Week 1 - Starting Over

This entry, almost two months from the last one, brings with it a message of rebirth for me.

After eight years of working out at the gym with essentially the same workout plan with some tweeking, I'm starting over. When I stepped into a gym for the first time, I was carrying around almost 250 lbs and my blood pressure was very, very high.

Since then, I have watched my weight drop almost 60 lbs and my blood pressure is now well within control. I still have some weight that I would like to take off, but I'm sure it will come off.

My new goal is to work on a new fitness plan to maintain my mobility as I age. I really believe that I cannot be of service to my friends and family unless I'm at my best. I'm at my best when my fitness level affords me the opportunity to help others in their times of need.

Am I going through a mid life crisis? Perhaps the tell-tale signs are there ... over 40, searching for youth ... But I firmly believe there is more potential for improvement in how my body functions. While most people living with the form of spina bifida I have are using wheelchairs and other walking aids to get around, I still am very functional. I no longer take that for granted and I see it as a gift from God. I want to take this gift and use it to improve the lives of others around me who live with physical disabilities. I'm still not sure how I want to do this, but my answer will come in time.

Perhaps my speaking and writing background will open a door for me some day.

This week I began a 16 week program with a personal trainer to help me achieve that increased mobility that will serve me well as I age. I don't fear aging, but I do fear having to watch my body debilitate. I want to rediscover some of the mobility that I had when I was in my 20's. I don't want to have to rely on a wheelchair and grow fat!!

Over the next 16 weeks I will use this space to take you through my workout plan as I rediscover my mobility, increase my strength, raise my stamina and hopefully shed some more pounds along the way. I hope that as I strengthen my core muscles, I can take some pressure off my joints.

My old workout plan was no longer serving me and this week I began working with my personal trainer on some new goals.

In my first session, he assessed my capabilities by taking me through some workout moves that I normally would have used in my time spent in the gym. I was encouraged by the fact that I seemed to manage everything that was expected of me.

During my second session that week, I acknowledged that my quadriceps were sore. I cannot ever recall a time when my legs developed muscle soreness. Usually when my legs were sore it was a form of joint soreness that was with me for days on end. It must have coem from the lunges and squats that were asked of me. In the past, I never bothered with lunges and squats because I didn't think I could do them properly. I was afraid I may hurt myself.

At the end of the week, I learned some valuable lessons:

1. I needed to raise my fitness plan to a new level if I was to realize my goal of increasing my mobility and strength.
2. There is some untapped potential for developing more strength in my legs.
3. If I was to be successful in reaching my goal, I had to learn to communicate effectively with my trainer.