It's All Mental...or At Least Mostly

Endurance.

Persistence.

In my journey to health, for each thing that I learn about fitness, I learn two things about myself.  Recently I learned just how much running is mental.  I know, for all you runners out there, you've known this for years, but for me it was something of a revelation.

I was running the other night and I started feeling a little tired.  I really wanted to stop, but I thought to myself, "I can run down to that corner," so I did.  Then I thought, "I can make it to the end of this street."  Guess what?  I made it there, too.

The funny thing was, I really wasn't any more exhausted at the at the end of the street than when I had that first inclination to stop.  It was entirely "in my head".  I wasn't actually close to any kind of physical failure at all, it was purely mental.

When you're exercising by yourself, and there's no one there to pace yourself against or to cheer you on, the only one that chooses when to stop, is you.  Or in this case, me.

What I learned that night about myself was that while I had been fairly disciplined with my exercise routine, I hadn't really been pushing myself.  Normally when I get tired, I stop.  I wonder how many times in my life I've done that?  Just stopping because I wasn't mentally tough enough to push just a little bit more?

"So, Aaron, what's the point?"

Mostly I'm writing this to just help me digest my own thoughts.  But, if this helps someone that reads this get past a little mental "tiredness", too?   Bonus.

A Minor Revelation

As you may have read in my previous blog, Monday night I rualked the 5k course that I will be running on Thanksgiving Day - a.k.a. the Gobble Jog.  It was quite an adventure.

As I also said previously, concrete is a lot tougher on the old joints than asphalt.  So, when I got out of the car after driving back to the house, I had stiffened up a bit.  As I stretched and slowly worked out the kinks, I realized something.

That was the hardest 5k I would ever run.

Barring an injury, it's only going to get easier from here.  The NEXT time I run a 5k, I'll be lighter, faster, and stronger!

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Are you still trying to "get off the couch", literally or metaphorically?  Give it a try.  The first time is the toughest.  It's all downhill from there!

Top 10 Things I'm Looking Forward To

For those of you that have never been extremely overweight, you may have a hard time relating to this list.  For those of you that either are (or have been) overweight, then I imagine you'll know from whence I am coming.

When I near my weight-loss goal, the top 10 things I am looking forward to are:

1. Going to a concert/sporting event, and being able to buy a t-shirt.
2. People not assuming I want their extra food.
3. Not having to evaluate all the chairs in a room to determine which chair is most likely NOT to fail when I sit on it.
4. Not feeling sorry for people that sit next to me on an airplane.
5. Clothes shopping at a store with neither Big nor Tall in the name.
6. Not even noticing if my current route involves stairs.
7. Eating ice cream in public without feeling like people are judging me.  (Please, no crunchies in my smoothies.)
8. Never searching for the "maximum load" sticker on a ladder before climbing up it.
9. Making the statement "one size fits all" true for me personally.
10. Riding any ride I want at Six Flags.  (Sometimes I think they need to add a "You must be this narrow to ride" sign in addition to the "You must be this tall to ride" sign.  Ask me about the Batman ride at Astroworld sometime.)

What did or would make your list?

You're Not the Boss of Me!

(The title is not a quote of my son, though it could be.  He has said that in the past.)

One of my in-shape, thoughtful friends and her husband are coming over for dinner Saturday.  She was nice enough to make sure that bringing cookies for dessert wasn't going to throw a monkey wrench in my weight loss plans.

I told her to bring the cookies.  If I want one, I'll eat it.  If I don't, I won't.  No problem.

I've told a few people that I could eat the way I am eating right now for the rest of my life, and I truly believe that.  It's simple:  cutting back on sugar in general, no sugary drinks, stay away from white foods (white rice, white bread, white potatoes), and eat reasonable portions.  That's it.

It's NOT a diet.  I've dieted plenty of times.  I know a diet when I'm on one.  I'm not on a diet, but I am eating differently.  The big mental shift I've made is that when I'm on a diet, the DIET is the boss.  The DIET says, "Aaron, you can't eat that.  Aaron, you can't have that."

Now, I'm the boss.  No diet is my boss, and food is not my boss.  When I'm presented with a choice of what to eat, or how much, I just ask myself a couple of questions.

1)  Am I truly hungry?  (If the answer is "no", I don't even go to the other questions.)
2)  Is there something just as good and convenient that would be better for me?
3)  Does this move me closer to, or further from, my goal?

I know it sounds a little complicated.  But now that I've been doing it for a month, it takes a half second.  Here's an example.

