Massive results. In a good way.
I picked up the exercise again after the 2011 Holidays - a bad back sidelined me the latter part of 2011. But gaining 20 pounds last fall didn't help any and I was sluggish. So I started working on that other vital component in February -
Diet. Using MyFitnessPal to track and help control what I eat, I'm finally learning how to eat for the first time in my life. I don't know if it's pathetic or not that someone in their 40s didn't know what or how to eat, but I didn't. I'm still learning, but I don't feel so damned ignorant about what I'm putting into my body.
Now I'm down 31 pounds since Feb. As the weight has come off, exercise has gotten increasingly easier, allowing me to push the envelope more. I can simply go longer, harder and better now. My 5k times have dropped 5 minutes since last year. My muscle definition is far superior. My feet, which have given me problems for a long time now, aren't a factor. I hiked 8 1/2 miles on Saturday. It was my 12 year old son who was dog tired at the end. I did Plyo the day before and I felt like I was flying when I jumped, rather than straining to just get off the ground.
Even last year doing two workouts seemed unthinkable. Now, it's not only possible, but I've done it on a number of occasions. I had to give my body a lot of rest before. Now, I can workout 6 or even 7 days a week without serious pain.
In a nutshell, for the first time in over 20 years, I feel pretty damn strong. I'm now to the point that
I like giving this body a test drive and seeing what it can do because now it's generally up to the challenge. Coach Sean said become your own story of inspiration. I know it sounds a bit conceited, but I'm getting pretty close.
My goals for the rest of the year are pretty simple: continue to gain muscle mass without losing 5k time, lose 10-15 more pounds (and weigh less than I weighed when I got married 20 years ago) and continue to see where this road takes me.
But yeah, it's largely due to that bad word - Diet.