on the subject of being fat.
I've been fat for almost as long as I can remember. Except for the five years from when I was born to moving to Austin, I have been fat. I was fatter by proportion when I was in elementary and middle school, but for the most part, I've looked the same. I really didn't think anything of it until I started liking girls, really. I mean, my father HATED the fact that he had a lardass for a son, and would attempt to stomp out the flab in single, desperate gambits. One time, he made me walk about, oh, I'd say about ten miles until I was about to pass out from the fatigue. He had to leave me where I was and walk back to the motorcycle and pick me up.
The point is, I am fat. Always have been. As you can imagine, my least favorite class in school was P.E./Gym. During elementary school, it was ok, because we did fun things like dodge ball, tug of war, and that big parachute thing. But gym class in middle school was humiliating. We would always start class off by stretching out and then running a mile. I was always, ALWAYS the last person back in the gym. And they had always moved on to the lesson for the day by that point. Ok, so besides this, each six week period you were forced to pick a sport to learn. But remember...I was FAT. Things like basketball and softball didn't come easy to me. In fact, they didn't come to me at all. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to be a straight A student, then have a C in Gym class because you can't run a four minute mile or sink a jump shot?
All of that being said, however, there was ONE six weeks period that was different from the rest. I think it was in 7th grade that I took the weightlifting unit. I remember my first day lifting weights, I thought I was going to throw up afterwards. But as the days went on, I felt better and better. I LIKED lifting weights, and I liked the way I felt after I did. But when the six weeks was up, I had to move on to football or some such nonsense.
There is a panic in this country over the fact that more and more children are obese. And I always wonder why there has never been a total restructuring of the way gym class is done. First of all, get rid of the "education" part of physical education. Why are there written tests in gym class? It makes no sense. Gym class should be a mandatory hour long workout session. Coaches should be there to instruct and motivate students, not humiliate them because they can't do a chin up. Imagine if I had been able to continue taking the weight lifting class through 7th and 8th grade. Most likely, I would have actually taken gym in high school, instead of taking marching band and culinary arts to avoid it. Can you imagine how I would have looked by senior year if I had been working out five days a week for six years? And how I would look today if I had continued to hit the gym after graduation? Maybe I'd have a better job. Maybe I'd be married. Who knows?
I'm not saying that I'm still fat today because gym class sucked. I've had plenty of time to do something about my weight since then. I'm just saying that, had gym class been a more productive one, things would have been a lot easier on me later in life when it came to my weight and my health. But frak all of that. What is past, is past. I finally went out and joined a gym. I had been kicking the idea around for years, but a lot of things kept me from actually going. But when a Planet Fitness opened up not five minutes from my house, and offered a $10 a month membership with no contract, I was sold. But what really appealed to me was when the clerk told me that 80 percent of their members have never worked out before. My kind of place. My mom joined as well, finally determined to get her diabetes under control. We went for the first time last Tuesday, and I must admit, I really enjoyed it. Strike that- I loved it. Right now, I'm just sticking to the treadmill and stationary bike, because I know I'm not in good shape. But I've also surprised myself. I'm working up a sweat, putting some good time in the gym, and I'm not killing myself. Except last Sunday when I did 9 miles on the bike and was really sore come Monday afternoon. But I pushed myself to go Tuesday after work, and even went on my own tonight. Not because I felt I had to, but because I wanted to. I feel really good about this. I've cut my fast food down to almost nothing, and I'm restricting myself to one Coke a day. My water and salad intake is up, my milkshake intake is down. I'm not looking to change my body overnight, mind you. Right now, I'd just like to slim down the belly a tad and lose the man boobs. I'm going to stick to the cardio stuff for the next couple of weeks, then get some weight lifting into the mix. Project: Lonelynerd Rebirth is coming along.
Oh, and you would be AMAZED at how effective WWE Wrestler entrance music is when you're working out. :P
The point is, I am fat. Always have been. As you can imagine, my least favorite class in school was P.E./Gym. During elementary school, it was ok, because we did fun things like dodge ball, tug of war, and that big parachute thing. But gym class in middle school was humiliating. We would always start class off by stretching out and then running a mile. I was always, ALWAYS the last person back in the gym. And they had always moved on to the lesson for the day by that point. Ok, so besides this, each six week period you were forced to pick a sport to learn. But remember...I was FAT. Things like basketball and softball didn't come easy to me. In fact, they didn't come to me at all. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to be a straight A student, then have a C in Gym class because you can't run a four minute mile or sink a jump shot?
All of that being said, however, there was ONE six weeks period that was different from the rest. I think it was in 7th grade that I took the weightlifting unit. I remember my first day lifting weights, I thought I was going to throw up afterwards. But as the days went on, I felt better and better. I LIKED lifting weights, and I liked the way I felt after I did. But when the six weeks was up, I had to move on to football or some such nonsense.
There is a panic in this country over the fact that more and more children are obese. And I always wonder why there has never been a total restructuring of the way gym class is done. First of all, get rid of the "education" part of physical education. Why are there written tests in gym class? It makes no sense. Gym class should be a mandatory hour long workout session. Coaches should be there to instruct and motivate students, not humiliate them because they can't do a chin up. Imagine if I had been able to continue taking the weight lifting class through 7th and 8th grade. Most likely, I would have actually taken gym in high school, instead of taking marching band and culinary arts to avoid it. Can you imagine how I would have looked by senior year if I had been working out five days a week for six years? And how I would look today if I had continued to hit the gym after graduation? Maybe I'd have a better job. Maybe I'd be married. Who knows?
I'm not saying that I'm still fat today because gym class sucked. I've had plenty of time to do something about my weight since then. I'm just saying that, had gym class been a more productive one, things would have been a lot easier on me later in life when it came to my weight and my health. But frak all of that. What is past, is past. I finally went out and joined a gym. I had been kicking the idea around for years, but a lot of things kept me from actually going. But when a Planet Fitness opened up not five minutes from my house, and offered a $10 a month membership with no contract, I was sold. But what really appealed to me was when the clerk told me that 80 percent of their members have never worked out before. My kind of place. My mom joined as well, finally determined to get her diabetes under control. We went for the first time last Tuesday, and I must admit, I really enjoyed it. Strike that- I loved it. Right now, I'm just sticking to the treadmill and stationary bike, because I know I'm not in good shape. But I've also surprised myself. I'm working up a sweat, putting some good time in the gym, and I'm not killing myself. Except last Sunday when I did 9 miles on the bike and was really sore come Monday afternoon. But I pushed myself to go Tuesday after work, and even went on my own tonight. Not because I felt I had to, but because I wanted to. I feel really good about this. I've cut my fast food down to almost nothing, and I'm restricting myself to one Coke a day. My water and salad intake is up, my milkshake intake is down. I'm not looking to change my body overnight, mind you. Right now, I'd just like to slim down the belly a tad and lose the man boobs. I'm going to stick to the cardio stuff for the next couple of weeks, then get some weight lifting into the mix. Project: Lonelynerd Rebirth is coming along.
Oh, and you would be AMAZED at how effective WWE Wrestler entrance music is when you're working out. :P