Little Piggies Need Exercise #60

To follow up some on the last post about working out.  Yes, there is a point you reach where you feel comfortable with your exercises and your ability.  You have a sense of accomplishment and feel proud of yourself.  You are now part of a few select who are different from the majority of those working out along with you.  Most are much younger.  They were in good health when they started and their goals were probably for the most part different than ours.   Sure they work out to remain healthy, but most are also concerned about looking young and physically fit.  They want muscle growth, a toned sleek body, and to grow older as a healthy individual.  And that is good.   We on the other hand are members of the few who have overcome a heart attack. We had heart surgery and work out to become healthy.   I can say I started exercising to strengthen my heart.  I knew a little at a time I could regain my strength, improve my heart function, and not have to live afraid of another heart attack because I wasn't doing what I needed to do to get and stay healthy.   And where does this lead us...?  to the same reoccurring theme, it is a never ending process for recovering heart patients.

An exercise program is much like beginning new eating habits to lose weight over an extended period of time.  It takes a dedicated commitment, and even more important, you have to want to do it.  Perhaps I was lucky on both, but I was ready.  Those who know me were probably as surprised that I became as dedicated to the exercising as the weight lost and healthy eating.  Much like losing weight over a long period of time, a diet is more difficult to stay with than completely changing your eating habits.   That same theory applied for me to an exercise program.  I needed something with structure, (routine and fitness center) and basic goals, (one and half hours daily).  Short term goals are easier to reach for me and lead to long term success.  If I started skipping work outs and got sloppy about what days and how often I went, it would all be over for me.  I believe most people are like me, they need routine and repetitiveness in some areas of their life.   I didn't have a pattern to follow when I started all of this. I made my mind up that I was going to lose weight, eat healthy, and get physically fit.  I relied on my personality of being a routine guy, that I could make that part work to my benefit, meaning I could make exercise and healthy eating part of my daily life.  The final ingredient was dedication and determination to be healthier than before, not just get well.

I can handle the exercise part of recuperation, I like it.  The healthy eating change of lifestyle to me takes a lot more commitment.   If you have enjoyed food and eating all of your life with few limitations, and to just shut it off on one particular day is a major deal.  Okay, no more soft drinks, red meat, pastry, twinkies, doughnuts, on, and on, and on, and on.  A bunch of you out there have gone through this and know exactly what I am going to say next.  Do you ever get over being hungry for some particular food?  I don't think so.  It's the curse of the "use to be over weight little piggies"....