jaybo334’s BodyBlog

The movie Rocky VI put it best. Stallone’s character is talking to his son and says:

"Ya know, the world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place… and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit… It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward… how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That?s how winning is done………if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits."

A truer statement has not been said. I’ve realized that who you are in life, what you do, what you become, and where you go is ultimately up to you. Sure there’s going to be unexpected stuff that pops up, but it’s your responsibility to push through it and keep moving towards the goals you have set for yourself. And in the end you will end up a better person for having endured whatever troubles come your way. When you finally reach the goals you’ve set, you will feel the sense of accomplishment that only someone who has worked towards that goal with every ounce in them to achieve it can.

With graduation fast approaching in May of 2009, I have come to the realization that now, more than ever I have to push forward with all I have if I plan on being able to go into the fire department when I graduate. I look back with a sense of accomplishment when I think about how far I have come. But then my head whips back around and I see that this is a long race that I am only half-way through. It’s time to refocus, think about what I need to do, and get it done. Plain and simple, no excuses. If I fail, it’s my fault. There’s no one to shift the blame onto. But if by chance I can make it, achieve my goal; then I know I did it on my own. It was my accomplishment, one that I don’t have to share with anyone else here. Sure people can encourage you and help direct you, but still they aren’t there every waking hour making sure I eat all the protein I’m supposed to eat, making sure I hit my calorie requirements, knowing that I half-assed that last set or didn’t get to depth. In the end it is me.

Well, I figured it was about time to activate this bodyblog and start sharing. Looking back this past six months has flown by and the Summer Cutting Contest was awesome. I felt like we all provided support and encouragement for each other. To be honest, I felt more encouragement and support than I thought was possible from an online group of people I have never met. I didn’t do too bad yesterday eating wise. About the worst I did was a couple of brownies and pieces of pound cake, I haven’t had sweets since we started the contest and I got a crazy sugar buzz off of them. True I did take in more calories than usual yesterday, it probably only set me back a week at most and as well all know a break is needed from time to time! From here I plan on kicking it into high gear. I want to hit 250lbs by 6-1-08 and be under 20% bodyfat by then. I am going to start jogging more and will begin incorporating exercises that will start pushing my endurance and will help my pass CPATS. I graduate either Christmas of ‘08 or Spring ‘09 so time is closing in fast!!! Everytime I think about it I get butterflies in my stomach. I just know that if I can go from 475 to 299, then there is no reason I won’t be able to do this. I think back to the way I used to be, putting back a whole bag of doritos, two tostino’s pizza, and a two liter of coke and still feeling hungry; and know that I will never allow myself to fall back to my old ways. I’m glad it’s taken me 22months to get under 300. I have had to work my ass off for it, and unlike some who actively choose to loose it fast, I feel I will have minimal excess skin once I can get to where I want to be. Good times!

Keep lifting hard guys!

Jason