RSS

Tag Archives: Mentality

A Ten-Year Old

08 Apr

My wife & I watched our daughter compete yesterday at the state gymnastics meet. She had fun. She laughed, smiled. Not only did she compete she placed 1st on the beam, 2nd on the vault, 6th on the bars, 7th on the floor and 3rd all around. Out of all the gymnasts in her division in the state, she placed 3rd!! Not bad for just her second year of competitive gymnastics. What makes it more impressive is the journey she took to get there.

Quick recap:

At last year’s state meet, she left in tears at her performance. I vividly remember her coach telling her “It was okay. You did well this year. These girls were older and you held your own. You’re going to work hard and next year you’re going to come back and kill it at state. Why? Because you’re a beast.”

Well over the course of the year, I watched this ten-year old cry, fall endless times off the beam. (sometimes she got up immediately, other times she lay there a for a moment). I’ve watched her battle fear and self-doubt. Not just any kind of fear but the kind of fear that paralyzes you and doesn’t allow you to move forward. Each time I’d ask her the same question. “Do you want to quit?” Each time,with tears in her eyes, she responded “No.” Some times she responded quickly. Other times she had to think about it briefly.

I watched her decide to face her fears, take action, and finally overcome her fears. I watched her do back flip after back flip until she was able to do it herself.

She frequently met disappointment and frustration with an attitude of relentlessness.

So to see her standing on the podium yesterday brought unbelievable pride. Not because she placed so highly. More so because she learned that she can do anything she sets her mind to. She’s stronger than she knew was. She learned that fear isn’t real. She learned that if you keep fighting and working hard, good things will come.

empty_podium

Your goal is probably not to be a gymnast. However I’m sure that you’ll experience some of the same things she did while you’re pursuing your own goals and dreams.(weight loss related or anything else) When the road gets a little tough (and it will) remember the 9-year-old who left the state meet in tears. Through hard work, dedication, and refusing to quit, she became the 10-year-old who left the state meet a champion smiling ear to ear.

 
2 Comments

Posted by on 04/08/2013 in Inspirational

 

Tags: , , ,

Lessons From The Treadmill

25 Mar

I’m training to run my first 5k in May. I’ve been talking about doing it for a while. Now I’m actually doing it. (That’s another blog for another day.) At any rate, I’m on week 4 of the Couch to 5k program. This is the first week where it got hard. (for me anyway) Alternating between running for 3 and 5 minutes for 30 minutes. For me it was grueling, it was hard, and it was the most rewarding so far.

I was reminded of three valuable lessons while doing the workout.

You can do more than you think you can
I’ve never been a runner. I’m the guy who absolutely loathed P.E. class when we had to run a
mile. But in week four, I’ve realized that not only can I walk on the treadmill, I can run on it
for 5 minutes straight. Doing more than I thought I could. Now I know, if I can do 5 minutes I
can do 8 minutes (that’s week 5 of the program)

Pain is temporary
During the last 5 minute run, my legs hurt, lungs were burning, breathing was labored. The thought of ending the run prematurely quitting definitely crossed my mind a time or three. But I kept going and finished it. Wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I finished, the pain that was so unbearable seemingly quickly dissipated. I realized that the pain (well strong discomfort) that I was feeling wasn’t as bad as I thought. Imagine how I would’ve felt had I quit early.

Greatest growth comes when you leave your comfort zone
This whole thing is outside of my comfort zone. Running in a race, 1/2 a mile no less a 3 mile race is so not me. It’s something I’ve never done and training for it is something I’ve never done. But there in lies the beauty of it. I’ve grown in the 4 short weeks I’ve been preparing for it. I’ve run more. I’ve become for fit. I’ve become more confident and most importantly I’ve gained more belief in myself that I can do anything.

Those are three major lessons I’ve learned on this journey. I was glad that I was reminded of them while on the treadmill. Remember you can always do more, pain is temporary, and growth occurs outside of your comfort zone.

 
3 Comments

Posted by on 03/25/2013 in Exercise, Weight Loss

 

Tags: , ,

Three Questions….

13 Mar

dI’ve been reflecting lately on how I’ve been able to finally turn the corner on my health. What made this time different? How was I able to keep going?

The answer to those questions(and many others) was answered in three questions I asked myself the first day I started. Unknowingly, the answer to these three questions shaped the foundation for my weight loss.

The first question I asked myself was “What do I want?” The question, at first glance, appears simple. However, it really required thought for me. What did I want? Did I just want to lose weight? Did I want to be healthier? It took about an hour to answer that question. Knowing what you want is essential. It begins to bring clarity to what you’re looking to accomplish.

With the answer to the first question in hand, I moved on to the second question. “Why do I want it?” When you figure out what you want and why you want it, you start to get an emotional tie. I’ve found that by having an emotional tie to what I wanted, a need to accomplish it was created. The need was so strong that I became almost obsessive over it. (I prefer the term laser focus.) That focus, obsessiveness, whatever you want to call it became the seeds of discipline that sprouted into a no excuses attitude.

Lastly, and maybe most important, I asked myself “What was I willing to give up to get what I wanted?” In my case, it was an hour of my day to exercise. I was willing to give up a couple of hours of sleep so I could exercise before going to work. I was willing to give up soda. You get the point.

Everything has a cost associated with it. You have to decide if what you want, why you want it, and the things you’ll have to give up (some temporarily I might add) are worth the cost. And if it’s worth it, are you willing to pay the cost.

