Conquering It

Perhaps last week's news was a bit of a wake-up call.

Sure, my cholesterol is high but what really made me think was how badly I let myself get out of shape. My gut has increased and a lot of my muscle mass has turned to flab because I've slowed down my exercise: first, because of the reduced capacity of my lungs and second, because of the injury to my right foot.

After I left the doctor's office, I started thinking seriously about my recent habits. I work at a desk all day, and when I finish work, I move to our family room, where I usually sit in my favourite chair and turn on the TV.

I'll sometimes help prepare dinner and I'm the one who usually cleans the kitchen afterwards. But then I return to my chair and watch more television until it's time to work on my blog, which involves more sitting at a desk.

When my blog is done, I may tinker some more on the computer but I usually head upstairs, get into my pajamas, and crawl into bed. The next day, I start that routine all over again.

On most weekends, I'm my most active. I mow the lawn, get some chores done around the house, and run errands. DW and I will, however, get together with our Paddlefolk and hit the waterways in our kayaks.

So, at least, there's been a bit of exercise. But not enough.

After my visit to the doctor, I was determined to change this destructive routine. The very next morning, I got on my bike, despite the heatwave that our city had been under. I got out early enough to beat the extreme heat of the day, but it was still hot and humid.

I cycled the route that I call my 'skinny 8,' a 43-kilometre trek to Manotick, down toward Osgoode along River Road, back up to Manotick along Rideau Valley Drive, crossing the Rideau a third time, and heading north, along River Road, to the Vimy Memorial Bridge, where I cross the Rideau to get back home.

I have been avoiding this route because I was unsure that my lungs could handle it, but I took a couple of puffs of my emergency inhaler before I hit the route, and I was fine.

On Sunday, I did some chores around the house, and DW and I ran some errands. Not a lot of exercise was involved but I did get in a couple of kilometres of walking.

On Monday, I tuned into an Apple TV workout video and did some exercises that worked on my core. The routine was a bit of a challenge but I got through it. The only real hassle was that I needed DW's phone to get the program to work. Afterwards, I searched on YouTube and found a couple of exercise channels that I'll try today, after work.

That evening, I realized that I'll probably need some motivation so that I don't slip into my old, poor routine, so I signed up for a Conqueror Virtual Challenge. It's been almost a year since I've completed one of these challenges, and I realized how much I had used them to keep a steady workout regimen.

I've signed up for a 1,300-kilometre trek along the coastline of Wales. DW and I did much of this route, by car, in the early 1990s. I thought it would be great to virtually revisit some of the places that we visited all those years ago.

Yesterday, after work, I got on my bike again and did my skinny-8 ride. The weather was much better and I had a great ride. I added my first distance to the Wales virtual trek, and weather permitting, I hope to ride every other day.

On the off days, I'll work on my core and strength building with dumbbells.

My goal, apart from getting healthier and helping mitigate my cholesterol levels, is to lose my extra gut by December, when DW and I join some friends in Akumal Bay, Mexico.

Wish me luck.