Here it is, my first post so, i'm deciding to let you all know "my why" and hopefully a lot of you are able to take my experiences and relate them to your own. I'd like to first say, i'm not an expert on endurance fitness and/or training but I have a good background and I believe that you can benefit from them.
Like the title says, I was 45 years old when I really decided to take some action on how I lived my life. You know, you look in the mirror, you say you'll do something about it, then a few days pass and you continue on with your usual ways. There was one thing though that was different about all the other times i've looked in the mirror; maybe because I had turned 45 that I felt a stronger urge to change the way I lived. I just knew that at that moment I wasn't motivated, wasn't happy with what I saw and my posture looked sad and tired. To be real, I just felt like I had not accomplished anything in my life worth talking about or celebrating and after a recent blood work test was told my cholesterol was way above the normal zone.
I had gone to the gym infrequently over the past decade and I would make some progress but, i'd just slip back into old habits and gain weight back. I watched a ton of videos of every fitness guru out there; and to be honest some of it is legitimate. However, there is so much that it's impossible 
to focus because you end up trying everything and never settling into an actual focused plan or even trusting a plan. Workouts would become seasonal or related to travel, where as I'd workout for a couple of weeks leading up to a vacation, binge drink and eat while there and come back unmotivated sitting at my desk.
There was one thing that stuck with me that i'd hear from fitness trainers or the gurus, and I always knew it in the back of my mind - it's a lifestyle. You cannot expect to lean up, lose weight, be fit, maintain a sustainable healthy diet without your life changing in some way. I took a healthy look into my way of life and for whatever reason, endurance sport jumped out at me. Maybe because during high school I rowed but, it seemed appealing to me. I researched here and there over the next few months. What endurance athletes eat, how they train, how they live and more. I saw how lean they were, I never wanted to be a large bodybuilder, but lean (leaner) and able to hike or walk up stairs without feeling winded.
It did take me a while to jump start this process, but eventually I decided to start running. Seemed like the easiest thing to start with, strap on some shoes and go out the door! It was not easy but one kilometre turned into three. One day of training turned into 3 days a week and eventually I started to miss the days I wasn't exercising. The more I ran, the more I wanted to do other things like strength training, or eating better to not lose what I just put so much energy into. I started eating more plant-based meals and eating at better times. It all just started to become habit.
I found something that challenged me and made me feel accomplished all while changing my body, my lifestyle, my mind, and my happiness. There is no magic pill, even though there are some really solid marketing campaigns that make you believe there is - there is not. Being fit, getting lean, losing body fat, running a
marathon, doing a triathlon all take time. If you've been told days and weeks, sure it could possibly work, but you have a high chance of slipping back to your old ways and to be honest, doing strict workouts or strict diets really don't seem sustainable or healthy for you. We only have one body and we need to nurture it, take care of it and allow it the time to adapt and to heal.
I hope my why has given some sort of relatable information for you. In the coming posts I do wish that you can use them in some way for your own lifestyle changes and endurance training benefits. I'm now 48 and am still loving the journey. I feel like i'm 20 again, i'm not because my recovery tells me so 🙂 but i've never been as fit as I am now, it's truly amazing and I want to be able to share with you my experiences to help you in your own journey.