02964: Indulgent Progress Documentation

February 2021 Progress Photos

Metro Manila Community Quarantine - Day 344

I've been working out for more than a year now and for almost a year without the aid of an actual gym. And I'm not gonna lie - I'm surprised at my own progress, and I'm feeling really good about it. I know I previously wrote about my discomfort with my own body, so let's be a little more positive in the tonal direction this time around.

So yeah, I've been taking WAY more selfies these days - especially shirtless ones. The photos in themselves already feel like a sort of reward at the end of particularly intense workouts. Whereas the best I could hope for was taking photos out of habit (e.g. my original "walking to work" photos), they've become a celebration of my progress thus far. I have some pretty goofy smiles in many of these selfies, but they're because I'm honestly happy with how much better I feel and how much happier I am with how I look.

I'm still overweight and I still have a belly to manage, those remain true. But my shoulders look great, I'm starting to see some actual definition when I flex my arms, and I love the shape (and feel) of my legs. Seriously, I get a kick out of holding onto my own legs during yoga poses because I'm pleasantly surprised at the firmer muscles I now feel. 

Who is this person? Where'd he come from?

My legs are still sore from my workouts over the past few days, but I still keep pushing and trying to do my best. I should probably consider pushing for longer workouts (I still have the Nike Training Club app scheduling workouts that are under an hour) or maybe continue to increase the overall difficulty setting, but at least I'm doing something and continuing to move forward. 

Health comes first - the main goal is to get to a healthier BMI rating and I've already gotten to being just overweight from starting well beyond the threshold of being obese, so that's something. The aesthetic changes are all happy bonuses that are not part of deliberate efforts to shape particular muscles or work certain muscle groups and I just keep reminding myself that slow and steady beats not making any progress at all.




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