Awesome progress Jim!

I enjoyed reading your blog, and I agree, as far as our mobility goes, we should never take anything for granted. Going for a brisk walk is something I enjoyed for years, and after my car accident, the road back made me realize that it is often the simple things which mean the most.

One thought which struck me as I was reading was perhaps starting out with a more reasonable exercise goal could help. I am determined to get in 5-6 hours of cardio per week. That's just about the max of what my joints can manage. I'm retired now, but if I were still working, 10 hours of cardio would be impossible for me.

If you adjusted your goal, you might not admonish yourself if you did not reach your weekly goal. That mindset is so important to keep us focused and motivated to continue with meeting our exercise goal.

Also, reassigning exercise to a habit instead of a task does take away some of the interpretation that exercise is just another form of work. Looking forward to exercise because it helps you achieve your weight loss goals is a healthier approach IMO.

Keep up your great progress!

Hi Sojourner,

Thank you for giving me another perspective. Perhaps you're right and I am just putting too much pressure on myself. Really it is not so much the 10 hours a week I am looking for but rather some consistency. Seeking out that consistency I guess I am just adding more pressure. As for the walks I do enjoy them however not on the level of perhaps other activities. I thought maybe if I looked at it as something that has to be done daily such as a shower, work, cooking dinner then perhaps it would actually get done.

When it's all said and done I just have to do it and I have to make the time to do it.

Congrats on your amazing success Jim! I read a good article a couple months ago and posted a link to it on here. If I can find it, I'll repost it. It discussed not worrying about some long term fitness goal, but just concentrating on your progress today. If we concentrate on what we do today...the long term goals will come.

Heres a quote from it.

""Einstein didn't think he was intelligent, because as his intellect expanded so did his ability to comprehend how much there is to know. Exercise works the same way. As you become fit, you become more aware of higher standards of fitness. Identifying yourself in the scale of being fit can be the cause of depression that will cause you to quit. You must not think about a future state of fitness you want to obtain. You must only think of physical motion in the moment. You must develop sets of physical motion without setting a goal of obtainment. You just do it as a ritual. You don't think about the time involved. You don't become over exhilarated. You just do it."

http://drsimpson.net/fitness/aeobics/aerobics.htm

Jim, you've done a phenomenal job! I agree with Sojourner; try & set a more realistic goal, and take some of the pressure off.

It's true that exercise needs to become part of our daily routine. Easier said than done, I know! If it weren't for my dog giving me "the face" every morning, I'd probably plop down at my desk, and not surface for hours. I used to take her to the park; play catch, then sit my butt down on a bench while she plays. Now, I take her out for a good 40-45 minute walk through the hills about 4-5 times a week, which has made a huge difference in my progress. I know I "should" (hate that word) do more, but for now, this seems to be "enough".

You're doing great, Jim.... Keep it realistic, and try not to get down on yourself for not living up to your own expectations. As my father always says, just do the best you can :-)

hey jim

i read this last night and wanted to respond but on my lap top at home with my long nails its hard for me to type (fast/alot) so i waited til i got back to work..your progress is amazing....you know from our convo's you are one of my inspirations and i am sooooooo proud of you....your wife has the BEST example of a success story...tell her i said so

i find if we say i am gonna do this a certain number of times, we tend to stress and if we dont, we stress more and then it consumes us....

i think if you work out (when you can), it will count

as you know, i am in agreement with you....everything we do movement wise counts.....us larger BMI people took things for granted.....

so dont get caught up on a set number of times per week

just do what you can, when you can.......that is what you have told me

before......i remember that

work is crazy......i dont have time to do much of anything and when i get

home i want to crawl into a hot bath, then my bed and go to sleep....some days i walk....some days i do my aerobics, some days i dont.......i just do what i can.......i eat good, let the band work and stay positive and focused........just LIKE YOU ARE

saggy skin, i feel ya

but my ole man said to me would i rather be fat with tight skin (well over 300+ ) or nearly under 200 and some saggy skin.....give me sag any day

love ya

virginia

Agreed on all counts. You're all right I am putting too much pressure on myself. Flip side I did manage to get out and do a 2 mile walk during lunch yesterday.

So far so good. I have made it out 3 times this week and have walked 6 miles.