Disgusted with Myself

Walking, not just for health and fitness, but to enjoy nature as well.

Have you ever felt totally disgusted with the way you have let your own body deteriorate?

Well, I have.

Around two weeks ago, I was cursing whatever it was that was making all of my pants shrink. I was having trouble doing up the buttons on even the newer larger size ones that I purchased just a couple of years ago. Even some of my shirts were getting tight. To make matters worse, I went to the barber I have been going to for many years for a haircut and he commented along the lines of, “your wife must really be feeding you well in your retirement, you have put on weight”. My girlfriend at the time went along with me to the same barber several years ago, and he erroneously decided that she must be my wife. I have lived on my own now for well over twenty years. Perhaps I should have explained my relationship with the lady to the barber, but the barbershop chat which happens for a short time every couple of months generally has the question, “how are your wife and kids?”, and its generally easier just to answer, “good, how are yours?”

But, this was the first time that anyone with the exception of my doctor has commented on my increased belly size. I made a detour to K-Mart on my way home from the barber shop and purchased some cheap bathroom scales and a tape measure.

After tackling the packaging and placing the scales on the floor, my first thought after standing on the scales was, “I should have purchased the more expensive better quality scales, as these are obviously faulty”. But after checking their accuracy with some other goods I had, I came to the realisation that I really was that heavy.

No, I am not going to share that reading, but if it was much higher, it would have been off the registered scale on the scales. The tape measure I had purchased also did not have a lot of spare length after having it wrapped around my belly.

There is one thing of which I am absolutely certain, and that is that those two anthropometric measurements of mine are the highest they will ever be.

I do not have a “beer belly”, even though that is how it may appear to others. I do enjoy an occasional drink of alcoholic beverage. But, the emphasis is on “occasional”. I would probably average around half a dozen standard size drinks in a fortnight. Food, or excessive amounts of it, I do not believe is my main problem. I know, energy in (food) must equal energy out (activity) for a person’s weight to remain constant. So obviously a reduced food intake could well assist me with weight loss. Eating heath-fully is one thing that I am fairly conscious of. My main problem I believe is inactivity.

For someone with a background in exercise physiology, I should be ashamed of myself for the sedentary being that I have become.

And I am!

It is easy for me to give you reasons and excuses for my inactivity. Some of these I even believed myself. But being totally honest, in my present situation, I am capable of being much more physically active than I currently am.

Being motivated to do the physical exercise, regardless of what it is, and the motivation to keep doing it is vitally important for anyone to keep an ongoing physical activity regime working.

At my age and state of health, walking is probably the first choice of preferred regular exercise.

And, I have started.

The beginning of November this year is the beginning of the “new me”.

Last week was the last week of October. During that week I joined the Heart Foundation Walking program, purchased a fitbit versa watch, and have made a point of walking each day since the first of November, slowly building up the distance travelled. My pace is still slow, but I am in day seven of the program and I do feel an improvement already. The intensity will increase as I feel comfortable for it to do so.

Motivation is important for me, as it is for everybody, and I have implemented quite a few strategies to keep me motivated. One thing I have done is to become a walk organiser with the National Heart Foundation. Apart from the walks with which I am already involved, I am interested in starting another weekly walk at a different venue each week, utilising the many great forest parks we have here in Brisbane, and maybe others within a fifty kilometre radius of the city. Enjoying nature, sightseeing and photography can go hand in hand with a good health program.

Walking along suburban streets is okay, but walking through forests and nature reserves is much more interesting. Well, to me anyway. During the last week I have done quite a few forest walks on my own. Although I have kept to walks which are reasonably popular, I am guilty of breaching the rule, “NEVER WALK ALONE”. But hopefully benefits I will obtain will outweigh any risks.