Hello everyone! 10 years ago this month, my friend asked me to go for a run. Little did I know that my decision to say yes would completely change the way I lived my life for the next decade. I would like to share my story of how I went to a practically 100% sedentary lifestyle to my fitness-fueled life of today.
The beginning – Nov 2009
It all started when my friend Phil asked me to go for a run. Even though I was a complete slug back then who did exactly 0 exercise, something came over me and I said “yes”. When we got to the track, I knew I was out of shape, but I figured I could at the VERY least a half mile before stopping. I vividly remember after about 100 meters of just a jogging pace, every muscle in my body was screaming. As I continued to try and run I thought “Splashattack….you are 20 years old and you can’t even run 100 meters? What are you going to be like in 10, 20, 50 years from now?” It was that moment that I decided I needed to change my lifestyle.
Before Face Pic Spring 2009ish
Initial weight loss: Nov 2009 – Nov 2010 (160ish o 125 Lbs) Running fiend
After that run I was dedicated to losing weight. When I finally bought a scale it read 161 pounds. My goal was to get to around a weight of 130 pounds. To start, I downloaded Lose It and started tracking my calories every day. I also started running…well more like walking. When I started, I could only run for like 30 seconds, then I would have to walk. At first I started going for these ‘runs’ 2 or 3 times a week. By April 2010 I hit my goal of 130 Lbs and I was running 3-5 miles 7 days a week.
2011 – 2015: General Maintenance (128 – 133ish Lbs) (Little muscle)
Because I hit my goal of 130 pounds and I wasn’t seeing any more progress, I slowly stopped running. Up until then, I religiously logged my calories on Lose It EVERY SINGLE DAY since Nov 2009. I felt at this time that I could pretty much guesstimate calories, so I stopped using the app. By mid-2012 I stopped running completely but I managed to stay around 130ish pounds. The highest I think the scale ever got was around 133 but with no exercise I was practically a noodle muscle wise.
2016: Weightlifting (122 lbs) (Building Muscle)
At the start of 2016 I was tired of not doing anything physically, but I really didn’t want to start running again. I got a gym membership and started weightlifting. At first I had no idea what I was doing, but after much research I learned how to use the free weights. I also re-downloaded lose it and ate around 1400 calories a day. I once again became obsessed with fitness, with a new goal of minimizing my body fat while simultaneously increasing my muscle mass. By June 2016 I was the lowest weight I’ve been at 122 pounds and had considerably more muscle mass then when I ran. I was content with my progress but I wanted to be more muscular. Unfortunately, in the Fall I threw out my back lifting and I haven’t been able to get back into it since.
2017: Rock Climbing (130 lbs) Arm gainzzzz
Fall 2017 my wife got a Groupon to a climbing gym near us. At this time, I practically gave up on weightlifting due to back problems but I was still managing to go the gym a couple times here and there. After our first climbing session we were both hooked. We immediately signed up for a membership and climbed 3-5 days a week until I got a pretty serious overuse injury in my hand Jan 2018 which put me out of climbing till around April. From April onwards we reduced our climbing to around 2 times a week.
2018 – Present: Mountain Biking (125 lbs) Leg Gainzzzz
Sept 2018 I started a new job that was 3 miles away. I figured since I was so close to work I could commute by bike. After testing out some bikes, I settled on an e-mountain bike so I could use it both to ride to work and try out some trails. I started on some pretty easy trails and I was (once again) was hooked. I started mountain biking 2 – 3 times a week. I eventually progressed to a normal mountain bike and this past summer I got a season pass to a downhill mountain bike park. Downhill MTB is by far my favorite physical activity I’ve ever done, and I can’t wait until the park opens again next season.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a story of how from 2009 to 2019 I went from a lazy 20 year old potato who couldn’t even run 100 meters without stopping to a 30 year old rock climbing/down-hill mountain biking fiend. I went from 160+ pounds to 130 and throughout the decade I fluctuated between 122 – 132 pounds. The reason I am sharing this story is to show you guys that weight loss and fitness isn’t just something you do for a month or two, it is a whole lifestyle. A lot of people hit their weight loss goals and then unfortunately relapse back into their old lifestyle. There is no ‘end’ to fitness. Also, if you find yourself unmotivated TRY NEW THINGS! In the past decade I went from running, to weight lifting, to rock climbing, to mountain biking. Trying a new sport keeps it fresh for me.
tl;dr 20 year old lazy potato in 2009 goes from 160 to 125 pounds and maintains for 10 years by trying new activities. Went from running, to lifting, to rocking climbing, to mountain biking. My weight loss journey didn’t end when I hit my goal, it only just began. If you have any questions about how I managed to maintain my weight throughout these years just ask!
[link] [comments]
from loseit - Lose the Fat https://ift.tt/2PZYcsp
No comments:
Post a Comment