My energy this week has been at an all-time high. It might be the Insanity…it might be the
addition of AbRipper and two Muscle Routines from P90X in the AM…it might be
the treadmill. All I know is, I am
bouncing off the walls. My day job, and
yes, I actually have a day job (many think with the amount of exercise and
blogging that this is ALL I do!), is spent with a colleague that I have gotten
close to over the past year. I don’t
think he reads my blog, and I don’t think my work colleagues read it, so I
don’t think I am blowing any secrets.
Without going into too much detail, at my high energy
frequency this week, he has been laughing at me when I come into the
office. He says I am nuts. We were talking about exercise and eating
right. Like 65% of all Americans, he has
his challenges with his weight. He is
far from alone, in fact, he is one of the vast majority. In a nutshell, he said, “I know I have to do
something, but I’m depressed.”
“I never had a weight problem my entire life. I was always the one all my friends
envied. I actually modeled when I was
thirty-five. Then, I stopped
smoking. I started taking more
vacations. And here I am. Now, every morning when I get up in the
morning and look in the mirror, it depresses me. When the job
is stressful, I get more depressed.
Everything bothers me. I’ve never
been this big. I actually have a
gut. A gut.”
This was not someone just making excuses. This was from the heart. I really connected and felt his pain. I will be honest, I know I can help him. I know what it feels like. I could have just shook my head and walked
away. We are all very comfortable when
people pretend to give you emotion and fake an honest response. It’s like playacting a dialog. But when someone is truly letting you inside
their emotional wall, for many, the first response is to just shake your head
and silently leave them to their pain.
That, however, is not ‘how I roll.’
So I spoke up.
“Listen, it’s all about control. And you can do this. Four years ago I was in that same place. Not only did I see it in my mirror, I saw it
in my clothes, in my medical statistics, and in people’s eyes. It wasn’t just my weight either. My whole life felt out of control. My work.
My relationships. My future. It all seemed like I was on some
rollercoaster going wherever I was taken.”
“Four years ago, when I decided not only to lose the weight
but to change my life and keep it off, something else happened. I took control. I decided to drive. It changed me. But it started with controlling my own
health. So many of us feel out of
control because the things we do every day are affected by other people. Your fitness and health is your first
step. I knew when I was doing it that it
was all me. No one affected it. It wasn’t like work, where organizational
dynamics and professional relationships can keep your projects from
succeeding. I just had to eat right and
exercise. It was MY thing. I didn’t need anyone to bless or approve
this. I also didn’t need anyone to help
me succeed. I was dependent on just me
and me alone. When I finally looked in
the mirror one day and saw what I had done, I knew I could control many other things
in my life that I had mistakenly thought controlled me.”
“When I looked in the mirror one year later, it reinforced
my belief that my life was driven by me.
I chose the right food. I chose
the right exercise. The weight remained
off and I felt great. Then I decided to
make changes in the way I approached my day job. I modified my point of view and improved some
personal relationships. I then decided
to write a book, and did. I then decided
that my job had become toxic to me (and I was now in a state where I could
recognize the symptoms) and I found a new job…in fact, a better job!”
Taking control, I explained to him, gave me the courage and,
more importantly, the confidence to change many other aspects of my life. When you’re depressed and your life seems out
of control, the first and best place to regain it is by cleaning your personal
house. There is nothing more rewarding
to all other facets of your life than changing your health and fitness. It starts out physical but evolves to something
deeper than that. Once you conquer that,
you feel like you can beat anything.
He truly seemed to embrace what I was saying. I will continue to be the one pushing the
message. It helped me in so many ways
that it is often difficult to list.
Control. It starts
with you as the hub and, when you begin to experience those small successes, it
extends to all other aspects of your life.
Very soon, it becomes BIG successes.
The answer to a depressed state is knowing that you can do
something to change your situation.
Doing it once and repeating it gives you the confidence.
As we go into the Memorial Day weekend, I need to say two
things. Happy Birthday to my son Nick,
who turns 15 on Memorial Day and thanks to all the veterans out there, in
particular the ones still serving, who have sacrificed their lives for our
freedom and safety.
Maybe one last thing, lots of salad and fresh fruit and
vegetables…with the barbequed meat cut up into bites and sprinkled on the
salad. Chew it a lot before you swallow
and savor it. Watch the nutrient shallow
carbs like white bread and pasta. And
not too much booze! Ha-ha. It weakens the resolve and makes you crave
more carbs…like dessert.
All the best and Happy Memorial Day!
THE WORKOUT
Friday is my ‘break day!’
I love making the break day Friday.
