The gym has been a little challenging lately, not because I am working my ass off therefore I am challenged but because of the treadmill army that seems to have developed. My normal routine usually ends with a 20 minute brisk walk at a mild incline just to slow things down before I walk out the door but lately it has been nuts at the treadmills but I suppose tis the season. The time that I normally go isn't an especially popular time and the gym is relatively calm when I am usually there, no lines for equipment, no waiting and I hope all of these beginning of the year commandos don't last too much longer! which is bad to say honestly because it means more people are working out and that's good right? I am a creature of habit and having to search for a treadmill isn't what I want to do but the fact that I might have to wait for a treadmill isn't going to stop me from doing what I do. In the beginning all I could do is walk and I somehow connect my success with that fact and I try to walk every day as much as possible because of that, I believe that a person that walks in addition to what could be called "a workout" has a leg up on the game figuratively as well as literally!
My virtual bike ride results from yesterday, RPM's are slightly lower than normal and don't pay attention to the heart rate as it was the only time I touched it and I was pedaling about 105 RPM's when I did that! not a bad 30 minutes. There are people of all sizes and shapes that need or want to lose weight, get healthier or just workout because it feels good! and some of the bigger folks have to struggle a bit more because of the weight. The new season of The biggest loser started last night and of course I watched it as I do each season (I am sure there will be a ton of blog posts about TBL today but hey! its relevant to what I am gonna say!) anyways, there was a fella on the show that weighed if I remember right 507 pounds and he had already lost 150 pounds to get onto the show or something to that effect, anyways to my point. The 500 pound guy got off of the treadmill at one point and said that his leg hurt and it looked like he tossed himself onto the floor of the gym to prove his point (which at 500 pounds probably wasn't a good idea!) he laid there for a moment and then got up and said something like "it feels better now" and I thought about the whole display and how that state of mind is not a good one when facing a challenge like that. At 500 plus pounds guess what? working out is going to hurt! even just walking like that fella was doing, it IS GOING TO HURT, I know this because I lived it.
When I started off and I know that I've mentioned this before I could only walk for roughly 5 to 10 minutes at a time, my back and legs were on fire the entire time, I was covered in sweat and breathing hard enough to suck any unfortunate bird that flew too close into my lungs. At first I thought about how would I continue? this shit hurts! so the next day I did the same, I walked as far as I could and slowly added length to my walks, then speed and here I am today. Coming to terms with the fact that when you weigh as much as two people that exercising is going to hurt must happen, it is not comfortable, it is not fun but it is in fact a necessity for a healthy life. I don't mean an injury kind of hurt either, that is something different all together but if you expect to walk around and float through the air with the grace of a Gazelle its just not going to happen, we have to crawl before we walk, walk before running and on and on, the graceful part comes later, I hope.
I began this trip to the half three years ago, walking at a two year old girls pace and thought about the day that I would be able to do 30 minutes straight of any kind of cardiovascular workout, that day seemed so far ahead but I knew if I kept going that I would get there and now an hour is par for the course. I wanted to use that excuse of "it hurts" many times, a lot of the time Wify would say in her kindest voice "you should just do it, once your done you can relax knowing that you did it" and she was right so I pushed through it. In the beginning I was in pain almost constantly, I mean sore when I say in pain, I mean my arse hurting from the seat on my exercise bike and the 500 pounds of pressure that was balanced on that small seat for a whopping 10-15 minutes at a time. Coming to terms with the fact that it is going to hurt is as I said key, even now three years later I get sore after an especially hard workout, walking doesn't hurt any more, biking doesn't hurt me at all but a hike can and does leave its mark most times and I do that for fun these days.
Extra weight will not fall off on its own, we have to make sacrifices in order to get into the shape that we want to, pain will be a part of the process, discomfort will be a part of the process and giving up all of that comfort food will also be a part of that process. In my opinion weighing 500 pounds comes with more pain, discomfort and agony than any exercise gave me, I have come to terms with the fact that exercise does in fact at times hurt, I'm done hurting because of my weight so I'll gladly take it.
When I started off and I know that I've mentioned this before I could only walk for roughly 5 to 10 minutes at a time, my back and legs were on fire the entire time, I was covered in sweat and breathing hard enough to suck any unfortunate bird that flew too close into my lungs. At first I thought about how would I continue? this shit hurts! so the next day I did the same, I walked as far as I could and slowly added length to my walks, then speed and here I am today. Coming to terms with the fact that when you weigh as much as two people that exercising is going to hurt must happen, it is not comfortable, it is not fun but it is in fact a necessity for a healthy life. I don't mean an injury kind of hurt either, that is something different all together but if you expect to walk around and float through the air with the grace of a Gazelle its just not going to happen, we have to crawl before we walk, walk before running and on and on, the graceful part comes later, I hope.
I began this trip to the half three years ago, walking at a two year old girls pace and thought about the day that I would be able to do 30 minutes straight of any kind of cardiovascular workout, that day seemed so far ahead but I knew if I kept going that I would get there and now an hour is par for the course. I wanted to use that excuse of "it hurts" many times, a lot of the time Wify would say in her kindest voice "you should just do it, once your done you can relax knowing that you did it" and she was right so I pushed through it. In the beginning I was in pain almost constantly, I mean sore when I say in pain, I mean my arse hurting from the seat on my exercise bike and the 500 pounds of pressure that was balanced on that small seat for a whopping 10-15 minutes at a time. Coming to terms with the fact that it is going to hurt is as I said key, even now three years later I get sore after an especially hard workout, walking doesn't hurt any more, biking doesn't hurt me at all but a hike can and does leave its mark most times and I do that for fun these days.
Extra weight will not fall off on its own, we have to make sacrifices in order to get into the shape that we want to, pain will be a part of the process, discomfort will be a part of the process and giving up all of that comfort food will also be a part of that process. In my opinion weighing 500 pounds comes with more pain, discomfort and agony than any exercise gave me, I have come to terms with the fact that exercise does in fact at times hurt, I'm done hurting because of my weight so I'll gladly take it.
As Ever
Me
I feel what you are saying. I just walked to the bathroom at work and my knees hurt like hell. I am at 458 pounds right now. Thanks for blogging, it good to know there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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