Joseph A. Darmiento

Its 5 o’clock in the morning. Here I am sitting at the edge of my bed eating half a banana and peanut butter sandwich that I made last night and placed on my nightstand. A Sunday morning ritual that happens 2 hours before what is called “The long Run”. I’ll wash it down with 8 oz. of water and lie back down for about 2 hours and hopefully fall back asleep. Today’s long run is 18 miles, so filling that gas tank is crucial before getting out there. It will be close to 4 hours of running around the town, multiple neighborhoods and at some point getting myself back home. What has gotten me here? Anyone who knows me is familiar with my journey. I’ve lost huge amount of weight and through that I discovered the joy of running. It’s not that I love every moment of running, but I love the idea of doing something I never thought I would have the ability to do. So that brings me to “The Marathon” They say the marathon is “The Everyman’s Everest”. I never thought I could come close, but here I am, rope in hand. Well if the rope was made of peanut butter!

Popular Stories You May Have Missed

Exercise doesn’t always have to be 60 minutes of cardio at the gym. Sometimes, it can just be little things in the middle of our day that get us moving. So try 1 or 2 of these a day and you might surprise yourself with the results:

1. How about exercising while sitting down. Always keep a couple hand weights by the couch. While watching television or movie you lift, curl or whatever you can think of. Once you start, you’d be amazed at how creative you can get in finding ways to work different muscles while not even getting up.

2. Brushing teeth and build stronger legs. Instead of just standing there with that toothbrush, do 10 squats, lunges, or wall-sits. That’s better than just looking in the mirror staring at yourself. (more…)

I can remember as a child waking up bright and early on that Sunday morning. I was so excited to start the day, even more than usual because well, it was Easter! It was going to be a day of celebration. Full of candy, family, more candy and of course a delicious ham with all the trimmings. When I first walked down the stairs I looked over at the table in the kitchen in wonder of all the magical colors of the holiday. The peeps, candy eggs and other colorful treats all wrapped in bright green grass nestled in those all too familiar wicker baskets. The same baskets that throughout the year I would trip over when I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing down in the basement.
(more…)

1. Most Days. In most instances, weighing yourself every day is unnecessary and unhealthy. It can often lead to obsessive thinking and behavior. Weekly weigh-ins is adequate for most people in most situations.
2. When you’re at someone else’s place. It’s best to weigh yourself on the same scales each time. That way even if the scales are not perfectly calibrated you will get a more accurate indication of what’s actually happening with your weight. (more…)

There are many mornings I turn over to look at the clock and think to myself, “I don’t want to work-out today!” I moan and groan looking at the minutes go by one by one, contemplating what the heck to do. As the minutes start moving quicker and quicker I know that if I miss that window of opportunity its all over. (more…)