Running

I have battled my weight for as long as I can remember. The last time I was somewhat happy with either my health or physique was immediately after I graduated high school. I ran everyday, with a good distance, I still had my teenage body (I had yet to put on the freshman 15), and lifted weights.

I was damn good looking then.

I work everyday to make sure that I am comfortable in my skin. For a long while, my weight would depress me. I worried about my appearance to the point it was unhealthy, I felt inadequate, yada yada. Long story short - I decided to get over it, and focused a bit on my personality for a while.

Anyhow - I have again begun working out. I am only doing treadmill work right now, but I will eventually extend that back to weight lifting. I do not want to be overly muscular - I don't find body builders attractive. My goal is fitness, health, and athleticism. Today I got on the treadmill for thirty-five minutes, went 2.25 miles on an incline of '4.0.' According to the readout, I burned about 350 calories.

This seems subpar. A guy my age should be able to stay on for an hour, run over 5 miles, run faster than a speeding locomotive, leap tall buildings in a single bound, etc. Whatever. Guys my age aren't 225 lbs (I've lost over 10 since the beginning of summer), out of shape and what not. So leave me alone.

My next goal is to refine my diet (I will shortly be posting on this more in depth - specifically, vegetarianism and vegan lifestyle). I need to watch my fatty intakes better, avoid processed foods, and balance my carbohydrates and proteins. I also fear that my fiber is deficient, and I lack certain vitamins.

As far as weight lifting, I plan on starting a light regime as soon as I can create some sort of schedule for it. Right now, I live minute to minute, without any organization. Come to think of it, 'right now' is not an adequate description. I have lived this way since I started UTA in August 2001, with brief periods of consistency here and there.

When I can get a schedule, I predict this will be a bit easier. But I first want to make sure that I can stick to running, or at least some sort of a cardio workout, at least 3-5 times per week. My former ethics professor, who, at age 48, is in extremely good shape, suggests, on his blog, that new runners log their progress. Perhaps that is what I will do on this blog, as I detest keeping up with too much paper. Electronic format is so much easier.