Day 1 – Too Much Hank

As Day 1 of my Too Much Hank campaign winds down, I recount my successes. Today I went to the gym — yay, me! The computer thingie hooked up to the machines I use said I “lifted” more than 8 tons in my workout. Since the action of each machine isn’t always a lifting one, I prefer to think I “moved” 16,000+ pounds … a very, very short distance. But it was a good workout. I went through the regimen twice, and I feel good about that. I also did a one-mile walk.

This morning for breakfast, I had a fruit smoothie, something I tinkered up a month or so back: In a big plastic pitcher, toss one banana, 5 frozen strawberries, 4 frozen peach slices, 3 tablespoons of frozen blueberries, two cups of milk and a scoop of protein powder. Crank a wand blender down into it and blend until the fruit’s all pureed. Pour into a glass and guzzle, smacking lips and making appreciative “guy” sounds. If you’re aiming for a daily 6-8 servings of “F&V” — fruits and vegetables — you’re starting the day with three already accounted for.  

For lunch, I drank water. Dinner was one small red potato, microwaved, with a little bit of buttery stuff, “SmartBeat,” plus a bowl of raw baby spinach sprinkled with a bit of pomegranate dressing and 2.5 ounces of smoked salmon on top, with a glass of Ugly Juice alongside. (Ugly Juice is my own invention — orange juice mixed with pomegranate, grape, or any kind of clear juice. It does look ugly, but tastes pretty good.)

In the last year or so, I’ve suffered from a stomach thing. The symptoms are boring, so I won’t describe them. Excess acid, the doc says, and so I take antacids every day. But it still acts up fairly often. 

This morning I went down to the kitchen for coffee, but had second thoughts when I realized the creamer I use is really sweet, and I had promised myself I’d dramatically cut my sugar consumption. The thought of drinking black coffee brought a second realization: “Huh. I don’t really like coffee. What I like is this sweet creamer.” So I poured all the creamer into the sink, washed the coffee maker, rolled up the cord and put it away. Bye-bye coffee habit.

And today? No stomach thing. Hmm.

Revelation at the gym, when I found myself wanting to hurry through my workout: “You’re not here to be DONE. You’re here to be HERE.

A good day. One in a row.