An Average Guy's Take on Fitness

I've worked out "casually" since my college days at Miami of Ohio.

Back then, it was to get in shape for spring break and now, it's just to get in shape. My standard practice has always been to hit the gym hard for a couple of months until I start to see results ... then hit the couch for a few months.

I got serious about fitness in the beginning of last year with the hope that I could turn this new found passion into a regular part of my daily life. From January through March of 2010, I dropped 17 pounds by following a strict diet and working out consistently.

Through this process I learned how to eat to support my workouts and achieve my fitness goals. All was right with the world at the end of March, but even great results like losing 17 pounds could not keep me going to the gym regularly. Feeling like I had succeeded my drive to get to the gym subsided, and because I was at a nice new weight I thought I could just eat whatever I wanted.

Naturally, the weight came back on.

Fast forward to January of 2011 and once again I decided it was time to shape up. I had gained back half of the weight that I lost a few months back and knew it was time once again to do something about it. I implemented the same "dieting" principles as the previous year and hit the gym on a routine basis.

Once again the results were positive as I reached my goal of losing 13 pounds by the end of March. I had now proved to myself on two occasions that my meal plan (not really a diet) and workout combination was effective and yielded great results when followed consistently.

Here I am in June and I have maintained the weight, but not without some struggle. I know a lot of people out there also struggle with either getting to the gym for the first time or making it a routine. A lot of people feel uncomfortable at the gym or once they get there because they simply don't know what to do.

Others think that if they workout regularly then they should be able to eat whatever they want. Regardless of the reason, it can be tough to make fitness part of your everyday routine.

What works best for me is being consistent and accountable. By consistent, I mean that you are not going to reach your fitness goals overnight. In order to make health a part of your lifestyle you have to practice this on a regular basis.

And then there is being accountable. 

In the past, I have been able to rely on daily workouts as part of a long summer baseball season to keep me in shape. As you grow older and find your groove in corporate America there really is nobody there to tell you to get in shape. 

In my line of work, if I can use a calculator and respond to a few emails on a daily basis my job is probably safe. For this reason, I decided to take to the world of blogging to document the pursuit of my fitness goals. My hope is this blog will keep me accountable, and maybe even inspire some people to start to workout along the way.

I look forward to writing and interacting with you on The Patch.  For more posts on fitness and nutrition please check out my daily blog at http://distinctfitness.blogspot.com.