The Mission Continues

Well I'm now about 5 months into this exercise program(see my earlier post Man with a Mission from July), and as you can see from my midsection, the Mission is by no means accomplished.This is not the After picture. At least not the After picture I'd be after.  More work to do. Definitely. And not just there, but to some extent all over. Like I said, five months. Still a beginner on this path.

But it is a pretty good During picture. You can see some progress, some development  in the arms and shoulders and chest. Likewise in the legs(not visible in the pic, so you'll have to trust me on this one), which have gone from spindly to merely skinny.

My original purpose in getting into this fitness stuff, joining a club and working with a trainer and all, was to lose around the middle. And I have, to some degree, though not to the dramatic extent I'd like. It's a stubborn area, especially if you're basically skinny elsewhere, as the body wants to hang on to that fat since there's so little of it. Like it's maintaining a certain homeostasis in its fat quotient. 

There have been greater returns as far as the weight-training. Nothing dramatic there either(even though it seems so at very first), but a steadier and more consistent progress. So you start to get hooked on the results you're getting, regardless of whether they're the ones you wanted. They're still results. Like watering a plant and watching it grow. And once you start to see the correlation between the work you're doing and the results you're getting, it's more than a little bit empowering. Wow, this is something I can actually change on my body!My determination(and not just genetic determinism)has at least a say in the matter!

So I haven't turned my back on the cardio portion of the program, and still get in some kind of abdominal exercise. Not too much though, but some.(My trainer warned me of doing too much before you lose that layer of fat-that you'll get the muscles there but still have the fat, and actually look pregnant!)You want a somewhat balanced diet. Don't ignore any of the major food groups. But I'm concentrating more these days on working with the dumbbells. And no, I'm not referring to the people in the gym(actually, some of them, at least my trainer and his brother, are very intelligent!).

Exercise is one of those things you have to have a genuine affinity for to stick with. You have to really like it, just for the doing, or you'll find a million reasons to quit. There is really no inherent fun in lifting something, the strain on your strength and endurance. But for some weird reason or reasons, I like lifting weights. I did in my twenties(my first foray with this malarkey)and find that I do again in my just-hit sixties. 

Some areas are more enjoyable to work than others. To a great degree, I've noticed, in my 5 months into this, that it varies from person to person. Some like leg work, for instance, which is anathema to others. Me, I like the shoulders, chest and triceps best. Those are my fun areas. Leg work is tolerable. And at this point, the abdominal stuff is my Waterloo. 

So on it goes. The fitness thing. My fitness thing. I try to take the whole process this time around as a during picture, rather than focus on what results may(or may not) be forthcoming. The after picture takes care of itself as long as you handle the during, I figure. But, yes, still having fun in there. 

Still, following the present course as assiduously as possible, I'm curious as to what kind of picture I'll take, say, six months from now. For the next Mission Progress Report. 

Well that's about all there is to say about the subject, at least for now. So if you'll excuse me, I've got some weights to lift. A mission to fulfill...