In the beginning there was life. Then there was too much slow life and not enough exercise. Next, there were far too many “x”‘s appearing on the size label in my clothes. Time for action…
It doesn’t matter what way you look at it, needing clothes with multiple “x”‘s on the label is a sign that something has gone wrong.
That “something” is often down to a lack of exercise. I know it was in my case. Working a desk job for many hour a day is not conducive to being fit and healthy. We need to get out and burn the fat.
If only it were that simple. In some ways I was worse off because of prior knowledge. You see, at one time in my life I was very fit. I trained hard to get into the army and trained hard while I was in.
It continued for a while after a left too. Running, cycling, some circuits (never the gym – I hate the gym). But then life slowly took over.
I know how much work it was to get fit and stay fit.
Put another way, your priorities change when you have a family. Your priority becomes work, family and then some way down the list you might get a chance to do something else. The something else often isn’t getting out there and pounding the pavements for exercise and health.
There’s something else too.
I’m not a natural athlete. What I mean by that is: I’m 6′ 2″ and large framed. I played rugby at school and in the army. I played as a forward – you know, one of the big guys in the scrum.
Running was always something I found quite hard. There’s a lot of me to move. There always was. The difference now is: there’s even more. And it’s in really bad shape this time.
Well, I’m in better shape than I was. About a year ago I started doing something about it. There was no way I could run. I had to take pain killers just to walk at a steady pace for a couple of miles.
It’s taken a year to get to the point I’m at now. I go on walking sessions about 5 times a week. Sundays is long walk day where I do at least 8 miles.
Then I got a severe case of shin splints in my left leg. I first got shin splints as a (much) younger person while in the army. It’s a painful nuisance and holds up progress every time it happens. More about that in future posts.
The point here is: if any of this sounds familiar to you then this blog might just have some useful/supportive information for you. I certainly hope so. Please comment to share your own experience.