Since I’m going to get in better shape, I need a gym, and what better place for a gym than my basement.

Currently I have a couple of floor mats for crunches, planks, cobras, supermen, etc… a exercise ball for crunches and pushups, a heavy bag, and a erg (rowing machine) on the way. I also have the One Hundred Pushups and Two Hundred Situps programs which I’ll be working with.

I love the heavy bag. Working the heavy bag lets you adjust your workout smoothly. You can focus on muscles by punching deep and hard, or more cardio by punching more lightly and quickly. You can use your legs and footwork as much as you choose. It’s also a great stress reliever. There’s something primal about punching something.

I’m also very excited about the erg. Rowing is one of the best full body workouts that exists. It’s low impact on your knees and works both your abs and back muscles pretty evenly. When I was in high school I used to row competitively, so I have fond memories about both rowing on the water, and training with the team in the gym.

My plan is to try to head down to the basement in the morning before my shower as many days as I can. Work out enough to at least break a sweat and go as long as I reasonably can. I’m not going to push myself too hard, it has to stay pleasant enough for me to keep coming back, day after day. A small TV and some streamed TV shows over an old hacked XBox should keep me distracted during the workout.

I’ll try to get some pictures of the setup once the erg and TV are setup. Wish me luck on making it down there more days than not.

photo by I Like

photo by Ced

Yes, I know it’s 23 days late, but I had a few thoughts about this new year that I wanted to share.

I know many feel that annual events like anniversaries, Christmas, and New Years are artificial markers and we should do whatever we would do on those days every day.  As in you should get someone a present when you feel like getting them a present and find something they would like, not on a Hallmark holiday like Christmas.  Or that you should strive for improvement on an on-going basis and that New Years resolutions are just often broken attempts to improve.

While I agree with some of that, I like having annual markers as a time to reflect back on some aspect of the past 12 months, and to give thought to what we want out of the next 12 months.  For me, New Years is when I like to think back on the past year, what took place, where I felt I had successes and failures, and what I hope to accomplish and experience this coming year.

This past year has been a busy one.  I bought a house and moved across the country.  I worked on growing Spark::red and kept busy with contract work. The move was a ton of work, and I can’t begin to explain how much work home ownership is. I walked into it thinking in a couple short months I’d have the whole interior redone, new flooring, new kitchen, new bathrooms, all of it. Here we are almost four months later and the biggest change is a new doorbell.

For this coming year I have a few high level things (some of which are inter-related) I’d like to focus on.

• My Health – I will get in better shape and eat more healthily
• My Happiness – I will work to lower my stress and enjoy more moments
• My Relationship – I will spent more quality time with my wife
• My Career – I will grow Spark::red and work with integrity

Those are the big four. I’ll bet most people out there have a similar list. They seem like core pillars in our lives.

Body, Mind, Heart, and Work.

The best part about being an adult is that you can spend Sunday afternoon on the couch watching cartoons, eating raw cookie dough, and playing video games.