Man, it’s been a while since I’ve updated.  Time seems to fly when you’re pretty busy.

Physical Fitness

Well, I finally decided that I need to get my butt back in the gym.  Well, actually, the scale said so.   You really never notice yourself getting bigger until you stand on that scale and go into shock.   So much shock in fact, that you get off, wait 30 seconds, and get back on.  As if the scale made some sort of mistake.   No mistake, you just got fat, plain and simple.   I’ve been wanting to do so for a while, but had been procrastinating on doing so.   But there were several factors that really motivated me to do so.

• I’m single.  I really need to work on getting in shape if I’m going to look more appealing to the opposite sex.  Yea, I’m a great person, good job, etc… but I do realize that physical attraction goes a LONG way.   If you’re resting primarily on your other qualities and assuming that they will be enough, well, you might be in for a shock.  Hotness goes a long way, and and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you’ll get your big body in motion and start trimming down.  I’m no big huge 300 pound fat guy walking down the street, but I realize I can do a lot better than where I’m currently at.
• I want my old physique back.  If I can get back down to the 190-200 pound range, I’ll be pretty well cut.  My body weight without the fat is 189 pounds,  and I’m 5 foot 10 inches.   So yea, once the fat is gone, the body looks damn good.   It’s time to get the bragging rights again.
• I never was good at cardio, even when I was built.  So that’s something that I want to work on and improve.  That’ll go a long way in playing sports with my buddies.
• You feel much better when you’re in shape.  Physically and mentally.

So I ended up joining Gold’s Gym last week and doing my first workout on Friday.   Nothing shocks you into the reality that you are out of shape as much as hitting the gym for the first time in a long time.    Fortunally, my trainer started me on some cardio to get the heart rate up and some pretty light weights.  Mainly training me on how to use the machine and getting some light reps in to prepare the muscles for the grueling weeks to come.   The goal is 26 pounds in 12 weeks, which from past experience is pretty dang easy to hit if you’re staying on track.   As a matter of fact, that might be a month and a half for me if I can stay focused.

There will still be quite a bit to go after that, but after 90 days, the habits are pretty well established and working out and exercising on an almost daily basis becomes a normal routine that you actually look forward to.   So I’m hoping to get to that point relatively fast and working on hitting the goal of recovering my former physique by the end of next spring.   If that six pack reappears, it’s going to be on at the swimming pool.

There are things though, that will put you into shock when you’re working out at the gym.   Some of these  things are quite comical and some are disturbing.

• My trainer started me off light with reps.   Even then, you start to feel the burn of the workout and it doesn’t take long before your muscles feel as if they are creating their own little nuclear reaction inside your body.  At which point, those light weights will really start to wear on you.  Here’s the problem with this.   The gym is surrounded by physically fit men and women, who would have no problem with the weights that you are currently doing.   More importantly, you are in plain view of the more physically fit members of the opposite sex.   The feeling that you get when youre starting to wobble on that light load in front of that really hot chick right across from you can be quite disconcerting.    In my personal opinion, I think that most workout injuries and pains that newbies in the gym tend to get are the direct result of trying to not look like a total slob in front of the hot babe/stud right across from you.
• Gas!!!  For some reason, the human body just LOVES to produce mass amounts of emissions when working out.  Under normal circumstances, you can hold it in until you get to a safe place, but if you’re straining on lifting that barbell for the 12th time on your 3rd rep…. well, sometimes the body just tends to let some other things go in order to focus that energy on completing the lifting of that weight.   And when that happens, just prepare to be embarrased, because you’re going to rip one that half of the facility is going to hear.   If you’re slick, you can probably yell out real loud while you’re lifting to mask the sound of your flatulence.  Just remember to vacate the area immediately afterwards.   This will actually turn out funny if you’re surrounded by members of the same sex.
• Locker room nudity -  I’ve never been one to actually hold a conversation with another guy who’s naked, and I prefer to keep it that way.  Maybe it’s a culture thing, but out here in the suburbs, men have absolutely no problem holding a conversation with another guy while in the buff.   That’s a broken rule.    That’s in the same category as not talking when one is peeing at the stall.  As a matter of fact, full blown nudity is in a HIGHER catagory.   This rule should never be broken.  Yet, it is done so on a daily basis.
• There are women there who are more manly than you.   I’m all for physical fitness, but dang.  Some of these women are just scary muscular and built.

Welp, Wish me luck throughout the months to come!  I’ll need it