Someone brought Dunkin' donuts to work for my office last week.  They sat on the table about 15 feet from my cubicle all day.  I'll be honest.  In the past, I would have eaten 2 or 3 when they arrived, and then ANOTHER 2 or 3 throughout the day.  Hey, why not?  Free donuts, right?

But now, I'm the boss.  Not the food...and not a diet.

I walked by the donuts at least a half dozen times that day.  The first time I walked by I opened the box and took a look.  I thought to myself, "Huh!  Look at that.  Donuts...lots of sugar.  Not worth it."...and walked on by.  The second time I walked by, I didn't even slow down.

It's not a situation of "I can't eat that", but simply "I don't want to eat that".

I recommend that if you are considering going on a "diet"...don't.  Make some positive changes in your eating habits, be healthy, but YOU be the boss, not a diet.  If you want to lose a few pounds (or a lot, like me), before you pop that pop-tart in your mouth ask yourself question #1.

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What ONE thing can you do to help yourself (in regards to eating) TOMORROW?  Drink an extra glass of water?  Eat breakfast?  Single meat burger instead of double meat?  Let me know if you do something and I will most definitely cheer you on!

A New Post

I haven't really written anything (original) since November 16th. That's a long time. I did a bunch of re-runs through the holidays, and my last two posts were about my sister Teresa passing away.

I said in my last post that I might share my thoughts about her. You know what? I've changed my mind. I think I'll just say this: She was loved, and even though she's gone from this earth, I still love her, miss her, and I expect to see her again someday. My other thoughts I'll just treasure and keep close to my heart.

Superbowl Sunday....go Cowboys!!

Body Image Part II

I while back I wrote about how we sometimes get an image of ourselves locked in our mind, and when we change (gain weight, grey hair, etc.) we end up in a situation where our inward image and outward image don't jive. Of course, I can't speak for everyone, but it has happened to me.

I just wanted to expand the idea a little and let you fill in the holes.

On a personal level, I'm talking about moral drift. The person that compromises just a little at work. The first time it is tough, the next time easier, etc., etc.

Organizations can do that, too. Our government, for example. How about a church? How about The Church?

Just something to think about.

Body Image

I'm forty. 40. The big four-oh. The interesting thing to me is that I still feel 18. Maybe 21. I definitely don't feel 40. Heck, most of the time I don't even feel like an adult. (Shhh!! Don't tell my son.)

Recently, my friend Chris has posted a bunch of pictures from high school. In my mind's eye, that's still how I see myself. I forget I have lots of gray hair until I look in a mirror. I don't realize how my waistline has increased until I until I get into a Hyundai. (More like "put on" a Hyundai.)

My body image is trapped in 1987...along with my taste in music. At least my hairstyle got free.

There's a bigger point to this, but I think I will save it for next time...

The Big City

So, for 13+ years, we lived in Tyler, Texas. Tyler is what I call a big town/small city. Last I heard, the population was slightly over 100,000. It's a great place to live, and we still have lots of friends there.

For the past 2.83 years, we've lived in the Marietta area, just northwest of Atlanta. It's actually a lot like Tyler. Similar weather, similar mixture of commercial/residential real estate, both near a large metro area. Like I've already said, Marietta is just northwest of Atlanta, and Tyler is near the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex.

In fact, one of the things that I always told people when extolling the virtues of Tyler was that it was just 90 minutes from Dallas. Culture, music, fine dining, all close enough to take in during a day trip. The only problem? We never did.

Okay, not never. We took a mini-vacation one time and hit the Dallas Aquarium and the West End. We went to two Ranger games and I took Cheryl to see some figure skating. But for the 13 years, we probably averaged 1 "cultural experience" every 3 years.

Now, after less than 3 years in Marietta/Atlanta, we've been to a Thrasher's games (pro hockey), to the Georgia Aquarium (twice for me, 3 times for Cheryl), the World of Coke, Underground Atlanta, seen two musicals at the Fox Theater, and a half dozen Braves games.

(We've also made a half dozen trips to Stone Mountain and a trip up to the mountains to go apple picking, but those places aren't in Atlanta, per se.)

So what's the difference? Do we have more disposable income? I don't think so. More time on our hands? That's funny. Maybe it's just a matter of accessibility.

So, to sum up:

Living near the big city is awesome, because there's a lot of cool things to do.

Thanks for reading. I think my next post will be called "Atlanta Traffic or a Root Canal...Which Would You Rather Have?"

Concert Anyone?

I heard on the radio today that Journey was going to be in concert in Atlanta next weekend. To top it off, Night Ranger is opening for them. Two bands I would like to see, but never have.

That got me thinking. How many concerts have I seen over the years? So, without further ado, here is a list (in no specific order, other than how I remembered them) of all the big-name (and some not-so-big-name) groups I've seen.

