So, I’m a couple of weeks into what I’m calling my project 60 – getting into the best shape of my life by the time I reach 60 which is 14 short months away. While the weather has been hot – and lord knows I wilt in the heat – I’ve pushed through and have been more active. I’ve gotten my ass out the door and not just “walked the dog” but walked the dog briskly. While this doesn’t sound like much, it’ s a big deal. Previously my “dog walking” was really “dog strolling”. I’d amble along, getting to the park when I got to the park. It was a relaxed walk that was generally interrupted by leisurely conversations with neighbours. While it was pleasant, it was never going to get me fit. Today, the strolling is history and my walks are intentional. I walk briskly to the park, take a break for Lola (my dog) to do her business and then continue walking at a pace. I set out with a route and duration in mind. I walk so that I feel it in my heart, breath and muscles. I put work into my walks and do them with intent.
You may be thinking that at this pace I’ll be long dead before I’m fit. You may be right but I have a plan. Over the years I’ve learned that jumping head first into exercise is the wrong thing for me (and probably for most people). In the past I’d make the decision to get fit and immediately run 10 kilometres in worn out running shoes. I’d spend the next week walking around as if I were wearing plywood pants as my aching muscles rebelled against my boneheaded actions. This in turn would lead to me forget or give up my desire to get fit. After three or six more months of sitting around the cycle would repeat – desire to get fit, 10K in bad shoes, plywood pants, agony and forgotten desire. Finally I realized that this mind set of doing too much too soon wasn’t working. If I had any hope of getting in shape I’d have to change my mind before I could change my body. Furthermore, I’m smart enough to know that at 59 you don’t just leap into super strenuous exercise. That’s the recipe for trouble. Heart attacks aren’t just a thing that happens to other people. They can happen to anyone, especially someone who’s middle aged, sedentary and is carrying extra weight. So the plan is to walk briskly for a period and eventually work up to a run.
I currently weigh in at 202 lbs. which would put me in the heavy weight category if I were a boxer – I’m no boxer. Given my build, I should weigh in the neighbourhood of 170 – 175 lbs. I’m carrying an extra 25 or 30 pounds and they have to go. I’d love to blame the damn pandemic on my weight gain but in truth this extra load was building long before the virus ever reached our shores. The weight crept up on me slowly over a few years. Each time the scale ticked up a little I vowed it would just be temporary. “Once I get fit it’ll be back to normal”. But when a newer weight mark was set, the previous weight plateau became the new norm. It wasn’t that I didn’t notice, I noticed, it’s just I didn’t do anything about it. Now it has to change.
To be clear I haven’t always been a couch potato. There have been many periods of my life when I’ve been active. Over the years I’ve run a fair bit and I still consider myself a runner – or at least a lapsed runner. While I’m not very accomplished I have run a number of marathons, half marathons and other races of shorter distances. That may seem impressive but there’s a difference between running a race and just finishing a race. For the most part I finish races. I train just enough to get me across the finish line. When it comes to running I do the “strolling” version of it. Yes, I finish but never with real intent. All this to say that getting into some sort of running routine won’t be completely out of the norm for me but it won’t be easy either.
So I walk. I get my heart rate up and I feel the strain in my legs & back. It feels good. Right now I have to be patient. You must walk before you run and that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’ll keep walking even if I’d rather be doing something, anything else.