January 26 is a pretty big day for me. Three years ago, on January 26, 2008, I joined a gym. Now, joining the gym didn't do much for me, but it was the first time I took a concrete step in the right direction. As much as anything else, it was a symbol that I needed to make a change. On 1-26-08, I recorded my weight on a dry erase board we keep in our kitchen. 1-26: 238. In the first year after joining the gym, I made some good habits. I worked out regularly from January till August. I did cardio, mostly the elliptical, and some weights. When school started that August, however, I derailed quickly. Although I'd made it down to 220, the stress of school and work (teaching, department head, chair of a gazillion committees, trying to start and maintain a small business) made keeping my routine impossible. And once a healthy routine is broken, it's hard to get back on track. For the next year or so I made a few more goes at it, with my weight getting as low as 215 and as high as 240.
At 240 is where I sat in February 2010. It was my first year at a new school, plus working on a new degree, and I was not taking care of myself.
That's when I started running. Now, after 11 months of running, I can mark something else on the board:
1-26: 195*
In the end, I cancelled my gym membership the first day after my contract was up. While I had a thousand reasons for doing so, the top two being an awesome low-cost family membership to Olympia and the fact the the TV channel selection at the Rush worked to INCREASE my blood pressure considerably, I've found that the simplicity of lacing up your shoes and hitting the pavement is cathartic in ways a gym just can't be.
*The last time I was at 195, I was in 5th grade and about a foot shorter!
*The last time I was at 195, I was in 5th grade and about a foot shorter!
No comments:
Post a Comment