Personal Goals: A Healthier Life
This is a series of blogs talking about various personal goals, with an opinion on where to look and where to start on achieving them. Unrelated to any New Years resolution, these are simply just opinions of my own, some from a personal standpoint. The point is to serve more so as a counseling-type point in achieving what you look to achieve in your life, however you see fit.
As you walk into the gym for the very first time, you take in the surroundings. Lots of cardio-type machines to work on your cardio with, and somewhere else, machines to work on things like abs, biceps, quads, and the like. It can be pretty daunting. So it's no surprise when this question pops into your mind:
"Where do I start?"
Given that I spent 9 years in a form of a marching band (high school and college), frequenting a gym wasn't exactly on my list of things to do, but still, it was something I wanted to start. Being in the best shape I could be in has always been at the top of my list. But each time, I sat wondering.... what do I start doing first?
I will say that the temptation on my part is simply the food and diet side of things. I come from a family that very much enjoys food. It's kind of a big deal. I remember being told once when I was younger that I wasn't eating enough.... that I needed to eat more. It's one of those things you learn to live with, but I can definitely say I probably took it too far, and didn't keep a tab on what I was eating. It's very easy to slip into constantly drinking sodas, eating fast food, or a lot of something you necessarily don't need.
So when the time comes to start that all-important weight loss goal, one thing you have to look at is your current diet. What are you eating? Is it too much? Are you eating to excess? What can you cut from your diet to align with what you want to do?
This can be rough. It's hard sometimes to put down that bag of chips when you're on the go, or pop into a fast food place and grab a quick bite to eat. Temptations are prevalent all around us, and it's very hard sometimes to not fall into those easy habits, that are ultimately hard to break. I know myself, I have an undying affection for Chick-fil-A, Red Velvet ice cream, and brownies. I'll quickly grab some chips for a midnight snack. I'll eat a midnight snack period.
I even tried the whole diet pill thing. Ever heard of Hydroxycut? I still have that bottle, albeit it has expired by this point, but I remember being at a point where I didn't know what else to do. Plus, I had the $20 to spare. I just needed something to help control my appetite, help control my diet. Or so I thought anyway.
Basically, what I'm saying is that you are the only one who can judge what you're eating and what you're capable of cutting out of your daily diet. For me, I know that what I'm eating isn't full of all the bad things that media makes you think it contains. I'm a bit more conscious of the food I'm eating, although sometimes I do slip. It's not so much eating until I'm full, but eating a good, smart portion of everything. I've increased my water intake drastically, cut out all sodas (no sodas since September 1st, 2012) and most fruit juices (I drink orange juice for the Vitamin C). I don't eat many sweets these days, and while it's hard, I'm doing my best to not tempt myself with them. I said that once I finished the ice cream my step-mother bought me for my birthday, I wouldn't get anymore for a long time. It's so tempting to just go to the store and get some, but so far I've fought it. I've also started talking a multi-vitamin supplement, something I've thought of doing for quite some time, but just never started. It has helped in the energy side of things, and despite the fact that the pills are kinda big... I can definitely deal.
On the working out side of things, it's pretty simple. I use to run pretty consistently, but then stopped as the weight piled on. Right now that's my goal, to get back to where I can run uninhibited. I like bowling too, which can be a hefty workout (these days I don't get to bowl as much as I would like unfortunately). I'm not so much looking to gain a bunch of muscle mass at the current time, so that's easy enough.
More or less, it's just knowing where to actually start.
Whenever you walk into a gym, it's pretty easy to become very intimidated by those around you. Look at the guy who's running all out on the treadmill, or that 65-year old guy biking his heart out on the bike machine. And don't even look at the weights section, you've got people in there all jacked up, dropping weights on the ground. The air is heavy with the smell of macho-heavy humans.
It's enough to make someone who's new to the whole thing turn around and walk out.
Then there's the fear of working out with other people around. Someone who may be new may not want to be around a large amount of people, which is totally understandable. I was the same way when I first started going to the gym. I hated stretching in front of people, I hated jogging, or doing anything. I felt like people were silently judging me because of my overweight stature. Now days, I know they could probably care less about what I'm doing, especially if they're those people who are dropping weights on the floor and self-absorbed into their own workout plan. It can take a bit to become comfortable with your surroundings; you just have to stick with it.
As far as what you do in the gym, that's up to you. What do you want to work on? What are you looking to do... gain muscle, lose fat, or both? Are you looking to increase your endurance and work on that 5K, or are you looking to bulk up a bit? You have to know what you're looking for so that when you start, you're not floundering like a fish out of the water. I'm looking to lose weight, not gain muscle but to define the muscle I have already. So my workouts are cardio-intensive, but I do have weights that I do work on each day. It's not meticulously planned out, but it gives me a direction to go in.
So when you walk into that gym the first day ready to go, know you're not the only one who's doing the same thing. It's not just you that's trying to improve their lifestyle. But, at the same time, you can't get discouraged when what you want doesn't happen quickly. Think about it, it didn't all happen immediately when you put on the weight, so it's not going to come off immediately either. Time tells all, and you have to keep the motivation up to continue moving forward.
