Hi friends! It's been awhile hasn't it? If you're reading this blog for the first time, welcome! If you are rejoining me, thanks so much!
To review; about four years ago I was really fat (bounded around between 225 and 240), and my doctor wanted to put me on meds for cholesterol (total was 246) and he cautioned me that my blood sugar was nearly diabetic. He didn't suggest dietary changes, nor did he say suggest exercise. Heaven forbid! I mean, there's good money in managing illness, and very little in getting people healthy...but I digress. Any-hoo, I gave up my BBQ hobby, ditched all meat and dairy, and got down to 165 lbs and a total cholesterol of about 140. Oh and I exercised seven days a week, like a maniac! Couldn't keep me out of the gym! Wow what a stud! Or not. Actually my exercise level during the majority of that weight loss time was pretty minimal - I went to the gym a little, took my fat little dog for walks...some days I counted walking from room to room in my house as exercise. Seriously, weight loss is SO all about diet.
After I lost weight, I got into endurance sports - running, cycling, and (begrudgingly) swimming. When I was in the weight loss phase, I didn't run at all. I figured I had run enough in my 20's while in the Army and had no inclination to ever do it again. Now, I've completed a couple half-marathon's (two weeks apart - funny story there for another time), done triathlons, and can comfortably ride my bike 40 miles. Swimming still feels like to me like a mad scramble to not die, but running and cycling is way fun.
So four years later I have this whole diet and exercise thing down pat, right? Oh. No. Not at all. Yesterday I had an epiphany - I'm still a total lard ass, between the ears. For as much as I love my endurance sports, I do not have a great attitude about working out, my motivation level is poor, over and over again I make training mistakes that result in injuries, and I have a heck of a time staying away from the sweet treats at times (didn't I mention I work at Starbucks now? Easy peasy convenient treat heaven. Oh my.)
Here's the thing - when I changed my diet four years ago, I worked from home where my fab and fit wife did all the cooking, and I could change up my schedule anyway I saw fit in order to work out. Same for when I got into the sports - totally easy to fit it in. Then, for several months, I didn't work at all, so long runs and bike rides were all kinds of easy. Now, however, I work, so it isn't always easy to fit in the fitness. Yesterday for example, I just didn't want to take the time to go to the gym. Running was out because I had a painful cut on the bottom of my heel (it's much better now, thanks to some essential oils - much more on that kind of topic going forward in this blog), and I declined to ride my bike because the wretched winds in my town were gusting over 40 mph - not real safe when you're guarded only by a lycra covering that's a couple millimeters thick, and 19 pounds of aluminum bike.
Here was the real kicker though, and hence my epiphany - I knew I could get in a workout right at home, but I decided not too out of sheer procrastination and laziness. I have not risen to the occasion of making a fitness a lifestyle in the midst of working, raising five kids that we homeschool, going along with my oh so motivated wife's many good plans, etc. I am FAT between the ears. Going forward, I'll blog along as I seek to improve in this area - hopefully it will be an encouragement to someone...or entertainment at least?
Stay tuned!
