"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo)
05/29/2020 at 12:21 • Filed to: None
6
7|
"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo)
05/29/2020 at 12:21 • Filed to: None | 6
| 7 |
I’m whipped.
I go to a personal trainer in the mornings 5 days a week. I have been doing it since I completed cardiac rehab 18 months ago; this is where what used to be my bar money goes now. I quit drinking 2 years ago and haven’t missed it at all. BTW, the trainer is cheaper than the bar.
We do 2 days of cardio and 3 days of strength training. I do additional cardio on the weekends with my treadmill at home, and I also hike with Toby, which you have seen in photos. Today was satisfying.
I did 1335 meters on the rowing machine in 5 minutes (I do three 5 minute sets on the rower on Fridays). This was a personal best for me by about 50 meters, and my trainer confessed that mine is the best of their clients, and my prior best was already in the lead . The guy whose appointment is before mine tried to catch my prior best, and didn’t make it by about 100 meters. He told me as he was leaving that he felt like he was going to puke. For a guy who was obese and had a heart attack two years ago, this feels really good. I have lost almost 90 lbs, quit drinking, improved my diet, and committed to exercise. When I started this journey, I literally was physically incapable of running. Now I run on the treadmill, jump rope, hit the rowing machine, and do all kinds of cardio torture. I still count calories every day and budget them to control my diet.
I am only sharing this because I wish I had changed my life for the better much sooner; I am happier now than I was then. Take it from me, it may seem overwhelming but it can be done as long as you simply commit to it. It has been slow and steady, but if I can do it, anyone can. I am healthier now than I have been since my late teens/early 20s, and am living proof that you can always change course for the better as long as you are alive.
I am blowing off the office today. GTI goes in for an oil change this morning, and Ducati goes in for its initial 600 mile service this afternoon. The heat breaks today, and the Ducati and I will be in the foothills tomorrow for a dawn ride.
Toby says hi. Morning squirel hunt has begun. Get healthy if you aren't. The world is better with you in it.
OPPOsaurus WRX
> ImmoralMinority
05/29/2020 at 12:29 |
|
good work! I’ve been trying to do 30 minutes of something 5 days a week. Its some combination of running lifting or mountain biking.
punkgoose17
> ImmoralMinority
05/29/2020 at 12:39 |
|
Thanks for the post. I needed this. I need to build an exercise habit.
TorqueToYield
> ImmoralMinority
05/29/2020 at 13:01 |
|
I was doing better with drinking less and then the pandemic hit and uh, yeah, that didn’t go well.
I don’t think I want to quit cold turkey right now.
TheRealBicycleBuck
> ImmoralMinority
05/29/2020 at 13:26 |
|
I’ve never been a fan of going to the gym, relying mostly on daily commuting by bike to keep me in shape. That wasn’t possible when we moved to Louisiana, so I tried to keep in shape with general outdoor activity with a weekly long ride . Pretty soon, that wasn’t happening either. After years of neglect, g etting back on the bike became a priority.
Since riding outdoors has become too complicated, t he gamification of cycling really provides a lot of motivation for me to get on the trainer. The software keeps track of my rides and gives points for completing goals and setting new personal records on different rides. It also provides direct feedback on my performance. I’m really out of shape, so my performance is abysmal. But I’m improving!
Keep up the good work! It’s nice to see when people improve their lives through hard work.
SPAMBot - Horse Doctor
> ImmoralMinority
05/29/2020 at 13:56 |
|
Good work! It’s great to see your progress along the way. Exercise has still been mostly ok during the SIP. I miss my gym but I’m still keeping the running up and smaller at home workouts. Only issue is I am feeling old, slow, and a little broken. I still get out and run, but the heavy mileage days and being somewhat competitive seem to be behind me. On a positive note, having this much time at home and being forced to cook (an activity I do truly enjoy), I’ve been able to make tweaks to my diet that would have been challenging before. I certainly do not need to lose weight, but I’m cutting out as much crap as possible for a month or two. I’m almost a month in now and have great momentum. So my physical activity may be down slightly, but I feel my overall fitness is up.
Keep on keeping on, and enjoy that ride tomorrow morning!!
gokstate
> ImmoralMinority
05/29/2020 at 13:56 |
|
Rock on!
My GTI went in 10 days ago for some warranty work and I still don’t have an ETA return. I’ve actually been enjoying the Tiguan loaner for mindless commuting, but miss the golfball shifter and sport mode.
MiniGTI - now with XJ6
> ImmoralMinority
05/30/2020 at 00:53 |
|
Your an inspiration to us all. We’ve at least had a couple good walks in the forest preserves recently but are still far too lazy. My 3-yo son prefers the narrow rugged trails through the woods over the smooth surfaces stuff.