Okay, to say that I’ve been slacking lately would be an understatement. I’ve had a rough fall and winter emotionally (my father passed away on Christmas day following a several month battle with cancer) and otherwise. I’ve kept my self to busy doing “things” and not really focusing on any one thing. Naturally, based on my old habits, exercise and fitness fell to the wayside. The last couple of months, my diet has taken a definite down turn as well. I don’t know if it’s the cold, snow, or combination thereof, but frankly I haven’t cared about much of anything for well over two months now (I’m sure that Dad’s passing was a huge factor and on top of it my entire family seems to be susceptible to clinical depression).
So, this week while at a work conference I run into a friend who has always been in great shape and he’s finding some difficulty staying motivated as well (though from my perspective he’s still in good shape – big solid arms, chest larger than his waist, broad shoulders, etc.) so we renewed an old competition to see who can make the most progress to reaching former “glory” before our next meeting in June. He actually has the stats we recorded from the last time we had a friendly wager and we are going to use those as our goal. Of course, this will mean recording some probably depressing stats (I’m afraid to measure my waist and to find out how much I’ve lost in the arms and chest) but enough is enough!
I realize that I may not improve as quickly as I used to back in my 30s or 40s but I’m still pretty pain free without arthritis and other joint problems (not counting my Crohn’s which has been mercifully quiet for some time now – knock wood) so I should do okay even though my friend is 9 years younger. He’s the father of an active 7 year old son though so he has some scheduling issues which I don’t have.
Anyway, wish me luck! I hope I can show the young whippersnapper that the old man still has it.
Onward and upward!
Journeys With Dave 