Today I went to the gym and was then still able to take a long walk with my wife. I also destroyed one of my friends in fantasy football, so all in all I can't complain....
Today brought another small group session at Long Fitness Studios. As usual, it was incredibly grueling. What was unusual, however, is the fact that I still felt like I could go for a walk or some other type of light physical activity hours after it was over.
It wasn't too long ago that just taking the dogs for a stroll made me feel like I needed to be placed in bacta tank for a week or more. Now I could go through one of Tracie's insane circuits (which included attempting one-armed push ups on a bar) and feel like I still had more than enough energy left to do other stuff.
Another odd thing I noticed as I drove into work this morning was that my fingernails had gotten a bit long. This was an usual sight for me to see due to the fact that I tend to bite my nails constantly. In fact, I haven't had to use a fingernail clipper in almost two decades on account of my nervous chewing habit.
...and I am nowhere near enough to
make that bad habit look cute or alluring
For those of you who are still here and haven't run away screaming in disgusted terror, I did bite my currently elongated fingernails off, but only for aesthetic reasons. The pounds being shed and increased mobility I was experiencing seemed to also be relieving my stress levels, as well. This is greatly appreciated for a number of reasons, one of which is my inexplicable dedication to the University of Kentucky Football team.
Day 18
Aside from the fact that Tracie is going to murder me once she reads my food diary, I really am starting to feel a lot better. This is especially good since I've had a severe lack of "Oh, you look like you've lost weight comments" since people were complimenting me during the first couple weeks of my unfatting process.
Verbal praise and recognition from others shouldn't be the goal, but my severely insecure self latches onto it like a python eating a mouse when it comes to looking for sources of motivation. I'm also, aware, however, that I can't lose 10 lbs every two weeks, nor would it be healthy to do so. But the fact that I actually FEEL so much better has been a huge lift and a great intrinsic motivator. I'll keep hanging onto that while I work on these next 10-15 lbs.
I would also like to mention that I have somehow lost my third set of headphones...and I think we all know who is responsible.
Definitely not me.
Day 19
For some reason, Wednesdays seem to have a habit of being really terrible days for me so far this year. Granted, it's my busiest day of the week (I go from 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM straight), but that's hardly the reason. The last part of my day is teaching lessons to some really great kids, which actually tends to wash away the any pent up rage I've carried from that morning and afternoon.
But as usual, I was able to get into the gym, work out, and feel like I had control over one thing in my life, at least. This was definitely a healthier way of dealing with a rough day than eating an entire can of Pringles and watching old X-Files episodes.
Day 20
Today was another session at Long Training Studios, this time being run by The Viking/Jared. At the point that he began describing the "proper technique for Spider-Man push ups," I knew that I was in trouble.
The hour consisted of multiple exercises designed to make your core and abs shiver and twitch like they were being put through electroshock therapy. One of the fitness model girls was there and even she was having trouble getting through it. (Of course, there was also a soccer mom who looked like she could rock climb Mount Everest to help remind me that my ass was still very kickable).
While struggling through the form for one of the exercises, Jared came over and helped me get it right. His ability to offer assistance without making me feel like a complete idiot/pansy was both masterful and greatly appreciated.
He was also one of the first people to take notice of how awesome the shirt was that I was wearing.
There may still be hope for our kind.
When I told him that a lot of people didn't even know who the shirt was referring to, he looked stunned and incredulously snapped back "How can anyone not know who Magneto is?!"
This man's awesomeness truly has no limits.
Once I was done with the exercise Jared was showing me, I decided to take a picture of my mat...mostly because it looked like someone had poured a bucket of fat person sweat onto it.
...and maybe just a few tears.
Jared told me that he was very proud of all the work I had done and was starting to really notice a difference in my fitness level. A mortal like myself to receiving a blessing like that from the son Odin really meant a lot.
Later that evening, I walked laps with Tracie around the soccer field where Makayla was practicing. We were going to walk the bridge, but decided it would be more fun to periodically stop and shout at her daughter to go for the ball and play more aggressively.
My good vibes from the day came to a screeching halt, however, when Tracie asked to see my food diary. She looked at it and made an expression on her face like I do when my wife farts in bed. She then looked back up at me and said "Eggs."
"What?" I replied.
"We're going to start with one meal. You need to get more protein in your diet and cut out the carbs and sugar, especially at the start of the day." Tracie firmly declared.
"But I am doing a lot better," I responded/pleaded. "My diet used to be so much worse."
"I bet," she replied with a nod.
"But how bad is it now?" I tentatively asked,.
"Oh, it's bad," Tracie bluntly stated. "But we're going to fix that one meal at a time...starting with breakfast."
Tracie then went on to give me some suggestions for creating various types of omelets while being completely unaware of the fact that I can barely fry and egg without catastrophically messing it up.
But I went to the store that night and bought 18 grade A's. If eating more eggs (which I love) was going to be beneficial to my current health regimen, than I was all for it. I was on a roll and it was time to kick things up a notch.
This whole getting back in shape thing wasn't just a goal, anymore. It was becoming my reality. It felt good. If I could do more to increase and enhance that, than it would be done. And with Tracie and her team supporting me, I knew that being in ever better shape (and more importantly, feeling better) was going to happen.
I had been blessed by the ruler of Asgard, after all.
If you want to cheer Tracie on while she kicks my butt on a weekly basis, you can find her on Twitter. If you live in the Charleston area and would like to have your butt kicked into shape like mine has been, then take a moment and check out the Long Training Studios website.
Please also feel free to leave a comment below. If you'd like to sing my praises or tell me how terrible I am more personally, I can also be found on Twitter. To get updates on when new articles or podcasts are published (and occasional random musings) 'Like' the official RamblingBeachCat.com Facebook page.
