Getting Fit

Controlling my weight with diet changes worked good for a time. It just wasn't enough, and even though I had dropped quite a bit of weight, I wouldn't have said I was healthy. As I mentioned in the last post, we had two guys from Progressive Fitness come in and talk to us about doing training at our office. In that moment, I decided this was exactly what I needed to finish what I had started.

I met with Matt on their first visit to our offices. We talked about the fitness goals I had, and I think I expressed myself pretty well. I knew what I wanted in terms of a goal weight, and I knew generally that I wanted to feel healthier, which I know is what everyone says,but I had an idea in my head of what healthy was.

So armed with my goals, we setup a plan where I would workout with Matt once a week and then I would spend the other 4-5 days of the week working out on my own. Matt told me later that this was not typically how they did things, but I convinced him that I was motivated to do the work on my own. All I needed was guidance on the best exercises to do for the goals I set for myself. And, I needed to be accountable to someone. This was perfect for me.

Matt turned out to be a great trainer for me. He motivated me to keep going and he wasn't afraid to push me to work harder when he was with me each week. He had a plan for me, and we followed it. He started on developing my core strength first, which got me to be better at balancing myself for the off-balance stuff we did every week. As my core strength came together, we did more muscle/strength training. All the while, mixing up the exercises so my body was kept off guard. THis was critical to the success we had.

When the dust and sweat settled, I had lost close to 40 pounds during the time we trained together. I didn't drop the weight in Biggest Loser numbers, but I had a steady 1-2 pound loss each week. I had some moments where I would plateau or maybe not get in all the workouts I needed for the week, but generally speaking, it was easy to lose the weight and get stronger.

Easy sounds strange, and I feel a little odd using that word to describe what it took to lose the weight and the inches off my body. Going through the workouts wasn't always easy. Matt pushed me as my body got into the routine of working out. I started running about halfway through our time together. That was something I didn't know I could do without hurting my knees, but it turned out to be something I really enjoy.

At some point I want to be able to do for others what Matt did for me. I would love to do personal training. The kidney issue has held me back some on this goal, but I think it's something I can get done. And, it's something I think I would be good at.

During the treatments for the CLL I wasn't able to workout like I had become accustomed to. Once the treatments were finished, I got back into the routine again. Now with dialysis three days a week, I've had to modify my workout schedule again, but I've got a routine that works for me. I'm back to running again, and I'm getting ready to run my third Bix, a 7-mile race held in the Quad Cities. I've got almost two months to get ready, and I'm already further along in my preparation than I was a year ago at this time.

It never occurred to me that CLL and kidney disease was going to stop me from exercising. I've made some modifications, but I'm going to keep pushing. I"m sure the exercise has contributed to how well I've been able to weather the treatments and the dialysis.