Starting to *attempt* to get back in shape. I’m by no means fat, unhealthy, or super out of shape but I want to utilize the free time I’ll have this summer to improve myself. I’m one of those people who gets dedicated for about 4 months and then trickles off. I realize that in your teens/twenties is the time to establish a routine that you’ll stick to for the rest of your life. Just because now I can eat a whole pizza and drink 60 ounces of beer with minimal consequence doesn’t mean I’ll always be able to do that and I want to start training myself now.
I’ve been living with my aunt for the past 3 weeks and she is TOUGH. Like, used to do competitive cycling and now teaches classes 3 days a week at a gym. In addition to her 40+ hour/week career. So she’s been kicking by butt the past few weeks, and I just did my first spin class this morning. My legs feel like lead.
She also introduced me to the Insanity by Beachbody workout DVDs. It’s a lot of circuit training with focus on your core and after 40 minutes of that you’re hurting like no other.
I also downloaded a calorie counter app on my iPhone because for me, counting calories has always been the most effective way to monitor my food intake and really start cutting back/making smart eating decisions. As of right now I usually go over my allotted calories and end up with a ~200-400 calorie deficit at the end of the day but…baby steps.
Andddd because I’m increasingly becoming more Objectivist, I will obviously end this post by putting an Objectivist slant onto my renewed desire to get healthy.
Firstly, good health and an active lifestyle are values that I hold, admire, and desire. In order to truly hold these values I need to actively participate in them and not just talk about them. Action is everything and as the adage goes, actions speak louder than words.
If I value these things, then I will obviously want to find a partner who values these things as well. My passion for a healthy lifestyle will (hopefully) be mirrored by someone else who feels the same way. Together, we can enjoy these values of health and fitness together.
Secondly, a myth that has been held for so long in my mind is that romantic love, the “marriage of true minds” (to borrow from Shakespeare) is not tainted by physical attraction. Why? Because it’s “wrong” or “degrading” to a woman (or man) if you want to have sex with them often. THIS IS SO FALSE AND IF YOU HOLD THIS IDEA IN YOUR MIND GET RID OF IT RIGHT NOW.
LIKE, RIGHT NOW.
Moving on…Now, everything is in balance. It’s not 100% about sex, nor 100% about the mind. But I would say it should be an even 50/50, as the book I’m reading right now so eloquently states:
When you fall in love, you don’t fall in love with a disembodied spirit, but with a whole person, mind and body.
-The Selfish Path to Romance
And this is the point that I am trying to make. It is not foolish to want to focus on your physical appearance. I’m sure we all know someone who say it’s about your “personality” and not your looks. But that is not true. Humans are not just personalities in a jar, nor bodies without a mind. We are both and as a result must spend equal time and attention to nurturing both of these aspects of our life.
And that is what I’m trying to do this summer.
