Gym Again

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Years ago when I was doing everything I could to get into Law Enforcement I was working out all the time.  I hit the gym, I had a personal trainer, I rode my bike, I took the stairs, I parked far away from buildings.  While in Law Enforcement I was required to work out.  Part of my work week was dedicated to working out on the clock.  I was in the gym, running, swimming, cycling.  My fellow LEOs would train with me. 

One girl in the group would run with me after work.  We ran from the Federal Building in Nashville to the State Capitol, up the steps of the Capitol and then back to the Fed Building.  Occasionally she would go swim with me.  There was a swim test during training so I had to be proficient there also. (Swimming and push-ups were the only two areas I ever got complements for in training, everything else was negative all the time).

One of the guys would run with me in the mornings before work.  We left from the gym at Baptist Hospital and ran around the Vanderbilt campus back to the gym.  When I ran on my own I did this same route so I could finish up at the gym for weight training.  I have sense learned that you should lift first and cardio second to maximize your energy levels for better results.

After I left Law Enforcement I worked out some but not as regular and running became a chore.  I could hear instructors in my head berating me and since I couldn’t get them out of my head I stopped running. I turned more and more to my bike.

Since living in GA I have continued to ride my bike and for a little while a couple of summers back I worked out some but mainly joined a gym for a swimming pool so I could train for a triathalon.  That never came to fruition and the gym fees were getting to be a bit much so I stopped.

Recently the urge to run again has returned.  I am way out of shape and overweight so just strapping on some shoes and hitting the pavement wouldn’t be smart for my shins, knees or heart so I have joined a gym again.  I have only been working out a couple of days now but I already feel different.  I know it is all in my head because my body couldn’t have changed any in a couple of days but I feel like me again.  It is hard to explain but I am excited and energetic.  It feels good to be doing something good for myself.  I excited about getting back into shape.  When I am in shape I like everything about me.  I am not bulky muscle but I have muscle. I am not skinny size 6 but I am smaller sizes than I am now.  I have some real nice suits I would like to fit into again.

To set the habit and increase my cardio quickly I am doing muscle splits training.  This is where you concentrate on one or two muscle groups to work per day.  This way you can lift weights everyday and not injure or overtrain yourself.  This also has me in the gym everyday to do some cardio.  Since I am a numbers junkie and have to see progress I have made up my spreadsheet and determined which muscle groups to work each day and which exercises to do for those groups and I mark on my clipboard my progress.  Over time I will be able to see increased weight and reps as I go along.  It is pretty exciting to see the results on paper as well as in clothes size. (I also use the spreadsheet to keep from overtraining because I will start out to fast or to heavy and get hurt or burned out too soon).

My short term goal is to get my cardio so that in about 5 weeks I can complete a 5K.  I may not be in running shape by then but I will be able to run/walk it and not pass out at the end. Or so I hope.

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