It's the little things..

Last night the gym was packed but I went and enjoyed myself with a nice ride on the bike and then a trot on the treadmill, going later in the day always means that I am up late but I figure a trip to the gym and less sleep is better than not going and watching other people workout on the tele via The biggest loser. Its funny sometimes how we see others doing something admirable and they don't even know how much another person applauds them for the work that they are putting in because it went unsaid. Sometimes when I ride the bike I get lost in what I am doing and focus only on me and my rpm's/distance/time and then others I am studying what others are doing and last night was a people watch kind of night for sure as the gym was packed there was a lot to analyze. I am finding that I focus more on the over weight people that are bustin ass than anything else lately and not for the reason that one might think, I think these people are among the most admirable in the whole gym and I may be a bit biased having come from where many of them are but its how I feel.

Last night there was a fella next to me on a bike and I could see that he was doing everything that he could as far as working that bike goes to get his ass in gear. This guy was about 20 years old my guess would be just over six feet tall and about 425 pounds so kind of like looking in a mirror and I felt like "I am glad he is doing this now instead of waiting like I did" and I almost told him "awesome job" and the remembered how I didn't or don't want random people doing that to me so I didn't but impressed I was none the less. Then there was a girl on an arc-trainer obviously in pain by her facial expression but she didn't stop until that timer hit 30 minutes, she stepped off of the machine and hands on her thighs she bent over to catch her breath and smiled. Was that smile because "Thank god I am done!" or was it closer to "I did it!" either way victory was hers for that moment in time and she earned it.

The little things are sometimes bigger than we know because those two people whom I do not know made me push a little harder last night with my own workout, that and the fact that the UFC fight that I was watching wasn't over yet. I am doing this whole healthy life thing for me, I am doing it for my kids, my wife and honestly its becoming a for the fun of it kind of thing and that's the part that intrigues me the most. Here I am 200 plus pounds lighter than I was just 2 years ago and having fun with the process? who wouldda thunk? Once upon a time a big bag of Doritos sitting on the couch next to me, PS2 controller in hand, headset on and killing everyone in sight on Socom 2 is what was considered fun and now its much different. Now looking at bringing my heart rate down slightly while upping the intensity of a workout is on my list of fun things to do or realizing that I can bring the mph up on the treadmill with my incline workout and handle it just fine. Dropping to the floor randomly to do some planks (thanks for reminding me of this glorious exercise Dana!) during a commercial and having my wife look at me and wonder what the hell I am doing now while my daughter mimics the position on the floor next to me always gets me in a good mood, all of these things are so different than what I was doing at 534 pounds.

Its not always easy to stay on the straight and narrow when attempting to drop some weight but if we take from the little things all they have to offer it makes the walk down the road a little less boring and gives a push now and again. I have come a long way from when I started off, a ten minute walk was all that I could muster once upon a time but I did it and now I am doing 45 to 60 minutes of cardio 5-6 times per week and lifting weights 3 times per week, down 211 pounds and counting this lifestyle that I chose to live is here to stay. I am going to make my goal weight and I am going to make all of my health goals that I have set for myself because I say so and that's all it takes, I really do believe that.

I can't walk more than a few minutes, I can't run, I can't stop eating like this, I can't stop drinking soda, I need my morning coffee, there is no way that I can drink that much water, my knee hurts so I can't exercise, I have a sore back I can't workout, I weigh too much to exercise, I don't have the willpower, I can't do this without a surgery, on and on and on the excuses can pile up until we convince ourselves that its an impossible task to take on and the next thing that happens we notice that we are 534 pounds. They are all excuses and they are all irrational attempts to brainwash ourselves that its ok to literally eat ourselves to death because of the effort that it takes to eat healthy and get some movement into our lives and the fact that it is too much work.

You CAN live healthy if you want it, everything else is just the next excuse and that's all I got to say about that.

Fini..

As Ever
Me