Seasons of Change: Diet, Exercise and History

It's been three or four weeks since Sam's started this new diet--I mentioned it in an earlier post. And I mentioned that I would give an update about it. Well......

Sam is making progress. He set some goals for what he wanted out of the diet, and so far, he's been really pleased with it! So much that he's decided to stick with it for a good while longer. My favourite part of it (for him) is that he never goes hungry--6 meals a day! It consists of high protein (mostly chicken, salmon, and tilapia), moderate fats (mostly cashews, walnuts, and peanut butter), and almost no carbs (mostly spinach, green beans, and asparagus), coupled with exercise--low intensity cardio 5 days a week, and weight work outs 3 days a week.

It's pretty funny how similar diets are. Again, it's all based on your goals--what you want to get out of your "diet." But they all (or most all) incorporate exercise, encourage eating lots of vegetables, no pasta dishes or starches, and salmon seems to be a major protein source. A few things are tweaked here and there (comparing meal plans), but overall, they're all alike.

What about me? you ask.

I don't diet. My goal is to have a proper balance of the right foods in the right amounts (*chuckle* How do you like THAT goal that just about everyone has?). Considering that a "diet" is just what you eat--whether you don't care and eat whatever you want, or follow some strict schedule limited to certain foods--yes, I'm on a diet, but I don't diet.

For me, there's no list of foods that I can or can't eat...though mushy broccoli is certainly out of the question. And cabbage, split peas, collard greens, cooked spinach---I really should avoid all those because they seem to fight with my taste buds every time (not to mention, my insides)! Because of Sam's interest, I have done my own research on the subject, and the more I learn, the more I narrow my discoveries down to fit my lifestyle. So I don't really have a literal list, rather a subconcious one. Side note: it does include chocolate! With chocolate in my diet, I can control my impulses a little better...

And then of course, exercising is important.

My first experience in a gym was at WSU. After I met Sam, I very quickly learned that he was "all about health." He encouraged me, emphasizing the importance of exercise, while I reasoned, "well I guess there IS a free gym on campus..." Mix the two ingredients, and I was hitting the gym at least twice a week. I started out running on the treadmill. After a while, my brother joined me, and soon, we were playing around with the weight machines, making fun of ourselves, joking, laughing, even competing--we were crazy buffoons, and it was FUN!

A couple years later, Sam and I shared our first experience in the gym together. In marriage, there are several things you do by yourselves (laundry, sewing, etc), and then there are things you do together (reading, watching AFV, etc). We both anticipated the gym would be one of these "together" moments for us--real bonding time. However, I was a little surprised to find out there was no room for cracking jokes or goofing off. From his point of view, I suppose I can understand how you wouldn't want to laugh holding 250lbs over your head.

But if we couldn't laugh, if we couldn't make fun of ourselves....what were we to do? "Oh...you mean I actually have to work out?"

To start out, there's a specific posture to hold when using weights: Back straight, butt out, chest out, legs shoulder-width apart. I've always prided myself on being flexible and athletic, but this was hard! When you have poor posture already--standing or sitting up straight is hard enough--you mean your butt, chest and legs have to do more than just be there? It's a lot to concentrate on.

"My back is straight."
"No, push it in a little more."
"There."
"Don't go crazy. A little less."
"There."
"Okay, now plant one foot here, and one foot there."
"Like that?"
"Yeah, that's good. Now, hold your head so your ears are level with your shoulders."
"Is there any other way to hold it?"
"Seriously. Like this."
"Okay, how's that?"
"A little better. Now, take hold of the 20lb dumbells and lift straight up."
"Okay............well, my arms don't want to move."
"Try 15lbs."
"Yes, let me go smaller....c'mon baby!....Well, they still don't want to move."
"10lbs."
"Much better...a little swinging motion is good, right? Like this...?"
"No. You're not building muscle that way. You're relying on momentum."
"Are we done yet?"

And after my first REAL work out, I discovered I had more muscles I'd never realized were muscles before! You mean that's not just skin and bone? There's a muscle in there?

I was exhausted. Most of all, I think my brain got the biggest work out...

I'll play softball, volleyball, soccer....I'd mow the lawn all day--with a PUSHmower!--and yes, even pull weeds! But don't make me go to a gym!

Our first experience at the gym together was insightful. But as you may have guessed, our dates at the gym were short-lived. We did give it about a year though--because as is the case with most things, you grow into them, but there are several other ways we spend time together. Exercise just isn't one of them.

These days, we've built our own gym in the basement that includes a treadmill, free weights, and a few machines I don't know the names of. For a while, I had a bad reaction to work out programs. Trying to follow one--even at the home gym--had become too much of a chore. Somehow, it got to be more about following the program rather than the reason for it in the first place! And skipping a few days left me feeling guilty--then came excuses for why I'd skipped and why I needed to skip another day or so.