Today is the beginning of Week 14. It's also Week 1 of the next chapter: the first week since finishing three months with Zac Spinosa at Forge Fitness. For the past three months Zac and I did a workout together every week, the last six or so virtually. Now it's on me.

Life happens: the grass

One day this week I missed my scheduled workout, walk and run. Why? I had to cut the grass. We live out in my favourite place in the entire world, Wainfleet, on about an acre, and I don't own a lawnmower. So I borrowed my mom's push mower and cut it by hand. It took hours. On a normal day I get around 13,000 steps. That day was a lot more. Not every workout looks like a workout.

Mixing it up with sprints

Most of my home workouts are bodyweight, with a couple of light 15 pound dumbbells for some exercises. This week I added more high-intensity sprints. I like changing it up, and short bursts are a great use of time.

Pantry chili and a cheat meal

Alright Robyn and I made a chili that carried us all week: extra lean ground beef, onions, garlic, and since we're still cleaning out the pantry, canned corn, beans, lentils, hot sauce and jalapenos. Our cheat meal was barbecue from Matty Matheson's spot in Fort Erie.

The plateau that didn't happen

I was worried my first week alone would be the week I finally plateaued or went up. Instead the scale said down another 2.4 pounds. It took me years of real estate to get out of shape. Three months of taking health seriously made a difference I can't believe. This isn't over. I'm just getting started.

Joe is not a doctor or a dietitian. This is his personal journey. Talk to your healthcare provider before making big changes to your diet or exercise.