I have failed.

Like almost all exercise programs that are started with such enthusiasm, mine failed almost immediately. I could make all sorts of excuses like the fact that I don't like my gym, the fact that I don't have a support system for this, and the fact that it's really cold outside, but the fact of the matter is, I couldn't motivate myself to go. And that's what it boils down to. Because if I was really serious about this, and I often times feel that I am, I wouldn't let anything stand in my way. Not food, not the cold, not exercise, nothing. I would make it a part of my life, and I would move forward.

But I haven't.

And I need to.

I really need help getting the proper motivation. There's no excuse for me not doing some sort of activity. Granted, I play wallyball once a week with my friends for two hours and that can be rather intense. But two hours of intense activity a week does not a healthy person make.

I suppose the answer lies within myself. That I will do it when I really want to. But it's springing in me that desire that I find to be the most difficult of all. I am attempting to start making more food in the home. Less dining out and most definitely less fried foods. Those seem to be my weaknesses. As picky an eater as I am, it would seem that my favorites are those which are the worst for me. Which I'm sure is the case with most people anyway.

I'm going to attempt to continue this blog, since I tend to come across a lot of blogs that have one or two posts and then disappear. I would like to keep this alive, and hopefully at some point I will emerge from the other side as an example of actually getting into shape.

But for now, baby steps.

Day 1

Well, today was the first day in what will hopefully be a long line of days of exercise. Although it was a bit of a slow start, I would certainly say that it's better than nothing.

I began by heading to the gym where I have a membership, Fitness USA. I don't like it really at all, but it's better than nothing. Plus, it's very close and they don't require a contract for only $19. The only caveat is that weights can only be used on alternating days. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday are for guys. The rest are for women. Of course, I can still use the cardio machines or head to the farther location on the off days, but it is rather inconvenient to do so.

When I arrived, I started with the bench press. Given that it's been several months since I've done any weight lifting, the weights were lower to start off with.

Bench Press: 12 reps at 70 lbs., 12 reps at 80lbs., 12 reps at 80 lbs.

Incline Chest Machine: 10 reps at 115 lbs., 12 reps at 100 lbs., 12 reps at 100 lbs.

Seated Chest Press: Okay, I know I did three sets, but I can't remember the weight although it was somewhere around 100 lbs. Whatever felt right. And I did 12 of each.

Butterfly Chest: Same thing here. I should probably write this stuff down. All I know is that it was around 100 lbs. again and 12 of each.

Tricep Machine: I don't remember the name of the machine, but I sat down and pulled the bar up behind me. I did three sets of 12 reps at 70 lbs.

I know it wasn't an overload of work, but I tried to push myself hard doing the exercises I did do. Hopefully I'll build up a little bit from here.

Now on to the food. When I got home, I made myself four eggs, scrambled, and had a glass of skim milk.

For dinner I really slipped for this being day 1 of my new regiment. I had four leftover slices of pizza from Hungry Howies and a can of Pepsi Max. But I couldn't let it go to waste! Of course, I'll be better from here on out. (Hopefully.)

I should probably start weighing myself. Figuring that out. That could be fun. Or scary. Either way, the journey has begun and hopefully will continue. Help cheer me on!

It's Time To Get In Shape...

Hello everyone. My name is Sean and I'm out of shape. I wasn't always this way. In fact, while I've never been obese, my weight has been up and down over the last several years (most of the time "up" would be an accurate description.) The point is, I'm 25 years old, I love delicious foods, and I highly dislike exercise. The problem is that isn't conducive to a healthy and productive lifestyle.

So I figured if I put out a blog to the world, sharing my trials with everyone, it might make things a little bit more exciting. Plus keep me on the path to healthiness.

Let's start at the beginning though. Throughout high school, things weren't bad. I could have worked harder, sure, but I was almost always involved in something physical, and I had a decent metabolism for a teenager. I ate lots of pizza, but it did not really affect me that negatively.

Then, I went away to college. And I was immediately bombarded with a plethora of buffet style eating and pizza places that stayed open until 3 or 4AM. And this excitement led to my first experiences of heart burn. What glorious times those were. Things got worse when I moved out of the dorms and into my apartment. The $5 pizza from Little Caesars was my kryptonite, and it pains me to say there were far too many instances where I would devour the entire pizza in one sitting. By myself. It's pretty disgusting to admit that, but that's what this is all about.

Upon graduation from Michigan State, I moved in with my parents in South Carolina to save some money. Given that the area was totally foreign to me, I joined a gym and was roped into signing up for a personal trainer. A personal trainer who was probably the best thing that happened to me during my year there. Because she gave me the tools necessary to put myself into something resembling an in-shape individual. And, after 6 months of hard work, in May 2008, I looked like this:

Okay, sure I didn't exactly have washboard abs or bulging arms or anything, but it was pretty good for me.

Then, in June of 2008 I moved back to Michigan, my home. And, when you don't have a mother making dinner for you every night, and no personal trainer, you begin to start slacking. So slowly but surely all that hard work I did was undone. To expedite everything, I was laid off earlier this year, completely wreaking havoc with my sleep schedule (since I no longer had one) and the junk food began to pile up. And even though I had all the free time in the world, I still neglected the gym that I was paying membership fees to every month.

Fast forward to right now, this moment. Day 1. The moment where I start this blog. The moment when I took a picture of myself in the same style I did before. And the moment of truth occurred.

There I am. Cute, right? Nice little plush belly for everyone to enjoy. Well, it's time to destroy that. (On a completely unrelated note, I REALLY need a haircut. Like that is really out of control. Look at that sideburn. That's not natural. Then again, neither is that double chin.)

So here is what's going to happen. As the days go on, I'm going to update the world and by extension keep myself honest. I find it easier to lie to myself than to others. So I'll give updates on what exercises I've done and what foods I've eaten and when, and I'll take weekly pictures that will hopefully be better quality than the ones I've shared with you here.

And anyone out there reading this who has LEGITIMATE tips on exercise and weight loss, feel free to share them with me. And no Acai Berry, please. I think I've seen enough of those ads on the internet. No need to sell them to me.

So here we go!