palimpsest

This site will not make you rich. It will not contain any religious or political commentary. Maybe I’ll make you laugh or share a memory that then sparks one for you. The last thing I want to do is get you so angry you could spit nails. We have enough antagonist in the world today.

I started my fitness journey back in 2013 when my employer decided to arrange a Biggest Loser contest. I was all in, with ten other employees, for seeing who could lose the most weight in a set time. At the meeting to discuss the rules and reward, the company Controller announced that the company President had decided to send us all to a local health and fitness center for a twelve-week program to help us in our effort to lose a little weight. At that point, I was all out. The last thing I had ever considered was joining a gym and working out. The thought of it was outright scary.

Everyone was on board with the program, except me. I was adamant about my resistance to the idea. It took several co-workers doing their best to sway my opinion and finally get me to agree to give it a shot. Entering the facility several days later with one co-worker, I was not comfortable in the environment. After a brief tour and some explanation of how the program worked, we started some testing so the facility director would know we were capable of participating.

After some blood work and cardio tests, we sat down to check my blood pressure. I forget what the readings were but the look on the techs face was a good indicator it was really high. He expressed his opinion I should go straight to the ER. I explained that a gym was not somewhere that I ever thought I would be and that I was very much stressed. He eventually gave in and dropped it, but not until he had made it clear I should see my doc. After telling him I had seen my doctor just a week before and the readings were normal he was still concerned. Anyway, it was a good indicator I was out of my element.

I figured after the first few weeks I would just drop out and no one would care. That was what happened to the other nine employees over the course of a few months. In my case, something dramatic happened. My schedule was 6:00 to 7:00, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. After the first week I did feel better and thought it was not all bad. It wasn’t until the second week that I noticed a feeling I had not felt in decades. After a particular workout where I really pushed myself, I was driving to work after the session, and it hit me. Something close to elation or a heightened awareness; I felt great. This feeling followed me through the day and kept me productive at work and enjoying it.

Next session was a repeat. I pushed myself hard on the Treadmill and then lifted some heavy weights after. The rest of the day was like riding a wave of awareness. I was hooked. Some call it runners high but I found that I felt the same way whether it was on a treadmill, elliptical or stationary cycle. The key was pushing hard for thirty minutes. If I took it easy, I felt okay but not great. I stayed with the program all twelve weeks. The results were good, especially feeling so good.

During the twelve weeks I lost only five pounds, but I converted seven pounds from fat to muscle. All my stats improved, reducing my blood sugar and cholesterol as well as reducing triglycerides and resting heart rate. The program was a success for me. After the twelve-week program I enrolled in a continuing training program keeping the same schedule. By the end of the first six weeks of the program, half of my fellow employees dropped out. When the initial program ended, only three of us were left. Six months later, I was the only one of the original ten who was still working out three or four days a week. How ironic, the one person who had no intention of participating wound up discovering the benefits of a good exercise program.

By 2017 it was time to move on to another facility and a little less intense regimen, age had a little to do with it. At one point, a friend, we will call him J, and I started joking around about nicknames for some of the people in our classes. Somehow, he was tagged as Big Al, can’t remember why. We had DJ Sniffles and Mini Rock. I was awarded Two Plates by J as he watched me putting two of the same size weights on each end of my Body Pump bar. The name has stayed with me for the last four years.

When I decided to start a blog, the recommendation of a good friend, I struggled with a pen name. After several names were tossed out, I settled on Two Plates. This does not mean this blog will be about exercise and fitness. There will be posts about my continuing journey, but the blog is mainly about having an outlet for my writing. With that said, I encourage anyone who has never worked out to give it a shot. You do not have to push yourself super hard to get something out of it. Just join your local gym and get moving. Your local YMCA would be a great place to begin your journey.

I started writing many years ago while in high school. My next blog will cover why I got into writing.