I first became involved in “fitness” when I was on my high school soccer team; we would go to the school basement and perform low-intensity bar curls, bench presses and sit-ups for an hour and call it a day. We simply assumed that our weight training would improve our fitness level and, therefore, our performance on the field. On days when we weren’t lifting, we would run and sprint on the road at the mercy of a different coach whose mantra seemed to always be: “No pain no gain.” Although I will not disclose what our record was for that season, I will say that I am fully convinced that neither of my coaches’ “fitness tactics” were successful in the least. As a matter-of-fact, if you fast forward to five years later, I have what some may refer to as “soccer knees”(thanks to running too far, too fast) and I have had to teach myself everything that I know about fitness and nutrition, the latter of which was never even briefly discussed while I played soccer.
From the time I entered high school to the time I graduated I went from weighing 110 lb to weighing 136lb and I assumed that this was pure muscle gain. I was lucky enough that I did not pile on the extra bulk of the “freshman fifteen” when I entered college because I was able to muster the will power to go to the gym five days a week (although I didn’t have the will power to diet). Unfortunately, I did not know how to work out correctly and, although I did get stronger and “more fit”, I also gained more bulky muscle than I would have liked. I also shied away from aerobic activity because I assumed that weight training would be enough to keep me in shape and I wouldn’t need to invest the extra effort in running, cycling, etc. The result of this exercise “routine” was that, although I did not gain weight, I did not lose weight either. Also, since I never planned out my workouts beforehand, I never knew what muscles I was targeting and strengthening and I wasted a lot of time at the gym trying to figure out what exercises to perform.
Six months ago I decided to try a calorie constricting diet along with a carefully researched and structured exercise routine. Lo and behold, I have lost almost 20lbs, have lost the bulky muscle, and have gained leaner, stronger muscles. This blog will be dedicated to providing information (in plain English) about diet and exercise for anyone that is interested in improving their quality of life through the power of fitness.
Stay tuned…
