Let's start again

[Kenny]

This forum is for IWF members who want to support and encourage one another in achieving their health and fitness goals. It's not here for anyone in particular. I need it as much as anyone.

For example, I was doing pretty good there for awhile. When I got back to the states in August the first thing I did was join the gym. My fitness was generally pretty good, but not quite where I want it to be. So I was riding the bike everywhere and going to the gym regularly. Then a couple weeks ago I was riding the bike on the bike trail out here and the front wheel hit a loose rock on a tight hairpin turn. Lots of loose dirt and rocks. Well, there are these stirrups see, on the pedals, and your toes go in them. And you know how sometimes you need to catch yourself by being able to quickly put your foot on the ground when gravity wants to have it's way with you? Well, I couldn't get my foot out of the damn stirrup quick enough to catch myself and I crashed hard onto a pile of boulders.

I got pretty banged up, especially my left leg and elbow, which took the brunt of the fall. Well, I was pretty sore for a few days, and I couldn't do much in the way of exercise. The problem is, though, I allowed this injury to disrupt the fragile momentum of my exercise routine. Because I couldn't do much for a few days, I slacked off, and what should have been a pause in my routine of a matter of days has instead become a matter of weeks. When weeks turn into months, then you're really in trouble. I've been there, so I KNOW!

This is what seems to happen to me all the time. I'll do real well for awhile, then I'll fall out of my routine for some reason, I'll get sick or injured and stop. But then I'll have trouble resuming once I recover. My momentum gets disrupted.

Then once my exercise slacks off, my diet often follows. For example, the last couple weeks I've started getting lazy and eating things like pizza and cheesburgers and drinking beer and soft drinks.

The real problem is that the momentum towards UNfitness picks up speed SO easily. It's all downhill. Once I let the gravity of it get ahold of me before I know it I'm FLYING downhill and my fitness just slips right out from under me. 3 months of hard work seems to be gone in a matter of days. Because the path toward fitness is all uphill. Every inch is a struggle. But the path in the other direction is all downhill and requires NO effort.

So, anyway, for me it's a struggle with self indulgence. I seem to allow myself to give in to spur of the moment impulses to eat or drink too much unhealthy stuff and to let my exercise routine get bogged down. And I lose ground 10 times faster than I am able to gain it back, so that's the battle for me.

In recent weeks my weight has gone UP and my fitness has gone DOWN bigtime, especially since I had that bike crash. I used that as an excuse to let the whole thing do a nose dive. It's some kind of a self sabotage mechanism that kicks in, and that's what I need help with.

Mind you, there's ALOT of other stuff going on for me right now, and health and fitness seems to be getting shoved to the side. But I know that's just an excuse too. That's another problem. There always seems to be a good excuse, well not a GOOD excuse, actually a pretty lame excuse most of the time. But I use it just the same.

[yames]

Hi Kenny
I totally agree with what you've said here. Especially the momentum analogy! Your probably being a bit hard on yourself though with regards to thinking your injury is a lame excuse for not keeping up your fitness. I dont think its lame, I see it as a genuine setback. This is my first visit to iwf in awhile so Im gonna go read the developments in your credo and vision statements now... later. (beware of the American fast food demon!:)

[Kenny]

yes the fast food rut is an easy one to fall into. Also, working at a bakery isn't helping

But I don't think I'm being too hard on myself. A few days is all I needed to recover, but I've let it turn into a few weeks. I must admit, I've had alot of other things going on what with the move and getting situated. Now it remains to be seen if I can settle into a healthy lifestyle in terms of diet and exercise. So far, I'd have to say I'm doing pretty poorly. There has been too much of things like pizza and beer and bagels and cream cheese, and not enough exercise. I intend to remedy this... Yesterday I had an apple and orange juice for breakfast at work instead of an egg cheese and bacon bagel burger, and I did a good workout session the day before. But I'm finding it hard to work out after an 11hr shift like yesterday, and all I want to do is kick back, watch TV and have a beer. How do I remedy that??

Off to work now...

[yames]

Hi Krenny
How do u remedy the time Vs x-cise issue??? Well.... Im no expert.... but when I read that my 1st thought was when I was personally seriously committed to a daily excercise regime (some time ago..) I power walked everywhere (it only took 60 mins to walk from one side of the town i lived in to the other) and I got up really early and did a big workout each morning... even after huge nights out i got up at the crack, power walked to the gym worked out then power walked home to get ready for work.... i drank protien for breakfast while walking... and did relaxation at lunchtime (or got a power nap)... That was my routine during the fittest days of my life to date.. I wasnt doing 11hrs everyday though....  but i had 3 part-time jobs and studied full-time so i was busy for sure! The best thing was walking everywhere! Gotta go... my baby is too quiet!! hope your doing well...

