Getting Into Shape
In three weeks, I’ll be getting on the bus headed to Winter Park. For the past three weeks, I’ve been frequenting the gym in an effort to get into decent physical shape for the trip. I went every day for the first week and several times a week until now. Each gym trip I’ll start with a run to build my endurance. I’ll follow with some stretches, crunches, and leg lifts to keep some steady attention on my core with every work out. Then I’ll focus weight training on one region – either my legs, my core, or my arms. I also did some mountain biking and rock climbing in there to mix things up a bit.
I’ve also made an effort to eat more ‘good’ food. I still eat a lot of crap, but not as much as I had been. I’ll eat a really heathly dinner right after the gym only to eat a p b & j later on that night. Since I’m more focused on being strong and having endurance, I don’t mind eating a few extra calories. I’d rather eat a little too much than not have enough calories for my muscles to grow.
All this working out isn’t as fun as it was at first. It’s taking more and more effort to get up and go to the gym. Hopefully, it will enable me to ride harder without getting as tired. I was particularly out of shape one trip, and I spent far too much time laying on my back in the snow, panting. While I’ve exercised before most of my trips, this is by far the most effort I’ve put into it. When I get tired on the treadmill, I just keep thinking about carving… or I look at the pretty girls in the gym ;)
A nice side effect is the fact that I do still seem to be loosing fat and gaining muscle mass… so I’m looking a bit different in the mirror.
