Month: January 2014

To tidy up this ‘fitness’ thing, which is not a New Year’s Resolution at all, I’m currently working through, here are a few more thoughts to ponder.

• Most of my life has included rigorous excercise.
• Priesthood can be one of the most sedentary professions on earth, for many reasons. Schedules get busy, emergency calls come in all the time, people need appointments for various things, reading is a constant.
• At various assignments it’s been difficult to truly maintain a program, for various reasons.

So, while walking and cycling have been able to remain more or less constants, what’s gone out the window is strength training.

One of the most successful “programs” I’ve ever worked out and followed is a Tarketed Ketogenic Diet, from the Book by Lyle McDonald, which I made time for my first year in seminary, after years of being in the memorable Low Carb and Exercise List back in the day of UseNet. It’s nothing I can keep up with on a long term basis (obviously, or I would not be typing up this post.)

But as the old saying goes, if you need to lose weight, then you need to eat less, move more, and lift heavy things. It doesn’t get more simple than that. I’ve been doing pretty good with the first two, it’s the third one, the “lifting heavy things part,” where I’ve been truly a slacker.

Which leads to this book I’ve been reading again: Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.

The picture of Mr. Rippetoe pretty much sums up the point of strength training: relaxing on the veranda with a whiskey. Strength helps you to enjoy life.

I hope to be hiking and biking well into my later years, God willing. A few years ago I joined the Adventure Cycling Association, when I realized that I needed to reprioritize for a more active lifestyle. I had only taken a bout two years off, and intertia is a force to be reckoned with as you age!

But to that point, after several years of being away from free weights, I’m back in the weight room like a toddler, making sure my form is correct and my programs are lined up so that I don’t end up with any easily avoided injuries. And as ever, I go to the gym when I figure no one will be there. There were times I’ve felt like I was king of the hill, and walked around the gym doing whatever I wanted (well, that’s another story and not necessarily for this blog.) But a simple, sober routine for building strength is great for having a solid basis to work with. I’m not out to impress anyone, or to relive any past “glories” (mostly since I’m a late bloomer and the glories are all about us throughout life.) I’m just out to grow in strength, to better plan for future health so I that can fulfill my Priestly duties better, and to learn and grow with enjoyable habits.

Other things in the mix…. hopefully we’ll get around to that in the not too distant future.

A large part of my life has been devoted to exercise, trying to eat right, and fitness in general. I’ve been striving to get that balance back, and have been doing well for the most part in that I went backpacking 84 miles a few months ago, my cycling mileage is getting better (“better” beings relative term of course. Better than what? You may well ask. Better than nothing! Heh… But I’m doing 20-30 mile rides with some regularity, and even a 50 miler right before Christmas.).

But what’s been missing is an intelligent strength training routine, to round this all out. I’ve been playing around with various weights and machines at the gym to sort of build a base from which to work (i.e unintelligent routine,) and have been reading and sorting through some things to build strength.

First up is something in my shelf for years, the “Seven Minute Rotator Cuff Solution”, which is actually now available for free PDF download.

But the plan is to build strength in my shoulders to better handle workout stressors. It’s a start… And we’re off.