It’s time I get serious, people. And by serious, I mean getting real. For years I’ve been struggling, and those struggles have revolved around three things: health, food, and fitness. This blog has really helped with the former two, but the latter… the latter has been the stitch in my side for far too long.
Now, I know I’m healthier than I have ever been, disordered eating besides. I like running, rock climbing, yoga, weight lifting, and so much more. I’m enjoying the grain-free, one fruit a day, and sweetener free life for the moment. Eating was the easiest thing to measure, basing what to eat by how I felt afterward. I learned that just by increasing each meal by 50 – 100 calories and drinking the daily two liters of water, I didn’t have the headaches anymore and the desire to snack subsided. I’ve noticed a positive change in my sleep pattern, in that I’m actually sleeping a full eight hours and not waking up ridiculously early. I’m learning what feeling true hunger (and not discomfort) is like, and accepting that my feeling full all this time must have not been full enough for my body.
Along with this change I started reading Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Body. I thought of trying out the slow-carb diet, turning myself into a science experiment of epic proportions. A lot of what he said really resonated with me, like how weight wasn’t as important as other variables you could consistently measure as progress, like adding up the total inches of your forearms, waist, hips, and thighs. Reading his book was the turning point, because it was then I knew what I had to do.
I had to track my progress.
For the years I’ve been active, it never occurred to me to track on a regular basis. Or, maybe I didn't have the right motivation. I was afraid of the weight scale in the bathroom and terrified of the body tape measure. There were times I distinctly remember having a panic attack and feeling awful about myself when I did weigh myself and measure my waist, and even earlier this year I turned away from the scale at the various doctors’ offices and requested they not tell me my weight. Although there were some parts of Ferriss’ book I found extreme (albeit effective based on the results he published after ten years of research), I decided it was time to try something new: a Meals With Morri “Fitness” page.
A while back I bookmarked Running for Beginners, a six-week long run-walk program that I started as of today. I was working out for two hours at a time, three to five days a week, and I wasn’t seeing the progress I was hoping for. I then learned (yes, from Ferriss) about the Minimum Effective Dose, or the MED, that I was in turn doing more harm than good by working out so obsessively by not giving my body the time to heal itself. So why bend over backwards so long for such an ineffective method, working out for hours and not seeing noticeable progress? My first mistake? Not tracking what progress that could be measured. And my second? Killing myself in the name of fitness.
I’m not guaranteeing I won’t make blunders, but I do have a plan. And I am intending on making sure Meals With Morri keeps me honest. Each Monday I will be doing a weigh in, taking measurements, and taking (eep!) body photos.
My starting photos were… okay. The angle stinks, but at least my neck line looked awesome. After all, the photos aren’t supposed to be supermodel quality. They’re there as a reminder for where you started… and where you’re going to end up.
Wish me luck.
Now, I know I’m healthier than I have ever been, disordered eating besides. I like running, rock climbing, yoga, weight lifting, and so much more. I’m enjoying the grain-free, one fruit a day, and sweetener free life for the moment. Eating was the easiest thing to measure, basing what to eat by how I felt afterward. I learned that just by increasing each meal by 50 – 100 calories and drinking the daily two liters of water, I didn’t have the headaches anymore and the desire to snack subsided. I’ve noticed a positive change in my sleep pattern, in that I’m actually sleeping a full eight hours and not waking up ridiculously early. I’m learning what feeling true hunger (and not discomfort) is like, and accepting that my feeling full all this time must have not been full enough for my body.
Along with this change I started reading Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Body. I thought of trying out the slow-carb diet, turning myself into a science experiment of epic proportions. A lot of what he said really resonated with me, like how weight wasn’t as important as other variables you could consistently measure as progress, like adding up the total inches of your forearms, waist, hips, and thighs. Reading his book was the turning point, because it was then I knew what I had to do.
I had to track my progress.
For the years I’ve been active, it never occurred to me to track on a regular basis. Or, maybe I didn't have the right motivation. I was afraid of the weight scale in the bathroom and terrified of the body tape measure. There were times I distinctly remember having a panic attack and feeling awful about myself when I did weigh myself and measure my waist, and even earlier this year I turned away from the scale at the various doctors’ offices and requested they not tell me my weight. Although there were some parts of Ferriss’ book I found extreme (albeit effective based on the results he published after ten years of research), I decided it was time to try something new: a Meals With Morri “Fitness” page.
A while back I bookmarked Running for Beginners, a six-week long run-walk program that I started as of today. I was working out for two hours at a time, three to five days a week, and I wasn’t seeing the progress I was hoping for. I then learned (yes, from Ferriss) about the Minimum Effective Dose, or the MED, that I was in turn doing more harm than good by working out so obsessively by not giving my body the time to heal itself. So why bend over backwards so long for such an ineffective method, working out for hours and not seeing noticeable progress? My first mistake? Not tracking what progress that could be measured. And my second? Killing myself in the name of fitness.
I’m not guaranteeing I won’t make blunders, but I do have a plan. And I am intending on making sure Meals With Morri keeps me honest. Each Monday I will be doing a weigh in, taking measurements, and taking (eep!) body photos.
My starting photos were… okay. The angle stinks, but at least my neck line looked awesome. After all, the photos aren’t supposed to be supermodel quality. They’re there as a reminder for where you started… and where you’re going to end up.
Wish me luck.
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