Fitness Journey, Day #1
Today, I am embarking on a new fitness journey. Unlike nearly six years ago, I am not looking to lose a medium-sized dog’s worth of weight. While I’ll likely drop a few pounds during this journey, that will not be my main goal. My focus will be on getting my body into better overall shape. I will be including body photos and measurements to provide some sort of baseline for any progress/gains I should make.
While I am not going to be drastically changing my diet during this journey (I’m not cutting out the foods that I love), I will be incorporating a bit more protein as I will be doing weight training again for the first time in over four years. This will aid in recovery as well as provide fuel for any muscular growth.
I do not have the bodily structure to pack on loads of muscle, so I am not expecting to turn into He-Man or The Hulk. My overall aim is to lose some of the fat around my mid-section (a key ingredient in any number of potential health problems) and to strengthen and build on the muscle mass I already have (which isn’t a ton).
I will make every attempt to provide updates, in the form of pictures and/or measurements, on a monthly basis.
Below are my baseline body photos. Forgive the less-than-ideal physique while wearing just my underwear. I felt it was important to be able to make clear distinctions in any bodily changes. I’ve also included a copy of the spreadsheet I’m using to track my body’s measurements. I’ve included the data from the previous times I tracked this information, prior to the halting of my weight lifting regimen four years ago.
I’ve never been comfortable showing off my body, and these are less-than-flattering photos, to say the least. However, doing so will force me into making the changes I want and keep me accountable.
Measurements
My ultimate goal is to reincorporate weightlifting into my exercise regimen again permanently, like I had a few years ago. I do not want to abandon lifting again, if at all possible. Since it’s been a while, I will be starting off slowly and with much lighter weights so as to perfect my form and not injure myself. I don’t expect many gains, if any, in the first month or so (likely through the rest of the year).
I will not be going to a gym or getting help from a professional fitness trainer. I’m using equipment I already had (free weights and resistance bands) and utilizing the vast array of resources online that are at my disposal. My workout regimen will consist of the following:
Upper Body will be performed on Mondays, Lower Body on Wednesdays, and Abs & Core on Fridays. This will be on top of my regularly scheduled walks which will still occur every other day. This means I will have my workout and walk on the same day every other week. For those days involving the lower body workout, I will scale back the intensity of my walk as I do not want to overdo it, not mention my legs will likely be Jell-O come the walk anyway.
The first few workouts are going to be painful (in more ways than one), but I’m looking forward to improving my body so that I may live as long and a healthy life as I can (and as long as my MS allows).
