Football Epilogue

I've been using this blog to keep on with my fitness journey quite a bit. I've been writing less frequently as habits are being instilled. Still, it's good to check up and it might be getting time to pivot on to other things that this journey is enabling.  First off, a quick check in though. Since the holidays, I've been maintaining my weight fairly well. The added level of consciousness from daily weigh-ins along with having some good baseline habits is making this task easier. In rambling on with a friend this week, as well as some past discussions with others, being able to maintain in challenging times like winter is a victory in and of itself. I'll take it. When the weather warms and heading outside becomes more comfortable, work can continue on the "next level" goals. That's not to say I can't and shouldn't take advantage of some extra walking or cardio time when I can. Nor does it mean I shouldn't keep working on better eating habits...

It's 10 °F (-12 °C) outside. At least it's usually sunny on the coldest days here in Minnesota.

The view from atop Hyland ski area in Bloomington, MN Compared to the last few years, this Minnesota winter has been hard. The persistently cold temperatures with only one small warm streak in January, mixed with weekly snowfalls has left the state frozen and white. Probably too cold for many of the out-of-town folks who were here for Superbowl LII on Sunday. Indeed I've been struck with a small case of cabin fever as well. However, it should be a time to embrace the winterness and partake in outdoor activities. Early in January I took a trip to Utah. That officially kicked-off my ski season. Utah was awesome. The ski areas are vast and varied. We (gf and I) skied Deer Valley on the Park City side of the mountains and Brighton on the Salt Lake City side of the mountain. I came home ready for more. Fortunately, my kids are now of the age where they are capable skiers. As an added bonus the Minnesota Ski Areas Association  has a program this year where fourth graders ski ...

My kids started school this last week. A very good thing as I think they were getting bored with the summer routine. Summer is anything but a vacation due to having to manage childcare schedules and it seems the pace of things at work hastens and is more chaotic. The end of summer is then, in a lot of ways, a relief. Schedules become more regimented. Activities are constrained to evenings and non-school days. We know what's going to happen throughout the weeks and months with more certainty. Despite this, there is one thing I dread about back to school. All the kids have been off doing their own things and collecting their own sets of bacteria and viruses. Germs that are different enough that back to school results in a concentration and redistribution of what can only be affectionately called crud. This is a roundabout way of saying that I have a cold. It's annoying enough to deplete me yet not severe enough to place me in bed. Only a week is a little early for me to ful...