Fit at 50... First Edition

January first has finally rolled around.  It's 2015.  I honestly don't fully feel like I know how I got here.  Yet, here I am.

A year is enough time to change your entire life.  I've seen it.  I've experienced it.  More than once.  This year is especially significant since I roll over the 50 mark.  Yes, my god, I am that old.

2014 was a transformative year for me.  It started like the years before.  I was slogging my way through a joyless life.  Halfway through the year, I met a person who resonated with me on every wavelength.  One thing led to another and by August, I was unrecognizable relative to who I had been in June.

It wasn't that this person pushed me, or encouraged me, or told me I needed to change in any way.  They woke me up, though, to who I had been, and to who I was.

The changes were all over, but most noticeably in the area of fitness.  Thanks to a workout routine that included free weights, 5 and 6 mile runs and low carb diet, I dropped from about 210 to around 185.

That's roughly where I am, today, though I've probably gained some of the weight back.  I gave myself December off.  Previous endurance training has given me the belief that you need periodic downtime for your mental and physical well-being.  Bodies get beat-up.  Hairline fractures start developing.  Ligaments and tendonds get strained.  Mentally, folks start getting worn down.

December is now officially over.  2015 has begun.  In 2014, I was very close to some of the best shape I've ever been in.  My bloodwork was phenomenal and I had six pack abs that I would show anybody who wouldn't run away covering their eyes.

I think there's another level beyond that and I think I can hit it in 2015.  So, here is what I will be
working on this year:

1.  Shoulders, arms, glutes:  working on muscling up a little bit.  Especially glutes so I don't end up with flabby, flat, old man ass.  This is particularly a concern for me since, thanks to my Asian ancestry, I'm gleutially challenged anyway.

2.  Abs:  I feel like I got these just about right in 2014, but will be working on core strength with a wider variety of exercises in 2015.  The bulk of what I've been doing is incline board at several settings, 20 reps per setting, 5 settings, for a total of 100 reps.  I do this several times per week.  This year, I'll start adding weight to the reps and doing other exercises that hit obliques, etc. and jumbling up the ab exercises with various other routines now and then.

3.  Rower and stepper:  love both these machines and need to do more of them for overall fitness and cardio, as well as muscle definition in quads, glutes and back.

The rest?  I'll be working on definition.  Just keeping the weight down, keeping the muscles toned and trying to get them ripped.

Pretty much I'll be doing exactly what I did in 2014... just more of it.

In the low 180s, my body fat was pretty low.  I'll be happy to hit that again, but my goal is probably something in the mid 170s.  We'll see.  Not terribly concerned about the scale, honestly.  I'll know when my body fat is where I want it to be.  I can see it, feel it, and notice it as I move about.

I have signed up for the Air Force marathon.  Though it would benefit me to go into it with as little upper body weight as possible, I'm not in this to win a marathon or even to run one very fast.  I'm just not that fast.  I'm in it for my overall health and appearance.  So, I'll sacrifice a few seconds per mile to carry that extra upper body weight for the race.

Goal for the marathon is simply to complete all my scheduled 20 milers and finish the marathon.  Time goal?  Don't really have one, but if I had to put a number to it, I'd say a finish in 4:30 or less is just fine with me.

Also, although I'm not much of an athlete, I do have an athletic goal in mind.  Now that I have taken up fencing, I want my physical training routine to at least compliment my fencing without detracting.

I'll be posting workout info to facebook and am contemplating some shirtless selfies to show my progress.  Nothing like the spectre of public humiliation to aid in achieving a fitness goal.  I added a little weight in December, and have the start of a belly.  Might do it, might not... I am afraid that a lot of folks just don't want to see some pasty old guy without his shirt when they open their facebook news feed.  We'll see... jury is out on that one.

But I will be at least staying in shape and trying to take this to the next level.  2014, of all things, I ended up really amping up my fitness.  There's another level beyond that and I think I can hit it.  I'll keep you posted as I go.