It's time again for an update from the Fat Kid!
Well, as most of you all know, I've struggled on and off for a long time with weight issues. I mean, seriously, I call myself the Fat Kid...weight/body image issues, much??? Along with this whole running thing that I've been doing - yep, I've kinda sorta kept on AFTER the 5k - I've been trying to eat better, too. The last time I did this, I went from a heavy 265 lbs to 225 lbs. I looked great, I felt great, and then I sort of stopped taking as much care of myself as I should have, and my weight went back up to about 250 lbs. So, with the running and activity level this year, my goal was to lose about 20 lbs. And I'm proud to say that in about 12 weeks, I've done just that, and am sitting pretty at about 230 lbs!!!! YAY! Go, Me!
And then, today, a friend of mine posted an article on his facebook page about "crossfit." Now, if you're unfamiliar with it, crossfit is pretty much a high-energy, kick-ass program designed to improve your overall fitness level while building muscle, cutting fat, and making you physically capable of accomplishing anything. In basic terminology, this is what you should be doing if you are planning on outrunning and outmuscling the zombie apocalypse. It's crazy, in that same way the "p-90x" and "insanity" workouts are crazy. But...it does work. But, I digress. My friend posted an article about what winning means, and why it's important. Here's the quote from the article that caught me:
"Winning is about overcoming doubts, overcoming fears and insecurities. It's ridding ourselves of negative thoughts and telling our bodies and our minds to do what they've been training to do over the past weeks, months, and years." -Pat Hanavan
OK, you might be saying, "I'm tired of all your positive-talk and gobbledegook nonsense!" I don't blame you. It's tough to keep hearing it over and over, particularly if you're NOT one of those annoyingly positive people. But please, re-read that quote. It says it plain as day: "...telling our bodies and minds to do what they've been training to do..." That's how you win. That's how you succeed, in anything. There's a scientific principle that mimics this, in the laws of intertia: Objects at rest tend to stay at rest, while objects in motion tend to stay in motion. This is the same thing. If we train to be sedentary, we will stay that way, and if we train to be active, we will remain so. All it takes is a little willpower to overcome our fears, our doubts, and our insecurities. I'm an expert in those. I have many. They challenge me constantly, and I hate them. I hate that I can't shut those fears off. I hate that they intervene in my life and cause me to doubt. For a long time, those fears ruled my life, and I didn't very much like me. Now? Now, I still have skirmishes with those fears, those doubts, those insecurities. Sometimes, they win. I win a lot more of those skirmishes than I used to.
I'm training to win them all.
Thanks for reading,
The Fat Kid