[John]

I find all of this very interesting. I have never committed to an exercise regime. I always eat and drink exactly what I want to (luckily, we usually cook at home, so the food's pretty good). And while I have noticed a change in my body shape over the past few years, it has been in the direction of losing rather than gaining weight. Sure I am flabbier than I was at 25, but my muscle mass has also disintegrated. My fitness is an abomination. My energy levels are dismal. I regularly tell myself that I need to exercise, but I hate the concept of exercising solely for the sake of fitness. I want to do something I really enjoy, with the added bonus of physical fitness. Like skiing or snowboarding. Fantastic exercise that is fantastically fun. Unfortunately it is also seasonal and expensive as hell. When I was younger, I really enjoyed gymnastics, but when I moved back to Oz, I couldn't find a gym that offered it. I was still doing backflips at parties up til 32 or 33, but that is behind me now.

Joining a gym and lifting weights, or riding an exercise bike, or doing pilates or yoga? I'd rather stick pins in my eyes.

[Kenny]

John Wrote:I was still doing backflips at parties up til 32 or 33, but that is behind me now.

Joining a gym and lifting weights, or riding an exercise bike, or doing pilates or yoga? I'd rather stick pins in my eyes.

[yames]

Ok Kenny Ive swam 120 laps of the pool today, had toast for breakfast (with butter and peanut butter) and cup-a-soup for lunch... Not very good on the eating but Im trying to get a decent exercise regime happenin.. tomorro a friend is coming over and were gonna walk around the river in the a.m. and if the weather is ok Ill do more laps of the pool in the afternoon... Im determined to get some shape back this year!

You? What efforts have you made this week? (are there any fast food wrappers lying around your bedroom??)

[Kenny]

Hi yames, well you're doing better than me. I haven't done a damn thing in recent weeks. I've been eating poorly, lots of bagels with cream cheese and bacon and such, drinking beer and soft drinks, working hard and coming home and vegetating in front of the pc or tv without hardly any energy to do anything else. I'm allowing my lifestyle to slip into a bad way and I'm rapidly losing all the fitness I had worked for. But my job is wiping me out and I'm finding it hard to summon up the energy or motivation to get my exercise program back on track. I can't afford to join a gym. I went to a local community center last week cuz someone told me they had a gym, but all they had was basketball courts.

I did some searching and found a YMCA not far away, so I'm gonna try to get down there soon. But I have to find a way to eat better, which is hard where I work. It's too easy to get my hands on things like bacon and cheese and soft drinks and crap, and very few healthy alternatives. One big problem is that when energy is low I just grab whatever I feel like in the moment, which is always an unhealthy choice. Face it, a big sandwhich full of cheese and bacon tastes better than an apple. There in lies the problem. You have to be able to choose what is healthy over what is most gratifying in the moment.

Anyway, I need to buy some scales, but I know my weight is back out of control. My 36" pants are tight on me again. 4 months ago I couldn't even wear them, I was wearing my 32's. With regard to health and fitness, I'm doing poorly.

Sounds like you're doing great yames. Congratulations!! Keep it up. You're inspiring me to pull my head out....

[yames]

Kenny
>>Face it, a big sandwhich full of cheese and bacon tastes better than an apple. There in lies the problem<<

Ha dont I know it! Your talking to the donut queen here! Chocolate... glazed... mmmmmmmm aaaaaahhhhhh I hope you havent caught the classic 'dr phil' disease of "emotional eating"..?? (.. I always have to analyse and come up with a "reason" for stuff cant help myself its the American in me)..... maybe your just enjoying life too! great. If not could you find another job? Or find something to like about the job your in??? When I was in America thier were lots of signs advertising jobs... i saw one in a pet store, would that pay the same as cooking? It'd have to be more fun. Mind you even at places where its not cooked people go out and buy fattening morning teas.. Where I work they have munchies (FEASTS) layed out everyday , I hardly ever avoid that pitfall of creamy endorphin releasing cholesterol heaven! .... Cheesecake... mars bar flavor ooohhhh myyyyy goooooooooddd.................................

So Kenny, as Gregg would say.... "buck up"! :)
Thats how greggy helps motivate me (serious) ... he's funny.

[Kenny]

So... we've identified the problem: immediate gratification of the senses vs. self control and discipline. Also, why do our damn taste buds sabotage us? Why do they love what is bad for us and hate what is healthy? Why is the healthy choice always a struggle and a matter of self denial? What the hell is wrong with us? Why can't we just gravitate toward health and fitness instead of toward the miserable overweight and out of shape alternative??? Why does health and fitness involve a painful struggle while the road to sloth is so easy? Why I asks ya, why??? es no bueno