Exercise and setting goals: My journey to personal fitness ………Part 1

I am an ardent exerciser myself and let me tell you that I have reaped the benefits of regular and consistent exercise. When I joined college some years back I had put on some considerable weight. I had just finished high school; having attended a boarding school let us just say that I never got enough to eat. So the moment I was done with my last year of high school it was payback time; and pay back I did. For all those hungry nights I had endured in high school; for all those fantasies of dripping burgers and greasy roast beef I had. I ate myself silly and within a period of only six months I had gained 25 kilos! That’s an average of four kilos every month; I am sure I broke some record.

A few months later I joined college and within the first month I became aware of the inconvenience of my weight. I was not exactly a pig but I did have a few problems here and there more so due to the fact that the distance I had to cover on a daily basis from my hostel to the class and then to the cafeteria was quite significant. Going upstairs was becoming a task and running after girls was also becoming an arduous task (I am just joking). Some unsightly flab had also found a home around my waist and this is when it hit me; I seriously needed to get in shape.

Here is the thing for me; I never cared too much about how much I weighed provided I was fit. So the first thing that came to mind was not to lose weight but rather to get in the best shape possible. I have never had any problem with being a big guy; in fact I enjoy it. I actually got my college nickname that has withstood the test of time as a result. A friend of mine started calling me ‘Beast’ and within a few months every person in the college would call me by that name. Some people never knew my real name in my three years of college! I liked and still like the name.

I am digressing here; so what am I trying to say; most people get into exercising with only one end in their minds and that is to lose weight. Trust me; if the only reason you decide to exercise is because you want to shed off those extra kilos then my friend you will not go far. Let me let you in on a secret; losing weight takes time and if you do not enjoy the journey to that destination then you will definitely fall by the roadside. This is what most people do not get about exercising. When you decide to go into exercising you should have a few goals in mind such that if you feel that you are not achieving one goal then you are definitely getting somewhere with the others.

The major goals that you should have in your mind when exercising should be: attaining a certain level of fitness; improving your health, feeling good about yourself and lastly losing weight. Yes losing weight should be the last thing that you should seek to achieve.
Let me tell you of a great discovery I made during my journey towards fitness and better health. I came to find out that for you to achieve anything in this life it is very important that you enjoy the process of getting to that achievement. I think I have moved so far from my original line of story but here is what happened after I discovered that I needed to get in shape; I got myself a good pair of running shoes and decided to wake up very early every morning, three times a week and jog. I was determined; I had goals that I needed to achieve…………..