51 and Going Strong!

Hello, everybody! Today is my 51st birthday and what better way to spend it than with a 45-minute warm-up followed by a sweaty, heart pumping training session with the Russian Kettlebells. A total of 30 each of swings, snatches, presses, and squats. Ahhh...no better present than ratcheting up the strength another notch.

   1st pic: some other lifetime

                                        2nd pic: a little over 1 year ago

Still having a bit of trouble with sideways pics. Here I am today, 51 years old with a 53 lb. kettlebell after today's session. It's a lot easier these days to "throw my weight around." To all of you on your way to your goals, it is an absolute fact that I didn't feel nearly half this good when I was half this age. You have a beautiful experience to look forward to!

On to new business!

Now that we have begun our journals, let’s get started with our workout regimen.

 Remember the old quotation, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” Especially for those who are in the condition I was in when I started, it’s vital to know that while hard work is a key to losing the weight, SAFETY is the first consideration. As I began the first of countless training sessions, I was told to “listen to my body”.  It is common when starting out to get a gung-ho attitude and try to do too much too soon.

Sometime early in my training, there was a time when my trainer was unavailable for a scheduled session. I was asked to train myself that morning and didn’t think anything of it. I had learned a good number of exercises and figured I could take myself through a vigorous workout and sweat up a storm. Well, I pushed way too hard, tried to do everything I knew at a pace I couldn’t handle. As a result, my shoulder was injured to the point where I couldn’t raise my arm above shoulder level. It halted my progress for 2 weeks and made life troublesome in general. It was no fun being forced to be left-handed for a length of time. Being fired up is excellent! Just be aware, an effective workout should make you sweat and feel sore, but there is a big difference between soreness and PAIN! At any time during your workout you feel pain, STOP! Do not workout any more until the pain has been remedied.

All right, let’s get down to it! An hour of physical exercise 5 days per week is a great way to start. You can do 6 days if you feel up to it, but the body needs at least 1 day per week to rest and recover. If you constantly workout every single day without ever taking a day off, you will be highly susceptible to injury. We don’t want this. EVER!

Of course, there are countless other exercises for all levels of fitness, and I’ll cover as much of what I’ve learned as possible. As this is my fourth year of serious training, I feel as though I’m a senior at Fitness University! Can hardly wait to start “Grad School”!

Don’t forget that brisk walking is a fantastic, natural way to exercise. Don’t think about how far you go, but how long. Can you walk for 10 minutes? Great! 20 minutes? Even better! As with everything, do what you can, keep the water handy at all times, and enjoy the results. Taking walks in addition to the workouts was a highly effective edge for my results.

In my food journal, I would often write down my exercise for the day. It reminded me of the effort I was putting in and made me determined not to waste it by going back to old eating habits. Give yourself a pat on the back whenever you get through a workout by documenting it. The journal isn’t just for food consumption. You can use it to channel all your thoughts and emotions instead of a knife and fork.

By the way, how's the journalling going so far? Any revelations out there?

Until next time, be safe, work hard, drink water, and get strong!

Ken White