What About Exercise?

Every healthy living plan involves exercise to some degree.  I have exercised in the past, and have had the most success with varied routines such as P90x or T25.  By success I mean I felt good while doing these, and had moderate improvement over the course of the program.

However, when you are busy, something has to give.  In my case, nutrition was neglected.  The time I put into exercise was time no longer available to prepare great healthy meals and shop for fresh healthy foods - not that I was doing that beforehand - but you get the idea...

A cycle develops where I work out, and kind of get in this excuse or reward scenario, where I then grab breakfast out and pick up some prepared foods for dinner, and maybe slap a quick sandwich together for lunch.

This summer, I decided to NOT exercise. I was going to focus on food only. By the time school began, I had lost 20+ pounds and had a ton of energy.  I also decided I really had the food program pretty well under control.

2 summers back I started a walk-run program and progressed with it to the point that I actually enjoyed running.  After a long cold winter I had trouble starting up.  I have back issues when I run too much without building up to it.

In the late spring I ran a bit too aggressively and my back was sore for 3-4 days, so I just laid off it, frustrated at all the progress I had undone.  After losing weight and having more energy, I decided to attack it again, but from a very different approach.

Here's what I began to do - a simple walk run routine based on a 1 minute walking recovery period.  Unlike the food plan, which I dove into full tilt, the exercise plan I entered cautiously for fear of set backs.  Despite feeling great, I know I'm an old man :-)

My routine began with a simple 1 minute walk, 15 second run cycle.  I use bit timer to monitor my cycles and Runkeeper to chart my runs.  Each time I go out I add 5 seconds to my run cycle but keep my recovery walk at 1 minute.  I am up to 1:45 run vs 1:00 walk, and approaching 3 miles in my half hour window for exercise.  The terrain is a nice variety of dirt, stone, and paved surfaces with a variety of elevation.

I shoot to get out 3 times each week, and also try to add some walks in here and there.  Hiking, photo walks, or just wandering around local towns.

While this is certainly not a huge athletic accomplishment, I have noticed it continues to add to my overall feeling of wellness, and while my weight is close to stabilizing now that I have dropped 40-45 pounds, my belt loop was down another notch despite minimal weight loss.  Perhaps my weight is shifting a bit.

For most things in life, you just need to try it.  Commit and set yourself up for easy wins and noticeable growth.  When you don't meet the goal you set, just aim for that next benchmark.  Don't view it as a failure or cheating.  Just consider it feedback for long term progress!

Next up for me - upper body - core and more - I'm going to try to ease into a program to help me feel stronger and tone up!