The Shape of Things to Come

Approximately 6 years ago, I was fat and unhealthy. My BMI was 28.3 (which is more than 3 points above the healthy weight range) and I could barely climb a flight of stairs without feeling winded. For my entire life up to grad school and the start of my career, I was always within the normal weight range for my height (my BMI ranged between 18.5 and 21.3). I was active and in good shape. When I was writing the thesis for my M.Sc., while at the same time attending Teacher's College, healthy eating and regular exercise were the first activities to fall off my schedule due to time constraints. This continued during the beginning of my teaching career, as I was up to all hours planning lessons and marking. Finally, one day, I saw a photo of myself and was shocked at what I saw. I was a puffy, lifeless version of what I considered to be the real me. Right around the same time, my father was diagnosed with lung cancer and died after several months of steady, painful decline. He was only 65 years old.

Then the light bulb went off - I hated how looked and I hated how I felt. My father's death also drove home the fact that life is short. I realized that there are so many things in life that you that you can't control and I had better start taking care of the things that I could control. I started eating better - vegetables, lean meats and complex carbohydrates, instead of cheeseburgers, fries and chocolate bars. I also developed an exercise regimen (cardio and weight lifting) for myself. My ultimate goal was not to lose weight (although it was a happy side effect) - it was to get healthy.

Within 1 year, I had lost 40 pounds. I had reduced my measurements - I went from wearing a size 14 to a size 4. I was healthy, vibrant, strong and unstoppable. I had never been so happy with the way that I felt and looked as during that time.

Fast forward to the last year and a half. I got lax, I got over-confident...I got lazy. Although, the scale tells me that I have only gained back 5 of the 40 pounds that I lost - that doesn't paint the whole picture. I have lost muscle mass and replaced it with fat - I am getting soft and losing definition. In a nutshell, it's time to get my butt back in gear. Looking at the medical history of my family is a grim reminder that I need to give my body all the tools it needs to keep me healthy - I don't want the heart disease, diabetes and cancer that plagues (or, more importantly, plagued) so many of my relatives.

So, that's why I'm writing this blog entry. Here is my plan for the next 12 weeks. After that, I will reassess and determine my next goal.

Exercise
For weeks 1 to 4:

• Mon, Wed, Fri - Weight Lifting - full body - 45 min - perform 2 sets (10-12 reps) of each exercise - rest 1 min in between sets
• Sun, Tues, Thurs, Sat - Cardio & Abs - 30 min - treadmill, Yourself Fitness for the XBox, dog walking, etc., followed by 40 crunches
  

For weeks 5 to 12:

• Mon, Wed, Fri - Weight Lifting - full body - 60 min - perform 3 sets (10-12 reps) of each exercise - rest 1 min in between sets
• Sun, Tues, Thurs, Sat - Cardio & Abs - 30 min - treadmill, Yourself Fitness for the XBox, dog walking, etc., followed by 40 crunches

Diet

• I will use the ratio of 40% protein, 40% carbohydrate and 20% fat to make up a 1400 - 1500 calorie per day meal plan.
• I will increase my intake of vegetables (unfortunately, I'm not a fruit eater), lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fat.
• I will eat 5 smaller meals (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner) instead of 3 larger ones.
  
• I will continue to take vitamin supplements (multivitamin, vitamin C, vitamin E and calcium).