Working out is such a huge part of my life. I’ve always tried to share motivation and tips w/others to encourage more folks to take their health seriously. That said, I usually don’t discuss much of my personal fitness here. Mainly because I don’t want to appear vain or shallow. I’m shifting away from that thought process. [1]Unlike another certain cajun blogger we all know and love. Now that I’m back in the habit of blogging again I’ve decided to include more of my personal physical progress here. There is no harm in my discussing how hard I work out and/or how much effort I put into taking care of myself. While obviously there is a narcissistic component, there is so much more to it. And if my sharing motivates others… all the better.
I’ve spent a good chunk of my life working out in a gym. In the beginning, I never really stuck with it. Mostly because my motivations were based on a need to please others. When I started working out for myself I found that I stuck with it. I can remember in the very beginning feeling inferior to the meat-heads who live for it. You know the ones, the collossal guys who are so massive they probably shit muscle turds. lol And don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging them. If that’s your thing and it brings you joy more power to ya. But I always felt like an outsider back then, like I was an alien on a strange planet. The weights were intimidating because I could barely bench press a barbell. Using the machines was a challenge because they were new and unfamiliar to me. Not to mention, trying to remember what the official names of them were. I felt so self-conscious of looking like a total idiot. The internet was still in its infancy so it wasn’t even something I could just google. [2]Ah, the joys of Google, how the hell did we ever survive before the internet? lol But, after awhile that strange feeling went away and was replaced by a sense of inclusion. I felt like I belonged even if I would never be the epitemy of a gym bunny.
I spend 3-5 days a week at the gym but I don’t live for it. Not every day is a killer workout. My goal isn’t constant growth and size anymore. I also break it up or spread it out based on my work schedule. Honestly, my biggest focus these days is consistently, just keeping myself on a decent schedule. And let’s face it, I don’t have the determination or drive it takes to look perfect. One, I like to eat too much and two, I’m pretty much happy with my current size/weight.
Originally, I just wanted to gain size because I was so god-awful skinny. [3]Except for my butt. I’ve always had a plump ba dunka-dunk I think I’ve mentioned here before in the beginning I was so so skinny and my chest actually sank in a bit. You could pour water on my chest while I was lying down and it would pull in the middle. I kid you not! Now that I’ve filled out, I still push for size but my goal is general fitness and taking care of myself. And at the end of the day, I enjoy working out. I feel better mentally and physically after a good workout. And for the record, while my fitness revolves around the gym there are plenty of other options for staying fit and healthy.
So back to the point of my ramble today, I plan to start talking about my gym workouts more here on le blog. I’ll throw in some nice pics from time to time as well for inspiration.