Exercising

At the age of 41, almost 42, never did the phrase “I need to do yoga” ever cross my mind as something that I would be saying. Somewhere along the way of life, I realized that my knees would not hold up enough for me to be a runner anymore.

Yoga has become a great way to be a stress reliever from work and life, but also gives me a chance to workout. I’ve gained more flexibility in the last several weeks, than I had in years of going to the gym.

My wife and I had decided to get back into working out, but we not only had different goals, but we had different preferences of what we used to work out with. She went with Beachbody and that is great, it works for her, but it didn’t work for me. I went with DDP Yoga, which challenged me and I was able to relate to the injuries that some of the athletes had, my wife could not get with it.

The outcome, we are both working out daily, tracking our progress and our goals. And more importantly, we are determined. We are determined to live healthier lifestyles, which in turn, teaches the boys to be healthier. As I told a co-worker today, I didn’t put on 20 lbs of extra weight overnight, so it is going to take a lot of extra work to get it off too.

But what I’m learning, is that I’m it isn’t just yoga that is helping, it is working on meal planning and ensuring that the entire family is eating healthier as well. So, as I sit on the sofa, the boys are asleep, I’m working on meals for the next two weeks and planning out my workout schedule.

Who knew that yoga could be fun?

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I’ve beyond slacked off as it pertains to my normal exercise routine.  I can give a million and one excuses, long commute, tired, would rather do anything other than working out, etc. But at the end of the day, I need to do more.

Today, the boys and I walked over to the playground instead of riding bikes. We ran, did jumping jacks, played tag, etc. The boys thought that they we were just playing, they didn’t realize that they were jump starting my exercise program. For the first time in a long time, I ran sprints. I tested my knee, which should be scoped and cleaned up again by my Orthopedic surgeon. But until then, I have to test it more. I have always tried to take it easy with my knee, which might have been a reason why I put off my exercising.

Today was the first day of my new work out plan. My goal is that on the weekend, get 2 work outs in a day and during the week, one long walk either before or after work and yoga. I felt great. My knee, didn’t, but it didn’t buckle which was a nice thing.  And as the boys and I walked home, I realized that as I watched the boys run, this was the first of many exercise days with them and they didn’t even realize how much they were doing for me.

 

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We all struggle with it at some point in time, especially when the Dr. mentions it. But my wife and I were having a conversation two weeks ago and I’ll never forget her statement, “If you don’t lose weight and get in shape, you will not be here to watch the boys grow up.” And there it was. Some might call it a guilt trip, I call it a slap in the face with reality. Of course I want to be here for my boys. Of course I’ll do anything for them, including, getting in shape.

Now, I will be honest to say, that since moving to the East coast from Texas, I’ve put on 40 pounds. I’m not happy at all about that. In fact, it frustrates me, because, since the move here almost 7 years ago, I’ve also torn the cartilage in my knee and have had my left knee scoped twice.  So I am really limited in my exercise program, because my left knee has torn cartilage again and I am pretty sure that my right knee does as well. So, I have to do other things to help lose weight.

I’ve started going to the gym 2 nights a week and get in at least 20 minutes on the treadmill of a solid walk. Then I have a routine for upper body and lower body. And then on the weekend, I try to get in the pool and either swim or try to use some resistance from the water to exercise. But to keep myself honest, my wife and I both installed the My Fitness Pal app to keep us both honest with our eating as well.   My wife purchased a fitness band for her arm and after I looked and tested it out, I figured that I too would get one, but I went with the less visible Jawbone Up.

So, two weeks into a more strict diet and exercising more and I’m already down 4 pounds. It is a start, but 4 pounds down and 36 pounds more to go.

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Today marks Day 1 of a new challenge that I have setup for myself and one that I hope that will continue for a very long time.

Ever since I turned 21, I have been reminded that both sides of my family struggles with alcohol. I have known it and have always been really mindful of it. The last 2 – 3 weeks have been really stressful at work and instead of coming home and having a beer or a glass of wine, I was doing 3 – 4.
I was drinking to get through the stress. I knew it. I didn’t want to admit it, but I recognized it. And when I said out loud that I was doing this, I felt like the world was being lifted off of my shoulders.

This past Sunday night, my wife and I had a long conversation and it was really me more or less mapping out what I wanted to do, to try to ensure that I am here for a long time for the boys.
And for the first time in my life, I acknowledged, that if I didn’t make changes, that I wouldn’t be here to watch the boys grow up. So, I asked my wife to give me 2 – 3 nights a week that I could work out
at the gym. I’ve already been doing a pretty decent job with the meals, so I wasn’t as concerned about that.

Today marks Day 1 of this new journey. Day 1 of a new me and a new life. I am fortunate that a few friends are taking this same approach to getting in better shape. I think that the biggest feeling for me, is that there will be accountability, because
several good friends will also be doing this and we will be able to keep each other on track.

 

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Play time is so important for the kids. Just getting out and running around and now that the weather is starting to turn nice outside, there will be even more play time to come.

This past weekend, I took the boys out for a walk, which helped me get exercise in, but also gave them a chance to get out and run too.   Getting the boys outside more is a goal of mine.It let’s them play more with other kids, but it also gets them use to the environment, playing on playgrounds, etc.

But, it is also quality family time too and gives me a chance to be a big kid all over again.

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As many people start the 2012, New Years Resolutions are being made and most will be stopped by March, as mine have in years past. I hope that by publishing my resolutions, I can keep track of them easier and focus on them more. So here goes:

1) Spend more time with my boys
2) Save more money – both for the boys College but for the family & I am hoping that by cutting down on eating out, using more coupons and the boys switching from formula to milk in a few months, that this will be an achievable goal.
3) Exercise more – I would like to start doing 2 – 3 days a week of cardio, which should be doable since there is a 1 mile walking path at work.
4) Pay down debt – Pay down at least 3 credit cards and finish paying off 1 college loan for my wife.

So, as we start the new year, let’s hope that I am able to do better this year than in previous with my 2012 New Years Resolutions.

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