The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the first books I ever purchased on weight training. It’s 800 pages and a fantastic reference guide for anyone who wants to incorporate weight training into their fitness routine. I have the old copy along with the revised edition. My father has taken my older book and refers to it often.
Although my body is slightly sore from Saturday’s workout, I’ll be back in the gym today. I’ll be having a light cardio day and I’ll be working on free weights. When I think about it there was never a time when I was out of shape even during pregnancy I worked out. I could have easily slipped into the category of “not working out”. I travelled a lot when I worked out of the home. I was out of the home at least ten hours each day with work. Yep, I definitely had “valid reasons” that could have kept me from working out but I didn’t let them.
As a child I was always physically active and was encouraged to become involved in physical activity thanks mainly to my father. He’s still in excellent shape today and looks better than most men that are in their twenties. My father is 69 muscular, and still works out at least three times weekly. Barring any unforeseen physical complications I do see myself fit for life.
My daughter enjoys physical activity we’ve talked about the importance of fitness, nutrition, and how these can affect your overall well-being. She’s a good listener and loves the fact that mommy is physically active and actually engages in physical play. We spend a lot of time outdoors running. She knows mommy works out and has been to my gym a few times. They have a children’s day for the pool area it’s a great time to bring the kids. Many of them love playing in the pool, including my daughter.
We’re vegan, and she knows that you don’t have to be unhealthy as a vegan. That’s a myth. I get approached about my choices in the gym simply because I wear vegan name shirts. Many people tell me they did not know vegans could be so fit. I reply that you probably have seen them, but you just aren’t aware because they aren’t broadcasting it as I do. That’s the main reason I wear them to erase the stereotypes that some people have about those who eat differently than themselves.
I can remember going to the track with my father at the age of four years old. He had a running partner, and they would run around the track although I couldn’t keep up my father always had his eyes on me. He told me years later that my endurance was high, and I would never stop running. I was just trying to follow in my father’s footsteps. I had placed him on a high pedestal, and I would do whatever possible to be like him even if that meant doing endless laps around a track.
These days I hate running around a track, give me a trail any day and I’m off ready to run the trails and enjoy the beauty I find there. I cannot always make it to the trail so I do run on indoor and outdoor tracks. I much prefer the outdoor track, and I specifically prefer where my father works out. The track is located on a military base, my father is retired military; it’s about three miles long. The laps were made on regular road. I usually run around it at least three times for a total of nine miles.
Occasionally I run with my father. It’s a rare treat and I’m instantly transported to the girl that was just trying to keep up with my father. Of course now I can match my fathers pace but you know what on short distances he can still beat me. It’s not that I’m that slow he’s that fast. During our runs we chat. He mainly does the talking, and I listen. He was one of my first mentors and that haven’t change. Our chats usually revolve around his work, politics, civil war, religion, and his dreams. I listen and respond when applicable.
I tried to get him to join my gym a few years ago, but dad was resistant. I would pay for his membership. He wasn’t impressed. He likes his gym and it’s definitely not as crowded as Bally’s Total Fitness so that was wishful thinking on my part. I have to admit I was disappointed because I’ve always liked working out with my father. He’s the coolest workout partner I’ve ever had. Who knows maybe as my daughter gets older she might want keep working out with her mommy. If she is anything like me, I imagine physical fitness will always be incorporated into her lifestyle.
You don’t have to work out at a gym to get a great workout. There have been many days when I worked out at home. I still received an excellent workout, but it’s important to do some type of physical activity to stay in shape, or get into shape. Many diseases we see in westernized cultures are due partly to our bad eating habits and sedentary lifestyles. It’s time for us to get off our butts and exercise. It’s good for your health and overall well being.
Finding the time to work out can be hard. Can you believe it’s harder for me now than when I worked outside the home? However, I realized that I could simply add a longer workout into my routine by cutting some of my “free time.” If I take care of my body now it will still perform for me later as I age. The more I invest in my body now through nutrition and exercise the better it will perform for me as I get older.
It’s important, for me, to remember that and stop making excuses as why I cannot exercise.
Question: What type of exercises are you doing? Do you engage it fitness activities with your children or did you parents do this with you?
[tags]fitness, vegan fitness, vegan name shirts, running, exercise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding[/tags]