Routine Boredom

It finally happened.  It's the same story as countless past attempts at becoming fit... boredom has set in.  How can boredom plague me only 5 weeks into my journey?  I have no idea, but I do know for sure that I am absolutely bored out of my mind with the same cardio equipment every single day of the week.

The environment in which I am exercising is most likely not helping my situation.  The gym I go to is far from the Golds Gym at Venice Beach that some might imagine.  There are no scantily clad young ladies or steroid filled men throwing around 800 lbs of dumbbells to impress said ladies.  Instead there are lots and lots of senior citizens.  Senior citizens that are very dedicated to their health and fitness.  They are so dedicated, as a matter of fact, that it is the same senior citizens at the gym every single day.

Not only is the gym filled with the very same Seniors on a daily basis, but they also do the exact same things on the exact same pieces of equipment EVERY SINGLE DAY.  While monotony is their choice, as it often is with folks in that age group, it doesn't make for very good people watching, which is unfortunately my only distraction while running in my hamster wheel.

A Risky but Necessary Change

When stricken with exercise boredom in the past I have simply quit exercising altogether and tried to rely solely on my diet to achieve my goals... which has never ended well.  This time, however, I am going to make a necessary but risky change to my routine.  It's time to hit the weights.

I can probably be this shredded in a week or two.

If there is an upside to the geriatric gymnasium that I belong to, it is that the free weights go largely untouched.  It would appear that Granny doesn't have much interested in leg presses.. either that or her blue jeans are just too restricting for such things. That, of course, is fine by me.  I am determined to make her loss my gain.

The risk here lies in the fact that I will not be updating or changing my weight loss goals.  I am still fat enough that I think it will be possible for me to lift weights fairly heavily and weigh in at 250 lbs on May 4th.  This holds especially true because I am not planning on eliminating cardio altogether, it just won't be the primary focus of my exercise routine for a while.

The new routine will also require several dietary changes.  In order to properly recover from weight training I will need to, ever so slightly, increase my calorie intake.  Doing so and simultaneously burning fat will not be a simple task.  I have done a ton of research and planning, but I won't bore you with the details of such things.  However, the main idea is to:

1. Decrease (slightly) and reschedule carbohydrate intake
2. Increase protein intake
3. Eat more healthy fats, and less of the unhealthy kinds 
4. Eat more testosterone boosting foods (i.e. eggs, broccoli, spinach etc...)
   

Hopefully my hours spent pouring over fitness articles and medical journals will bring about the desired weight loss.  Aside from weight loss I am also looking to change my body composition, as I feel that it has been a contributing factor in past failures at lifestyle changes.  Having more muscle means more calories are burned while at rest, which means more energy for exercise, and less of a chance to revert to my old ways... at least that is the idea.

Yes, I realize this is what I will look like. At least no one will
see it except for a bunch of old people.

So there you have it, my new plan in a nut shell.  While i'm sure pumping iron won't be nearly as fun as it was in high school, it will definitely be more enjoyable than the treadmill, or as I have come to call it "Satan's Sidewalk."  Hopefully by the time I am writing my next weekly post my hulking biceps will be tearing through the sleeves of my 2XL t-shirts with every key stroke.  That's how it works... right?