The Journey: Getting in Shape

I'm a very big person.

I mean, yeah, I am a very tall person, about 6' 6''. But I also mean I am fat. Very, very fat. Naturally this causes me issues when I go out and hike. For instance, being as badly out of shape as I am makes walking up even the smallest hill takes my breath away. It means I take longer getting up to the top of a ridge, and causes me to be out of energy when I get there.

In addition, being big and walking up and down hills causes issues with my knees. Think of all that weight bouncing up and down on knees that have already had their share of turmoil, and you can see why I get apprehensive. Trekking poles help immensely, but I've only used them on walks of a mile or two.

Fortunately, this is something that can be changed. In fact, if I am to ever complete a long walk such as the Appalachian Trail, or any trail beyond the River Ridge Backpack Trail, it is an imperative that I change. I've tried several times with some success. However, I always seem to have found an excuse to revert to my bad habits. It's been really frustrating, to tell the truth.

This time I am going to try public shame. Well, I suppose shame is a bit strong. More accurately, I am going to use keeping a regular journal of my fight to get in shape to keep me honest and on mission.

This will be honest, no punches will be pulled. If I have a triumph, I will share it here. If I backslide or fail, it will also be here. I don't expect to succeed 100%, but I do expect to succeed in the long run.

The one piece of information I won't share is my actual weight, at least not for right now. This information is for myself alone. However, each week I will share how much I've lost (and hopefully not gained), so it shouldn't be too hard to suss out I'm a big guy from these early numbers.

At the very least this will be a weekly post, given every Thursday, which will be the end of my exercise week. I may share more throughout the week, but expect at least one every week. If you don't see this post by 9:00 CDT/CST (This week excepted), please let me know. Also, please share your encouragement/discouragement/statements of neutrality in the comments.

Here's to the journey.