Fitness

My Fitness Journey

The Goal

Each person is unique and has a different idea in their mind when it comes to fitness goals. Some people just want to be able to play tag with their kids in the park while some people want to be able to compete in ultra marathons. Like many people, I always have been somewhere in the middle where I want to be fit enough to do the things I enjoy like hiking, riding my bike on the weekends with my son and avoiding diseases originating from being overweight.

Wake up call

In 2006, I moved from Dallas to Seattle and I still carry around a picture from that year as a stark reminder of where I don’t want to be again. While I had always struggled with my weight, I was at my heaviest (180 pounds) at that point and I did not like it one bit.

2016 – A wake up call

Try different things

There are just two dominant variables when it comes to getting fit: Diet and Exercise. Yes, other things like stress, key events (good / bad) in your life, your overall lifestyle, your friends all play an important role too but the dominant variables remain the same. Just like my blog title: Try, Learn, Grow you need to experiment with these variables and find the things which work for you and your lifestyle.

I have tried way too many exercise programs over the years but here are the top ones:

  • Beachbody home programs: P90X, P90X2, P90X3, Insanity. I have tried them all and would recommend all of them in a heartbeat to anyone who likes to workout at home or does not have access to a gym
  • Crossfit: Tried it but felt it was too intense for my liking. Many of my friends swear by it.
  • Running: I still love running outdoor in the spring and summer but had been experiencing some knee issues which made this less enjoyable
  • Cycling: Nothing more exhilarating than riding your bike on a trail by the lake (which we have plenty of in Seattle)
  • Group Fitness Classes: I have tried pretty much all the classes offered at my gym and in the process found learnt some great things like the TRX equipment and methodologies like HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
  • Yoga: I started doing Yoga as part of the P90X programs but quickly learnt that the benefits were unbelievable. All the chronic pains which never seem to go away started vanishing and my flexibility improved tremendously as well.
  • Plain old weight lifting: A great way to relieve stress, there are some great online programs which teach you the basics if you have never tried lifting weights

In terms of nutrition I had always been a vegetarian but I also turned vegan while experimenting with nutrition and I loved how my body reacted to that change and have been vegan for the last 10+ years. There are many other reasons for this change but I think that would deserve it’s own blog post!

Stick with it

The key to success with your fitness journey is sticking with it. There will be bad days, weeks and months and many times you will feel that things are going the opposite way. That is okay! Pick up from wherever you are and keep adding some variety to your routine till you get bored again and then you try something new 🙂

Build a routine which works for your current phase of life. If you have all the time in the world, go exercise 7 days a week but if you are a new mom or dad try to squeeze out 15 mins twice a week. When that phase of life changes, adjust accordingly. You will be surprised how little things add up and help you towards your fitness goals.

Looking forward

2019 – Looking forward

While I still struggle with this even today, I feel like I have found my happy medium. I plan to keep experimenting and learning new things, getting stronger and keep enjoying life. Exercise and nutrition have become critical parts of our family lifestyle and we all love it. Hope you found some good tips from this blog as well!