Brand New Rebel

[mudpoet]

Hi all,

 

The name's Travis.  I'm 5'11 and currently 180lb.  I don't know my body fat %, but it's probably high as I'm a pretty weak guy.  I just stumbled across NF a few days ago and really like the way everything seems so low-key and doesn't make me feel like an ass for being fat.  I read the 15 mistakes most people make and realized that one of the things I really need to do is to set a specific goal.  It actually didn't take me long:

 

I'm going on a 3-day kayaking trip up in Washington for my birthday in late June, and I need to be able to keep up with the group.  Right now, I'm not sure I have the upper body strength for that.  So that's my first short-term goal.

 

I've gone to the paleo diet - I even threw out all the non-paleo food in the house.  I'm sure the first couple of weeks will be the hardest, so I'm trying to mentally prepare for that.  For daily reminder/motivation, I've posted a picture of what I looked like 7 years ago on my bathroom mirror (I've never been strong, but I used to be really thin - aka not FAT like I am now) and I'm going to come up with some sort of countdown reminder to my deadline date of June 26.  I need to find some sort of a countdown clock to put in the bathroom next to the picture.

 

 

Next step: figure out which workout program is best suited to get me to my first goal.  Gotta level up!

 

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that I don't have a gym membership, but my apartment complex does have a small gym.  I'm really self conscious, though, so I'll do a lot better with things if I can stay in my apartment in the beginning.

[childofscorn]

Welcome to the Rebellion!  As for choosing a workout, what kind of exercises do you enjoy?  Are you a runner, or do you enjoy parkour or martial arts, or do you think weight lifting sounds fun?  Whatever your interests are, there's a workout routine that's right for you!  (And if not, there are lots of smart people in the forums and the chatroom who would be more than happy to help you tweak one to suit your needs )

[mudpoet]

Thanks!  I'm honestly not sure what I enjoy because most of it will be new.  When I was thinner, I enjoyed running.  When I was a kid and up until this day I've always loved hiking (lived in Denver for a year and lost some weight -- gained it back when I moved back to Dallas).  I'll definitely be back to hang in the forum and chat room...staying in communication about goals and plans will help me stick to it.  If I keep it to myself I might not stick to it.

[Prairie]

Hi mudpoet! Welcome to the forums. 

 

If you want to build strength while working out at home you might want to look into the various bodyweight workouts posted in the main blog - there are quite a few to choose from. That said, if you want to build strength you might want to rearrange the workout so that it is NOT done circuit-style. Apparently circuit workouts aren't ideal for getting stronger.

 

Good luck!

[mudpoet]

Thanks Prairie

 

I'm glad you said that, cause I was looking into circuit workouts.  So are those better for losing fat?  It's tricky...what I _want_ to do first is lose the fat, but my _need_ is to build the upper body strength for my trip.  How much upper body strength needed is a question mark since I've never gone on a kayaking trip like this before.

 

Maybe a kayaker can chime in for a little guidance.  We're not talking white water or anything...I just need to be able to go all day for 3 days in a row without killing myself or slowing down the group  By the time the trip is over, I will have developed the good habits that will help me reach my next goal (TBD)

[chammy]

Welcome!  

 

I'd say focus on strength and being functionally ready for the trip. Is having less fat nice? Hell yes it is! But -- being less fat won't necessarily make you strong enough to handle those 3 days of kayaking. Your diet will determine how much fat you carry anyway.

[mudpoet]

Thanks guys. Do you have any particular program you'd recommend that would be best suited for this particular goal?