I've decided to get back in shape!
5 years ago I decided to lose weight and get trim, because several medical problems seemed to stem from my being overweight. An Ear, Nose & throat doctor want to do surgery on my throat to cure my sleep apnia (snoring that gets dangerous). I asked if there was another way. He said, "well, you could lose weight, but that would take longer." Hmmm... cut the inside of my throat or lose weight... Decisions, decisions! I couldn't believe a doctor would suggest surgery over weight loss! My blood pressure was high, and my stress levels were through the roof. Seemed to me like exercise and a better diet would fix MANY problems.
So, I started having a chicken salad from the local Wendy's every day for lunch, instead of one of their burgers (I'd also throw out their salad dressing and use my own fat-free dressing).
After work, I would go home, change, and then ride my mountain bike from my apartment to a great trail, 7 miles round trip (about 45 min of intense riding), and come back for some ab works and dumbbells.
I did the bike ride EVERY day for a month, and got a bit tired, so I cut back to 3 times a week.
After 2 months I had gone from 235 lbs to 205. One more month and I was at 195. People at work commented on how good I looked. I felt FANTASTIC. I could handle stress SO much better. I didn't even need to have a glass of wine after work to "chill out" anymore. The sleep apnia went away since my throat tissue was naturally smaller. My blood pressure went down. My energy level went UP!
I kept doing the 3 days a week cardio and light weights for 8 months, and maintained a good lifestyle.
And then I got in a car accident. :( Some jerk on the freeway didn't notice that the hundred cars in front of him had come to a complete stop, and plowed into the back of my car. I was bracing myself against my steering wheel and something tore in my back under my shoulder blade. I couldn't ride my mountain bike for a year, and my fitness plan went off the rails. I should have found a replacement for the biking, but most cardio workouts bore me to tears, and the pain was a good excuse not to try.
My shoulder still hurts after working it out a lot, but I think now that's more because it is WEAK than because it is injured. My Doctor and my chiropractor both said I needed to gain strength in my back so my shoulder can tighten up. It's strong enough now to mountain bike again, which is great.
So, I am
determined to start again. I'm back up to about 218 lbs and the stress is back, but I've done this before, so I will just do it again!
This time, I have a different set of tools. I have the mountain bike when the weather is good (I live is San Diego, so it's often great), a fun arms/legs stationary bike called an
Airdyne that I've had for years:
and I just got this
Marcy Diamond Elite Smith Machine:
I ordered it from Costco.com and it arrived yesterday. I'm going to set it up tomorrow. I want to do more of my fitness training around the house after work, instead of long mountain biking treks because it keeps me close to my 5 year old son, Jack, and that father-son time is important to me.
I have the gift of being able to gain muscle mass relatively quickly, though I am often sore for longer periods of time than most people, especially in my pecs. I do find that if I have a protein shake after the workout it greatly reduces the soreness and I can get back in the gym in 48 hours.
I plan to do 40 min of cardio 3 times a week, and add a weight training routine to those same 3 days, probably after the cardio. I don't know a lot about free weights or the proper form, so I need to get the right instruction.
So, that's my story so far, and my plan. I signed up for
Fitday.com to track my calorie progress and
EvenFit.com to track my exercise progress, as visual tools are a great motivator for me.
So, what spurred me into action?
These photos of John Stone. Check out those before and after pictures. Just inspiring!
