sirant
New member
Hi everyone!
I experienced something this weekend I really wanted to share. Like many of us here, I have been a big guy all my life and regarded exercise as something they force kids in school and convicts to do. Not something the average ordinary joe does right? Well, I have the girth to prove it sadly. But I would always look at joggers and runners with a certain disdain, believing them to be absolutely nuts, out there running around wearing spandex and looking so damn smug I could smack them.... never ever understood the appeal, and to be honest, never wanted to.
That said, I have been slowly gaining weight for years till I got to my most recent peak weight of 300 lbs in december. Holy wake up call batman! I did not want to be 40 years old and 300 pounds. SO I took action. And so far I have been doing ok. I have made walking 8km+ a daily routine, I do cardio and resistance training regularly and have lost 30 pounds since then. Though at 270 pounds, running or jogging has still been tough. I try, but must take breaks often. And in the past month I have been uite discouraged, as I have plateua'd and hard.
Ok, now for the good part. One of my daily walks I enjoy is actually a natural stair climber. Once I trek the 2km to the park, it is a trail through absolute jungle wilderness along the peak of a ridge of small mountains. About 4 km long. I have walked it many times and found it very challenging since it is all stairs! Up and down, up and down, no flat areas. I had not done it in probably 3 months however, so I went this wekend, expecting to be sore afterwards.
However the strangest thing happened. As I started walking (climbing actually) I felt very winded by the stairs and figured that was just a sign of being sadly out of shape. However I had to step it up a little to get past some slower moving folks in front of me. I started jogging up the stairs 2 at a time. And then it happened. For some reason, I was not winded anymore at all. I not only passed the people, but continued all the way to the top, and down the other side, and on, and on.... I was not walking the stairs, I was jogging the stairs! It blew me away! But I couldnt stop! I did the whole 4 km trek at a faster jogging pace than ever before in my life, not even slowing down when coming down the stairs! 2 steps at a time the whole way! And of course, since it is sub troical here, I was sweating bullets, but I didnt care. Something took me over and I felt powerless to stop!
Needless to say when I did come to the end of the stairs I stopped to take a big drink of water and literally fell down on the ground, but not from exhaustion, but because I was laughing too hard!! I had just done something that I would have never ever considered possible and the emotions were raging through me, causing me to laugh and rol around like a madman!!
Needless to say I was getting some strange looks from all the Chinese people walking by. Not a common occurence here to see a large white guy, covered in sweat and grass laughing in the middle of a field, but I didnt care. I felt like 10 million bucks! And I still had 3 km left to walk home! Which I jogged 2km of!
And I am happy to say, this morning, after not hopping on the scale in awhile, I have broken the threshold of my last plateau. I dont know what did it, calories, exercise or what, but I almost suspect it was that huge positive burst of energy I had saying 'Screw you body! Were doing this my way!" that did it. Call me crazy, but I think that blast of positivity did it!
My ankles are still a little sore today from the unaccustomed intensity of running, but no different really from when I started powerwalking home from work 7km every day. I am sure it is going to get better. Certainly worth doing again very very soon!
I may not be a bonafide jogger or distance runner yet, but I dont mind the idea. Maybe that smug look all those joggers seem to have is the same thing that ripped through me after that little run. I couldnt stop smiling, and still do today when I think about it. I was in love with jogging, life and myself right at that point in time, and it was an incredible feeling.
I hope to have that feeling again, hopefully many many times! And I honestly hope you all do to! Maybe it will come from doing something you never thought you could before, or wearing a sexy piece of clothing you never dreamed you could, or maybe even just from a kind word from a stranger. In any case people, find that feeling and use it! Harness that power and there is nothing you can't do!
I know I will!
Thanks for listening.(well, reading...
)
sirant
I experienced something this weekend I really wanted to share. Like many of us here, I have been a big guy all my life and regarded exercise as something they force kids in school and convicts to do. Not something the average ordinary joe does right? Well, I have the girth to prove it sadly. But I would always look at joggers and runners with a certain disdain, believing them to be absolutely nuts, out there running around wearing spandex and looking so damn smug I could smack them.... never ever understood the appeal, and to be honest, never wanted to.
That said, I have been slowly gaining weight for years till I got to my most recent peak weight of 300 lbs in december. Holy wake up call batman! I did not want to be 40 years old and 300 pounds. SO I took action. And so far I have been doing ok. I have made walking 8km+ a daily routine, I do cardio and resistance training regularly and have lost 30 pounds since then. Though at 270 pounds, running or jogging has still been tough. I try, but must take breaks often. And in the past month I have been uite discouraged, as I have plateua'd and hard.
Ok, now for the good part. One of my daily walks I enjoy is actually a natural stair climber. Once I trek the 2km to the park, it is a trail through absolute jungle wilderness along the peak of a ridge of small mountains. About 4 km long. I have walked it many times and found it very challenging since it is all stairs! Up and down, up and down, no flat areas. I had not done it in probably 3 months however, so I went this wekend, expecting to be sore afterwards.
However the strangest thing happened. As I started walking (climbing actually) I felt very winded by the stairs and figured that was just a sign of being sadly out of shape. However I had to step it up a little to get past some slower moving folks in front of me. I started jogging up the stairs 2 at a time. And then it happened. For some reason, I was not winded anymore at all. I not only passed the people, but continued all the way to the top, and down the other side, and on, and on.... I was not walking the stairs, I was jogging the stairs! It blew me away! But I couldnt stop! I did the whole 4 km trek at a faster jogging pace than ever before in my life, not even slowing down when coming down the stairs! 2 steps at a time the whole way! And of course, since it is sub troical here, I was sweating bullets, but I didnt care. Something took me over and I felt powerless to stop!
Needless to say when I did come to the end of the stairs I stopped to take a big drink of water and literally fell down on the ground, but not from exhaustion, but because I was laughing too hard!! I had just done something that I would have never ever considered possible and the emotions were raging through me, causing me to laugh and rol around like a madman!!
Needless to say I was getting some strange looks from all the Chinese people walking by. Not a common occurence here to see a large white guy, covered in sweat and grass laughing in the middle of a field, but I didnt care. I felt like 10 million bucks! And I still had 3 km left to walk home! Which I jogged 2km of!
And I am happy to say, this morning, after not hopping on the scale in awhile, I have broken the threshold of my last plateau. I dont know what did it, calories, exercise or what, but I almost suspect it was that huge positive burst of energy I had saying 'Screw you body! Were doing this my way!" that did it. Call me crazy, but I think that blast of positivity did it!
My ankles are still a little sore today from the unaccustomed intensity of running, but no different really from when I started powerwalking home from work 7km every day. I am sure it is going to get better. Certainly worth doing again very very soon!
I may not be a bonafide jogger or distance runner yet, but I dont mind the idea. Maybe that smug look all those joggers seem to have is the same thing that ripped through me after that little run. I couldnt stop smiling, and still do today when I think about it. I was in love with jogging, life and myself right at that point in time, and it was an incredible feeling.
I hope to have that feeling again, hopefully many many times! And I honestly hope you all do to! Maybe it will come from doing something you never thought you could before, or wearing a sexy piece of clothing you never dreamed you could, or maybe even just from a kind word from a stranger. In any case people, find that feeling and use it! Harness that power and there is nothing you can't do!
I know I will!
Thanks for listening.(well, reading...
)sirant