I’m addicted!!

I have a couple of addiction. Serious addictions!! Don’t mess with my gingersnaps and don’t even think about messing with my chips!

My great nephew Camden and I are huge fans of the gingersnap cookies my sister makes and he’s really the only person I’ll share with!

I also love chips…no preference to a flavour really, as long as they’re Canadian!  I’m kind of addicted to Sour Cream and Onion right now, but I will eat ANY chips…over food…like all the time…all day…for a snack…or whatever…you get the point!

(Americans don’t know how to make chips – Sweds do though, found Estrella on our trip last year and they were nearly as good…thanks Sweden!)

Each year when we travel south to get away from the snow and cold, I load up our car with as many bags as we have room for and then ration my dining pleasure to ensure they last as long as I can make them.

Now if only I had to same level of addiction to other things in my life…like exercising! I’d say I’ve always dappled with exercising whether it was running, weights, yoga, I’ve done something at one time or another in my life although I’ve always found a good reason not commit to a really serious workout regime.  For the most part, my most consistent  excuse was work and of course because I was always tired because of all that work!  When I retired I felt that after I caught up on my sleep and got my energy level back to normal, I’d exercise more and make it a part of my daily routine (except for Sundays, my day of rest!)  My partner Tim has been so dedicated to his workout and exercising and I have always had him as my motivation and inspiration.

This past year I really committed to doing weights and some cardio as I approach 60 in 356 days.  Keeping myself in shape is a bonus to some healthy living as I approach that milestone.  Like everyone my age, I have some medical and physical challenges that affect my ability and level of commitment but I can certainly do something! Its pretty easy to use those challenges as an additional reason not to hit the gym.  In fact, I was always pretty good at finding a reason not to go workout and in my head those reasons were always valid.   Honestly there are some very real and legitimate reasons I just can’t do it, no matter what and I wont feel any guilt for that.

For the last couple of months (almost a year now) I’ve been pretty committed to a regular workout routine.  We do a series of exercises and weights for various body parts and have some cardio each day with a ‘day of rest’ on Sundays!  OBTW…I really hate to do legs!   My biggest daily challenge is to just get to the gym or head out to our garage (we have a whack of weights in there).   I really really love to veg in the morning, so its takes a whole lot of energy and self reflections to put down my morning coffee, turn off my computer and get to the gym.  Well it turns out that all that pain and effort have shown some gain.

Finally I can see some results and I’m even starting to see some progress on getting rid of that annoying belly!  If only I had made this commitment earlier in my life…who knows…muscles on muscles???

Now…I should probably post a photo of my body a year ago, when I started to be a bit more serious about weights, and a current photo.  I should, but I won’t!    They exist, because I have really found some extra motivation in seeing the changes in my body, but I wont share. Maybe I will post them on my 60th birthday!  Oh oh…now the pressures on for me…off to the gym.  Okay maybe this fully clothed video at the end of this blog…

Its kind of funny when Tim and I get back from the gym, we’ll pull off out t-shirts and stand in front of the mirror to give each other some compliments on our hard work.  He’s had defined muscles for a long while now and looks super hot for his age,  but its new to see any definition on my body.  I kind of like it.  Now if I could just get rid of that belly… I guess that means even more cardio…and…I might have to give up my addiction to chips…but I don’t really see that happening!  I’ll just have to make my arms and shoulders bigger, so you don’t notice it I guess!  Addictions…some are just too hard to get rid of …and it turns out…some are just too hard to start!  They are what they are!!!

The wisdom of 59!  (cuz I’m older, you learn things…)

Working out in public was always an obstacle and challenge.  From everything I knew, felt and thought…the gyms are full of macho guys who were all judging me! Every move I would made in the gym, every weight I picked up would be under the scrutiny of those big bulky guys.  Come on…there are mirrors everywhere…they could see me for sure!  Lets be honest, an insecure gay guy with a bulging belly was just the kind of person they would definitely make fun of.  At least that what I would tell myself and that often became a good enough reason not to go to the gym!  Okay…as it turned out…that was just the most insane and irrational way for me to think.  First…99.9% of the people who work out at a gym DON’T CARE  about anyone else and are so focused on their own workout, they don’t even see you.  I always thought those mean and stern faces you’d see on those muscle guys were because they were judging me and just waiting for the right moment to say something condescending or insulting to me. I couldn’t have been more WRONG!  If and when they do say something to you.. its likely a simple ‘hey’ … or ‘excuse me’… and its always short or specific so they can get back to their own workout.  There are a lot of people like me at the gym and we’re all thinking how awesome it is that you are in the building.  I’ve learnt in my 59 years…that I still have lots to learn!  I need to believe that other than the people in my life that I love…I should never worry about what a stranger might think!  Maybe when I turn 60!

I’ve got so much more to say…follow my blog if you want to hear any more!  Or maybe comment with your workout suggestions!