Once A Runner…

The Right Way Versus My Way

I was mildly admonished Thursday afternoon by someone for not following the right approach to getting back into shape. I was always a jump right in and “Just Do It” kind of person when I get an idea into my head. Not that Nike has me brainwashed or anything but their slogan just kind of neatly sums up what I mean.

First, this person objected to the fact that I did not see a doctor before starting an exercise program. Since I just turned 50, and the conventional wisdom is that anyone over 40 should consult their physician first, I guess I’m guilty of foolishness.

Second, I was reminded that I’ve been predominately sedentary for several years. Again, the conventional wisdom about consulting a physician if you’re not accustomed to exercise is supposed to be applied before jumping in with both feet.

Third, I was over 30 pounds overweight when I switched my diet and started walking. Anyone more than 20 pounds overweight really should talk to their doctor before starting a fitness program. This person didn’t mention it, but perhaps I should’ve made an appointment with a nutritionist before modifying my diet away from the typical American processed food/fast-food diet, too.

Now, I’m not making light of the concerns this person expressed. They are all valid points and I probably should’ve followed the conventional wisdom. I mean, these things just make good sense and they’re obviously prudent and responsible things to do.

On the other hand, I’ve always been very much my own “coach” and I have a pretty good ear for “listening” to my body. I’m also smart enough to realize that I have to start slow and progress slowly. I figure that I can’t really start any slower than walking. Walking is something we all can do; we do it all day, everyday — mostly just not the right kind, at the right intensity, or for the right duration. So, in this case, I just felt that walking isn’t sufficiently intense to warrant all that fuss. Jumping right into one of Dr. Daniels’ running training programs straight off the couch, on the other hand, would really be foolish and just begging for a coronary.

I’m also honest enough to tell you that everything wrong with me has been the direct results of the choices I’ve made:

• I chose to eat processed foods, unhealthy snacks, and fast foods instead of taking the time to prepare healthier meals
• I chose to salt my food before tasting it, often with enough salt to preserve it — regardless of how much salt was used to process it in the first place
• I chose to drink several cups of coffee morning and night and more than a six-pack of diet cola a day
• I chose to sit on my butt surfing the web, playing computer games, and watching TV and films rather than getting up and getting some exercise
• I chose to have problems with sleep by not getting sufficient rest — staying up late, not keeping regular hours, not going to sleep early enough or at a regular time and not getting up at a regular time
• I chose to buy jeans with an ever-increasing waist measurement rather than shed the inches that made the current pair too tight to live in

None of these choices were forced upon me. All of these choices are contrary to what a physician would advise me to make. The cumulative effect of those choices brought me to a moment of truth on February 4, three days before I turned 50, when I stood on those bathroom scales and saw I weighed 206 pounds.

I made a new choice — the only choice I could see that made any sense. I chose to change.

I gave away all the “bad” foods in the house and bought the leanest meats I could find. I bought fish — something I rarely ever ate unless you count the occasional breaded fish sticks or a fish fillet sandwich. I bought fresh fruits and vegetables. Where I had to — for added variety, of course — I turned to frozen fruit and vegetables. I shopped the perimeter of the grocery store as much as possible, staying away from the candy aisle, the snacks and chips aisle, the canned soups, fruits, and vegetables aisles, and the pickled stuff aisle where you can also find all the baking treats. The change was almost miraculously immediate — I stopped feeling crappy, stopped being so irritable, stopped having headaches all the time, and started feeling much better almost right away.

I bought a new pair of shoes, and also got a iPod Nano with the Nike+ Sport Kit, and I pushed myself away from the computer keyboard and got started walking. Has it all been rosy and easy? Not on your life. My knees creaked and ached. My body is slowly adapting to the greater demands I’m forcing it to accept and I’m not letting it settle into a comfortable routine yet, adding in strength training and even slowly increasing my walking pace and distance as my body tells me it’s prepared to handle it. When my body tells me to back off, I do, but mostly it hasn’t been telling me that as much as I feared it might.

Am I ready to jump into running yet? Nope. Not for a while yet. I anticipated maintaining this walking program for more than the three weeks I’ve been at it so far. I figure it could be easily another month or more before I’m ready for running.

At that point, I’m thinking I may well schedule an appointment with my doctor to make sure I can start piling on more intense work. I have my copy of Daniel’s Running Formula sitting practically at my left elbow as I type this and I do intend to begin Dr. Daniels’ “White Starting Plan” as soon as I’m ready. And, because I know myself well enough to know that completing that will make me hungry to go on to the “Red Intermediate Plan,” I certainly will need to make sure I’ve got a doctor’s okay before I do.

So, the bottom line, for me, was that I needed to make a change — not later, not after seeing a doctor, but right then. And I made it — 22 days ago. Now, I’m settling into a routine and it’s working for me. Whether I keel over in the next five minutes or out on the road some fine morning on my daily walk, I’ll go a few pounds lighter and feeling the best I’ve felt in a very long time. That, to me, really matters a lot more than whether or not I did it “the right way.”