the reformation: two years

I almost didn't create this 'reformation update' because the last month has been a shit-show nutrition-wise. Sure, I've kept up my workouts and made good progress in that arena, but I haven't been super diligent about what I've been putting into my body. I've had so much access to sweets - whether brought to us by fellow church members in lieu of Maggie Lou's arrival or baked by Ashley for her annual 'Christmas Baking Extravaganza' - that it's been difficult to stay on track. Every holiday season is like this, though, so I'm not losing heart: if history proves true yet again this year, the first couple weeks of January will see me overcoming the last month's hurdles and propelling strong and true into the new year. I'm currently sitting at around 25% bodyfat, and my goal is to get down to 20%. I don't want to get any lower than that because (a) I just don't find the 'abs-showing' look appealing, (b) I want to focus on mass rather than fat loss because if I lose too much weight I look like a twenty-year-old at best, (c) Ashley prefers I be chunkier over skinnier (and I believe her, if only because I find 'chunkiness' more attractive than slimness in women), and (d) to maintain much lower body fats requires such strict eating habits that you can't regularly enjoy treats. My doctor says 20% body fat would put me in the best range for my body (the modern 'healthy BMI charts' are a racket and a joke), and it would give me a good foundation for continuing to put on muscle. My goal is the 'fit fat,' 'stocky muscle bear' physique, and I've been paying particular attention to my neck and shoulders, as these snapshots attest:

this is how Naomi and I fall asleep every night

our early morning wake up ritual

One another note, it's been two years since I forced myself to 'get serious' about accomplishing my fitness endeavors, and I'm not regretting a moment of it. It has definitely not been easy, and there have been a lot of hiccups along the way. I haven't accomplished as much as I hoped, but this is a marathon, not a sprint: I've still got three years to go in my half-decade marathon of fitness improvement. All that said, I'm still impressed with the changes I've wrought:

l2r: October 2014, September 2018, and December 2020

Here's to another year of continuing my fitness journey! *CHEERS!*