Training For Nothing

Ok, pay attention. What I am about say is going to make you first say, "Whatthefuckever, Matt". But please hear me out and hopefully you will understand why I am so excited about this.

Instead of prefacing this with "why's" and what not, I'm just going to blurt it out, and then we'll go from there.

I am going to take one month and see how ridiculously in shape I can become.

Smartly, of course. Not by the latest diets, or overworking and shocking my decrepit old body, but by exercising relentlessly and eating right.

Ok, now for the "why's".

Because I want to feel what it's like again to be "in shape". And by "in shape", I don't mean a jog here and some sit-up's there. I want to see just how addicted my body gets to exercise and eating healthy.

I absolutely love red meat. I love to drink beer, scotch, and vodka tonics. I love relaxing on the porch and watching Cardinals games. But...I also love to hike. I love paddling. And I love rock climbing. But these later activities have fallen off the radar. I need to find more balance.

I want to feel what it's like to be in "climbing shape" again. I don't want anything to hold me back if I choose to hike a 14er or start kayaking again.

Also, I'm old. But I don't want to feel old. If I ever have kids, I want to be able to play with them in the mountains and the rivers. And if I don't have kids, I still want to be able to play in the mountains and rivers with my wife, family, and friends.

And I have chosen to go all in.

This is quite unlike me, but I am tired of letting the more lethargic side of me take over. And I think this experiment will carry on after it is over. Hopefully it will instill some better habits so I am not constantly struggling with the up's and down's of being healthy. And perhaps it will help me overcome some of my stubbornness about how I currently live.

It will be a very interesting experiment. It is going to test my mental strength, my commitment, and my focus. It will prove to me that I can actually do instead of just discuss.

And it's going to be extremely difficult. It will be difficult because of all the former activities discussed above. And because during this time frame, I will be going to at least a couple of baseball games, possibly a beer fest, and some concerts. None of which promote healthy living. So it will obviously take some adjusting, which will help with this whole "balance" thing I'm going for.

The parameters:

* I do it my way. Because I do not like to exercise, I have to be creative. I have to trick my body into thinking it's having fun. I don't do gyms, or classes, or diets. I just don't. To me, they are miserable and expensive. Achieving this goal can be done without these things.

* The time frame is from September 1st to October 1st.

* There is not a weight goal, although I will weigh myself to measure progress. It's not about just losing weight, it's about getting in shape. Using muscles that have been forgotten. Replacing red meat, caffeine, and alcohol with vegetables, vitamins, and other things that are good. Whether I am successful or not is up to me. If I feel that I have done everything I can to accomplish this goal of becoming more fit in a safe, sane way, then I win. If I fall off the wagon, I'll be the first to admit that I suck.

* Just so you know, I am going to ease my way up to it. Get my body used to what is going to happen to it. I think that's better than gorging myself up to the moment of truth. So a jog here and some sit-up's there will be in the forecast until September 1st.

* I will document my progress. If I feel that I am doing well, please don't take it as narcissism.

* And finally, if anyone would like to join me, please feel free (not physically - mentally and electronically). I would definitely welcome and exchange the motivation and encouragement. Just don't tell me what to do and how to do it.

Hopefully the month of September will go well. It will be different, that's for sure. It's not every day that I decide to test myself in the form of a hopeful life change. And hopefully when September is over and I go back to having a t-bone every once in while and a couple more beers here and there, I will have some new healthy habits that my body craves that I can incorporate into the current way that I'm living.

That's balance, my friends.

.