Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Back to the Gym

Now that circumstances have changed to allow it (thank you, Mr Reserve Bank), I've started back at the gym. I had my fitness assessment (cough) last night.

After about 6 months away I was worried that I'd be right back where I started, and have to make up a whole heap of lost ground before I could start seeing results. Thankfully this is not so! While my general fitness has decreased (and my upper body strength has gone to crap), my weight hasn't changed much, which means that I've basically just lost muscle tone. And that's easy to build up again!

From my original starting weight, I've lost nearly 30% of my total goal. Not a bad effort, I think, considering all of my vices (beer... a few occasional cigarettes with the beer... good food...) and relative lack of exercise in the past 6+ months. Sadly I don't think I'll be doing as much walking as I have so far - my calves are getting too muscley (if you can believe it)!

So here, dear readers, I shall share with you my main goals:

Weight: 70% of my total goal to go (ie. I wanted to lose 35kg, and I'm 30% of the way there)
Waist: reduce measurement by at least 20%
Resting Heart Rate: reduce by at least 10 beats per minute
O2 Uptake: increase by at least 10 (mg/something/minute)

Obviously these are not short-term goals. My trainer has said that she'll have me in the shape I want to be in in about 18 months or so, providing I stick to my side of the deal. I really really want to stick to my side of the deal. I have a hopeless track record when it comes to sticking to something. I guess it comes down to - how much do I want this? How much do I want good health? How much do I want to like looking in the mirror? How much do I want to enjoy shopping for clothes - in the "normal" clothes shops? I have a picture taken a few years ago that shows me at my largest: I have it on the fridge at home (along with a list of my goals), and on my desk at work. I'm hoping it reminds me what I'm fighting against.

2 comments:

Helmaree said...

Well done Maffy!

Just remember, now that you're back at the gym, your weight will probably go up as you build muscle before it starts to come down again.

Good luck with your goals, and don't forget to keep us posted! Oh, and PS: I'd advise not making that choccy french toast i posted... far too addictive ;)

thanh7580 said...

Hey hey, a fellow gym-er. I've started to not despise the gym now, which is a good thing. I try to challenge myself each time I go now to push a bit harder. No weight loss yet but definitely more muscle tone....I think. :-)