Forget the test

For the last few weeks I have been half-assed planning my fitness journey.  I've kind of been disgruntled by the prospect for various reasons.  But mainly it's down to two.  First, my shoulders hurt, and that makes a lot of upper-body training painful.  And second, I hate to run.

Today I decided to say "the hell with it" and go for a run/jog.  I got up at around 5 am, put on some shorts, a t-shirt and running shoes, plugged myself into my headphones, and just went.  It was kind of an eye-opener.  My pace was rather slow, and I walked more than ran, but that's fine.  I've never been much of a runner (which is probably why I dislike it).  I found my legs fatiguing fast, and was out of breath rather quickly.

In short, I am in pathetic physical condition.

So, instead of planning and charting and testing, I am just going to go with my gut and do what I can to improve.  Right now, getting myself out of bed at 5 am and going for about a 30-minute jog is good.  Doing it three times a week will go a long ways towards getting me where I want to be.  As for the rest, I'll do what exercises I can for my arms, shoulders, and chest.  Throw in some abdominals here and there, and I should be ok.

Eventually I do plan on a regular regimen.  Something involving total-body workouts, distance running (probably never more than 3 miles; I'm not a Runner like Michele), and some martial arts and "combat" training.

Later this year, we will be looking at buying a house, and I will have two things I would really like.  First, I want a dedicated writing space.  Even if it's just a closet, where I can sequester myself, surround myself with inspiration, and lock out the distractions (or as Steven Pressfield calls it "Resistance").  And secondly, I want a yard where I can have a few items for exercise.  I would like somewhere to hang a nice punching bag, and I would like to get a tractor tire to use for various exercises.  Some kind of contraption with a pull up bar and other such things would be nice too.

But, that's all down the road.  For now, I'm going to take it slow and easy.  I'm 41 and out of shape.  My body won't recover like it did when I was 18 and in Basic.  So, I have to train smarter, not harder.