the Power of Walking

I have struggled my entire life with my weight. I was a "husky" boy as a child, I was told by my tennis instructor when I was 14 or 15 that I looked like John Candy running around on the court (I am not sure where this comment came from except to suggest that my tennis instructor was a jerk and an idiot. I was heavy for that age but I was far from John Candy's size), and I exceeded 200 pounds when I was 15. Then the fluctuations began. By my senior year I lost about 20 pounds, grew a few more inches, and filled in quite a bit at close to 6' 1" and 195 pounds. By the time I left on my mission I was 215 again. Through my adult life I have reached as much as 280 pounds, dropped back to 203 pounds, and am now around 240 pounds.

I want to lose the weight and keep it off. There are probably dozens of reasons to explain the roller coaster weight that would take years of psycho therapy to figure out but I don't have several years. I am 33, I know that is not old, but I feel like I am 53. I believe a 53 year old can still be healthy, and that they have so much life left to live, but feeling 20 years older than you actually are can't be a good thing. I say again, I want to lose the weight and keep it off, and add that I want to feel like a healthy 33 year old with the energy of a 23 year old. Is it possible? I think so. Will it happen? I hope so. How am I going to do it? Keep reading.

I am going to walk it off (my sister has been a strong influence in my decision to take the approach). Walking is only the beginning, I hope to progress from there. But at the beginning, walking will be the foundation. I am a strong believer in resistance training. Muscle is the body's metabolic engine and building muscle is the key to fat loss and keeping it off long term. You don't have to be a huge bodybuilder, just a few extra pounds, 5 - 10, is all it takes. Walking, however, is the foundation, with resistance training and proper nutrition being close behind.

My primary goal is to weigh 185 pounds with less than 10% body-fat. That means I need to lose 60 - 65 pounds of fat and add 5 - 10 pounds of lean muscle. I would like to achieve this goal in approximately 6 months. I want the most of it to be achieved by the time I graduate in April of next year, which gives me five and a half months or so, so that when prospective employers in the health and wellness field meet me I will look like I know what I am doing and actually practice what I preach.

The foundation of this again is walking. I hope to document my journey in this blog and illustrate to all those who read it the true power of walking.