Day of Introspection: Part 2

Image scanned from Street Fighter #1, copyright Udon Comics

My head's been a jumble of thoughts lately, so I have been finishing this thread like I had hoped I would. Have a lot of things to think through ... and it does not help when my time is occupied with grand new adventures.

So, to get back to the topic at hand and relate my words to the pictures I am posting in this entry: let's talk about getting in shape.

I would not call myself unhealthy or obese, but I would say I've gotten a little fat and it is something I am not happy with. I've never been one to work out much, especially when I was younger as I was very active. I played tennis for two hours, twice a week, and also played many pick-up games of basketball and football with friends. Of course, when I hit college I got hit by the "freshman fifteen". Or rather, twenty as I believe I went from a weight of 155 lbs. to 175 lbs. Luckily, I've not deviated much from my new weight since then (about 10 years since freshman class) so I guess that counts for something. But to say I'm happy about the way I look, or rather, the way mu gut sticks out would be stretching the truth quite a bit.

Now, some might say that as long as I feel healthy I should not care about how much I weigh or what I look like. That nobody has the perfect body and I'm just allowing myself to be swayed by the perfect illusions cast by the popular media (i.e. look at any magazine rack and tell me what you see gracing all the covers of the main attractions). Well, I'm sorry. I don't harbor any illusions that I'll look like some Greek God cast from marble, but I expect better of myself and that includes looking "good". I understand that perception is very subjective. What I might think of as ugly or unattractive may be exactly the opposite of what someone else thinks. But, this is my blog so it's my opinion that matter most. ;-p

So, I'm fat. And I plan on doing something about it. Actually, I planned on doing something about it, and was actively following that plan. Until I moved here. *Sigh* You see, for about a year I was going daily to a gym that had opened right across the street from the neighborhood I lived in. I had discovered that in the years post-university living, if I had to travel further than 20 minutes to go to a gym than I would most likely come up with an excuse not to go. I had become lazy and, worse, was finding ways to rationalize that attitude. But, then a new gym opened up by my house called The Blitz. X and I decided to check them out one day, and after meeting the owners and going through a trial workout we were hooked. I started out going three times a week, and showed some initial progress but then felt like I plateaued out. After talking to one of the trainers there, I realized I would have to increase my workouts (in frequency and intensity) to get myself where I wanted to be. The trainer was instrumental in pushing both me and X. And we showed great strides in our appearance and health.

When I moved out to California, I was determined to continue my training. There were no Blitz gym locations close to me, so instead I decided to take up martial arts again. At various times, I have taken Choi Lei Fut (from Sifu Desmond Jackson of Whirling Tiger Kung Fu), Wing Chun, Edo Yagyu Shinkage-ryu Heiho (from Sensei David Walter), and lately Fairtex Muay Thai. I have always loved martial arts and enjoyed participating and learning each form.

Unfortunately, I have fallen into that old pit that has trapped me in the past. The Fairtex location I go to is in Mountain View, which is about 30-45 minutes away from the house I live in depending on traffic. If I actually go to class (like I damn well should be), then I have a great time and get my ass kicked! But if I don't go, I get to lay around the house and "heal" (that's the lie I tell myself) while getting nice and portly.

I know what I need to do. It's mainly just a matter of reinstilling some discipline into my routine. I was going to the Blitz 5-6 times a week, and would feel bad if I missed a day. I need to push myself to that point. Maybe I just need someone to badger me every morning ...

Image scanned from Battle Vixens Vol. 1, copyright Tokyopop Inc.