Tonight is sort of a milestone for me! I ran/walked 5 miles in 1 hour and 5 minutes. Technically, I guess you could say that I run at 4.92 miles an hour, but I’m an optimist so I’m rounding up!

I haven’t been able to do this since 1994 when I was in playing soccer for Indiana Wesleyan University – so I’m totally stoked about this! Now the goal is to keep increasing my speed and getting faster – I’d like to be able to get back to running a mile somewhere in between 6 and 7 minutes. Right now – I’m running a mile a little bit slower then that. So, we’ll see what happens!

Rather then be sending you to the U.S. Navy’s Chaplain website and having them wonder who is checking out their fitness information so much, I figured that I would post the parts of the routine that I’m going to be trying to follow. If you’re still interested in going to the site to read exactly what all they say – here’s the link.

Running Program
Determine your run stage placement based on the total number of miles you have run over the last 4 weeks. Using the running program chart below, begin with your starting stage level and follow the distance, time goal, and frequency as noted. If you are an experienced runner, start at the stage and distance you normally run and progress from there.

• Stages 1– 5 are two week stages. Stages 6 – 24 are one week stages.
• Continue your starting stage for two weeks. Then, increase to the next stage until you reach stage 12. This is the average minimum performance level required to pass the Inventory PRT.
• A general rule to follow is two weeks of preparation for each week of training.

Pushup Program
Push-ups are a measure of your upper body strength (chest, shoulders, and triceps). You will be required to do an average minimum of 50 in two minutes for males and 30 in two minutes for females. These are the minimum requirements. To achieve an outstanding, males must do an average of 75 and females an average of 40 in two minutes. Always use the correct form to prevent injury. Start in the rest postion with both hands flat on the deck and shoulder-width apart with your feet together. Your back, buttocks, and legs must be straight. Lower your body torwards the deck until your upper arms, shoulders and back are paralell to the deck (90%). Return to the starting position by extending your arms (elbows must be straightened).
Preparation
If you have not regularly been doing pushups prior to this program, it is recommended that you allow yourself a week of gradual increases in intensity.

For the first three sessions, you should do three sets of push-ups each two minutes apart, stopping at the first sign or arm or shoulder fatigue. After a week (three sessions) you should do a regimen of six sets. During the first two sets, perform as many push-ups as you can in 30 seconds. During the next two sets (sets three and four) perform as many push-ups as you can in 20 seconds. The last two sets are maximum effort sets and you are to perform as many push-ups as you can in 15 seconds. Remember to first warm up and stretch prior to any physical training and always use the proper form. Approximately every two weeks attempt a single maximum effort set for two minutes and record your results and progress.

Situp Program
Sit-ups assess the strength and endurance of the abdominal and hip flexor muscle groups. They, along with running and push-ups, will be tested many times throughout your rigorous training at Chapalin Candidate School.

Sit-ups will be performed with your knees at a 90-degree angle, heels 10″ from your buttocks, both feet flat on the deck and someone holding your ankles. Cross your arms across your chest. You must touch your thighs with your elbows during the flexion phase and the the lower edge of your shoulder blades must touch the deck in the extension phase. See photos below. The average minimum for males is 60 sit-ups in two minutes and 50 sit-ups in two minutes for females.

Preparation

If you have not regularly been doing sit-ups prior to this program it is recommended that you allow yourself a week of gradual increases in intensity.

During the first week i.e. the first three sessions, do three sets of sit-ups, stopping at the first sign of abdominal fatigue. Allow 2 minutes of rest between each set. After one week (3 sessions) of abdominal acclimation, you should do as many sit-ups as you can in two minutes. Rest for two minutes and repeat, do three sets. These three sets of maximum effort sit-ups should be done three times a week. Remember, 60 for males and 50 for females are the minimums. To get an outstanding, both males and females will have to do an average of 80 or more sit-ups in two minutes. Remember to first warm-up and stretch prior to any physical training and always use the proper form. Approximately every two weeks attempt a single maximum effort set for two minutes and record your results and progress.

Today’s my birthday, I’m 33 this year.

To celebrate, I decided to go to the Dr. and get a checkup. What I found was very disturbing.

I’m obese.

Yup. That’s right – obese. I’m 6’0, 228 lbs and I have a BMI score of 31 – which means – I’m obese.

I can’t believe it. I know my pants are a little tight, but I get around that by not tucking in my shirt. I know that I’ve got a bit of a belly, but no more than anyone else it seems. Besides – I can still suck it in, so I can’t be that fat – right?

But, I guess it’s true. I’m officially obese – fat and not in a “PHAT – Pretty Hot and Tasty” kind of way – more like in the “seriously do you walk anywhere other then to the fridge or to your desk” kind of way.

So – what to do.

The doctor says that I need to get down to having a BMI score of 25 in order to be considered healthy. That means that I need to weigh 185 lbs. That’s alot of weight to lose for a guy who’s never been on a diet before!

Here’s my strategy – I’m going to try this for the month of September 2007.

1. I’m going to try to stop drinking/eating things with high fructose corn syrup in it. That eliminates most of the soda, candy bars and other assorted treats that I snack on daily.
2. I’m going to try to stop eating things with pictures of itself on the box. Sounds easy right? Take a walk down your local grocery isle and see how many things have it’s picture on it. I don’t know if I can do it, but I’m going to try.
3. I’m going to limit myself to 60 restaurant visits a year – that’s 5 a month or once a week. Considering my current transient lifestyle, that will be a big change, but I think I can do it – Cristin I’m not so sure about!
4. I’ve got to start exercising more. I’ve got the Nike iPod combo – so I’m going to set a goal for the month of September to walk 45 miles. That’s only a mile and a half a day and I think that I can do that.
5. Lastly, and this goes along with #4 – I’m going to be trying to follow the U.S. Navy’s Fitness Plan that is recommended for chaplain candidates. I think it’s a great program and I’ve been thinking about it for a couple of years, so I think that I should definitely give it a chance. I’m going to be trying to do all 3 programs – I’ll benchmark myself tommorrow afternoon in order to get a gauge as to where I am at.

Again – this plan is only for the month of September. If it works out that I am actually able to follow these 5 guidelines for a whole month, then I’ll probably add more to them. If I can’t well then it’s back to the drawing board for me.

Wish me luck!