Artman35’s BodyBlog

It’s been a while….but today I have a few minutes to share. Yesterday, I measured my chest and I was glad to see that there had been some progress.  Although, I did not make most of my 90 day goals, I was encouraged by the progress made.  I added 2 inches to my chest!  Still working on the legs and arms.  Though, I’ve noticed greater definition in both, but not much in terms of size.

I also had a weight goal…well this has always been a challenge for me.  Being such a small frame guy all of my life, I wanted to try and do something about my weight.  Before I started working out consistently I weighed between 130-135 lbs. I am now 20lbs heavier and I like what I see.  The amazing thing is your brain can play tricks on you…as I was getting larger, more defined and my muscles became more pronounced, when I looked in the mirror I still saw a skinny guy.  My wife, kids, members of my congregation all commented on my progress…but somewhere there was a disconnect in my psyche.  So, I desired to put on more mass…maybe just another 10lbs-not a big deal, right?  Well, it wasn’t the 10 lbs. that was the problem.  It was the poor self image behind the 10lbs.  Recently, as I came to understand this about myself I discovered that if I don’t find wholeness and healing here, the 10lbs won’t be enough.  I’ll reach that goal and inside the mirror of my mind will still live a skinny guy.  How unfortunate!

These are just the inner reflections of a man who is still in process; "under construction" so to speak. But, I am no longer bound to the image of the skinny guy.  I am healthy, strong and fit.  10lbs isn’t so important any more.  Giving glory to God by maximizing what I already have is what’s important…every step of the way.  This was a good lesson for me.  So often we focus on what we don’t have and miss out on what we already have.  Looking forward to the journey.

Yesterday, I picked up a kettle ball.  Wow, those things are expensive!  Fortunately, I know someone who works at a sports store who has agreed to exchange babysitting services for workout supplies.  We help him out by caring for his daughter on occasion.  He in return takes the cash that he would have given us and purchases what we need with his discount.  It works for us!  Anyway, I started using the kettle ball yesterday and I was really surprised.  I enjoyed using it.  I worked my legs, abs and arms.  Normally, I don’t sweat alot when exercising (except when spinning/cycling).  But yesterday, at the end of my workout my shirt was drenched.  The heart rate was up and I felt the burn, especially in my legs.  BTW, I’m feeling it even more today.  My friend I spoke of earlier texted me last night and asked if the weight was heavy enough (it was only 25lbs).  I shared with him for now it was sufficient for the work that I wanted to do.  If you are looking for an intense workout and a great body sculpting exercise, I would highly recommend the kettle ball.  Obviously, you would want to get heavier weight if you had some other goals in mind, but don’t be fooled…try swinging that ball around a few times in the store.  After a few swings it seems to feel heavier.

Hello out there.  This is my first blogging experience and I’m pretty excited about it.  I decided today that I would begin to journal my experience as I work toward some personal goals I have for my life in hopes that maybe my own journey will be helpful to someone else.  At the end of 2007, my wife and I decided that we wanted to get to the place where we could live our lives more generously.  So, we started on what we are calling our "journey towards generosity."  We sat down in hopes of simplifying our lives and carving away at the fat in our budget.  We’ve been trying to get out of debt for years now, but with less and less intensity as the years go by.  If we are ever going to be able to live generously, we have to make some changes.  So, we went through the budget and made cuts in alot of areas, mostly cuts that affected my kids and their extracurricular activities.  When we came to the line item for the YMCA, I paused.  Anyone who knows me personally, knows how much I loved the YMCA.  The downtown Y is one of the best Y’s in the country.  It’s top of the line and a great place to workout.  When we started there, 5 years ago we were on scholarship.  But, as my income increased the scholarship amounts decreased.  Ultimately, we were paying full price ($93/monthly).  That’s a good amount of money that could go towards debt reduction.  So, back to the budget story.  I paused.  Everything in me said, "you have to lead your family by example."  I had to be willing to sacrifice what I loved for the sake of the journey.  The next words out of my mouth were, "I will give up the Y."  In my mind, I was thinking this is the only way my wife will see just how serious I am about us getting out of debt and into generous living.  We decided that we would get us some equipment (some new and used) to continue working out at home. 

The first month was very challenging.  I didn’t realize how much I pushed myself when I was at the gym and around others who were like-minded.  I went from working out 5-6 days a week to working out maybe once a week.  That lasted until sometime in March. 

We were making really good progress on reducing debt, but my workouts were hit and miss. One day, I was surfing the web and came across this site.  As I began reviewing its pages, I found that extra push I needed to work hard again. And it doesn’t cost me a thing! I have been so encouraged and inspired by what so many of you have been able to accomplish in transforming your bodies.

Now that I have the bug again, the challenge before me now is to carefully decide what other equipment I need to buy in order to meet the physical goals I have without sacrificing the greater goal…generous living.  For the time being, in the words of my financial adviser, "I have to live like no one else, so that later I can live like no one else."

I welcome any cost cutting ideas or cost effective methods that you’ve utilized when fueling your bodies, puchasing equipment, supplements, etc.

Blessings