Prisoners are persons whom most of us would rather not think about. Banished from everyday sight, they exist in a shadow world that only dimly enters our awareness. They are members of a "total institution" that controls their daily existence in a way that few of us can imagine. "[P]rison is a complex of physical arrangements and of measures, all wholly governmental, all wholly performed by agents of government, which determine the total existence of certain human beings (except perhaps in the realm of the spirit, and inevitably there as well) from sundown to sundown, sleeping, walking, speaking, silent, working, playing, viewing, eating, voiding, reading, alone, with others. . . ." It is thus easy to think of prisoners as members of a separate netherworld, driven by its own demands, ordered by its own customs, ruled by those whose claim to power rests on raw necessity. -- Justice William Brennan, dissenting in O’Lone v. Estate of Shabazz, 482 U.S. 342, 354-55 (1987).

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Health and Fitness: the Prison Diet

There is no excuse for an inmate at FPC Pensacola to leave in poor shape. It is very easy to exercise and eat a healthy diet here. You certainly can't claim you don't have the time.

My goal over my 3 months is to lose 10-15 lbs (mostly in the waistline) without losing lean muscle mass. I am hoping that by spreading my food intake evenly throughout the day that my metabolism will stay up which, combined with the reduced calorie intake, should allow me to lose weight. If I work out consistently, I should be able to maintain or increase lean muscle. Incorporating a cardio routine should also burn fat.

In the mail I just received a full-body workout routine from my trainer which I need to implement 3 days per week. It involves 3 circuits of 4 machines each (2 upper, 2 lower) plus abs. I need to do 2 sets of 5-10 reps for each exercise in a circuit before moving to the next one. Certainly all the equipment is here. And I have the time. All I need now is the discipline.

Note from Bill's wife: I have my own "prison diet" going on and have lost 13 pounds so far and today found out I have lost 6 inches total, best of all 4 inches in my waist! Not having to cook dinner or not going out to eat with Bill has been a good routine for me. I am an avid tennis player and play almost every day, and also work out 2-3 times a week with the same trainer as Bill, but adding an hour of power walking through the neighborhood trails nearby seems to have helped. The challenge will be when Bill returns -- can we maintain our good habits and goals together?

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