it. Tammy (the manager) has been trying to get members to try it out since she got it, but it wasn't until today that I did. This machine actually isn't a machine, but simply a strap with handles for your hands (which you also use for your feet). The exercises don't do anything other than work your entire body with a series of resistance exercises. After performing 9 of the 12 exercises outlined in the exercise sheet, I was spent. (I didn't do the first three as they were leg specific and I didn't feel like putting too much pressure on the knees.) It'll take a few weeks of this to see if it will replace the weights, but if since I felt sore in places I didn't used to after working out, maybe there's something to it.

Later on, I checked out how much it would cost to get the strap for home use (I figure I'm paying $360 per year for the gym, why not get this machine for home use and save!). I was somewhat shocked to see it being offered for upwards to $200 (for basically a set of straps you could buy at Lowe's). I guess the R&D budget needs to get funded somehow. I'll pass for now (or look on e-Bay at some point in the future).

Upon arriving home, the kids and I worked on Lego into the early evening. We started building everything a few days ago when N found the instructions to the ambulance. We had everything except for one piece, so I figured we'd just keep building until we found the piece. Well, three days later we still haven't found the piece we're missing. Smokey has a penchant for eating Lego pieces, so that's where I'll place the blame right now. (Of course, with the kids and how well they keep track of their items, you never know where you might find it!)