My hope is that I can use this blog in two ways:  first, as a motivational tool to help "keep me accountable".  Even yesterday, when I thought about what I might eat, I thought "you're going to have to declare this, so choose well". Second, this is a way of documenting how I am doing, how I am feeling, what is working and what is not.

To that end, I need some goals.  They have to be realistic, measurable, and achievable. My overall goal is to improve my health, wellness, and fitness enough so that Lori and I can walk the Camino de Santiago again in late summer 2024.  More generally, I want to be healthy enough to enjoy retirement (three more school years, June 2024).  I have a great fear that once I'm done working entropy will take over and my quality of life will decay.  I don't want that.  

 I believe that the root of my health issues is that I have metabolic syndrome.  My goals should therefore center on mitigating the conditions involved with metabolic syndrome, specifically my weight, blood glucose, blood pressure, and exercise.   I focus on these four because they are relatively easily measured by me.  Of course, I will look at lab results when they are available.  Most, if not every day, I will take these measurements and post them here.  My specific working goals will be:

1.  To eat as close to a minimally processed, plant based diet as I can, in other words, a vegan diet.  I will probably discuss why I chose this diet of over others, like low carbohydrate, in another post, but I don't have time now. 

2. To get moderate exercise most days of the week (4 to 7). This would include walking, bicycle riding, working out at the Y.  Stretching and some calisthenics would be a part of my exercise routine.

The target and hope is to improve these health markers.  So, daily I will track my weight (measured in the morning), glucose (measured in the morning, fasting.  Keep in mine the "dawn effect"), and blood pressure.  I will post them here and they will provide an indicator if what I am doing is having any positive effect.  Changes to the plan are always possible, and I don't expect perfect adherence-just a best effort.  You should always allow yourself and others grace.

So,  here are my stats.  For yesterday, September 1st:  Weight 251.6 lbs (a little less that I've been); glucose 200 (a very high reading for me).  I went to the Y and when through my "usual" routine (ride a stationary, recumbent bicycle for 30 minutes then stretching and exercises, about 30 minutes).  I did eat vegan, low to moderately processed food (a Trader Joe's spicy lentil wrap and Nature's Path Flax Plus Pumpkin Granola with applesauce and fresh blueberries).   Overall, I would say it was a good start day.