Last week I was at a friend’s place, partying for my 26th birthday. The next morning, after an ice cold shower to wake myself up from the bottle of American Honey, several Canadian Clubs and several Bundys of the night before, I caught sight of myself in the bathroom mirror. What I saw was a massively overweight, pudgy faced, dour looking guy with man boobs. Apart from some awesome tatts and a beautiful head of hair, I was unimpressed. I am 26 years old, and I have the physique of a 50 year old man who has let himself go. The time has come to make some serious changes to my life.
Inspired by a blog my friend Gabe has started; it’s time for me to get on the health kick. No more excuses, it’s time to change. I weighed in at 140kg last week, with higher than desired blood pressure, a slightly higher than desired pulse rate and breathlessness after climbing stairs. I don’t want that – I want to be healthy.
But I know it won’t be easy. I’m not going to be running marathons in 2 weeks; I probably won’t be running them in a year. If I try to do too much too soon I’ll burn out and give up, or might even do serious damage to my body. I need to take things slowly. The idea is to allow my body to cope with the changes.
So from now on I’ll be
- Eating healthier - No more chocolate, lollies, soft drinks, fatty foods (except the odd Dr Pepper – if I couldn’t have that, I would kill people)
- Exercising more – When I get home from work, I’ll go out for a walk. Maybe even buy a cross trainer exercise machine, the only exercise machine I’ve ever liked.
- Keeping a diary of my exercise and diet – weekly check-ins to track my progress.
The only good thing about my physique is that I’m quite strong. That’s not bragging, it is just a fact. Years of on again/off again weight lifting plus carrying around a large body frame has left me with more strength than the average guy. All that means now is that I don’t need to incorporate weight lifting into my exercise scheme. I can concentrate solely on cardiovascular fitness.
My limited experience in psychology studies tells me that healthier people tend to be happier people – they perform better in their work, they’re able to participate in more activities, even their sleep is more restful than the rest of us.
Hopefully in a year I’ll be a fitter, happier, more active person.
Hopefully not dropping dead from a heart attack as you read this,
The Reverend Doktor Bob
P.S. I don’t intend to let my new lifestyle get in the way of my sceptical activities – The good Reverend Doktor will still be seeking the truth and fighting the good fight whenever possible.
My wife started her lifestyle change at 130kg, 77weeks later she was 70.7kg lighter. Healthy eating and excecise, no woo. She tells people to buy a pair of sneakers and go outside. Yesterday she finished a half marathon. Phetos at www.aquariumstogo.com.au/lou.htm
ReplyDeleteIf she can do it, anyone can.
That's inspiring! It's amazing how much one can do with the right mind set.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't we both aim for the City to Surf in August. Nothing gets the weight off like exercise and nothing motivates exercise like a specific date goal. I've got to lose a few kilos that I've regained and I could do with better breathing and a lower blood pressure.
ReplyDeleteAugust 14.
Good stuff bro!
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing just before christmas. I weighed roughly 100Kgs. I started by cutting down on all the carbs I used to indulge in, by roughly 80%, only eating what my body needed. After this, I used a great android app that helped me keep track of my calories, so that I didn't eat too few or go too much over my daily limit.
Once I had done this, I began brisk hour long walks everyday, you could probably manage a couple of tours around the manor.
After a month, I noticed an increase in energy and things began to tick along nicely. I decided to join a gym (which is something I had thought I would never do). After a month at the gym, I started to notice changes. My beer gut was a lot less... beer-ish and I just felt more alive.
My routine begins with the cross trainer (I agree, one of the few exercises I actually enjoy), then off to do the usual muscle man stuff like bench presses and lateral pulldowns etc etc.
Once you notice changes, you will become more motivated to carry on.
I stopped a couple of months ago due to the earth quake here in Christchurch, the gym didn't open up again for about two months. Due to the trauma of it, I quickly sank back into my old eating habits and all my work for the past few months VERY quickly went down the gurgler.
However, I am back on it again and am noticing the changes... again.
I have lost just over 12Kg since the end of last year. If it weren't for the ground throwing a tantrum, it would be a lot more and I would be looking a lot different.
You can do it man, If I can (one of the most sloth like beings you could ever meet) than you sure as shit can.
Keep it up brudda.
BlackhawkNZ (Scott Hansen)
@ Peter - August is very close. May not be feasible. Let's see how we go
ReplyDelete@ Scott - I like walking. I do try to get a couple of strolls in each week. Not a big fan of the gym, but the cross trainers are only 300 or so on Ebay. Might get one for the manor.
I don't plan to run the C2C, just walk it like Michael did last year. It's achievable.
ReplyDeleteGood on ya Bob! You can do it and you have the right attitude knowing that it will be hard. You will start to feel better in know time.
ReplyDelete