“Felt fat+needed vacation=The birth of the fitcation”
Although I had altered my diet earlier in the year, it seemed as if I’d hit a wall. I had no weight loss results. My workouts, sporadic as they were, had plateaued and I was still giving in to food temptations. The healthy me was saying, “Hey, you don’t eat meat anymore and you’re working out at least 20 minutes per day.” While the unhealthy me would counter with, “You DID work out 20 minutes today, how about that dessert!?!” Well, eventually all those counters started getting backed by junk food jabs that had me up against the ropes. Like Ali, I needed to employ a “rope-a-dope” strategy to win this battle.
Fitcation to the rescue!
My journey back to health began with a three day hike through the villages and mountains of Lake Atitlan. Three days of ups, downs, and overs that had my legs feeling like jello. Several times throughout I asked:
Why am I doing this to myself?
Thoughts that were quickly dismissed by the beautiful views and vistas that made the journey worthwhile.
Never assume! I mistakenly thought that initial hike would be a walk in the park. That thought process lead me to scheduling a two day club up Central America’s highest peak, Tajumulco, to immediately follow it. Aching muscles, paired with hours of nonstop downpour did not make for a pleasant trip (or chances for photo ops) up to Tajumulco’s base camp. Cold, combined with a leaky tent throughout the night, made it hard to wake up summit morning. But, ultimately, the rain stopped and perseverance prevailed as the summit was peaked. My old thoughts of doubt were replaced by thoughts of:
If I can do this, then sticking to a fitness and diet routine will be a breeze.
Two months later, the road to fitness continues. Daily use of the myfitnesspal app, and a more intense fitness routine have propelled my fitness kick start on to the next level. Excited to see where the journey may take me in the next month, the initial fitcation enthusiasm persists.
In the comments below, share your personal weight loss or fitness goals!
45 Comments
You are doing great. I am about to get back on my journey too. Working on it bit by bit.
That’s all it takes. It’s a marathon, not a sprint and when tackled biy by bit the results usually last longer.
Great job! I can def see the hard work paying off. I was just telling my friend about the stairs and hikes I plan to do in Colombia later on this month. OMG I’m already scared its 740 stairs to the top.
Colombia is awesome for hiking…hmu before you go, I was just there earlier this year!
Your do diligence paid off. I am sure it was a struggle but look at the results congrats and happy to see more black male bloggers! Keep writing!
Thank you…although my journey isn’t over just yet, I plan to keep working out and keep blogging as well!
Thanks for sharing. Maybe a hike will get me out of my rut.
Hey, it’s worth a shot…Give it a try and come back to let me know how it goes!
The fit-cation was a great idea, and congrats on your progress so far! I’m very into fitness, so I work out and eat healthy regularly.
Thank you and keep up the healthy lifestyle as well!
I have never gone hiking. I will try it if it means I can lose weight while starting a new healthy habit.
It’s the perfect combination…get a new habit, lose weight, and become healthier all at the same time!
I’ve been saying I want to hike, and right now is a good time to go. Im going to suggest this to my husband! Good Luck on your journey! Very motivational!
Let me know where you and your husband decide to go!
Good luck, however, you might want to try more than 20 minutes a day 🙂
A good hike is always fun!!
Those hikes are at least several hours…And even in just twenty minutes you’d be surprised how many calories you can burn with high intensity training.
The background scenery where you were hiking is so beautiful. I love being out and about in nature so the atmosphere would be perfect for me.
Me too, I’m a huge fan of nature!
This idea is so lit! Love it. Lots of people think hiking is just a walk lol not so much especially when mountains are involved. You look great and I’m sure you’ll reach your desired goals!
Thank you…and I agree, when you factor in hills and a heavy backpack then suddenly that walk isn’t just a walk anymore.
Wow what a great concept! I’ve never hiked before, I’m also not very “fit” lol. Maybe one day I’ll be inspired to go on my own fitcation.
You definitely should..and when you do let me know!
Congrats! You’ve definitely made a lot of progress! Hiking isn’t too easy to do here in London but I’ve always wanted to- thanks for the inspo!
Well the great thing is that London offers easy access to lots of great cities in countries with awesome mountains!
Good luck! I like hiking because with all the scenery you forget that you are actually getting a ton of steps in.
Hiking is such a nice way to exercise. You can enjoy your surroundings and also get in some fitness! Unfortunately where I stay it is 100+ around 7 months of the year so most of my exercise has to be indoors which can get tedious!
Hiking is a good total body work-out. It is just sad that I could not do it as often as I wish. Other than a workout, hiking also gives you the chance to marvel at some fantastic views!
Congrats on making the decision and sticking to it! It’s one thing to make a decision to do something and quite another to act on it. I don’t know why we often resist the things that are most beneficial to us. Probably because they require more effort!
Congratulations on working on yourself. Too many of us ignore our bodies and eating healthy. Glad you are on it.
Congratulations! That looks like a fun hike and the view from the top is amazing!
Oh my gosh check you out! This great work and the motivation has certainly paid off, you look great.
Thank you…Just gotta keep it going now!
It’s motivating when you can see great results like that! Well done! I love hiking, that’s how I keep my fitness up these days. I find that being close to nature clears up the mind!
Thank you, Thank you! I totally agree with you about nature clear your mind…it’s a calm serenity.
I truly believe hiking is one of the great outdoor activity – either your goal is get fit or to explore or just simply appreciate the nature. Well hiking will be perfect . Me and my friends to go for a walk every other weekend.
Long walks are definitely underrated when it comes to a form of exercise. Low impact, yet plenty of calories can be burned!
Wow congratulations on your weight loss you have done a great job and it is good that you did it the natural way too! I like the idea of hiking to keep more active and fit!
Thank you…nothing better than being in the great outdoors!
It is always nice to get out in nature for your work out, I used to ride my bike locally but the traffic has made it impossible. I think I am going to go on more hikes on the weekends.
That sounds like a good idea. Get out on weekends, re-energize yourself for the week, and also get fit!
Absolutely love hiking. Even better when it’s serving a purpose like losing some weight. Two birds one stone!
Those were my thoughts exactly!
I’m gaining and losing weight all the time! Need to have some kind of routine and not just start and give up. Hiking sounds nice as it’s not just physical exercise but also kind of mental thing.
Yes, and as long as the weather is clear you can do it everyday!
I love hiking. It’s fulfilling whenever you reach the top and see the magnificent view. Good luck to your road to fitness. I hope you’ll achieve your goal soon.