Strutting Your Stuff - observing walking posture and gaits

(Pose) Walking in Schwarzwald

The other day as I walked down a hallway at work I recognized a coworker approaching purely by his silhouette. In late afternoons, the sun shines brightly down the hall making it impossible to see who's coming until you're right on top of them. But I recognized my friend by his gait. There's nothing odd or unreasonable in his gait but I've seen it enough to know him by his stride.

I recall a previous post where I wrote about slouching while walking and straightening up to improve my walking posture. In addition to improving posture, I have also, at times, found myself walking with a different cadence. The cadence harks back to my Army days where I almost feel like I'm marching rather than ambling. It feels very purposeful and at work would likely present the appearance of someone having somewhere important to go with work of import. I recall that I tended to walk like that when I was a manager.

Sometimes lately, I've even found myself almost strutting. Yes, strutting! Not loudly, but I feel good about how I look and people have started commenting - "have you lost weight?" So why not walk with a pep in my step when I feel it?

Watching people walk is a fun way to observe life. Most people have nondescript gaits and paces, yet if you've seen them enough, you know who's coming by their pace. Having lived in Germany for several years, I noticed that most people there walk with shorter, quicker steps, I assume due to more crowded walking conditions. Americans I have watched tend to walk with longer strides and I could frequently spot an American in Europe simply by their gait.

Sometimes, people have walking habits that are annoying too. I worked in an office a while back where every morning one coworker walked by scuffing his heels with every step. Shh-clump shhh-clump, shhh-clump, shh-clump - What an annoying sound! As badly as he scuffed along, I figure he must wear the heel off of his shoes at a prodigious rate! There are people that are a joy to watch walking too. One guy, Rick, is a very confident man and walks that way. I know he's competed in marathons and triathlons (but he's not a beanpole either). I often wonder if he practices martial arts because his walk glides so smoothly across the room it's like his feet are steel wheels on the smoothest track in the world. No clickety-clack there.

Naturally, being a man, I like to observe the female gait as well. Most women I observe walk with efficient, nondescript gaits meant to get from point-a to point-b with little energy expenditure. However, two co-worker's gaits stand out in my mind. One woman represents the consummate professional whose gait speeds her from one meeting to the next with military precision, at almost quick-time speed. I tend to move out of her way when I hear her coming because I don't want to impede her progress. The gait of the second coworker presents a confident (and pleasing) view in that she walks with abundant bounce in her step. I've never seen her walk any other way so it gives the impression of a woman with abundant energy in a small package that uniquely shouts, "I am woman".

Today, I didn't walk Penny because it rained. I still performed the Kettlebell 16 strength sessions and to make up for not walking performed an extra 100 KB swings. Looks (and feels) like I'm back in the groove after the family visit.

Wastefully Removing Temptation!

Cowboy Boot!

Yesterday I took out the garbage. On the way I stopped at the freezer to remove the remaining half gallon of delicious vanilla-pecan ice cream and toss it out with the garbage. I tossed the cream because the last five days I raided that tub to obtain one tablespoon of ice cream. I justified the indulgence because I only got "one spoon" of ice cream. However, the last two days I loaded that "one spoon" with almost half a cup of ice cream. By throwing away (what waste!) that tub, I removed the temptation to indulge and helped remind myself that I must get back to the sugar (and calorie) reduction diet I've successfully worked with for the last three months.

Frankly, this is not the first time I have thrown away part of a tub of ice cream. In addition to discarding ice cream, I have also given "excess" beer to my brother. We always have too much food and beer around the house and when I realize I'm indulging too much, I find ways to remove the temptation. Funny that I don't throw beer away but discard ice cream. An external observer may deduce that I retain an intrinsically higher value for beer than for ice cream.

This morning I performed my first Turkish Get Ups since Melissa's arrival over two weeks ago. After swinging the Kettlebell 250 times I grabbed the 20 lb barbell and managed three full TGUs on each side with all "strong man" version on the right side and 2 of 3 "strong man" on the left side. My weight remains high but I continue to blame my still sore muscles from Sunday's post hole digging. I figure another couple of sore muscle higher weight days remain.

I posted the boot picture because I don't have a garbage or ice cream photo in my library. But the boot looked cool, so there it is! Enjoy!

Post Hole Digging As Exercise

Posts Installed for Berry Row Trellis

Yesterday Inge and I spent several hours on our ranch performing garden chores. I've put off for a time installing a trellis system for our "berry row" so yesterday I finally got started with trellis by installing the three posts shown in the photograph above.

From an exercise perspective, my arms and shoulders vigorously tell me that digging three 30 inch deep post holes qualifies as exercise. Tamping the clay soil around the posts requires more muscle jarring work. Even though I was very sore last night and this morning, I performed my regular Monday Kettlebell strength session. However, I wimped out on post session extra swings at 15 due to exhaustion.

As a side note, yesterday I recorded a weight of 181 lbs (yea!) but today I clocked in at 184.5 lbs. This serves as further validation of my hypothesis that performing work that leads to sore muscles results in a two to three day weight gain.

Just for your information - black berries and raspberries both grow vines from root stock that follow a specific growth pattern. The first year the berry plant grows a vine that shoots up to three to five feet in length with lots of foliage. That vine becomes dormant over winter, then the next year the vine grows flowers that produce succulent berries. The third year, the former vine dies and becomes a dead cane, which the farmer prunes away in a well-maintained berry farm. Berry plants not maintained become brambles.

Installing a trellis system eases care of the berry plants (we're growing blackberry and raspberry plants). The above simplified diagram shows the trellis system I'm in the process of installing. I will likely build two rows of crosses, one above the other to contain the berry vines vertically as shown above. The main difference between the diagram and my construction will be that I plan to use a different support mechanism to brace against the compression stress of the wire supports. The following photo shows how I installed the intended brace for a fence post on our land.

Post Bracing Method

Parting - Emotional Smorgasbord

Variety of Grasses Harvested for Display in Vase

Every fall Inge harvests a bounty of grasses from our land, Die Manchmal Gruene Weide, that she places artfully in vases around the house. There is a joy at having watched them grow and admiring their beauty at home, and a sadness that their destiny is not re-seeding the pasture.

Friday morning we too traveled the emotional smorgasbord of parting with loved family members. Melissa and her beau, Christian, and Janice and Stephen, departed after two weeks of quality family time. Even though we maintain contact with our distant children via that awesome tool, Skype, video chatting is not the same as being in the presence of family. So our two weeks with daughters and their boyfriends was time well spent. And when we shepherded Melissa and Christian through their airport check-in, Inge's tears flowed as always. It was a sad time.

Yet, now that Inge and I have been "empty-nesters" for a few years, there is a sense of relief at their parting because we get our day-to-day relatively stress free routine back. Life returns to normal and our worries abate to standard work and life things. The infrequent nature of our daughter's visits means we must prepare the house and itinerary to ensure smooth and joyful time spent together, and the preparation leading to, and the time spent with them while here results in abnormal stress. Any stress we endure, though, is overcome by the great joy at being in their presence and sharing the love of serving them while here.

And now, the routine starts again. Monday brings back the Kettlebell strength session, Tuesday swings and the first Turkish Get Ups in two weeks. Time to get back on track so my before and after photos next month show continuing progress towards the goal of flatter abs and better physique.

Partnering with Spouse

Inge and I in Garden area of The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas

After two weeks of feasting honoring guests, my wife, Inge, and I talked yesterday that we need to both get back on track to loose weight. In the past we've done our own thing when it comes to weight loss, but this time she and I are negotiating a period of time where we severely reduce calories. The starting point for the negotiation is to go on something like a Ramadan-style fast for one week - no food until evening dinner for one week.

Installing Fence Post

It's fun and interesting to involve Inge in sharing a goal like this. However, it is also fraught with hazards as it is easy to misconstrue comments into perceived personal attacks. Over the years I have learned that in order to preserve a harmonious marriage, the topic of weight and what and how much we eat is taboo. Thus, a discussion of sharing a goal of weight loss becomes an area where I must exercise the greatest of restraint and mindfulness of what's said to keep the peace while ensuring we achieve our goals in harmony.

I ate a massive protein dose yesterday - lamb for lunch and steak for supper. Enjoyed to the max but man-O-man, do I need to get back on track on calorie reduction! Not only that, I skipped my usual Thursday Kettlebell swing session this morning due to being off schedule (and being lazy too.) Mentally, I know I can't afford to slack because I have a physical appearance goal I want to reach and skipping sessions won't help reach that goal.

Pondering Posture

Week before last I spent some time watching Ted Talks Videos on YouTube. These consist of speakers from all walks of life giving inspirational talks lasting, typically 20 minutes. I have found some really good material here to watch while Inge is watching stuff on TV that doesn't interest me.

One topic I found quite interesting involved how posture shapes your world. The title of the video is "Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are". In summary, a good, strong posture results in positive outcomes, even down to the physiological level (eg more testosterone measured in blind studies of people asked to assume strong posture vs people who assumed weak posture.) I also remember from the video that in situations where one meets unknown people, their first impression can be seriously affected by the posture observed.

Needless to say, I started observing my posture in various situations. Above, from our trip to 63 Ranch in Montana, you can see two posture examples - one rather slouched and the other with shoulders thrown back which positions one in a strong posture. However, maintaining a strong posture turns out to be hard work and even impossible in some situations. Take, for example, eating.

Meadow Lunch in Montana

As you can see in the picture above, the natural posture for eating is to curl around the food. I suppose one could throw the shoulders back to eat, but it feels rather unnatural to do so.

Fatigue also affects posture. Last week when our family visited and walked around San Antonio, I found myself, towards the end of the day, walking with a weak posture, shoulders curled forward and back hunched. Practicing mindfulness, several times I deliberately re-adjusted my posture to straighten the back and throw open my shoulders, but once the mind disengaged from observing posture and engaged in the shopping and sightseeing, my posture slipped backed to curved and hunched. Interestingly, I can't find a photo in my library with me walking in a hunched posture because no one photographs me in a natural setting. I'm always posing for pictures and who doesn't try to put their best posture forward for a posed photograph?

One thing I will try to adopt from the posture Ted Talks video is to purposely pose with a strong posture for a few minutes prior to engaging in an activity where first impressions matter, like an interview. First impressions last and it certainly won't hurt to put my mind and body into a positive mode by posing in a strong positive posture.

Charting Plateaus

Roman Encampments on field and plateau at Masada near the Dead Sea in Israel

A few weeks ago I touched on the topic of plateaus in my weight loss goals. Anyone who has attempted to loose or gain weight eventually encounters a period of time where every effort seems to make no difference in breaking through a plateau of a particular weight. I am currently experiencing a four week plateau that bounces around 184 lbs.

I know fully the reason I reside here at 184 lbs - I have reduced my calories enough of late to loose weight. Very simple. From the hacker's diet I know we are basically chemical energy extraction and storage machines and my consumed calories about equals the burned calories with the result that I plateau. Interestingly, the Hacker's Diet spreadsheet chart tracking weight points and weighted moving average clearly shows the plateau forming and thus the topic of this blog.

Note that starting around March 27th, the blue dots representing daily weight start to appear above the red line of the weighted moving average. Visually, this indicates that I am no longer pulling my weight down and if the points continue to appear above the red moving average line, my weight will start going up. Even without counting calories, I can see that the line is going in the wrong direction and I need to eat less to cause the line to resume its downward trend.

I have already started this week to reduce calorie consumption, but after several weeks of specifically measuring daily calories, I have decided I have a good feel for what constitutes the correct consumption amount and I will try for the next few weeks to track only the weight (as suggested in the Hacker's Diet) and observe but not measure calorie consumption. I'm calling this an experiment within an experiment. Can I loose or maintain weight simply by mindfully observing what I eat, but without specifically measuring every calorie? The weight tracking, however, is the feedback mechanism with which I can determine if I am indeed appropriately controlling consumption.

