So, I turn 26 next Wednesday. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I don't know what's worse turning 26 or feeling 26... no I do know, feeling 26 is worse. And frankly I feel much older than 26. I'm out of shape and overweight. I'm self-conscious around my much thinner friends. I'm not looking to be some über-thin guy. Just a guy that feels good in his body and confident. And I know from past health experiences that I'm a much more confident, driven, motivated person when I'm in good shape. I don't want this to be like past occurrences however. Of course the problem has always been, when I'm not in school I'm in good shape and find time to exercise. When I'm in school I'm not and can't. Well, I'm not in school, and don't plan on returning to a Grad program for a long time... if ever. So now's the time to start. So let's look at the numbers, shall we? Age: 26 (-6 days) Height: 5' 10" Weight: 215 Well, as much as I hate it, we'll have to look at my BMI because I haven't had my Body Composition tested. Now, quite frankly, I hate the BMI (Body Mass Index). It tells you nothing, and lumps everyone into a single table based on height and weight. My BMI is 30.8 for my height and weight. 30.8, according to the BMI chart, equals OBESITY. According to the Nation Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, there are only TWO limitations to the BMI. It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build. It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass. So pretty much, unless you're old, or already an athlete, the BMI Never Lies! Good fucking shit... The BMI is like have a ruler that isn't marked... Yes, you may have a piece of wood that's 12" long, but what good is it for actually measuring anything... Now the Body Composition is more complicated than BMI, and asuch, gives a more complete view of what's wrong and what's right. It takes specific caliper measurements of your body and plugs them into an equation based on age and weight. The big difference here is that personalized caliper measurements are taken for each individual person. It's an extremely accurate view of what percentage of your body weight is fat. There are only three more accurate processes: Displacement Tanks, Pressure Tanks, and Dissection. Moderately Expensive, Extremely Expensive, and only works if you're dead. So as soon as I know my Body Composition I'll put it up here. So far I've done 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. The counter said that I'd gone 3 miles... but I don't believe that at all. 30 minutes may not seem like a long time, but since I haven't exercised in almost a year, I pretty happy with it. Trying to build up some stamina so that I can get back on the Treadmill, which I enjoy infinitely moreso. And we'll see if we can start some freeweights on my birthday. Because the only way to really burn off fat is to build up enough muscle that it's burning fat all day long. It's the best solution. Running is great cardiovascular work, but Aerobic exercise works your heart and lungs more than your skeletal muscles. Let's see where I am by the end of the summer. I'll probably start up a page to chronicle my exercise. When you make information public you're held to it more. It's more difficult to reneg on your end of the deal when other people know what you're doing. I may start up Body-for-LIFE again. It's served me well in the past. We'll see.