Blog Entry
Thursday, August 30th, 2007I was chilling with one of my friends one day randomly contemplating about shit when I realized how much I have learned and grown as a person and how incorporating something so seemingly simple as working out transferred over into the rest of my life and changed me, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Somehow pushing myself to the limit week after week answered some seemingly very basic questions in life. After being in this thing for close to four months now, I can honestly say that changing my eating habits and working out regularly has changed my life completely and has changed who I am and I will do everything in my power to never look back.
Initial reactions I received from people learning of me working out were mixed. The ones that didn’t know of my past laughed (I could ball bitches!), some thought it would be short lived, some thought it was purely for aesthetics, and the small minority encouraged me and was happy for me and to them I say thank you for believing in me.
The negative reactions I initially received lit a fire in me since I love being right and wanted to prove the naysayers wrong by proving that I am all about the walk and not just all talk like most people. I learned that people are quick to hate and try to bring you down with them when you attempt to do something positive for yourself. It reminded me of a BBQ that I attended when I first started and was trying really hard to place more constraints on my diet. They kept saying things such as “Oh, come on it is not going to kill you?”…”Are you on some sort of diet?”….”Guys don’t go on diets”….”That’s why I workout so I can eat whatever I want.” It seems as though when people witness you doing a positive thing, they somehow like a crab feel like they have to bring you down with them to somehow feel good about themselves or help justify why they are such slobs themselves. It literally got to the point where I got a little upset and said, “Well I don’t know about you guys, but I actually like having a choice on what pussy I get!” That silenced the “crowd!” hahahah. In any case, I think getting passed that BBQ was a huge hurdle for me because that was when I was very vulnerable to fail and I was able to withstand the peer pressure, the craving to eat “good”, and learned the valuable lesson that I am NOT like everyone else and will do MY thing. I was in utter euphoria a few weeks back when I ran in to one of them and saw his less than desirable girlfriend with him and was able to look him straight in the eye and say, “How’s it going?” knowing God damn well that I looked 100x’s better and basically showed him first hand what a little discipline can do.
Pain is pleasure. As humans, instinctively we naturally stray away from pain, just like when you pull your hand away from a burning stove, scream in agony when you break a bone, or when you cry when you have your heart broken. However, i’ve come to learn that not all pain is a negative thing. In many instances, pain symbolizes growth. If you’re not feeling pain, you are not succeeding, exercising correctly, and or pushing yourself hard enough. After this realization I welcome pain to my doorstep because when I feel that pain in the middle of a repetition I smile inside knowing that I am succeeding and going to grow. If you really think about it, it relates to life as well. If you want something you have to work for it and feel the “pain” as nothing in life comes easy. You want that new car? Work more hours or get a better job by going to school. You want a better significant other? Go look for it because they are not going to fall in your friggin lap. You want a nice body and hate being fat? Well it’s not going to happen by you sitting on the couch stuffing your face with potato chips. If you want something you have to feel the “pain” first.
Life is short, but we have plenty of time in between the beginning and end. “I don’t have time to workout…I’m too tired.” Do these excuses ring a bell? The easiest example I could think up for males is…would you have time to go see a girl that is a “10″ every day for 2 hrs…three, four, possibly five days a week? I’m pretty sure you would figure out a way to make time if that was the case. It’s just a matter if you really want it and dedicate the time to get what you truly want. If you can’t or do not, lets not bullshit yourself and say that you can’t make the time.
Winning allows you to continue to win in every other aspect of life. This topic is a perfect spin off of the previous paragraph. Winners know how to win and will continue to do so. Much like dynasties that arise in sports; winners know how to win because they have been there and done that. Working out has taught me this very valuable lesson as well. Ever since I started accomplishing one goal after another by hitting the weights it surprisingly made my life much easier because it created more structure in my life and gave it a purpose. Although I am working out more than ever, I actually feel like I have a lot more time to do many other things because I know how it is to set, go for, and obtain goals. On top of that you are healthier so you have much more energy to do other things.
One of the other main lessons I learned was self reliance. During a painful bench press repetition or when you’re feeling that crazy burning sensation in the middle of a pull-up you know deep down that if you are going to get past that hurdle you have to do it yourself and rely on yourself and only yourself because no one else is going to do it for you. Although past experiences have hit on this lesson from different angles, nothing really makes it hit the nail right on the head when there is pain involved and the priceless feeling of accomplishment after getting passed it. It’s as if you told every mother****er that hated to step the **** off and savor the satisfaction of accomplishment!
Naturally stemming from that lesson; working out and eating right go hand in hand just like a cigarette and a cocktail LOL. I began tightening up my diet by making better choices while out, since I was never home. It was a great start by cutting out the consumption of sodas, alcohol, fried foods, etc. but like the saying goes…”if you want something done right do it yourself.” After learning more about nutritional facts and macronutrients, I came to the conclusion that cooking my own food was the best route. I began grocery shopping every week and cooking my own food. At first my menu was pretty minimal and it initially seemed really difficult considering I do work and having to cook every meal on top of working out regularly seemed tiring and somewhat troublesome. However, I knew what I wanted for myself and stuck with it. Now that I am more experienced…whipping quick meals up are a breeze and I actually truly enjoy cooking. My menu continues to grow weekly and I get a good dose and variety of poultry, beef, fish, dairy etc as protein sources. The food somehow just tastes better and your appreciation seems greater when you know you made it from scratch with your own two hands.
These are just some random thoughts I thought of and figured I’d share it since that is what a blog is for right haha? I’m just glad that these small realizations and my change in lifestyle has positively effected those around me as well and I am proud and each and every one of you. Till the next meaningful blog….
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