Stop running in the house

Stop running in the house


November 17th 2008 4:45am

It’s cold, dark and quiet in an empty house. I’m lying in bed wondering what I’m going to do with “life.” Things are not as I had planned. Everything I knew as normal had been turned upside down, and the holidays are right around the corner. This should make for a great Thanksgiving.

As I lie here, thoughts are racing through my head: Should I pack up and move on “again”? What’s here? Why am I still here? What is keeping me here? What did I do to deserve this culmination of my life? That’s when I hear the voice in my head: “Get up this isn’t happening fast enough. The only person that can change you is you.”

So I did. I got out of bed rolled on to an exercise ball that was left by my now ex-wife (one of the few things that was left) and started doing crunches. Those words still echoing in my head; “Get up this isn’t happening fast enough. The only person that can change you is you.”

It wasn’t easy, the alarm going off hours before it normally did, getting on that ball doing as many crunches as I could, gradually moving into the floor doing “knee” pushups (hey don’t judge I was 400+ a pushup requires you to be able to lift 75% of your body and that was a LOT).

Then one morning I decided that what I was doing was great but I needed more cardio. I needed to get my heart rate up, but it’s December and I’m not going to go outside especially this time of the morning. So I started running inside my house. I have a long hallway that leads into a large living area where my couch is. I literally started my mornings running down my hallway and around my couch until I was winded (granted this didn’t take long initially).

By February it was warming up outside and I was starting to walk the 1.6 mile track around my subdivision—jogging what I could of it—just trying to keep my heart rate up. One morning I ran the whole thing, 1.6 miles nonstop. It was like a weight had been lifted off my back. My head was never clearer. My thoughts turned into ideas and aspirations.

Move on? No way! I love this town and all my friends and family are close. What’s here? This home I spent over a year creating and a job I love. Why am I still here? I have friends that helped me through some very rough spots and kept me focused on me. What did I do to deserve this culmination to my life? Culmination… not even close! This is a beginning to my life; my life just started.

I have a beautiful daughter that needs her father now more than ever. I’m in the best shape of my life, and after all this time, I finally found someone I care so much about, that I can’t be away from more than an hour without wondering when I will see her again.

Since that day I have gone on to run that 1.6 mile track around my subdivision 16 times which is roughly 25 miles (that’s marathon distance). I’ve run a 5K, a 10K and am working toward my first “official” marathon.

I saw a commercial last night about the “lap band” procedure. The guy in the commercial said, “I lost 130lbs in 12 months.” Well I lost 200lbs in 10 months, and all it took was determination and willpower.

If you can’t do it alone, find some inspiration a photo, a song, an aspiration. Set a goal every week. You and you alone can change your future. 10 months from now, don’t be wondering “what if?”, start asking “what next.”


Good Luck

Tip: Throw your scale away!!! The worst thing you can do for your confidence is weigh yourself everyday. This never works and will only discourage you for several reasons. Here are a couple of examples (1.) Your water weight will fluctuate up to 5lbs a day. (2.) You’re working out so you’re adding muscle and losing fat. This will equal out during weigh-ins. I recommend not weighing more than twice a month until you get close to a goal, then once a week MAX. Instead, look in your closet and find that pair of jeans you refused to throw away thinking eventually you would wear them again. Try them on every couple of days. You’ll see them slowly start to come together, and that’s a much better feeling than a number on a scale.