Joining at the local Y was the best decision I have made in my life aside from getting engaged to Kelly. After getting the tour, signing up, and getting our membership folder I started exercising the very next day. I put in a solid hour of cardio and headed home feeling accomplished. I continued to put in hour-long workouts as the week went on, and before I knew it I began to get noticed by name each time I came to the gym. I almost always was told “good morning” or “have a great workout” when I went in. It was my third day there when I met an older gentleman that was a Chargers fan, which are extremely hard to find in this area of the country. I had met many different people who genuinely took interest in what I was doing by the end of my first week. I was told about upcoming contests and different programs for my family. I was given honest feedback of what members thought about the programs.
I continued on working towards a better me, using the methods that were ingrained in to me as an athlete. I always started with cardio and then moved on to push/pull whole body strength exercises. I noticed my strength increasing but I couldn’t drop weight for the life of me. It was then that I spoke with one of the trainers at the fitness center, who recommended that I compete in the “Lose to Win” challenge. I decided to sign up, after all the only thing I had to lose was lbs. I went on with my day looking up free calorie counting programs such as My Fitness Pal and Spark People. I decided to use My Fitness Pal because I knew some people who were already using it, plus I was more comfortable with the mobile app.
I started that six weeks ago. Tomorrow is my final weigh in and I have already lost 42lbs since starting. A lot of cardio, a lot of cluster training, and a lot of calorie counting showed a lot of progress. This program was most surprising to me because we rarely hit the weights. Strength training was done using my own body weight. Push ups, squats, lunges, sit ups, jumping jacks, etc. were used in nearly every workout. I notice myself not holding the railing when I walk down the stairs. I notice that I don’t mind walking down the driveway to pick up the mail, and that if I sit too long I get antsy and want to go do something. There are little things that show just how long I’ve been working at it. It wasn’t too long ago that I was over a friend’s house and he showed me that I hadn’t signed on to the PlayStation Network in 45 days. I was usually good for signing on at least twice a week. I had an empty Netflix queue that I hadn’t taken the time to fill back up. I had become the foursquare mayor of most of the parks and farm stands in my local area.
Although I am happy with my progress, I am not satisfied weighing in the middle 300′s. I am looking for new ways to improve my health, and decided to watch some health related documentaries on Netflix. The traditional Super Size Me, a comedy-documentary Fat Head, and a documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead“. I knew what I was in for while watching Super Size Me, and Fat Head gave a decent alternative perspective to Morgan Spurlock’s. However, I really enjoyed Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. Aside from the animations that make it feel like a Breville commercial I felt that at its core it was trying to help people. I had already eliminated soda and fast food from my diet prior to joining the Y, so what could I benefit from juicing?
Quite a bit, actually. Using a juicer to supercharge your diet increases the amount of microbiotic nutrients in your diet. The same type of nutrients that improve your body’s ability to fight off illness and help it run better. I decided to give it a try. I plan on working myself into a program by reducing the amount of breads, carbs, and dairy. I will be supplementing my diet with a juice as well as an increased amount of fruits and vegetables. I have already taken minor steps towards changing my diet, this is the next logical step towards achieving balance.
Stay tuned as I continue on my path to achieve the ever elusive balance. Thanks for the words of encouragement, and I promise to give you an unabashed view of my progress that only I could deliver.