For me, it was definitely worth it. And looking back on it, the price wasn’t nearly as expensive it appeared in the beginning.

 
2 Comments

Posted by on 03/13/2013 in Inspirational, Weight Loss

 

Tags: , ,

Victory Loves Preparation

03 May

I had a break in my work week yesterday and normally that is cause for concern. I have to be extra careful food choice wise. There’s something about the work week routine that helps me make great food decisions. Anyway, I was reminded how important planning & preparation is.

Here I was completely out of my normal routine. In the past, that would have made making wrong decisions easier. (Well making a wrong decision is just as easy as making a good one. But that’s a different blog) But not this time. I prepared ahead of time. I plan my meals ahead of time for the work week. So instead of having to exhaust mental energy on what to eat yesterday – Good choice?…bad choice? -, I simply ate what I prepared earlier. That removed any excuses, any temptations to make a bad decision.

What did I learn from all that? What thought was I reminded of? Victory loves preparation. My brother says that all the time. It’s so true. Victory, success (in weight loss or anything else) doesn’t just happen. You have to prepare for it. You have to plan for it. If not, surprises (like yesterday’s departure from my normal routine) can set you back.

Preparation isn’t just planning and cooking meals in advance. Preparation is packing your gym clothes and putting them in your car night before. Preparation is looking at the menu and deciding the best choice prior to getting to that restaurant. It may appear small and trivial but preparation goes a long way to ensure success.

Remember the will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win. (Not my quote but I absolutely love it)

 
2 Comments

Posted by on 05/03/2012 in Exercise, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Healthy, Inspirational, Nutrition, Weight Loss

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

You Have to Lose This To Lose Weight

18 Apr

I unknowingly sabotaged my previous weight loss efforts. How you may ask? Was I eating right? More times than not. Was I exercising? I was doing an okay job of that. As a matter of fact, I had cut down on all the right things. Sugar consumption? Down. Junk food? Down. Where is the sabotage in that? See, I cut down on everything that was detrimental to losing weight except one thing. I had one remaining vice. I know what you’re thinking. If it wasn’t sugar, soda, or junk food then what in the world was it? Well, I’m glad you asked. The one thing that I had yet to give up was the one thing that was guaranteed to derail my weight loss success. That thing, that vice was excuses

No time, too busy, high gas prices,don’t like going to the gym, don’t have money for a gym membership, eating healthy cost more, etc.

All those are valid excuses. I absolutely get it. I’ve used them all at one point. (If not more)

  • No time – We all have 24 hours in a day. No one I know has 23 or 25 hours in a day.
  • Too busy – Spend more time on productive things than busy things.
  • Gas prices – Jog, walk, ride your bike in your neighborhood. Requires no gas.
  • Don’t like going to the gym – workout at home. You can get an effective workout at home without equipment.( p90x, insanity, zumba, wii fit, aerobic tapes – do they still make tapes?)
  • No money for gym – 1) I like the gym but it’s not a requirement to lose weight. 2) See previous line
  • Healthy food too expensive – Incorporate less expensive ideas. Frozen veggies, take the skin off the chicken before eating, eat smaller portions

All I’m saying is we all have excuses we can use. Choose not to use them. Choose to figure out how to take steps daily to get closer to your weight loss goals. Can you do that for me?

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 04/18/2012 in Weight Loss

 

Tags:

I Found The Secret

13 Apr

I’m so excited! I found the secret to weight loss success. It’s not a pill that melts belly fat or makes your legs smaller. It’s not a specially formulated juice. Nope it’s not even sold for $19.99. So you don’t have to act now or hurry before the offer expires.

As a matter of fact, the secret to weight loss is not found in stores. Nor a pill bottle, nor a beverage bottle. I didn’t find it in the health food store. Nor did I stumble across it in a special extract from some exotic flower.

This secret to weight loss is extremely powerful! Drastically altering the lives of those who have it. It allows you to overcome all obstacles that stand in your way. When properly used, the secret to weight loss can lead to success in other areas of life. The best part about the secret? No list of things that could go wrong if you take it. You know, “Warning this may cause drowsiness,diarrhea, vomiting, night time sickness, day time sickness…. blah blah blah” It’s 100% fail proof!!!! I’m so confident in the miraculous powers of this secret to weight loss, that I’ll personally give you your money back if you’re not satisfied with the results!!!!!

By now you shouldn’t be wondering how much it cost? Or how much is shipping? Hopefully you’re so anxious to know what is that you’re about to go crazy because I’m dragging this out. Okay Okay… For those who want to know the secret, I’ll tell you and I’ll even tell you where to get it.

If you’re sitting down, I need you to get up. If you’re standing, I need you to make your way to the nearest mirror. Close your eyes. Open them. Look deeply in the mirror. Take a deep breath and realize that what you see in the mirror is the secret to weight loss.

BOOM! There it is! Right in front of you. The secret is YOU!!

You have everything already in you to be successful. You just need to discover it inside you. There are no gimmicks. No shortcuts. All you have is you. Your will, your drive, your passion, your commitment to you. You know what? That’s the real secret key to your success. It’s completely up to you.

Take full advantage of the secret. I know I am….

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 04/13/2012 in Exercise, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Healthy, Inspirational, Nutrition, Weight Loss

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Newer posts →
 
%d bloggers like this: