Life is full of surprises.

It’s good to be settling back into a routine. Get up, go to work, go to the gym, come home, fix dinner, and settle down to update my blog.

With some trepidation, I weighed in yesterday morning, the first weigh in after returning from Arizona. While I didn’t post the same big loss as my first week, I did manage to drop another 2 pounds. I’ll take that, especially given the travel and banquet food selections.

I took last night off from working out in order to spend some time with my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren in Anchorage. My son-in-law is in the Army and home on leave from Iraq. His leave ends this week and he’s scheduled to fly out early Friday morning, returning to Iraq. It was nice to be able to spend time with him, and the kids were over the top with excitement having him home again. Unfortunately, we won’t see him again until October now, but at least the internet makes it easy to keep some form of contact with him during his tour. Keep safe, Paul. We’ll miss you.

I’ve been nursing a very sore knee the last week, which is now starting to limit the amount of cardio I’m doing. I jumped back on the treadmill tonight thinking it might just be some kinks that still need to be worked out. It didn’t bother me too much the first 15 minutes, but after 18 minutes, I had to shut the treadmill down. It’s still pretty sore tonight, so I hope I haven’t damaged it too badly. I’ll try and give it some rest for a few days and see if it heals.

After the treadmill, I moved into the weight room and focused on strength training for my upper body and abdomen. I worked the Nautilus circuit, with the exception of the leg presses and curls, spending a full forty minutes working with the weights. My arms are feeling a little sore, but not too bad.

I’ve had people tell me that a regular exercise routine would actually increase my energy and decrease my appetite. I have to admit that I thought that was just bunk. Logic, at least my logic, tells me that just the opposite would happen. Exercise equals food burned, which you just have to replenish to not feel like you’re starving. Imagine my surprise to discover it’s really true!

I’ve also discovered that I think I’m starting to like this healthier way of life. Yes, it’s true. I think I reforming. I hope you all are enjoying this journey as much as I am, at least through the first few weeks.

Here’s a low cal, tasty snack: Celery with Laughing Cow light cheese. Each wedge of cheese is only 35 calories and a single wedge goes a long way. It’s filling, easy to make and crunchy!

That’s it for now; I hope you all have a great day tomorrow!