I wrote yesterday that I didn’t really make any ‘REAL’ resolutions, but as of yesterday, I did resolve to just get my typing fingers back in shape. To get disciplined about writing again, just like I resolved to get my body back into shape. It is amazing how much work goes into simply maintaining the tools God has given us and how quickly a tool rusts or becomes dull.
For me, even with the push ups I was doing toward the end of the year and the spurts of workouts throughout our travels, this is the first time in my life I have been this out of shape. As a natural fatty I have had to work hard to keep my waist at 38 inches and this year didn’t help. I have never been this fat and this weak at the same time…since I was a 5′ 2″, 126 lb, 26% body fat freshman. The past 12 months has been a little tough on my fragile ego.
Since coming home I have been working out, uh, vigorously…running, weightlifting etc. and I am seeing changes, but the improvements come woefully slowly and all the holidays and hanging out has not helped. So January 1st, Linnea and I were watching TV, switching between World’s Strongest Man and Biggest Loser. Both these shows are very motivating to me, but Linnea isn’t very motivated watching the strong men (even though we both like to watch Kevin Nee who was featured in MTV’s “Made” program. I competed against Kevin Nee in the Xtreme Strongman Showdown in February 2004, I placed 14 out of 16, and he won, I believe. It is hard for me to realize that was 4 years ago.) Where was I? Oh, yeah….
We watched ‘Biggest Loser’ and were motivated to get out the scale and weigh in each day. That was a week ago today. January 1st I weighed 248. Today, the 8th, I weigh 247! At this rate I will hit my target bodyweight by August! I am kind of being sarcastic to myself, because after watching the contestants lose a consistent 5% of their body weight last week, I figured I could lose 3% of my body weight in a week, which would have been about 8 pounds. An 8 pound loss was never difficult for me when I was focussed, and a couple days ago I was down 5 pounds, but that was until we bought the Girl Scout cookies from my niece and the dang Caramel Delights have been irresistable.
So my resolve and focus are suspect, and have been for 32 years, but it is true that a consistent loss of a pound a week would be fantastic. Slow and steady over a long time can dramatically alter a physique…practice, discipline….so difficult, huh?
So in these two efforts, of writing and getting back ‘in shape’ I am planning at this moment to combine them some and share how the battle of the bulge is going. Let’s see how much resolve I have to avoid the snacks tonight and how much resolve I have to write tomorrow.
