50 Days of Fitness

To celebrate Day 50 of my new fitness program, Modern Philosophers, I went for a five mile run to make sure I’d rack up 50 active minutes on my fitness tracker.

Yes, I do know how to party like a rock star, just as long as the rock star in question is overweight, doesn’t really enjoy running, but is determined to get back into shape.

Truth be told, the run felt good.  I rambled further down the road than usual, exploring strange new lands (and finding them to be exactly like the lands with which I was already so well acquainted), and pushing myself harder because if I’m going to run I might as well give it my all.

As I’ve detailed in previous posts, I started this new fitness program on April 1 when I was asked to participate in a new wellness pilot program at work.  They gave me a Virgin Pulse (great name for an indie band, right?) fitness tracker and told me to see how I liked  logging in every day, uploading my steps, and trying to meet the goals of the program.

So far, so good, Modern Philosophers!

Today is Day 50, and after uploading my steps from this morning’s run, I reached the 16,000 point plateau on the site.  That seems to be the last point goal the website offers, so I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to do for the next 40 days.

Aside from kicking even more ass, of course.

The site keeps a running total of steps for the week, but not since Day 1.  However, since I always achieve my personal goal of at least 10,000 steps a day (the goal set by the program is 7,000 steps a day), I know I’ve taken at least half a million steps since April 1.

That’s like 10 marathons, Modern Philosophers.

I took the photo on the left after my very first run on April 1.  Perhaps you can read body language well enough to deduce that I wasn’t too thrilled to be out running again.

I was very fat, extremely out of shape, there was snow on the ground, and I felt like the biggest April fool.

But I set my mind to getting back into shape, and I have made quite a bit of progress to this point.

Today was my thirtieth run in fifty days.  I’ve maintained a schedule of running every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Last week, I thought I’d liven up things a little by tossing in a short run on Wednesday.  Now I’m going to see if I can keep up a fifth day.

Even on my so called days off, I still made sure I went for long walks to accumulate at least 10,000 steps.  That means getting up early to walk before work, and then walking on my lunch break and after dinner.

It was my dear old Dad who told me it was good to be active after eating to help digest the food.  That’s why I go for a walk after every meal.

And it seems to be working.  I’ve lost 22 lbs so far.

That’s about a third of the way to the goal I’ve set for myself, but my goal seems a hell of a lot more realistic now that I’ve lost so much weight already.

After my shower, I put on a pair of shorts that are one size smaller than my current Fat Boy wardrobe size.  Not only did the shorts fit, but they were also so loose that I’ve had to put on a belt to keep them from falling down (sorry, ladies, but no free shows today!).

I optimistically kept my Thinner Guy clothes from before this massive weight gain, but I’ve hesitated to try on a smaller pair of work pants or jeans.  Perhaps next week I will finally get up the courage to do so based on what’s going on with these shorts.

This photo is from after today’s run.

Notice the smile.  The thinner face.  Something has changed over the last fifty days.

And it’s not just running and walking that’s led to this transformation.  I really have my diet under control.  I’ve been preparing healthy meals, eating lots of salad, drinking oceans of water, and making sure there are healthy snacks around for when I get a craving.

I have not had any ice cream, nor do I stop at the grocery store after a hard day’s work to pick up comfort food in hopes of making my day better.  I only dream about Chinese food now, and there are a lot more chickens in Maine with wings since I’ve gone on this diet.

Some people have been worried that I’ve been doing too much, too quickly, but I’m losing about three pounds a week.  There’s nothing crazy about that.  I’m eating healthy.  Exercising regularly.  Keeping hydrated.  Getting lots of sleep.  All is well.

When I throw myself into something, be it exercising, writing, or building a time machine, I commit to it one hundred percent.

Right now, getting myself healthy is my main goal.  I’m seeing results, so that’s going to excite me and make me want to keep at it.

Losing weight and being able to run five miles without needing to be rushed to a hospital is great for my self confidence.  I’ve been thinking about trying to date again, knowing that the women can run from me if they want, but I now have the stamina to catch them.

Of course, that last line was a joke (even if it is totally true), so don’t freak out on me.  I’m still gun shy about dating, but as my confidence increases, I will at least try to ask someone out.

One last photo.  Me smiling because I’ve survived the first 50 days and know better things are ahead!

So that about wraps up this post.  It’s several hours later, I’ve gone for a few more walks, and had a good dinner.  I hope that those of you who are a little wary of jumping back into a regular exercise routine find some inspiration from all my perspiration.

You only live once (unless, of course, you come back as a zombie!) so take care of yourself.