The whole getting in shape thing

Wow, now I've had my blog for like... ...20 minutes and I'm already posting my second blog. I'll probably go months before I post another. We'll see.

Anyway, "The whole getting in shape thing." I've decided once again to get in shape. Over the years, I've lost hundreds of pounds. And, then I always seem to find them again. Too bad I don't have that track record with mismatched socks.

About five years back, I got an itch to lose some weight. So, I started running. Before I knew it, I was running 2 miles a day. I lost 40 pounds in something insane like 2 months. Then, I decided to really step it up and go to to 4 miles a day. I lost another 20 pounds in very short order. Wow, I was in shape! I didn't really change my diet. I still ate like a high school athlete. Never mind the fact that I was then rapidly approaching 30 and a slower metabolism. Then, something in my hip started bothering me. Then, my knees started hurting. Then, I stopped exercise all together. I didn't seek physical therapy. I didn't try to find something slightly less strenuous while my knees and hip healed. I just quit. But, I kept right on eating. Smart, huh?

Needless to say, I started gaining weight after not too long. So, about 2 years ago, I decided to get in shape again. I got a membership at the YMCA. I decided to both run and lift weights. I thought that maybe if I ran on a treadmill instead of a concrete road, it wouldn't be so jarring to my apparently delicate physical condition. I had also decided I was going to be a manly man and get beeg und stronk like Ahnalt! So, with my standard lack of a plan or any semblance of moderation, I piled in. I lifted like crazy. I ran like crazy. I almost immediately injured my rotator cuff, but I worked through the pain. Ohh, ohh, ohhh!!! (Tim Allen grunt)

After a few months, I decided to save a little money and bought a home gym to avoid the monthly gym fees. My gut got smaller. My arms and chest got bigger. I started thinking I was He-Man and started lifting way too much weight. One night I even had to holler into the house to get my wife to come out and start taking weight plates off the bar. I had lifted more weight than I could get off my chest. And I'm a self-styled intellectual, folks! You'd think I mght have known better. Anyway, shortly thereafter, my intelligent workout routine caused a herniated disk in my back. And, as before, I simply stopped all forms of exercise. I didn't wait for my back to heal and begin a saner workout regimen. No, I just quit. And, since I had never slowed down my eating, I started gaining weight again.

Now, we come to the grand year of 2006. Around Christmas time last year, I noticed that I was within 5 pounds of reaching the heaviest weight I'd gotten to right before I started running 5 years ago. But, shameful as this was, I wasn't terrifically motivated. Then, my wife provided me with a great sense of motivation. She told me that she wanted to start working out as well. I would have someone to help keep me accoutable. I would have someone to go out and do this stuff with me. It would no longer be something I decided to do for my own vanity. It would be something we were doing as a team. She also insisted that we pray about it and ask for God's blessing and strength. (She has always been amazing with her commitment to God) Now, it wasn't going to be solely about me or even us, but a decision and action which included Him.

This time around, we're approaching this thing a little more intelligently. We are watching our diet. Not like I used too, where I would watch myself eat a bag of chips or a whole pizza, but actually measuring calories, reducing serving sizes and trying to eat balanced meals like all of the professionals suggest. They must know something, right?!? I mean they have all of those impressive intials after their names. Anyway, we're lifting weights and working out pretty strenuously on an exercise bike. I'm running as well. I hope that this time, we'll be able to stick it out and maintain an intelligent exercise and eating routine. We're going to keep praying for strength and guidance while we do it.

I am also going to do something ispired by Danny Sims a few months ago. He was working at losing weight then and posted his pounds lost each day. So, in the last month, I have lost 9 pounds. So, I will put a -9 at the bottom of the post. I will put a number symbolizing pounds lost at the bottom of each post and see how I do.

-9