Mar

How Did I Let My Body Get To This?

Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and wonder “How did I let this happen“? Have you stood before that same mirror, eyeing yourself from different vantage points only to realize that the best vantage point was behind jogging pants and a loose shirt? Maybe like me you came to some realization at a pool with friends where you suddenly realized you’ve become self-conscious about your body? Do you swim with that T-shirt on? Is there a towel always wrapped around you? I’ve been there. I have and I won’t go back.

In the words of that epic bodybuilding duo from the 1980′s, “hear me now und believe me later…” I’ve been hitting the gym this year and in this post, I’m updating everyone on my progress so far this year as I struggle with physical fitness. One of my resolutions for 2010 was to maintain/increase my physical fitness and along with that goal has come some serious education. I’ve been hitting the books, talking to those guys in the know and soaking in information from anyone I feel can lend credible input- and I have to say it is quite a journey.

I should clarify that I didn’t just start going to the gym this year. My ‘pool-side revelation‘ happened in July of 2006- a Friday before the Saturday I finally waddled into the gym and with my chubby lips asked them to take mercy on me. Put me on some fat-burning hurt machine and make it stop. The wincing pain of my sudden self-consciousness hurt me more than any treadmill could. So I’ve been at it now since then… occasionally taking a couple months off… but generally sticking to it. I’ve kept a pretty good journal of that progress as well. My job has me in Excel spreadsheets a lot- so you can guess what I did to track my gym efforts. Here are a few statistics so far for the year to date:

>>> I have been to the gym 55 times so far in 2010. That means 80% of the time I make it to the gym- if only for 30 minutes of cardio.
>>> My average intensity at the gym, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is asleep and 10 is blowing blood vessels, is 8.6. I’m there to work- and I do.
>>> I have consumed 3 jugs of protein powder and approximately 200 eggs in this same timeframe.
>>> I experimented with naNO Vapor and SuperPump- pre-workout supplements that are supposed to increase intensity. Oh boy… do they ever.
>>> I have consumed 136 twice-daily multivitamins.
>>> My body has processed approximately 520 cups of water… enough to almost fill a bathtub.
>>> I have modified my workouts once already to ensure I’m ‘confusing’ my muscles to maximize the effectiveness of the gym.
>>> I have spent a total of 17 hours on treadmills.
>>> My bodyweight has slowly been leaning downward- from 231.5 pounds January 1st to 221.2 pounds this morning. That a loss of 10 pounds, although I may be gaining in muscle.

As you can see, I’ve been tracking my progress- partially for my own reference but also so I can share with you.

If you are feeling some nagging feeling of depression right now, or feeling discouraged about your own progress, don’t stop reading. Please.

-You may be feeling like it is too hard to start.
-You may think that that the gym if for lunk heads.
-You may think that eating right is too difficult.

The answer to all of these, resoundingly, is ‘No’. It is hard to start, but after walking out of that gym on day one, you’ll already feel better. The gyms do have lunk heads, but there are options out there for all sorts now. The Goodlife I go to has far more ‘average’ people than muscle-life-support-systems. Eating right is challenging- but it is also possible and not as unattainable as you might think.

So- for those of you who classify yourself as ‘failing‘ at the physical fitness game, here are a few pointers from my experience- and I invite anyone else to share their experience in the comments as well.

1. Start a physical fitness program- of any sort.
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Visit a local gym, community center or YMCA and ask about their fitness programs. Play dumb. Let them teach you the basics and take your time to see what interests you. Getting in shape doesn’t mean screaming obscenities from the weight bench. Well.. it doesn’t HAVE to mean that anyway. If you don’t want to venture out into public just yet- get out and walk three days a week for 20 minutes at a time. You’ll soon see that energy consumption actually creates a surplus of more energy.

2. Don’t diet. Get involved in a healthy nutritional program.
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Dieting is the wrong approach. Temporary changes to your eating habits won’t keep the weight off- they have to healthy, sustainable patterns. Find a program out there that you feel comfortable with as a starting point- something that encourages a healthy balance from the food groups and nothing that excludes outright a specific nutritional component like protein (muscle Lego) or carbohydrates (body fuel). It’ll take longer to lose the weight- but you’ll be HEALTHIER after day one.

3. Get support. A friend can help you take a load off- literally.
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If you have someone to share the experience with, it helps a lot. Having someone who is going through the same challenges (late night eating, lack of motivation, discouragement) can create a supportive environment where you keep each other going. They’ll be on the same page when you want to talk about why skim milk is better or how sticky sugarless peanut butter is.

4. Track everything. Create your baseline. Set goals.
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Some focus on the pounds and if this is you, that’s a starting point. But there are other places to watch for progress. Take your measurements on day one- and then take them again after a few weeks. You will notice changes in how your clothes fit you. Keeping track of this progress gives you something to reference on those days you don’t feel successful. You can do it- keep reminding yourself of that. Set realistic goals and watch as your progress slowly moves toward completion.

5. Buy a fitness magazine. Educate yourself.
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Sound foolish? Sound like it won’t help? Then try it. Just buy something that looks interesting. Sure they will be full of beach bodies- but this is a great place to start learning about fitness. Over time you’ll find what magazines are REALLY fitness magazines versus advertising magazines. But don’t think too hard at first. Just buy what catches your attention. Having a couple magazines around helps remind you about your goal and gives you ideas. If you like online stuff, check out www.bodybuilding.com and branch out from there. Learning about fitness empowers you to accomplish fitness.

Like I always say- I’m no expert at this. Just writing down the experience I’ve had so far in the hopes that it might spawn your input, help you in some way, or just make your life a little bit better for having visited.

Now close your browser and get to the gym.