Thanks to @indayclara for letting me know it would be a good idea to do an intro post..
My interest in health and fitness began sometime in the late 90's when my fat ass bust out through my trousers for the final time. It wasn't the first time, but as i fought back the tears of embarrassment and shame, i vowed that this. will. never. EVER. happen. again!
There was anger there too; anger at the cruelty of the people laughing at my embarrassment, but mostly anger at myself for letting things go so far that i couldn't even step onto a bus without splitting my pants. I had been unhappy with my size for years, but hadn't really done anything about it; Sure i had made some half hearted attempts to lose some weight, but when I didn't see amazing results in a couple of weeks, I would be back to my old ways of eating too much and sitting too much.
As i made my way to the seat on the bus that day, red faced and ashamed, something inside me shifted; the excess weight was going, whatever it took.
It took about a year. No fads. No scammy supplements or pills to 'make fat disappear like "magic"'. There was no 'this one trick' to melt fat. I did the work; I learned how to cook a few different wholesome meals and made everything from scratch with whole foods. I made sure to do some kind of purposeful exercise at least 6 days every week. _I did what i could, _and as my fitness improved over time, i could do more. _I used what i had,_ milk jugs were my weight training equipment, and the field behind the house became my running track. And when i say running, i use the term very loosely, because back then i was unable to "run" more than a handful of steps before getting pain in my knees and triggering a bout of exercise induced asthma. That was a shocker; I had become so unfit and overweight, when i tried to exercise my body reacted like it was a threat to my survival.
Our bodies are amazing things though, and they adapt to become better at the things we do on a regular basis. Because i was exercising regularly, my body adapted to make exercise easier. And when it felt easier, i did a little more, or pushed myself a little harder.
Over the course of that year, my trouser went from 40" to 32" waist size, and i got rid of a lot of unhealthy fat. I didn't get 6-pack abs, and i wasn't all 'ripped' like you see in the ads for weightloss products, but that had never been my goal. My goal was to be happy with who i was, and to not have my size limit me in trying new things, and damn i have achieved so much more in that regard than i could ever have even dreamed of back then. But those are stories for other days.
My parting words for this intro..
Remember the bus? By the end of the year, each friday morning i would go to the bus stop and chat with the regulars until the bus arrived, then i would get on my bike and race the bus over the 13 mile journey. I wasn't always faster than the bus, but was faster often enough.
Your fitness journey is amazing!
I started pole 4 years ago with zero fitness experience. Poor flexibility (I cant touch the floor without bending my knees) and couldn't even do a decent single push-up.
The step from zero to one is indeed the hardest - and I admire your efforts to get to where you are now. Keep inspiring and would love to see more of your works in this community
Thank you so much for your kind words. Indeed, those first steps are the toughest, but it's amazing where they can lead when you keep taking them :-)
Plenty more stories to come from me yet, I'm only getting started here :-)
welcome to Hive @thebalanceguy 😊
I'm looking forward to learning & 😁sharing more on hereThanks @intoy.bugoy it sure is an interesting place :-)
Welcome, @thebalanceguy!
Your transformation is fantastic! It's fascinating how sometimes life pushes us in the right direction, often in a brutal way. You made great use of the anger and shame you suffered.
Hi @astinmin
Yes, life had been giving me little nudges, which i had been ignoring, so it gave me a hefty kick in the rear-end to get me moving 😂
Anger creates adrenaline, which makes the body want to move; i made the most of that, even if i didn't have a clue of the physiology or psychology of it back then.
Thanks for taking the time to comment..
I see you're in Poland? I visited there (Lublin) in 2012 for an international circus and juggling festival called EJC.. just one of the cool adventures that was made possible by my transformation :-)
I live in Krakow, and I'm ashamed to admit that I have been to Lublin, which is nearby, only once in my life, like you.
So, you were in Poland, and I was in Ireland ☘️, once, in the late '90s; I was hitchhiking. It was one of the best vacations of my life! Great adventure; I still remember it today. I met many people with whom I had a great time in Irish pubs. Of course, I didn't spend all my time there :D
Awesome, you had a great time in Ireland, and i had a great time in Poland. Everybody wins 😁
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Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Hello @thebalanceguy! Thanks for making your intropost. Sorry, I just stumbled on this now. Didn't get notified you made this 2 days ago. 😢 But nonetheless, welcome to Hive. Hope the references I sent you help you get acquainted in this platform!
Congratulations on your fitness journey! Losing weight and being happy with yourself and body is not an easy feat. How I wish I have the same determination you have. Its always an off-on relationship with me and my fitness goals but from time to time I do yoga and go for a run but I could really do some motivation and focus but perhaps I might just do so soon.
Also, there are amazing communities where you can share all about fitness! Check out Hive Fitness, Bee a Better You, and Personal Development. You also mentioned about riding your bike, you can check out Bikeworld.
Its important you subscribe to communities you like and share your blogs there so that you will be connected with like-minded people. Also, engagement is very important in the communities! So make sure to check out other blogs and have a genuine conversation with other Hivers!
I hope you will have an amazing journey here on Hive.
Hey, It's my fault you didn't get notified @indayclara i forgot to tag you, so i edited my post last night to add you :-)
The references you sent have been a HUGE help in getting my head around how hive works, thank you so much 🙏
Yeah, for me, it got to the point where the pain of not changing my habits was worse than the pain of daily exercise and eating better. I'm not into fitness for its own sake, i'm into being able to try new things and have adventures, and being fit enables me to do that, so it's worth maintaining. I think for motivation, it helps to have a clear reason for why you want to do something; for me, i focus on all the things i gain from being active.. better mood, more confidence, feel better in my body, and know that i can try new things (such as stand up paddleboarding, which i tried for the first time this summer) without being afraid of all the what-if's..
Every now and then i set myself a new challenge to take things a bit further, but mostly i just maintain my current fitness by being active as part of my lifestyle.
I've already joined a couple of communities.. i'm easing myself into things slowly so i don't get overwhelmed :-)
Thank you again for your advice, I really appreciate it 😁
Your most welcome @thebalanceguy! But now you have motivated me to really do some action now. Yeah, its really the WHY that makes us push ourselves into action. Let me do some inner digging. I know I should do something sooner. i'll let you know once ill start my day 1. 😂
I envy you for trying paddleboarding! The balance and core strength needed for that. if only the paddleup board was affordable here. I would have done that a long time ago.
Awesome!!
let me know when you have your 'why' and i'll be happy to support you in whatever ways i can 😁
Here's a pro tip for working on your balance.. it's all about the hips! So put both feet in a straight line, heel to toes, then try to go off balance but without ever moving your feet from that straight line. Stay as relaxed as you can, and You'll move your hips and bend your knees to control your balance automatically :-)
I was lucky, one of my friends was visiting my area and had a spare board.. I'm saving for one at the moment!
So its just like surfing! 😃 although surfing is a bit harder. I've survived surfing so hopefully paddle boarding should be a piece of cake!
Nice one! You should make some videos about it or other fitness activities you have and share in 3speak.tv!
On the paddleboard, feet are wide do you have a more solid base to balance on while paddling 😅Oops, that foot position is just an exercise to improve balance anywhere @indayclara
Yes i have a few videos in mind to make.. i think there will soon be a lot of balance type videos coming to 3speak 😉
Then I'm looking forward seeing those videos!
Welcome brother. i remember being about 42, maybe 44" waist size, about 25 years ago. Now i'm 31" !