Pep Talk

I hit the gym with a little renewed fervor yesterday. I guess having a even a small visual indication, no matter how subtle, that the exercise is actually Doing Something, was a wee shot in the arm for me.

I do have a dark history of jump-starting ambitious fitness endeavors and sticking with them for some time, before allowing them to gradually taper off in frustration when I fail to see any obvious visual effects -- because the exercise "doesn't seem to be Doing Anything anyway". Only to discover later how very wrong I was, when, much to my dismay, my weight would actually drift up a few pounds upon stopping. Making me realize that the exercise was indeed very much Doing Something -- as in keeping me from getting even bigger, if anything else.... Well, with several such experiences under my belt over the years, I think I've gotten this all too important message finally drummed into my thick head.

Now, when I'm talking about obvious visual effects? Naturally I mean noticeable 'weight loss' or 'toning' or 'size reduction' in some way. The ADD, short-sighted person in me always desires this sort of instant gratification -- when actually, the fact of the matter is, all along there are and always have been a bounty of positive and pleasurable effects to working out. Equally, if not even more more important than those readily measurable by the eye. The gains in strength and stamina, the improved energy, flexibility, hormonal benefits, etc. Intellectually I've always known this (whether I wanted to admit it or not), even as I let my fitness programs slide and gradually bite the dust over the years, one by one (all because I wasn't 'losing weight').

Today I finally know better, and understand that I can't take able-bodiness for granted like I used to. For one thing, I'm older now, 41 years. My body is older. Things are 'different'. Suddenly, I can clearly imagine just how much faster things could go downhill physically for me than they might have in my 20's, or even in my 30's. Yeah. It's definitely "Use It Or Lose It" time.....

The truth is, I do believe my overall fitness level is reasonably fair, given my age/size/etc. At least average, I believe. I enjoy walking and biking, and can do so for goodly distances, without undue effort (and with great pleasure). Last month, my family took a camping trip out west, where we did a lot of hiking, in the mountains, at high altitude (which as a flat lander I'm not used to at all). Some of the trails got pretty steep, yet I was able to keep up. I'm currently lifting 40 pounds when doing the bicep curl strength machine (doing 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps). I bench press the naked steel bar (no added weight) in the free-weight area easily -- I believe it's 45 pounds (3 sets of 15 reps). I can squat and stand back up with relative ease. And also, I rarely, rarely ever get sick (even colds). So no, while I'm not going to be entering the Olympics anytime soon -- nor am I as fit as many other people, nor even in fact as fit as I might have the potential to be personally -- there have been definite strides this last half year of gym membership. Always room for improvement of course -- and so I will continue to keep on, keeping on.

Indeed, the exercise, despite not losing a single solitary pound (as usual) in these six months of working out, is definitely 'Doing Something'.....