Stop Smoking

It’s not a resolution or anything, but the lady and I joined a gym on January 5. She found that her employer struck a deal with Lifestyle Fitness that would give her a considerable discount. We went for a free workout and ended up signing up with the Premier package.

The gym is a really nice place. A few months back, it underwent a complete remodeling. There are now two racquetball courts; a three-lane pool; whirlpool; saunas; sound-proof stretching/yoga room; full basketball court; dozens of treadmills, bikes, and elliptical machines; tanning booths; and tons and tons of free-weights and weight machines (literally).

We are now about two month into working out. This week was a bad one… Tuesday, I had to get up early to vote… Wednesday night we had a concert to go to so we didn’t go that morning… Thursday we were exhausted from the night before so we didn’t go… Friday we were exhausted from the night before so we didn’t go… Saturday we were snowed in and I doubt the gym was open due to the 10 inches of snow that fell in the previous 24 hours.

Despite this minor setback, we are working out 3-5 times each week and are starting to see some results. We lift weights on days one, three, and five and run or ellipticalize on the even days. We certainly feel better, but we both see changes when we look in the mirror. My belly doesn’t stick out quite as far and my squishy arms have started looking like real arms.

We’re aware that this is a marathon, not a sprint. And we’re in it for the long haul. This combined with the Abs Diet and we’re well on our way to much healthier, happier lifestyles.

Step three for me is getting into health. This is not the same as quitting smoking or working out or staying away from fast food: it’s a combination of all of them.
One of the reasons I quit smoking in the first place was to begin exercising again. I started reading the Men’s Health book The Abs Diet. It promotes the following lifestyle changes:

1. Eat lots of low-fat protein
2. Eat lots of fiber
3. Eat 3 meals and 3 snacks every day
4. Do exercises that strengthen your core (abs, back, and legs)

One of the biggest problems most men have is abdominal fat. Not the fat on the belly… the fat beneath the abdominal muscles. This type of fat chokes the organs as it surrounds them and continues to grow. During periods of stress, it releases toxic chemicals that hurt the organs and pollute the bloodstream.

The Abs Diet targets this fat and provides a plan for a lifetime of fitness and health. I’m several weeks into it and it’s difficult. The lady is on it, too, as it would be very difficult for one of us to be on it while the other is not. We manage to eat really really well while on this plan. Finding new meals has proven difficult, but we’re learning. This is phase one of step three. It’s a long arduous journey, but I guess that’s life, right?