Hopefully I can follow my own words and keep moving forward. It's a great feeling, knowing you're accomplishing a goal you desire. While the award is far off, I feel like it's definitely worth it.
As you walk into the gym for the very first time, you take in the surroundings. Lots of cardio-type machines to work on your cardio with, and somewhere else, machines to work on things like abs, biceps, quads, and the like. It can be pretty daunting. So it's no surprise when this question pops into your mind:
"Where do I start?"
Given that I spent 9 years in a form of a marching band (high school and college), frequenting a gym wasn't exactly on my list of things to do, but still, it was something I wanted to start. Being in the best shape I could be in has always been at the top of my list. But each time, I sat wondering.... what do I start doing first?
I will say that the temptation on my part is simply the food and diet side of things. I come from a family that very much enjoys food. It's kind of a big deal. I remember being told once when I was younger that I wasn't eating enough.... that I needed to eat more. It's one of those things you learn to live with, but I can definitely say I probably took it too far, and didn't keep a tab on what I was eating. It's very easy to slip into constantly drinking sodas, eating fast food, or a lot of something you necessarily don't need.
So when the time comes to start that all-important weight loss goal, one thing you have to look at is your current diet. What are you eating? Is it too much? Are you eating to excess? What can you cut from your diet to align with what you want to do?
This can be rough. It's hard sometimes to put down that bag of chips when you're on the go, or pop into a fast food place and grab a quick bite to eat. Temptations are prevalent all around us, and it's very hard sometimes to not fall into those easy habits, that are ultimately hard to break. I know myself, I have an undying affection for Chick-fil-A, Red Velvet ice cream, and brownies. I'll quickly grab some chips for a midnight snack. I'll eat a midnight snack period.
I even tried the whole diet pill thing. Ever heard of Hydroxycut? I still have that bottle, albeit it has expired by this point, but I remember being at a point where I didn't know what else to do. Plus, I had the $20 to spare. I just needed something to help control my appetite, help control my diet. Or so I thought anyway.
Basically, what I'm saying is that you are the only one who can judge what you're eating and what you're capable of cutting out of your daily diet. For me, I know that what I'm eating isn't full of all the bad things that media makes you think it contains. I'm a bit more conscious of the food I'm eating, although sometimes I do slip. It's not so much eating until I'm full, but eating a good, smart portion of everything. I've increased my water intake drastically, cut out all sodas (no sodas since September 1st, 2012) and most fruit juices (I drink orange juice for the Vitamin C). I don't eat many sweets these days, and while it's hard, I'm doing my best to not tempt myself with them. I said that once I finished the ice cream my step-mother bought me for my birthday, I wouldn't get anymore for a long time. It's so tempting to just go to the store and get some, but so far I've fought it. I've also started talking a multi-vitamin supplement, something I've thought of doing for quite some time, but just never started. It has helped in the energy side of things, and despite the fact that the pills are kinda big... I can definitely deal.
On the working out side of things, it's pretty simple. I use to run pretty consistently, but then stopped as the weight piled on. Right now that's my goal, to get back to where I can run uninhibited. I like bowling too, which can be a hefty workout (these days I don't get to bowl as much as I would like unfortunately). I'm not so much looking to gain a bunch of muscle mass at the current time, so that's easy enough.
More or less, it's just knowing where to actually start.
Whenever you walk into a gym, it's pretty easy to become very intimidated by those around you. Look at the guy who's running all out on the treadmill, or that 65-year old guy biking his heart out on the bike machine. And don't even look at the weights section, you've got people in there all jacked up, dropping weights on the ground. The air is heavy with the smell of macho-heavy humans.
It's enough to make someone who's new to the whole thing turn around and walk out.
Then there's the fear of working out with other people around. Someone who may be new may not want to be around a large amount of people, which is totally understandable. I was the same way when I first started going to the gym. I hated stretching in front of people, I hated jogging, or doing anything. I felt like people were silently judging me because of my overweight stature. Now days, I know they could probably care less about what I'm doing, especially if they're those people who are dropping weights on the floor and self-absorbed into their own workout plan. It can take a bit to become comfortable with your surroundings; you just have to stick with it.
As far as what you do in the gym, that's up to you. What do you want to work on? What are you looking to do... gain muscle, lose fat, or both? Are you looking to increase your endurance and work on that 5K, or are you looking to bulk up a bit? You have to know what you're looking for so that when you start, you're not floundering like a fish out of the water. I'm looking to lose weight, not gain muscle but to define the muscle I have already. So my workouts are cardio-intensive, but I do have weights that I do work on each day. It's not meticulously planned out, but it gives me a direction to go in.
So when you walk into that gym the first day ready to go, know you're not the only one who's doing the same thing. It's not just you that's trying to improve their lifestyle. But, at the same time, you can't get discouraged when what you want doesn't happen quickly. Think about it, it didn't all happen immediately when you put on the weight, so it's not going to come off immediately either. Time tells all, and you have to keep the motivation up to continue moving forward.
Hopefully I can follow my own words and keep moving forward. It's a great feeling, knowing you're accomplishing a goal you desire. While the award is far off, I feel like it's definitely worth it.
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