For a Lifetime

I can't even begin to count the amount of times I've posted about struggles with my weight. This would probably be the 6th or 7th time in past three years I've brought this up. However, I would like to hope that this time is a bit different.

Kristen and I are very budget conscious, and we have a very limited budget to work with. Now that we have a child and we are a one income household, some things have been restricted in our home. After we moved to Houston, we found that there were about 6 different gyms within a two mile radius of our home. As I looked around, I found that all of them were anywhere from $35 to $55 a month to join. I thought that was preposterous. However, in wanting to commit to getting in shape, I went and looked at one.

The one I looked at happened to be called Lifetime Fitness. When I walked in, it was unlike any gym I had ever seen. It was so clean, full of smiling happy employees going out of there way to make sure I knew where I was going. I spoke with a customer service guy who showed me all over the place, and I was sold. We had a decision to make -- do we both join for $100 a month, or do I join for $50?

Kristen is very happy jogging outside, and she does it quite often. She also enjoys doing her pilates dvd in the living room. She is real committed, however, I am not. We decided that I would join for now, and if we come into some money later on, she could join (they offer free child care as part of your membership, and child care area is stellar to say the least).

The first time I went to the gym, I was set up with a personal trainer who was tasked with the job of measuring how fat and out of shape I really am. With a sister who was just diagnosed with cancer at 35, and a brother who had a heart attack at 36, it concerns me greatly that I have not taken care of myself. With the test, the following was determined:

1. For a 6'2" guy, I weighed 254 pounds. This puts my body mass index (BMI) just slightly into the obese category. However, the BMI is rarely correct.

2. My cardiovascular endurance is in the very poor category.

3. My bicep strength is in the good to excellent category.

4. My sit and reach was in the poor category. This is that exercise when you put your feet against a box that has a guide on it that measures how far you can reach with your legs completely straight. I have no flexibility whatsoever.

5. Based on the computerized model taking into consideration my heart rate after a brief stress test, I am in the overweight category, almost into the obese category.

6. My overall fitness is in the "fair" category.

What all of this means is that I'm completely out of shape. Out of 254 pounds, 82 pounds of my body is complete fat. My body size should only have approximately 19 pounds of fat. I am told by their computers that if follow their plan for 42 weeks, at 3 times a week of working out and 5 times a week of cardio, I can reach those goals, and get down to 191 pounds.

The most sobering part of this was the actual age versus body age category. I am 31 years old, but my body age is actual at 41 years old. This is based upon my body composition, my cardiovascular strength, flexibility and my strength rankings.

So this week, I have been to the gym 4 times. Here's to many more weeks, and a greater health and total lifestyle change.