Rude Awakenings and Big Goals

Today was highlighted by a trip to the family doctor for a full physical. While he was not happy with several of my core indicators including blood pressure, resting heart rate, and weight, we found common ground in a commitment to renewed health and physical fitness. When I told him that I was starting a 90 day transformation program, he was extremely supportive. He did offer some words of caution on "bad personal training" and every example that he gave was an exact opposite to what I've heard from the folks at FT. He warned of early burnout, over doing it, extensive supplements, and steroids. After listening to his concerns, I believe Julian, Kyle and team passed the test with flying colors in their commitment to sustainable exercise regimens, long-term health, and good diet through whole foods.

My other rude awakening was hitting the gym this evening. I was much more sore from last night than I realized but I made it through the entire workout and still had energy for 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill. In spite of the soreness, especially in my legs, I already feel a little better. It may be diet or just all mental but I didn't get the usual mid-afternoon drag period and I hopped out of bed with much less cajoling than normal this morning. I know there are many trials to come but the start feels good.

Since I'm off and running, it's time to set goals so here it goes:
-Drop my resting heart rate by 10 bpm- If you've never worn a heart monitor, you might be surprised by how hard your heart is working even while you are lounging around. My absolute resting rate is 82 and just tooling around the house demands over 100 beats per minute. Since math was one of my strong suits as a kid, I'm very aware that my heart is beating much more than it should when compounded over days, weeks, months, and years. To that end, heart health is more important to me right now than any aesthetic benchmarks.
-Diversify my diet in a sustainable fashion- I've loved food since I was a kid. I love all types of food and have always prided myself on having a pallette that enjoys constant change. However, the last few days have taught me that fruits and veggies have not been present in my diet in the volume or frequency that's appropriate for good health. The refreshing surprise has been rediscovering the joy of a large red delicious apple or a ripe canteloupe. As for the sustainable fashion part, I fully realize that the demands of work and social life are going to often put me in situations where eating at home is not an option. In consideration of this fact, I'll be working hard to change my habits in some old and some new eating establishments. I don't want to just change for 90 days. This is a lifestyle commitment so I'm trying to approach in as realistic a fashion as possible.
-30 by 30- On St. Patrick's Day, I'll turn 30 years old. Based on my current weight, I've got a lot to lose. So, I'm setting a stretch goal of dropping 30lbs. in 10 weeks. That's 3 pounds a week so I'm setting my sites on a high but hopefully attainable mark. If I make it, I've promised myself a trip to the beach and a commitment to lose 30 more.

That's all for today. To my buddies that are reading this... If I can do it, so can you.

See you at the gym!