Regeneration

[amnesiac]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm so glad to have come across this website. I really like Steve's philosophy and positive energy. I feel motivated already!

 

I turned 30 this year and physically I'm not the man I hoped to be 10 years ago so now I'm determined to correct that! As a kid I was overweight, asthmatic and not in any way athletic. This was in contrast to my only brother who was fit, healthy and an all-round sports star. So we were cast in two distinct roles from a young age; I was the scholar and he was the athlete. In my teens I became very self conscious about my weight and I have always allowed my own consciousness to disuade me from getting fit.

 

In my late teens a late surge of hormones, a two year dalliance with vegetarianism and living away from home for the first time led to some dramatic weight loss. I still have the stretch marks to prove it! I was never sedentary but I didn't do very much exercise therefore my weight loss was not matched by any increase in strength or muscle bulk.

 

I unexpectedly met my partner for life at the tender age of 21. Over 5 years the comfort and security of that relationship along with our love of good food and frequent socializing led to a slow steady increase in my weight. Two and a half years ago, I decided I was going to make getting fit and losing weight my New Year's Resolution. I didn't get a personal trainer or much advice. I did it my way. And guess what? It worked! I counted calories, ate a lot of tuna, cut down on alcohol, did a lot of aerobic exercise and posted my weight and BMI weekly on an online message board. Over 6 months I lost 15kg and I was so proud of myself.

 

I pushed myself to train for a marathon and injured my Achilles. Christmas came around again and I allowed myself some treats to reward myself for an amazing year. I kept fit in the New Year and trained for triathlons but I didn't really have a focus. I knew my lack of muscle was a weakness that needed addressing but I was too intimidated to take my sapling arms to the free weights area in my gym. One year ago I moved country and when my partner failed to get a visa and left for the winter I drowned my sorrows in IPA and convinced myself I would shed that winter weight this summer.

 

I never did shift that winter weight fully. Always working long hours, never enough time. Always putting off that run. Always avoiding those weights. Having a few beers when this gets me down. And now I want to end the cycle of weight loss/weight gain that stems from my teenage hatred of being "fat." What I want now is to be strong, and healthy. I like the person I have become but I want to be a better version of me. I have spent my 20s studying and working like crazy and feeling like I didn't deserve the positive things in my life. With the help of this website and you guys, I'm hoping to regenerate into a more positive, upbeat, active me :-)

 

Steps I have taken:

 

My better half is fully on board and super supportive

Two great friends and work colleagues are going to work out with me and encourage me

I have completed the Beginner's Body Weight work-out twice now... harder than it looks! I'm going to continue doing this on alternate days to build my strength

In between these days I am going to do cardio every day. And I may not be able to fit in a 5 mile run or a spin class every day but I will aim to do something

I'm trying paleo. This will be hard. I adore food. Preparing it, hosting dinner parties, dining out, discussing it, reading restaurant reviews, watching cooking shows. I'm going to work hard to make tasty paleo dishes myself. Eating out is a big part of my life and I can't stop that completely but I will cut down and order "paleo" when I can.

30 days Alkohol Frei. I have not done this in over 10 years. This is the step I will need most help with!

 

So that's me. Hello. When not talking about my body I like to talk about sci-fi but especially Doctor Who.

[stonegirl77]

Hi!

 

Nice to see a fellow Whovian newbie on NerdFitness! 

 

I wish you the very best of luck!

 

Best,

Petra

[shaar]

Hooray for Doctor Who!  And welcome!

 

One of my big big BIG hurdles is to cut back on my beloved craft beer.  It's so hard, but SO worth it.  Huge kudos to you for 30 days and counting!!  Right now I'm slowly trying to meter mine back to 4 drinks a week... and then 3... baby steps

[Strickland5]

Wait ... if you're the Doctor then I'm wearing the correct shirt!

 

 

Seriously though ... welcome!

[Big_Show]

Hi, welcome to the board. Good luck with your goals; looks like you've set yourself up nicely for cracking on with them.

[amnesiac]

Thank you everyone! Maybe in time I'll see Peter Capaldi's debut as the turning point in my fitness!

Craft beer is such a weakness of mine. I'm looking forward to abstaining for 30 days though and hopefully that will help my energy levels!

Strickland5 your shirt is awesome!

[evedaline]

Yes, a new shiny version of you! (So glad to find more Whovians.) You definitely deserve wonderful things in your life and the steps you've taken so far are a great start.

 

Darkfoxx has a blog with some nice paleo recipes and guides for eating paleo on a budget. Then for recipes, there's always the standard Nom Nom Paleo (just in case you haven't come across it!).