200

Going into this year, I had three goals: finish my Master's, get a job, hit 200 lbs. Well I finished my Master's, am still looking for a job (been close), but this morning I hit 200 lbs. I want to say it's been at least 3 years since I've been at this level, so I was very excited when I saw 200 on the scale. Since coming home, I've fluctuated around 205, but the last 3 weeks, I've been averaging 5-6 workouts a week, alternating between tennis, biking, and running. In those last 3 weeks, I've dropped 5 pounds. We'll see how long I can stay at 200. I don't think it will last long with the cold weather coming in, making it tougher to do things outdoors. But I think I can keep it close enough to 200 where next year I can go under 200.

Let me explain why I work out:
1. The ladies. Whenever I move to my new location, it would be nice to find someone I could have a nice conversation with, which would hopefully lead to dating.And although I'm pretty intelligent and a nice guy to talk to, my physical presence wasn't really inviting (glasses, white guy = brainy, maybe too brainy). So, I figured I'd have to make myself more attractive to the average girl that goes out. 25 pounds later, it's made a whale of a difference, evidenced by my "Do you like sports?" happening at Mac N Joes way back in February. Only if she didn't smoke....

2. Health. My dad's side has had a history of cancer and heart disease. My dad has acknowledged that, so he watches his weight which has made me extra conscious about it. I see more and more people of my generation fall victim to the #1 alarming health cause of the last decade: obesity. I know if I become obese, I put myself in extra danger due to my family history.

3. Mental side. I firmly believe the better physical condition one is in, the better one's mental and emotional conditioning is also. I've noticed when I'm thinner, I get over things quicker and perform at a higher academic level. Some things would get me down for as long as a week, now it takes me less than 12 hours. Also, I retain more information and am quicker on my feet mentally when I'm in shape.

4. Why not? Why not try and be in the best physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual conditioning of your life? Simply dieting doesn't work, you must exercise and sweat!!!! Running, walking, tennis, aerobics, yoga, anything that gets your heart rate going. When I've put weight on, I feel like I'm a waste of space, literally and figuratively. Looking like a slob doesn't reflect well on who you are.

5. The ladies. Hey, it's a good thing when you're workin out and you run into a beautiful girl workin out also and get to say hello to her. She comes back with a gorgeous smile and a hello, and suddenly you run another 3 miles hoping to run into her again. That makes exercising worth it.

And you must watch what you eat. I'm a calorie counter, not meticulous about it, but I know what and how much is going into my body. I eat whatever I want, but only in serving sizes, and limit myself to one dessert and one other snack. I only have one can of pop a week (no joke), sticking to Sugar Free Kool-Aid (5 calories). You can eat all of the reduced fat food you want, but it still comes down to calories in vs. calories out.

And that's my health segment. In tonight's Apprentice, the guys (now minus Randal) won again, designing a better float for the new movie Zathura. The girls (plus Randal) are a mess. The blondes are doing nothing to get rid of the "dumb blonde" label, talking at the same time, not listening to each other. This got Kristi fired, even though beauty queen Jen M. was terrible in the presentation and made some glaring mistakes. But Kristi is just plain annoying, and I'm glad she's gone. Plus, Jen M. is good tv because she's good to look at. I'm glad the Donald realized that and decided to keep her.

Tomorrow night is the big battle at Northmont Stadium: 7-1 Wayne at 7-1 Northmont. The winner is guaranteed a playoff spot and remains alive for a home game in the 1st round. These two teams haven't played since 1989, when my dad still coached. I'll get to more on that in a second. These two teams like to throw the ball, but with rain in the forecast, it will come down to the trenches. Alex Early is a strong, mobile quarterback who makes Wayne go. He can do it with his arm and his legs. Northmont relies on spreading you out and relying on Clay Belton's arm or AJ Combest's running. With wet, miserable conditions in the forecast, whoever turns the ball over less will win.

It wasn't until the 3rd grade that I realized Northmont was my school district and not Wayne. My dad taught at Wayne, we went to Wayne football games, so I naturally thought I'd be going there. I was given a hard time about this in elementary school, but there was no way I was going to root against my dad. In the three Northmont/Wayne games I went to, Wayne won. Then, they stopped playing each other. But now the series is back on, and made more interesting by the fact the coaches know one another very well.

When my dad coached, here were some of the other staff members: Mike Schneider (head coach), Lance Schneider (assistant), Pat Wood (assistant), Mike Garringer (assistant), Mike Fisher (former player), Greg Shackleford (former player), Rosie Mukes (former player)

Now, here's some of Northmont's staff: Lance Schneider (head coach), Mike Schneider (assistant), Greg Shackleford (assistant)

And some of Wayne's: Pat Wood (assistant), Mike Garringer (assistant), Mike Fisher (assistant), Rosie Mukes (assistant)

And I know all of these guys since they coached with or played for my dad, that's the odd thing.

So this will be a good ol' reunion tomorrow night, which should be fun to watch. With family coming in for IU/OSU, we won't be there, but will be listening.