Make Fitness An Adventure

by Chuck Abbe 

I am passionate about fitness. There, I said it. It wasn't always that way, in fact I was in my 50's before the desire to be physically fit really hit me. Stay with me now, a little bit of my personal story is necessary here so that I can encourage you to undertake a fitness journey of your own.

In high school I tried track and cross-country. Unfortunately, I did not have the necessary personal drive or outside encouragement to stick with it. Four years in the Air Force forced me to do a certain amount of physical training but I only did what was expected for me to complete my tour of duty. There was never any real desire to go beyond the minimum.

In 1969 I got married and, at almost the same time, I became interested in running. To make a long story short, from then until 2002 I was a runner. I never really got serious about it, but did run some 10K races and one 15K race. It was very sporadic.

In 2002 I discovered Spinning® - 60 minutes of intensity on an indoor bike with heart-pumping music and an enthusiastic coach. I was hooked on working out hard and sweating off calories. Now it's not only Spinning®, but trail running, lifting weights, cardio classes etc.

Whats the big deal about being fit?

I want to encourage you to embark on a fitness adventure, so it is important that you have an understanding of why it is important to be physically fit.

Being fit will improve the health of your heart and circulatory system.
Being fit will improve the health of your lungs.
Being fit will improve the health of your bones.
Being fit helps you deal with stress.
Being fit improves the way you look.
Being fit will help you to be more efficient at work or in school.
Being fit will help you sleep better.
Being fit will allow you to recover sooner from an illness.
Being fit will slow the aging process.
Being fit will give you a healthy self-image and help you feel good about yourself.

If all these things came together in your life you would be fit and happy.

Make the pursuit of fitness an adventure

When you have convinced yourself that the above ten results are something worth striving for then you are ready to begin your adventure. There are so many ways to become more fit. In prior articles I have gone into detail about some of them, but for now I want to provide a more general, perhaps more philosophical approach to pursuing fitness.

First of all understand that there is not a point in time that you can say "Now I am fit, I can relax and enjoy it for the rest of my life." You will always have to be aware of the state of your fitness. Exercise needs to be a part of your life from now on. You will always need to be thoughtful about what you eat. You will monitor your health, with your doctor, for the rest of your life. The point is to make it fun, make it an adventure until it just becomes part of your life and who you are.

Secondly, get started. That sounds pretty simple, but that can be the hardest part of your adventure. You may have a tendency to say "someday I need to do something about my fitness." I certainly did that for years. You will never reach the goal until you take the first step. It is not "too hard." It does not "require too much time." Starting your fitness adventure is about determining where you are, where you want to go, and determining how you are going to get there.

So what do I do?

You have so many options, especially here on the Central Coast where our mild weather allows us to be outdoors year around. Try something new. Instead of walking around the block after dinner - get out on Saturday morning and go walk the Bluff Trail at Montana de Oro. If you are accustomed to running on the treadmill at the gym, take it outside. Go down to the Embarcadero, rent a kayak, and paddle around the bay for an hour. Get on a bicycle and ride up to Cayucos and have coffee down by the pier. Go down to Fitness Works in Morro Bay, buy a day pass and try out some of the various equipment available for cardio and strength workouts. Then try a group class.

When you are ready for a little more challenge, you can step it up with power hikes in the hills, running up and down hills at Montano de Oro, and entering local run/walks. There are many local events where you can walk or run varying distances with a group of people who are not only getting fit but helping to raise money for local charities at the same time. Set a goal to complete a 5K (3.1 miles). When you have accomplished that, go for a 10K You can do the same thing with cycling. Gradually increase the length of your rides until you are doing 20 miles or more. You will be amazed at how good it makes you feel to set a fitness goal and accomplish it.

Join a group of like minded people and work out together. Join Fitness Works for gym workouts. Hook up with a local group of runners or walkers. Join the San Luis Obispo Bicycle Club and go on weekly rides.

Decide you are going to get fit, decide on an activity to start with, then just go do it and don't look back. It doesn't take any more energy to look ahead than it does to look back.

White Pelican image on banner by Chuck Abbe.