It took me a while to figure out how to diet. My trainer opened my eyes and pointed out that even seemingly innocuous meals like chili con carne with kidney beans were too high in carbohydrates. The training itself was also very difficult. I had never really trained my legs, but the gym promoted German body composition training, which focused on a combination of upper and lower body. Eventually, my legs would get so tired that I could barely walk up the stairs at the gym.
It may seem crazy, but one of the biggest challenges they gave me was to get at least 10,000 steps a day. I had become so accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle that I would often find myself running back and forth from home in the evening to get to my 10,000. In the end, I’ve found that small changes make all the difference and my averages at this point are consistently between 14 and 15,000. step. I choose the stairs instead of the elevator in the office. I often get off the subway one station before I get off. And I walk to the store at every opportunity.
If you push yourself too hard, things can go wrong. There were times when I felt like giving up. About 6 weeks later, when I was exercising at home, my shoulder started to rotate strangely and start to hurt. I had to see a sports chiropractor to learn exercises to strengthen my shoulders. Nine months later, I developed tendonitis in both elbows. Simple tasks like pushing the buggy, opening the door, and putting on socks were excruciating. The trainer changed my training to focus more on my legs. I still suffer from shoulder and tendon pain from time to time, but I’ve learned how to deal with it. Such setbacks help us understand human resilience and determination.
