I'm walking 6 miles on the treadmill in 2 hours 12 minutes set on a 5 to 15 degree grade. My calorie burn is about 900. I don't go for speed because the grade walk seems to burn more calories. I always get in 1 fast mile on a 0 degree grade which for me is a 15 minute mile.

A few months ago I watched an interview with Michael
Phelps, the American Olympic swimmer that won the 8 or 9 golds in the Beijing Games. In the interview he said he spent 6 hours per day in the water. He also said he ate 10 to 12 thousand calories a day. additionally he said he ate, what for me would be 4 IHOP breakfasts. I mean the guy has a 4 egg omelet that's loaded. He also has 6 big pancakes, syrup, bacon eggs, sausage, and a triple order of hash browns.


That's breakfast.

He eats about that much for lunch and dinner with snacks in between. To say the least , his diet aint on BB1's grocery list.

So I decided to start long distance swimming 3 or 4 days a week combining that with the walking. I'm up to swimming between 4 band 6 miles 3 or 4 days a week. I take irregular days off. My swim mile is about 30 minutes. I tow a 12 foot rubber kayak. It's getting cool now and we're going to rent wetsuits for the next 2 months to see how well I deal with the cold water. January and February get down to 49 on the surface so I'll just have to see if I can cope.

I'm pleasantly surprised. My BP is 112/60, resting heart rate is around 52. The best surprise is how quickly this combo has shrunk my waist and sculpted my geezer body. I have, after 3 months a small residual belly but my abs are showing and the definition on my arms, legs and chest is kind of surprising.

I am going to try to go straight through the winter. If my wife can't tolerate the cold, she will bundle up and paddle the kayak. My head get's sunburned and pretty much stays that way. Makes my white goatee really pop.

I probably wont make entries here daily or even weekly. I expect no significant speed increases over the winter. For 3 months, I've been concentrating on perfecting my strokes. I use long slow exaggerated strokes and kicks. I have been using a life jacket because of the boat traffic which is very heavy. I am told by the dive shop that the wetsuit has sufficient buoyancy to eliminate the need for a vest but I plan on getting a slim kayak vest to wear anyway.

I am about as slim as I've been in 5 or 6 years. I'm eating sensibly but if I keep shedding pounds, maybe I can make an occasional stop at Pizza Hut and Krispie Kreme.

If the cold is too bad, I'll either get a 6 month membership at a gym or pay a fee at a near by retirement home. The retirement home has a full weight and machine room as well as a heated indoor pool. They sell younger couples because they want younger people in the facility. Problem is I have no clue how many laps it will take to run up 4 to 6 miles.

In the deep south, sweat is an aggravating and perpetual thing. Swimming is a pleasure because the body's cooling system is never taxed. I change shirts 3 to 5 times a day in the summer. I swim in Daisy Dukes and nothing else. Swimming wets me once and I dry off quickly. It's nice not to be soaking wet all the time.

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