Back at the beginning of the year I wrote a post about New Year's Resolutions. One of those resolutions has been to "get healthy". Actually, I said I wanted to reverse a trend that has been on going for the past 20ish years. Slowly yet steadily I have been putting on weight. The only time in those 20 years that the trend was broken was when I was really sick. Not really the ideal method to use to lose the lbs!
Progress Report: Eight months in and I can say that I have not gained any new weight this year, so I guess you could say I'm 1/2 way to my goal. If I were to be completely honest with myself I know why I haven't been successful. I can sit here and make a bunch of excuses, some slightly valid, most not.
What have I done so far? We modified our diet to lower our carb intake. We didn't go whole hog (yum, pork...) and cut carbs completely. I have to say when this decision was made to reduce carbs I was pretty hesitant. Carbs are cheap and easy and usually really tasty. I was pleasantly surprised to find that shopping for low carb options wasn't as hard as I thought and the reduction wasn't nearly as painful as I was anticipating. I drink more water. This was an easy one. I have a 24oz. water bottle that I take with me just about every where I go. Not only do I always have something to drink, but I'm helping save the environment!!!
I have also been utilizing the gym membership more. Making a conscious effort to go, varying up my workouts to not get bored or stuck in a rut. But on the flip side, this is also an area that I know I have failed. One obvious reason has been the amount of travel that I have done this summer (see I just dropped excuse #1). Working out while away from home isn't easy. I'm not a runner. I never was and probably never will be given the issues with my leg (excuse #2). On the flip side, I'm sure I could get creative and find ways to get some activity in without the aide of a gym close by.
The other obvious failure in this area is the consistency of my visits. Some weeks I'm really good, other weeks not so much. I have tried going in the evening so I'd have my wife and (on occasion) kids with me. That wasn't working so I tried going in the mornings around 8 or 9. That wasn't working either. I felt bad that my wife wasn't able to go with me as we like to motivate each other (excuse #3). So I had the brilliant idea of going before work! My wife had her alarm set to go off at 4:30 every morning, but her morning routine was a slow starting one. I figured if we are up that early (I can't sleep through the alarm) why not get moving and try the gym when it first opens at 5? We made our first trip today and it felt really good. It was also nice to get such an early start at work.
It's a decent start and I feel really good that having someone other than myself to be accountable to will help keep me at it. The popular phrase "by doing something you are always lapping those still on the couch" is front and center for me. Ultimately though the proof will be in the pudding (oh, another tasty food reference!).
