Sabre Health and Individual Training
In our April issue I stated “ You have to take ownership of your physical condition .” What this entailed for me were 3 simple questions :
What do I want to be able to do ? I want to pass my Sabre Crest test . Can I do it ? If I attempted it in the condition I was in September I might have been taken off the field in an ambulance .
How do I reach my goal ?
Step one for me was to lose weight . I began to monitor my calorie intake and what was providing the calories . I limited the foods I ate that had a lot of sugar or fat such as butter , margarine , pop , salad dressings , and certain meats . I increased my water intake to about 3-4 litres a day .
Step two was an increase in my activity level . I managed this at first by doing a few simple anywhere / anytime exercises such as push ups before showering , an extra 30 minutes of walking each day , and taking a few flights of stairs instead of using an escalator or elevator . After I had lost 25 lbs I began to increase my daily exercises and added at least 1 day a week at the gym working with weights and cardio or hiking in a nearby park for 1-3 hours . After 6 months , including a few holiday setbacks , I had managed to lose a little over 50 lbs while increasing my muscle and endurance levels to a point that I felt confident would allow me to succeed .
I continue to monitor my physical condition and maintain a light workout schedule so that I will not have to stop participating in the sport I have grown to love .
Jeff F .