Today is a Friday, the last Friday of the year. Christmas was on a Wednesday this year, so today is that limbo time that lands in-between Christmas and New Years. I am at work right now and there is nothing much going on. I have some free time, so I thought to myself...maybe I should start a journal of my life and times. And so, here it is. If you are reading this, awesome...and welcome. Mostly this blog will just be a way for me to write about my experiences that I encounter throughout my year.
Being that the new year is upon us, I will be totally cliche and talk about my list for 2014. I have a few resolutions for the new year that I am hoping to accomplish.
1. Lose 100lbs
2. Run a Marathon
3. Do more, see more, Be More
4. Happiness
Lose 100lbs: The first, and most important, goal is to lose all the extra weight that has been stuck on me for pretty much my entire life. I've managed to drop about 80lbs thus far, but I still have about 100lbs to go. My weight has been a struggle my entire life. There have been times where I have lost a lot, but I have always gained it back. Once I passed the 300 mark, I have never seemed to be able to get back under it. I get close...real close, but then something happens and I go right back up. I've managed to hover at 305-309 for the last three months now. I've really been making major changes in my life and I feel as though I finally have a grip on things and I can move ahead with relative ease now. I am working on my workout plan, my diet and my mind. The mind part is going to be the hardest. It's always been my weakest link. This blog is going to be a way to help with my mind and keeping me on the right path. I will be brutally honest with my posts. If anything, it will give me a place to look back and see how and where I might lose focus. What triggers cause the break and how quickly I can get back on track.
Run a Marathon: This has been a dream of mine for about 4 years now. When I was close to 400lbs, I got winded just walking to the bathroom. I was severely unhealthy. Stepping off curbs was difficult for me. I had tried to get fit in the past, but I tried the wrong ways. I chose the fad diets and I joined a gym and "worked out" on the machines. I had a streak for a few months. I lost maybe 50lbs, but I dreaded every moment in the gym. I couldn't stand it. It was so boring and I felt like an uneducated zombie...moving from one machine to the next. One day though, I decided to try out the treadmills. This I kind of liked. I did this for the next month. I hit the treadmill as much as I could. I really took a liking to it. I could put my headphones on and just zone out. After the month of using the treadmill, I decided to try running fast. I put the speed up high and I jumped on. It was the ride of my life. My legs were pounding. Was I really running at 12mph?!? This feels incredible! After second 8, I was in heaven...Second 9, 10, 11...uh oh...I can't breathe...12, 13....the pain in my feet, my legs....ugh..14...15..POP! The popping sound was my knee. I thought best I should stop at 15 seconds. Turns out when you do stupid things, stupid things happen to you. I ended up tearing the meniscus in both my knees. I had no insurance at the time and luckily I was unemployed. I spent the next week in bed and the next month in a recliner contemplating suicide because the pain was so intense. I was large, afraid of going to the the hospital and so I just sat in a chair and shouldered the pain. Ibuprofen ooh the edge off and as long as I stayed immobile I was fine. So much for that 50lbs I lost. That came back in a flash. Flash forward a few months and I was able to walk again and even get back to the gym, though I vowed to never step foot on a treadmill again. I did things a little more intelligent this time though. I even got a personal trainer. I told her about my treadmill fears and she suggested we walk at the park. Before this time I had never really gone for walks much. I hated them really. I always thought they were boring and they caused me physical pain. My trainer pushed me though. She took me to uncomfortable territories and I liked it. She was able to get into my head and get me to see things differently. Our walks became jogs and at times, runs. One night after a session, she asked me what I wanted to do with my life physically. I replied the usual..get in shape..blah blah blah.. She wanted something specific. I thought about it and I decided a 5K. For someone that used to get winded walking from the chair to the bathroom, a 5K would be like climbing Everest. So we trained for the 5K, we only had 2months to train. It was intense, but I loved it. One day while I was out on my own, I had a zen moment. I felt this high that I had never achieved before. It felt amazing. I felt so focused and complete. I never wanted it to end. Since that day, running has been a passion. I completed the 5K, then a 10K and even a half marathon....but I have never been able to get close to a full marathon...yet. This year I will accomplish that goal. I will also get to Boston one day and beyond that.
Do more, See more, Be more: This goal is just about life in general. I've spent many years sitting back and watching life pass me by. In 2011, I decided to change all that. I went form a lonely homebody to a happily married man, that travels to new places and experiences all he can out of life. Life is about experiences and how we achieve them. Meeting new people, seeing new sights...it's all connected. In 2014, I will continue my path with my new wife and we will see the world together.
Happiness: I am happy because I decided that I wanted to be happy. I put Happiness at my top priority in life. I will never settle for anything less. I am happy now, but I still find ways to be happier every day. One can never be happy enough. Losing weight will help, running a marathon will increase my happiness too. In 2014, I will continue to find ways to not just make myself happier, but to find ways to make those around me...and complete strangers happy too. The amount of energy in a genuine smile is incalculable. If we could all get everyone in the world to smile and be happy, we could outshine the sun.
Allons-y for now
