I’ve always been an active person; what that term “active” means is simply that I move everyday.  My exercise regimen has been up and down over the years.  There was a time, back in 2001, that I swore I could ride the Tour de France.  I was a cycling beast!  I could be Lance Armstrong (without the drugs, but still)!  Of course, I could never ride the Tour and was so far from competing that it was (and still is) laughable.

Since the stent was put into place in November 2017, I have increased my workouts and am up to a solid 5 days per week of intense, good feeling exercise.  Today, for example, I rode about 20 miles on a beautiful day in Albuquerque.  Woot!

The data, presented here, comes from the Polar Flow app.  I have always used Polar products to keep track of my heart rate and manage the information of my workouts.  Right now, I’m using the Polar V800 and a chest strap to monitor my heart rate.  Below is the March 2018 workout chart…as you can see nothing too crazy here.

The various activities I’ve done, including spinning, treadmills, bikes, and walks, are all within what I would consider an easy exercise plan.  These activities, combined with my plant-based eating plan, resulted in weight loss of 7.7 pounds since March 1st.  I generally count on about 1 lbs per week weight loss.  I hit plateaus along the way; for example, just before March 1st I gained 2 pounds and then lost it the following week.  If you really pay attention, you can feel the changes…for me, that means wearing clothes I haven’t worn in a couple of years, or noticing that my balance is better and that I can walk up and down stairs with much less struggle.

The biggest changes have been, by far, mental.  I feel better about myself and my body in ways that I haven’t felt in years.  In fact, I’d have to go back to 2002 and training  for the Santa Fe Century to remember such a change….even THEN I did not have the same feeling I have today.  I guess that’s the big payoff, really.  That feeling of both accomplishment and the continued desire to improve my physical self.  Since I’m receiving positive feedback in the form of weight loss, I’ve continued to workout in a way that moves that process along.

Finally, I’ve read recently about Kevin Smith, the director and actor, who suffered a heart attack recently.  He jumped on the potato diet planning to lose 50 pounds in a very short time.  The diet apparently works and is praised by a number of celebrities in helping them lose massive amount of fat.  While those kinds of diets do work, I wonder what the difference is between eating the way I’m eating and the way Kevin Smith is eating.  We faced very similar circumstances and I chose a path quite different from his; really trying to remake my body and mind as a means of overcoming the CVD that rages through my body.  Hopefully, my choice is a good one….I guess time will tell me exactly what’s up, right?