Shaking Things Up by Doing the Opposite

When you're trying to correct life-long habits that have led to serious health problems, you have to look inward from time to time and rethink what's going on with you.

There's a popular episode of Seinfeld when George decides to do the opposite. He figures everything he's done so far in life has led to him being a total failure. So he decides to do the opposite of whatever his instincts tell him to do. It works out well for him, for the episode, anyway. 

What I've been doing most of my life with regards to my weight and health hasn't worked out well for me. So why not challenge myself? Why not try new things? Why not re-examine old beliefs? Why not shake things up a little?

In my fitness endeavor today I did the opposite of what my previous instincts would have had me do. For one thing, I did the opposite of sitting on the couch. On this rainy, cool day I went mountain biking on dirt trails outside the city. My previous instincts have always been to stay indoors when it rains and to keep bicycles away from water and mud. However, today I decided to do the opposite.

And boy was it invigorating and just plain different!

I discovered that lowering the air pressure in my tires allowed me to ride off-road with far less vibration and strain on my arms. It reduces your efficiency but allows for a much more comfortable ride when off road.

My bike got so clogged up with mud, I could barely push it, let alone ride it up hill. I might have been a bit freaked out by this in the past. Today, I threw caution to the wind and just went with it. A visit to the car wash later took care of most of the mud.

There was no one out there in the valley, there was no oppressive heat to burden me and the adrenaline involved in the challenge roused my spirit. Wheels slipped around and even spun in place at times. These are things I haven't experienced before in cycling. I was living dangerously.

When you start to get old like I am, time speeds up. A challenge I've given myself apart from my fitness journey, is to slow time down. Doing new things and challenging myself is one way I think I can slow down my rapid decent into old age. If everything's the same every day, time just keeps going by quicker and quicker.

It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. It's hard to break old patterns. It's hard to challenge old beliefs. But doing so, I think, is necessary as part of what it will likely take to permanently change the obese person's destructive course.

It's one of a thousand little things I'm working on to overcome my weight-related health issues. And it's always fun.

"If I Could Only Become An Exercise Fanatic, I Would Be Thin"

I believe the above statement is a myth that many of us believe. On the one hand, I believe strongly that getting fit cures much of what ails you because of obesity, especially fatigue and mobility. But I also believe that much of the problem of obesity stems from complex and widely varied problems with our mental health. If you don't work on the mental aspect, being fit isn't the cure for your large waist line. I think--and you hear this a lot from health care professionals--that a comprehensive approach is best.

My pet peeve has always been people who talk about this or that diet or method while people with eating problems perk up and want to know every detail. There still seems to be the notion that there's a secret out there that will somehow easily solve why we're overweight. I'm sure there's not. You have to really examine yourself and find something that works for you--for the rest of your life.

I advocate for improving your fitness in whatever baby steps you can so you can relieve yourself of some or all of the problems associated with being very overweight. You may believe that the heart of your problems is your body image and that's not fixed until you become super-model-thin. But I'm here to tell you that getting strong and capable by things as simple as walking does wonders for your self-image and your self-esteem even while you still may be very overweight.

Start getting stronger in whatever way you can so you can start living your life again, right now. But simultaneously work on your eating as best you can, without looking for the quick and easy fix.

(My) Misconception: Exercising in Cold Weather Means Being Cold

The Antarctic: Is he cold? Not in the least! He's dressed for the weather.

The very large are full of misconceptions about themselves and the world, at least in my very humble, but always right opinion. So I thought I'd continue to write about misconceptions I had which I have since proven wrong to myself as I continue on my journey to "reclaim James."

Just because it's minus 40 outside, doesn't mean you have to be the least bit cold going out there. See my exciting recent post on the subject. I have proven to myself that you can stay toasty warm even in the coldest weather. The most important things are a warm pair of gloves/mitts and covering your face. I recommend a descent balaclava for that, one that blocks the wind (not wool.)

The other night I was out walking in -25 Celcius with woolly socks in all-leather runners (they weren't meshy so they could breathe) and my feet got too hot! If you're constantly moving to the point where you sweat, your feet don't get cold. For most of us, walking is enough to make us sweat. I switched to normal socks the next night and now I'm fine in all temperatures. No boots needed.

Avid runners, on the other hand, exercise at a higher intensity and they probably have to underdress and start off cold so they can work up to their "operating temperature."  Unless they want to be shedding layers as they run, which seems like too much of a hassle. I could be wrong, but I'm usually not. (Don't forget that I'm humble.)

I'm far colder sitting on the couch these days than dressing properly and moving my body outside in frigid temperatures. If you're worried about being cold, best get up and move.