inkcreep’s BodyBlog

So with the influence of a friend of mine I have decided to run a half marathon that is a month and a half away. I , know I’m crazy, since I am not a runner, don’t run regularly and the most I have run in the past 6 months is a 5K, which wasn’t a problem at all. I lift heavy things, thats what I do, I’m no runner.  All the more reason to take on this challenge, I am NOT a runner, I have never ran anything over 6 miles in my life. But it is way outside of my comfort zone and thats why I’m doing it, it also doesn’t hurt that my friend that I’m running with is extremely cute, and she’s already done a marathon so I have to keep up But I just like the idea of taking on the challenge and doing something that I never thought I would have interest in. Our first run was today and we did 4 miles in 35 minutes. It was a cake walk for her, but I was pretty pleased with myself. I guess hard weight training does keep the old cardio system up to par after all.

I need someone to send me a comment, there is just something about having my comments at 666 on Halloween that is getting to me.LOL. Call me crazy but…………..

I think I have experienced a slingshot effect of some sort. I drifted away for a little while and now feel as if I have come back stronger and more motivated than ever. I feel the thrill of training again and taking on new challenges, I feel the exhilaration of pushing myself and achieving goals again. I’m back 110% in my training , my work and my life. After all these years of training it still amazes me the positive effect that torturing yourself physically can have on every aspect of your life. When you’re laying on the ground gasping for air and the sweat is pouring off of you it’s kind of hard to worry about anything else. You have to become something else, you have to enter a zone where weakness and fear cannot exist, where you are your only opponent and you must win. Whether it’s weight loss, competition, sport, or just fun you must give it your all. THere is no sense in doing something a little bit, either you are all in or your not even close. If you are half assing your training I will be willing to bet that you are half assing it in other places in your life. WE have all done it and been there, but the key is recognizing it, addressing it and changing it. Living a life of discipline and commitment is hard and most do not understand it, which should give us a sense of pride. Who the hell wants to be like "most"? Again thanks for the kind words and messages i have received through my little vacation from reality, it was appreciated. But I’m back now.

What can I say about starting over? Well first off, it sucks. Wether it’s starting over in your training after a long lay off, or starting over in a new job after being fired; or in  my case, starting over in the search for that special someone after a divorce. I’ve had to start over in life many times, everything from my training, jobs, relationships, all the way to completely rebuilding my life after losing everything in Hurricane Katrina. There always seems to be that period of fear and doubt coupled with a loss of self control for a little while in order to "cope" with things. I have been through all of the above recently and finally picked myself up off the floor and gave myself a swift kick in the ass. I know I’m usually giving these inspirational blogs and quotes and and trying to stay positive and on top of things, but I have a confession to make. These past few weeks I have been completely out of control, making all the wrong decisions and spending time with all the wrong people. I saw myself going down a dark road and I knew it was a crash course with disaster if I stayed on that path. Temptation and desire took the place of dicipline and focus. Weakness and overindulgence took the place of strength and moderation. By the grace of God and by reading many, many inspirational profiles on here I finally snapped back to my senses and feel that I am better for it now. I feel that I can now move on and get back on the healthy road, not only in my training but in my search for the right person. When we say health most of us think about diet and exercise, but there are so many facets of health. There is mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical health. There is health in our relationships,our families, our occupations and so many other aspects of our life. We all may look healthy, but until we can think and most importantly live healthy, we still have work to do. Actually, there will always be work to do, but if we are healthy in every aspect then it will just be a little more enjoyable. Take care everyone and thanks to all of you for inspiring me.

Don’t you hate that when you send someone a friends request it says that you are "stalking" them? Why not "requests sent" or something like that?

As I sit here having a few Maker’s Marks on the rocks to help me deal with my seperation/divorce a little better, I can’t help but think about the subject of discipline I am always preaching. The bottom line is that we all have times in our lives that we fall a little bit and give into weakness. I have come home from work every night and poured a few drinks just to help me sleep. That is weakness, but I am not ashamed of it……because I am human and I feel pain just like everyone else. The question is, when do we transition from focused machines to human beings with feelings and troubles? We all have our moments where we are not at our highest point, but we must get back there no matter what. I still go to the gym everyday, I still eat right every day, but I’m putting away a good bit of whisky also….weakness, or is this my "moment"? Even the most disciplined person in the world has times of weakness and doubt. We can’t beat ourselves up for being human, for hurting, for feeling. Like Rocky said, "It’s not how hard you can hit, it’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward". We all have our "moments" in life, but to keep moving forward is all that matters. For those of you who keep hitting walls and backsliding in your goals; just remember, as long as you are trying you are making progress. Keep moving forward now matter how many times you get hit!

I have noticed so many on here lately that have made dramatic transformations. I love seeing that. The drive and discipline it takes to gain control of your health and your life are qualities that we can take pride in and carry with us forever. Vanity may be the initial motivating factor but something else takes over during the journey. This thing that takes over drives us to not only look and feel better but to be better. Our lives improve on so many different levels and our motivation motivates others, and that is such an amazing reward in itself. We all have room for improvement and some settle for whatever and wherever they are; while we choose to never settle and constantly seek improvement in all aspects. For those of us who will not settle share a common burden…..constant dissatisfaction in the mediocre. We want more, thats why we’re here and thats why we do what we do. It’s not about weights and diets, it’s about self exploration and knowing that we push through where so many others stop.

Keep up the great work, everyone!

I have noticed so many on here lately that have made dramatic transformations. I love seeing that. The drive and discipline it takes to gain control of your health and your life are qualities that we can take pride in and carry with us forever. Vanity may be the initial motivating factor but something else takes over during the journey. This thing that takes over drives us to not only look and feel better but to be better. Our lives improve on so many different levels and our motivation motivates others, and that is such an amazing reward in itself. We all have room for improvement and some settle for whatever and wherever they are; while we choose to never settle and constantly seek improvement in all aspects. For those of us who will not settle share a common burden…..constant dissatisfaction in the mediocre. We want more, thats why we’re here and thats why we do what we do. It’s not about weights and diets, it’s about self exploration and knowing that we push through where so many others stop.

Keep up the great work, everyone!

I was asked to write an article for Mike O’Donnell’s web page www.theiflife.com about my experiences with nutrition and Intermittent Fasting. Check it out if you get a chance, the site is full of tons of useful nutrition and healthy lifestyle info. Again it’s www.theiflife.com

So I decided to ditch my Crossfit affiliation and change the name of my gym. What started as CrossFit SLA in Slidell, Louisiana is now appropriately named Strength Liberation Academy. I had lost interest with Crossfit a long time ago and have been growing more annoyed by the day with what CF has become. The name change was finalized this week. I never incorperated CF workouts since the day I opened my doors, my workouts were personally programmed everyday according to the needs of the athletes I trained, and their goals. Crossfit has become to big and has gained to much mainstream appeal for my tastes. People see Crossfit and have pre conceived notions about what the training will entail, and that was not what my facility is about. I have also noticed a very closed minded attitude to any training other than Crossfit among that community, which I did not like at all.  It just did not make sense for me to stay affiliated or promote myself as a CF. Please check out my new web site at www.strengthliberationacademy.com  if you get a chance.

Thanks
Joe