Two Month Before and After Picture and Report

Before and After Pictures - two months results 4/1/2013

Displayed above are the before and after pictures after two months of Kettlebell training. I finally pulled them into a photo editor to crop and enhance them to show approximately the same size and lighting images in one picture. Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't the same for both photos and the before (of which that's the best image I have) is a bit out of focus. Still, the results are reasonably visible even through the less than optimal photography.

I pulled the two pictures up separately from this blog so I could evaluate the them and I observed the biggest difference in improved stomach size all around. The love handles start higher and don't protrude so far (not so roll-y looking) and there's not as much hanging over the belt line up front. The pictures do not show the chest definition at this angle very well. I might see if I can grab the Asus Pad side photos I took a couple of days after the "before" photo to compare before and after side views.

This past month ended with a slacking on the Kettlebell exercises excused by the visit of my daughter and her boyfriend from Germany. We have traveled every day and I wasn't on my regular schedule with the result that last week I only performed one set of 240 KB swings. That's not to say I didn't exercise! Between the two-plus hour kayak Saturday and miles and miles of walking the rest of the week, I am satisfied with my calorie expenditure levels.

That said, my calorie intake levels took a big hit last week. Mexican restaurants twice, (lots of chips and salsa) BarBQ twice with added BBQ leftovers consumed for lunch yesterday. I ate pizza Saturday and lots of cakes and even two donuts! The result is that I am now working on the fourth week of bouncing around within two pounds of 184 lbs. Talk about a plateau! This week I hope to get back to my 1800 calorie per day limit and hopefully break through the plateau to get below 180 lbs. Now that my 180 lbs weight goal for Melissa's arrival has passed, I am now setting a goal to reach (and afterwards maintain) a weight of 175 lbs by July 4th holiday.

This morning I chose to get back into the swing of things by getting back on the 16 session Kettlebell strength bandwagon and I added 60 extra KB swings too. For calories I intend to go very light during the day every day and partake lightly in the guest feasts in the evenings to bring my average back below 1800 calories.

For your entertainment, I took the photo below this morning. I tried to emphasize my physique with some chest flexing and sucking my gut in without it appearing obvious I was doing so, but as you can see the stiff neck and face muscles gives away any attempt to appear to have a relaxed pose.

Central Texas Wildflower Hunting

Clump of tiny blue flowers

The last few days I have neglected to post in the blog as we have been driving over this area of Texas showing our guest of honor Christian the lay of the land. East we show the fields of corn and cotton stretching through the mostly flat topography of the Blackland Prarie ecoculture.

Lizard with reddish-brown scale pattern on tail and back.

We traveled west through the genuine hill country to Llano and walked the Llano River shores hoping to spot snakes and arrow heads but mostly seeing lizards and birds. One thing I've noticed is that I find the clumps of tall grass along the river shores so incredibly graceful in appearance, but when I photograph them, the pictures never quite capture the vibrant life I see in nature.

Llano River Grass Clump

Saturday Christian and I kayaked for two hours on Lake Austin where we put in just below the Lake Travis dam and paddling down lake for quite a distance. We fought a stiff breeze on the way down but enjoyed a nicer paddle back with the wind at our back.

Christian paddling through wind-driven waves on Lake Austin

Sheltered from wind by shore

 Easter Sunday, after an enjoyable church service we drove to the Gruene Weide to feed and water Herbie the donkey and after waiting out a spring shower we walked the land photographing wildflowers. The photo at the top of the page is one of many, which you can find the rest on my flickr site at this link.

Family Time Rocks!

(picture here)
My writing lags because I've been spending time with my daughters and the boyfriend of the youngest. He is a nice young man and appears to be a good match to Melissa.

In addition to neglecting my writing, I have also neglected my kettlebell training and my calorie counting with the result that I've gained 4 lbs since last Friday. (I always watch the weight.) Too much feasting but lack of exercise not an issue even without KB training because we have walked for miles every day.

In a way it shows how weight is more a function of calories consumed than quantity of exercise because I have walked and exercised a lot, seemingly mitigating the increase of calories, but no, I'm gaining anyway.