The History of Daddy Claxton

Let’s face it. I’ve not done well with my weightloss program over the past 23 months.

Yes, with EA SPORTS Active 1, I dropped almost 25 lbs and lost a chunk more with More Workouts.  But in between product releases, life got a little challenging health-wise the first time, and then life itself the second. 

Before Christmas I received EA SPORTS Active 2 from Vancouver and began trying to use it in the midst of holiday prep and trying to get work done.  And of course, I had Santa Claus over here to try it out, too.

But there’s one important thing I need to tell you about EA SPORTS Active 2.  The first four times I tried to do a full workout I was sucking so hard for air I thought my lungs were going to explode.  Talk about feel the burn.  My lungs were scorching, and with my asthma history, well, you can just imagine.

Gradual Uptake

And so I’ve adopted a new strategy the last two times I’ve used EA SPORTS Active 2.  I’ve decided when I got to 225-250  calories and 15-20 minutes into the workout and I felt like I was going to collapse, I pushed myself a little further, and then did my warm downs. This has been a far better approach–for one, I’ve not felt like I was going to have an pulmonary embolism, and two, it’s pushed my body a little further each time advancing my conditioning.

Let’s face it.  It’s taken years for me to get as big as I am.  Getting out any kind of exercise program and using it all day long isn’t going to get me the lasting results I want.  Plus I’ll grow tired of trying to make myself collapse each time I do it and won’t be able to get any work done in the process.

Today

Today’s workout was the Soccer – Easy workout which was about 25 minutes long.  Because I’m top-heavy, and because of that nasty spill I took on roller blades in 2002 where I nearly ripped my right arm out of its socket, there’s no way I even think about doing exercises like Mountain Chasers–put both hands on the floor, push yourself up with your feet and then try to simulate running in place.  I just can’t do it, and frankly, even when I get down to 220 lbs I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do it then, either.  But the point is, rather than trying to do an exercise I know I cannot do, I’m being smart about this.  (Mountain biking and Mountain Boarding, however, have become two of my favorite new exercises.)

You should approach this smartly as well.

For one, if you’re overweight like me, you need to make sure with your doctor it’s okay to be doing a workout like this in the first place.

Two, you’re out to get healthy here.  Not kill yourself or injure your muscles.  Going “balls out” to do a workout in record time is admirable, and I’m not discouraging it, but the point is to know your present limitations.  Push them, but don’t go too far.

Three, the trainers in EA SPORTS Active always have been trained to say something along the lines, “You’re getting fit and you’re having fun doing it, too.” This isn’t as boring as walking on a treadmill.  EASA2 is designed to be fun.  As Crash said to Meat in Bull Durham, “Fun … Dammit.” (Have I ever pointed out that in that movie Kevin Costner says Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, and one of the next ones he made, JFK, he said Oswald was a “Patsy?”)

Today’s Twitter Question

Q: Do the new arm/leg bands work better in EASA2 than they did with the first edition.

A: Like night and day.  In fact, there are times when I’ve felt like the new arm band was a little, too, tight.

Share Your Experiences

One of the best uses I’ve found yet for blogging and twittering is talking about using the EAS Active products.  There are so many of you out there, just like me, who are looking for answers and solutions to our health and weight issues.  I invite you to join with me.  Let’s help inspire each other.  This is a long journey we’re on.  We’re going to need as many like-minded friends as we can find.