Great topic- thanks for starting it!
I got one can relate to “have let myself go”. A bit of history:
Was a very competitive athlete, and was voted athlete of the year for my graduating class
Continued on with the fitness game to the next level and dabbled in competitive bodybuilding
Trained up to 5 days a week as it truly helped me with my very physically demanding job as a commercial sheet metal worker.
Somewhere between my mid twenties I ended up blowing a disc at work which led to a back surgery. During recovery, I looked at my body as a machine that had been repaired and trained to get myself ready to go back to work.
A few more accidents along the way led to more surgeries, and each time I would bounce back by training during recovery as getting back to work to support my family was top priority.
But with all the surgeries, even though I was “repaired”, it came with nagging pain that eventually would hinder my lifestyle as I got older. I noticed myself slowing down, and the 5-6 days a week of training had dropped to about 3 days a week and the training wasn’t quality training anymore.
After consulting with a surgeon who “guaranteed” me no more back pain, I made the decision to go his route, and that was to fuse my spine. This came in three segments, and when it was all said and done the 8” between your collar bone snd diaphragm is all that’s left of untouched, non fused spine. I am now the bionic man.
Was the choice I made wise? Hard to say. Had it changed my life? Heck ya. No more shoes with shoe laces, I carry magnet pick up tools in my pockets, and am now on a cane 24/7.
Now here’s the suck part- I still have pain, pain from anchors screwed into your vertebrae. It’s not meant to move now like it used to or was designed to. A shooting session behind a bench of two to three hours will lay me up for a couple of days due to the position of being hunched over looking thru a scope. I own a full blown gym in my garage that I built years ago, and have tried exercising but the pain that comes after and that keeps me up at night is too unbearable. So guess what- I’ve let myself go, meaning the lack of physical movement required to burn the calories isn’t happening so I’ve grown(literally) into a behemoth I told myself I’d never be.
You want to know what a great community this hobby has? There’s an AGN member here whose made me see things in a different light, and has offered many suggestions to help me help myself.
He’s inspired me to get off my chunky a$$ and look long term, like be around for my grandkids one day. QBALL, you are an awesome dude!!
So that’s where I’m at, doing the whole baby step thing. I’ve been not where I want to be since around 2016 when I realized I just couldn’t overcome things anymore, and the pounds started to build up. Getting older doesn’t help, but that’s not a good enough reason to not stay in shape.
For those of you that still have full mobility, trust me when I say I envy you cause I would be in excellent shape if I could. Take advantage of being able to still have full range of motion and go get in shape, like what this thread is all about. Don’t ever take that special moment like a hunt in the woods for granted.
If you’ve never been in the best shape of your life trust me when I say you’ll feel like Spider-Man. If you have been in the best shape but let yourself go, then you know what I’m talking about and missing it. Just like the OP said, it starts off slow but before long, you’ll be back in the game and wonder why you didn’t grab a hold of yourself earlier on!
The answer to your question is I cycle (recumbent) use to do at least 80 miles per week. I use to do some calisthenics at home and go to the gym three times a week to weight train. I haven't been to the gym in a month, I haven't done calisthenics in about three months and I don't ride half of what I did just a few months ago. I've worked out my entire life but I'm getting older and having a few medical issues (nothing serious) so its getting easier to make excuses
