Monday, January 31, 2011

Inspirations and Perspirations!

My last 2 postings have seemed kind of negative. So here is a pick me up post for all of you. Lately I have been on a bit of a weight loss kick. I am currently 214 pounds and my end goals are to get to 190 pounds, run a 5k or 10k race, I am not sure which yet, and to run a full marathon by age 40.

In 2004 I had my son. At that time I was about 270-280 pounds. As my newborn sat in my arms I thought to myself, "what if I die of a heart attack one day and my son has no father?"

Now as I see it, I was never fat as a child, in fact, I was quite skinny. I weighed 155 pounds in grade 12 and was very athletic. So where did I go wrong? University I was about 180 and by the time I got married I was well over 230. I guess like getting thin, getting fat doesn't happen overnight. I played slo-pitch during the warm months and other indoor sports in the cold months. I never really realized that the amount of food I ate was the major problem. A doctor told me, it didn't matter how much exercise I did, if I was over-eating, I would never see the results I wanted.

So I took that to heart. I went to the gym every morning. I went on the elliptical for 30 minutes, then I did some light weights for 30 minutes. (I didn't want to be a muscle bound ogre.) I purchased the Dr. Phil books that help with weight loss. One book was all about looking into yourself and determining why a person over eats. I really didn't give a crap, why I was fat, I just wanted to fix it.

So all I did was look at the recipes and used those everyday. Now I ate the same thing every day for about 5 months, from January to May. I had Fibre One and milk for breakfast and 2 pieces of turkey bacon. For lunch I would have canned tuna and crackers. For supper it was chicken or lean steak, and veggies. I was steering clear of starchy carbs like potatoes and bread. I would still eat non-startchy carbs.

In the 5 months of going to the gym and eating right, I went from 280ish down to 211. People really noticed a difference in me, people thought wow Ryan you've lost a lot of weight. I was so proud. By 2010 I had regained about 20 pounds and was 230 pounds when my daughter was born in September. Again I thought I was getting a little out of control weight wise. So I started exercising. I haven't lost the amount of weight I want to, but I am a lot fitter at 215 than I was at 211. I have been running on the treadmill, I have been doing some circuit work, and I have done some goal setting.

My first goal was to learn to wall climb. I always wanted to do it, but I felt fat guys dont wall climb and until I was about 200 pounds, that was out of reach. A very good friend of mine told me that if that was a goal of mine I needed to write it down. So I did, then I told my friend Mark. He is a great friend who is supportive of my endeavors to get fit and active. He is an avid rock climber and his fiancee is also a rock climber. They both took me out to the wall to climb and I failed 2 times.

I am not the type to give up on things easily, one of my positive traits is that when I stick my mind to something, I don't stop till it is achieved. My great friend Lindsay and my beautiful wife Megan both have said that to me, when I want something, I go for it. I jump in, with both feet. I was finally able to climb the wall 2 times after failing 2 times. I was ready to uncharacteristcally quit, not due to frustration, but the sheer exhaustion my arms were feeling from climbing. Mark and Holly both gave me a pep talk, Holly told me I could do it, and Mark being the great male friend he is said we weren't quitting till I made it amd to stop being a sissy. Like I said I made it to the top 2 times after that.

It is people like my wife Megan, my entire family, my friends and so many others who constantly push me, encourage me and make me feel like I am accomplishing things, that are so important in my life. I want to make sure everyone that has helped me along in my life is aware, you are the special people who have made me a better person. I am the sum of all experiences I have had. So if we are great friends, or if I met you at a conference in Olds and we hit it off, or we simply work or play together, you are all very special people to me and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being an inspiration to my perspiration.

I know I rambled a bit there, but I guess my point is: no pill, powder, potion or promise can make you feel great about yourself,* you need the internal motivation, desire and a willingness to change, to make you feel better. If you are feeling down, go to your inspirations, seek the extra pep you need to conquer your Everests, then go do it!
                                            (*mental illnesses may need pills, I get it.)

So my challenge to anyone who reads this is the following: Go out and tell 5 people in your life that they make a difference in your world. It could be as simple as the lady who smiles at you every morning as you get coffee, to your significant other. Just make sure people know you appreciate them, you don't have forever with them.

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