Run, Fat Man! Run!

I'm Not necessarily Cheating

One might well think that since I haven't written in over a month on my progress to become less fat that I am failing miserably and that I have not exercised in this time, nor have I given much thought to it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, since school has let out at the end of May I have been more active and consistent with my workout than in the three months previous. I have failed, dear readers, to keep you informed, however, and this I regret. My lack of blogatiousness is not isolated to this, the Run, Fat Man! Run! site. As I'm sure anyone reading this found it through Great Blogs of Fireit is safe to assumed that we realize my lack of presence there as well. This is mainly due to the laziness brought on summer, as described in GBF, but in my defense, I've been somewhat of a globetrotter this last month. Okay, more of a Midsouthtrotter, really. In the past month I've driven through and to several states. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and, of course, Texas. So, in the brief periods of time that I've been at home I have not been very compelled to write, but instead have filled my time with movies, reading, sleeping, seeing friends and family and, yes, working out.

But, here's where this gets a little tricky. Lately, the running has taken a back seat to lifting weights and other activities like that. The reason for this is multifaceted. First, I enjoy lifting weights and in the past I've had greater success with consistency when I focus on weight training as opposed to running or biking or some kind of cardio workout. This isn't to say that I've abandoned running or that I don't run at all. But, while three or four months ago I would go out and run 2 or 3 miles at a time, I'm typically only spending about 10 minutes doing a mile after lifting weights. This is about all I can do after a good weight lifting session. Not to mention the boredom of a treadmill brings me to my threshold of monotony fairly quickly. Which brings me to the other reason I'm not running as much. I hate running on a treadmill for very long and it is hot and humid outside the likes of which can only be compared to the armpit of John Kruk after a oldtimers pick up game in Rainforest Ballpark in August.

I've dabbled with the idea of swimming instead. On the first trip out of town I took this summer I spent an afternoon at Table Rock Lake in lower Missouri, outside of Branson. The water was cool and clear and there was about fifty or more yards to the barrier, designating the swimming area from the rest of the lake. I decided, having nothing else to do, to swim there and back. Well, the swim out to the barrier was tiring and by the time I arrived, having taken at least a couple of stops, I felt like I'd had a pretty good workout. Then I looked how far I'd come and had a realization. I've got to go back! So, I sucked it up and did my best to swim the whole way back, even though it was exhausting and difficult.

Unfortunately, Baytown doesn't have pristine lakes and with swimming holes the width of a football field. We've got the bayou which is muddy and filled with snakes, alligators and your momma's meatloaf. Not exactly what I'm going to be caught dead swimming in. So, I've got to settle for the swimming pool. Of course, the trick here is getting to the pool when the kiddos are not around, but then there's also the motivation factor. When I get to the other end of the pool the only motivation to keep going must be intrinsic. My life is not depending on my ability to make it back and therefore, once I've done enough laps to make me out of breath, I'm not exactly thrilled to keep it up. Then there is the monotony thing again. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, come on! And, it's not like you can take the old iPod into the pool.

As you've discovered the common them with me is motivation, as I'm sure it is with everyone else. It's not the pain or the difficulty or the tiredness that keeps me from my goal, it's the boredom. I like goals with my workouts; some kind of finish line that I can see and know that once I get there that I'm finished. The carrot dangling in front of me, if you will. Those people I know who are most successful with exercising or weightloss or anything that can't be done overnight or in a few weeks time are intrinsically motivated. That's why Weight Watchers was good for me. It kept me accountable to other people. Anyway, here are some things that I'm trying to do to motivate me to work out and keep me from overeating.

First, I can actually feel like I'm getting fatter. Okay, so this isn't something I'm doing to keep me motivated, but a couple of weeks ago as I'm was in the shower trying to wash my back I could feel the fat on my side getting in the way so that I couldn't quite stretch as far back there as I once could. My pants are all tighter and t-shirts that used to fit make me look like I'm smuggling an innertube. So, while I've always felt the need and desire to loose a little weight and be healthier, this is the first time in my life that I've ever really been motivated my how fat I'm actually getting. That's number one.

Second, games. When I was a kid I was very athletic. I played baseball and football for local teams and school and pretty much any other sport that I could get my hands on outside of organized leagues. You name it: tennis, basketball, kickball, volleyball, rugby, soccer, golf and even hockey (played on foot, not ice) were all in my resume of sports that I could and would play. I was very active. I never ran unless a coach or gym teacher made me. For the most part I stayed in pretty good shape for a kid. It was in high school after I quit playing baseball and had completed all of my P.E. requirements that I stopped being physical and began getting out of shape. A few times since then I have gotten into the routine of exercising for one reason or another, but no other thing helped me to stay as consistent as sports. In college it was intramural hockey and softball or pickup games of basketball. Near the end of my senior year in high school it was a mountain climbing trip I was taking that motivated me to get out and start running. Even now, my main motivation came when I entered a 10 K race. I love competition and the thought of not being in good enough shape to participate brings me down. So, in order to get me out there I'm trying to find as many opportunities to play sports as I can.

Finally, Amanda and I have decided to join the YMCA. Yes, we have a pool and a weight room here at our apartment, and yes, I can always do that for free, but I don't. At least not as much as I should. So, I'm going to pay to use the Wye and with the thought that I am wasting money if I don't go, I'll go. At least that's the idea. Plus, they have a full size basketball court and racketball rooms, so I'll be able to go play sports, which I love hopefully be motivated that way.

Also, as I hinted at earlier, I'm also trying to eat better. As much as it bugs me, I'm not the kind of person that can eat whatever they want and expect to drop pounds like David Beckham as long as I'm exercising. If I want to lose the fat I gotta quit eating bad. I've been considering a return to WW, since it did help last time, but I'm having trouble getting past the idea that everything they are asking me to do I could do without spending $10 a week and going to meetings with middle-aged women. (No offense, middle-aged women, but they didn't create Curves for 27 year old men, so I know you know what I'm getting at.)

posted by Kyle @ 1:45 PM