Insult to injury
I woke up Friday morning extremely stiff and sore. Twelve hours of moving furniture, appliances and boxes had left me a big bundle of pain.
"I'm out of shape," I said to myself.
Later that day I ran into the bodybuilder prof. I don't know him, but I've seen him around a lot. Enough to recognize each other and nod in hello.
The guy - who is actually built like a bodybuilder - was in front of me in line at the grocery checkout.
He nodded at me and then started to make conversation.
"Do I know you from the gym? Working out?" he asked.
I saw him at the athletic centre locker room a lot last summer. He was there after lifting weights or something. I was there herding children from the camp I worked at. They swam at the pool for an hour each day.
"I don't work out there, but yes," I said. "I was there with the day camp last year."
He grunted and we exchanged some more words and then he grabbed my shoulder as he said bye. He looked down at it, cocked his head, and raised an eyebrow.
"You're too skinny," he said.
I prefer to think of myself as lean, but decided to keep that to myself.
"You need more meat on you," he said.
I agreed with him there, and said so.
"You should work out more," he said. "Bulk up."
Then he left.
I don't feel a need to be super muscular. Which is a good thing since I don't have the right body type for it. However, another ten to twenty pounds wouldn't hurt me at all.
There are three classes of "in shape", as far as I'm concerned. Decent, good and excellent.
I used to be in excellent shape. I sometimes think of it as being in 'fighting shape', since it's the ideal state to be in if you're going to be in a fight. Extremely high levels of flexibility, strength, stamina... All of it. I trained with weights, I taught martial arts, I jogged, I hiked, I swam. Then I went to University. Moved away from my weights, from my dojo, from my large property, from my pool. Lost myself to academics. Got physically lazy.
Many times I managed to get back into good shape. Exercised regularly, maintained flexibility. But that's about it.
I'm still in decent shape. I'm healthy. I eat fairly well. I walk a lot. I'm lean.
Compared to how I used to feel, I feel like crap.
That's why my new project is to get back into good shape by July and into excellent shape by September.
"I'm out of shape," I said to myself.
Later that day I ran into the bodybuilder prof. I don't know him, but I've seen him around a lot. Enough to recognize each other and nod in hello.
The guy - who is actually built like a bodybuilder - was in front of me in line at the grocery checkout.
He nodded at me and then started to make conversation.
"Do I know you from the gym? Working out?" he asked.
I saw him at the athletic centre locker room a lot last summer. He was there after lifting weights or something. I was there herding children from the camp I worked at. They swam at the pool for an hour each day.
"I don't work out there, but yes," I said. "I was there with the day camp last year."
He grunted and we exchanged some more words and then he grabbed my shoulder as he said bye. He looked down at it, cocked his head, and raised an eyebrow.
"You're too skinny," he said.
I prefer to think of myself as lean, but decided to keep that to myself.
"You need more meat on you," he said.
I agreed with him there, and said so.
"You should work out more," he said. "Bulk up."
Then he left.
I don't feel a need to be super muscular. Which is a good thing since I don't have the right body type for it. However, another ten to twenty pounds wouldn't hurt me at all.
There are three classes of "in shape", as far as I'm concerned. Decent, good and excellent.
I used to be in excellent shape. I sometimes think of it as being in 'fighting shape', since it's the ideal state to be in if you're going to be in a fight. Extremely high levels of flexibility, strength, stamina... All of it. I trained with weights, I taught martial arts, I jogged, I hiked, I swam. Then I went to University. Moved away from my weights, from my dojo, from my large property, from my pool. Lost myself to academics. Got physically lazy.
Many times I managed to get back into good shape. Exercised regularly, maintained flexibility. But that's about it.
I'm still in decent shape. I'm healthy. I eat fairly well. I walk a lot. I'm lean.
Compared to how I used to feel, I feel like crap.
That's why my new project is to get back into good shape by July and into excellent shape by September.
