Sunday, April 10, 2011

Progress on health and fitness

Okay, first night with weights. Very simple, and very low weight, but I'm basically starting from scratch again. Better safe than sorry!

 

So, I've got two adjustable dumbbells at 20lbs each, and two plain dumbbells at 15lbs each. Given that I can't even get my 16k kettlebell (about 35lbs) up to do even start Turkish half-get up? Yeah, starting lower. Much lower. I'll need to see if we have enough plates to make it 25lbs or even 30lbs in the future - I do know we've got some big ones (25lb plates), but that'll be a while from now before I can use those.

 

I would like to find an Olympic bar for bench presses, but so far the stores I've seen only have standards. While the exercise machine/station thing has a bench press function, I'd much rather use free weights than that. More natural. I'll also do deadlifts with it, but first things first. I will likely use my kettlebell for weighted face-the-wall squats in the meantime.

 

Need to fire up the 360 at some point - the EA Sports Active 2 is fun for aerobic work :)

 

I'm a bit excited about things - thanks to reminding and pushing from friends, family and my doctor, I've been able to make some pretty positive changes to my lifestyle and health. I don't think I'll be looking like Jason Statham or Pavel Tatsouline anytime soon, but within the next five years I want to look, feel and be healthier, fitter and more attractive than I have the past 30+ years.


Weight Watchers has been a tremendous help with my diet, and I've been working on integrating some of Body For Life's eating style into how I do things (ie, smaller, more frequent meals). If nothing else, its helped me avoid the after lunch "I need a nap" feeling from scarfing down too much at once. My cholesterol is good, my blood sugar is nearly normal (5.9% on a non-fasting AC1), and I’m feeling better overall.

 

Actually, having plans helps me a lot. For diet I've got Weight Watchers, and for execise I'll be going with Pavel's Power To The People, which is relatively simple. Can't do it exactly for now, but that's what improvisation is for. The biggest thing is it gives me something to look at and follow. In the past I've always tried to do it by myself, figure it out myself, and it can be pretty daunting, thus easier to bomb out of.

 

So, yeah, progress is good! Smile

2 comments:

  1. Yeah, definitely start easy on the weights. When I joined the gym back in December I tried to start off using the same weight I last remember using in high school. Big mistake! I wasn't able to go back to the gym for 2 weeks because I had to heal.

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  2. As the saying goes, "slow and steady wins the race." Or was that "slow and low?" Wait, that's for barbeque. Hrm... either way! @_@

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