This blog is written by me, for me. However, I think it may be of interest to anyone who has started an exercise program late in life. In contrast, someone who has grown up playing sports or visited the gym throughout their teens and twenties will be bored with my entries.
When I was a kid, I played some baseball, rode my bike, and did a lot of hiking. But I had asthma and this kept me from developing my athletic abilities. I was also very nervous and self-conscious, so baseball didn't last long, as I just couldn't hit the ball when it counted. So I developed academic interests that took the place of baseball, basketball, and any other athletic enterprise. I progressed through High School, college, and graduate school without paying much attention to my physique or physical abilities. But then in 1998 at the age of 23 I suffered an on-the-job accident in which I fell 40 feet to the ground, breaking my back in the process. It took a year to fully recover from my injuries, and during that time I realized that my body was strong. Maybe it was no stronger than average, but it was stronger than I had known it to be. So over the next 5 years, I started to pay more attention to my strength, endurance, coordination, and physical structure. These attributes were maintained and improved by a lot of hiking required by my outdoor job. But then I changed jobs in 2004 and the daily outdoor activities stopped; I needed to be more purposeful with my physical activity to keep myself fit. So I started biking to work, 5 miles each way. In 2007 I moved again and shortly thereafter bought a weight bench to see if I could strengthen my upper body. Ever since my 1998 accident I had had episodes of back and neck pain, and I wondered if that might clear up if I strengthened my shoulders, back, and chest. Since buying the weight bench (which does seem to have helped with my back pain), I have added exercises and workouts including more cycling, yoga, swimming, and most recently, running. It is here in this blog that I plan to chronicle my efforts in self improvement. I don't know who will ever read this, but by posting on my progress, I will feel even more motivated to workout.
When I was a kid, I played some baseball, rode my bike, and did a lot of hiking. But I had asthma and this kept me from developing my athletic abilities. I was also very nervous and self-conscious, so baseball didn't last long, as I just couldn't hit the ball when it counted. So I developed academic interests that took the place of baseball, basketball, and any other athletic enterprise. I progressed through High School, college, and graduate school without paying much attention to my physique or physical abilities. But then in 1998 at the age of 23 I suffered an on-the-job accident in which I fell 40 feet to the ground, breaking my back in the process. It took a year to fully recover from my injuries, and during that time I realized that my body was strong. Maybe it was no stronger than average, but it was stronger than I had known it to be. So over the next 5 years, I started to pay more attention to my strength, endurance, coordination, and physical structure. These attributes were maintained and improved by a lot of hiking required by my outdoor job. But then I changed jobs in 2004 and the daily outdoor activities stopped; I needed to be more purposeful with my physical activity to keep myself fit. So I started biking to work, 5 miles each way. In 2007 I moved again and shortly thereafter bought a weight bench to see if I could strengthen my upper body. Ever since my 1998 accident I had had episodes of back and neck pain, and I wondered if that might clear up if I strengthened my shoulders, back, and chest. Since buying the weight bench (which does seem to have helped with my back pain), I have added exercises and workouts including more cycling, yoga, swimming, and most recently, running. It is here in this blog that I plan to chronicle my efforts in self improvement. I don't know who will ever read this, but by posting on my progress, I will feel even more motivated to workout.
A second reason for this blog is that discussing one's exercise routines and the results thereof are not topics that come up in daily conversations with friends and family. These topics are more common among maturing high school and college boys than among middle-aged professional men. But since I never went through that phase as a kid, I reserve the right to engage in such talk here and now. This is a place where I can show off and not feel embarrassed about doing so. I am a very successful person known for many positive attributes. But in general, my physical form and my growing athleticism is not a noticeable feature. What man is so content with himself that he doesn't desire that his physical dimensionality not be noticed by competitors and lovers? Well, not me. So I carry on, savoring any compliments that come my way.
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