As you battle the shopping malls and outlet stores for the perfect gift or hot new toy this holiday season I want you try something new.
As you trudge along, narrowly dodging strollers, pushy perfume peddlers and the endless barrage of bags pulling shoppers in and out of stores (or is it the other way around?), you will inevitably witness a traditional holiday scene that would make The Grinch cringe. A young mother or father with disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes and chocolate milk stained pants trying to reel in their red-faced, tantrum throwing child like a fish at the end of a line. "I want it! I want it NOW!" the darling little cherub will screech. You gotta hand it to 'Mom', she's yelling as softly as she can through a clenched jaw while launching hurried apologies to strangers as she and her demon spawn bump and juke amongst the throng of disgusted and annoyed shoppers such as yourself. It eventually ends with the classic threat 'I guess Santa's not coming to our house this year' but only after she grabs hold of the arm of Junior's puffy winter coat that he deftly slips free of and darts away. Ding, ding, ding! Round Two….
When you witness this scene, I don't want you to be one of those disgusted and judgmental shoppers that sneers as they walk by. I'm also not asking you to help either. Chances are junior has a hard head or a mean left hook and you don't need the aggravation of going home and laying down with a bag of frozen peas between your legs for the rest of the day. Especially since you haven't picked out an obligation... er, I mean present, for Aunt Bertha yet.
What I want you to do is think about how different you are from that child that knows what they want but they refuse to wait for it, or worse, work for it. The idea IS for the kids to 'earn' their gifts through good behavior and good deeds right? You may not throw a tantrum over it or be intimidated by Santa's tattling little elves, but you know you don't want to wait. You want to lose 10-20lbs and you want it gone yesterday. You know you should eat better but the BK drive-through is more convenient than packing a lunch. Discipline and hard-work are often replaced with instant-gratification and easy-to-use gimmicks.
If you can be guaranteed that you will get what you want by busting out of your comfort zone, trying new things and working hard, but it will take months or even years to reach your goals, would you take the challenge? Or, if you are offered a quick and easy solution that may or may not work and the positive effects are not likely to remain long-term, would you take that instead?
I turned 34 on Dec 15th and I have given myself one of the best birthday presents I could receive. I didn't run to Best Buy to get it or find it on sale. I've been working at it for 6 months. It's a commitment to a more active and healthier lifestyle. It's still a work in progress and I have plenty that discourages me from time to time, even today, but when I think back to where it started I can't ignore the pride I feel for what I have accomplished since my first 'intro' class at Dynamic Strength and Conditioning on June 5th, 2009. I intend to re-gift similar achievements to myself every year from here on out.
June 5th 2009:
204lbs
Size 36 pants (loose style, but far from loose… elastic waist and drawstrings were my friends)
Only 2 notches left on my belt before it's too small.
Max Pullups - 1 (sort of)
Max Pushups - 20-25 with bad form
KB Swings - What's a kettlebell?
Max Box Jump - 12"
July 6th 2009 (60 day Challenge begins…):
200lbs
Waist** - 41"
Size 36 pants (loose style) 3 notches left on the belt… the trend begins…
Max Pullups - 1
Max Pushups - 12 with good form
KB Swings - 12kg
Max Box Jump - 18"
**(measured at the belly button so that my love handles get included)
Sept 5th 2009:
194 lbs
Waist - 39 3/4"
Size 36 pants (loose style and feeling it) 4 notches left on the belt
Max Pullups - 3
Max Pushups - 20 with good form
KB Swings - 16kg
Max Box Jump - 36"!!
December 15th 2009:
184 lbs
Waist - 37 1/2"
Size 34 pants (standard fit… wow I needed new jeans! Added bonus… the wife keeps checking out my butt) No notches left on the belt, good thing Christmas is coming.
Max Pullups - 7
Max Pushups - 30
KB Swings - 20-24kg (depends on the type of workout)
Max Box Jump - 42"
Someone asked me the other day if I think I can maintain this weight. My immediate reply without much thought - "I'm not even done. I could probably drop another 10lbs without changing anything I'm doing." Despite their suggestion that I should just be happy where I am at now and insistence that I don't need to lose anymore weight I came to a realization. I'm not trying to lose weight anymore. It's just happening. Although I find it helpful to look at the weight and body measurements as a way to quantify the physical changes I no longer set goals based on such numbers. Sure I'll still check them from time to time, but I won't be controlled by them. It's counter productive to allow yourself to be both encouraged and discouraged by the number on the scale. My response this time was simple (although if you know me, I babble, so I'll just give you the short version) - "I'm not losing weight, I'm creating opportunities to do extraordinary things."
Your achievements provide you with far more satisfaction and motivation to continue to make the right choices and experience things you otherwise wouldn't have. I am not striving for an ideal weight or a waist size (but 34" pants for my 34th is still pretty cool), I'm striving to have the energy and courage to be a stronger and healthier version of me. Someone that isn't afraid to compete, to fail or to conquer a feat I would never have considered before.
Of course, none of this means anything if you don't share those experiences with those closest to you. You hear plenty of the excuses about lacking time to exercise or to make healthier meals/snacks but it seems to me that when you create that time up front, you soon rediscover time, or rather good times, that you 'lost' by changing your priorities.
A few weeks ago we woke up to our first snow storm. The kids were buzzing about the house making plans to help Daddy shovel the driveway (aka 'spread the snow where Daddy already shoveled'), make a snow man, have a snow ball fight, go sledding, drink hot chocolate, go back out for more sledding, make a snow man family etc etc. My coffee was barely done brewing when I was dragged into the cold to chaperon their antics. I distinctly recall last year when I would talk the kids out of staying outside longer than I needed to so I could avoid sledding down the puny hill (more of a bump really) at the side of our house. Mostly because I knew they'd want my help getting back up and I wasn't up for pulling them in the sled, especially after breaking my back hauling away the heavy white stuff. But that wasn't going to happen on this day. With the driveway cleared in record time, I was pushing them down the hill and running back up with all 80-90lbs of the two of them in tow behind me. The snow wasn't sticky or deep enough to build a quality snow dude, but you would have thought there was a blizzard outside the way we were chucking snow at other. For once, I outlasted them. There's one of those 'good times' creeping up again.
So what am I gonna get myself for my 35th? Well, I expect my pushups and pullups will increase, I'll be able to jump higher and I'll deflate the personal flotation device that sits above my belt line some more. Somewhere along the way I'll try a 5k, maybe dust off my mountain bike, take up snow shoeing and start training in martial arts again. But the ultimate goal? The ultimate goal is a lifetime of memories of adventures with my wife and our kids.
SPECIAL THANKS: It's never easy to go on a journey alone, plus it's never as fun. My wife, Lynne, has been my biggest supporter through everything. She gets the kids to school on her own when I am up and out to the gym before most in the house are awake, she makes sure my gym bag has a towel in it every night, she knows what I want at the store and always make sure it's stocked in our fridge. (She even got me a power wheel for my birthday!) But most importantly, she listens to my rambling, she's exicted for my achievements and she makes it clear her love for me does not waver whether I am 204 or 184. Thanks, Babe! I love you too!
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