The Thompson Twins - at the Astroworld amphitheather

T'Pau - opened for the Thompson Twins

The Cars - great concert

Sting - Dream of the Blue Turtles tour...Branford Marsalis on sax = awesome

R.E.M. - front row seats with my friend Kip...I was deaf after this concert

Randy Stonehill & Phil Keaggy - Phil reached over and tuned Randy's guitar during a song

Twila Paris

Petra - saw them a couple of times

Carmen - couple of times, first time actually changed my life, believe it or not

Monsters of Rock 1987:

Tesla

Whitesnake

Poison

Aerosmith
Boston

Monsters of Rock 1988:

Kingdom Come - yes, they sounded just like Zepplin

Dokken - sound quit during the show, singer threw down the mic and stormed off stage

Metallica - had hardly heard of them at this point

Scorpions

Van Halen

Boston - again, on the same album tour as the '87 Monsters of Rock

Newsboys

dc Talk

Bleach

Third Day - couple of times, got to stage manage for them once

7 Day Jesus

Ghoti Fish

Stavesacre

PAX 317

FFH

Grits

O.C. Supertones

Philmore

David Crowder

Pocket Full of Rocks

100 Portraits

Delirou5?

Grammatrain

There are probably more, but that's all I can think of tonight. But, I saved the best for last: Audio Adrenaline

I saw AudioA twice. Both times were fantastic! The first time I saw them, they were opening for the Newsboys at the Oil Palace in Tyler, Texas. The drummer was playing on a stripped down kit: just kick, snare, 1 tom, hi-hats, crash, and ride. They rocked!

I only knew one of their songs before that night, but I was on my feet for their entire set. Sadly, their lead singer had "ongoing vocal problems", and the band officially disbanded in '06.

Of course, some of you have seen more concerts than me, some less. But let me ask you a question. Who put on your favorite show?

Like My Lunchbox?

Last year, on November 20th, I celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary (as did my wife). I am not one of those guys that jokes about "the ole ball-and-chain", etc. I know how incredibly blessed I am to be married to the woman that I am incredibly blessed to be married to. ( That last sentence was on purpose. I'm that incredibly blessed.)

Anyway, my incredible blessing of a wife got me a great present last year for our anniversary. A lunchbox. But not just any lunchbox. No! It's a Captain America lunchbox! It's awesome.

Now to answer the obvious question. Do I carry it to work? You bet I do. Usually it contains some chips, a sandwich, maybe some yogurt. It can hold all kinds of great things. After all, it is a lunchbox.

Now here's the interesting thing. At least, interesting to me. In high school, even Jr. high, I would never, EVER, have been seen carrying a lunchbox like this. I was way too worried about being cool. Well...trying to be cool. I never actually managed it.

I was in the worst of situations. I was a smart, slightly (at the time) overweight kid that ended up excelling in band of all things. I collected comic books, read a lot, played D&D and Risk, and loved computers when computers weren't yet cool. (I am sure I would have been picked on more if I wasn't bigger than most of my teachers.)

Of course, NONE of this was mentioned at school. Most of my best friends were nerds, but, of course, being the lame, self-conscious, peer-aware person that I was, I tried not to associate too much with them at school. (one of the few things I truly regret from high school.) I was too busy trying to impress the "cool kids". I know it sounds like an After School special, but it's true. It wasn't the "cool kid's" fault. They didn't know that the very reason I often acted like a jerk and a dweeb was because I was trying hard not to act like a geek and a nerd.

Then I went to college. Something happened. Suddenly, I was immersed in a culture where the things that I did best (musically, scholastically) were highly esteemed. My peer group respected me.

Then something else happened. I became a Christian. I had always sort of considered myself a Christian, but had never really read the Bible or felt like God had any active participation in my life. (But that's an entirely different story.) One of the changes this brought in my life was a sense of freedom. I was no longer worried about what other people thought. I was able to be myself.

Interestingly enough, I found out I liked me. And strangely enough, other people did, too. I found that I had a gift for making friends and hospitality. You might ask, "You?" Yep, me.

I discovered that my quirks are what makes me who I am. I love comic books. I wear shorts in the winter. I love to laugh at really stupid movies. I get loud sometimes. I say what's on my mind. I love people and really mean it when I tell them, "The first time at my house you're a guest, if you come back, you're family." When I tell people, "Come to Atlanta, you can stay at our house," I sincerely hope they will.

What you see is what you get. The guy sitting in the cubicle next to you singing the Speed Racer theme song? That's me. If it bothers you, I'll stop, but I'm not embarrassed to be doing it. I've embraced my geek-ness and idiosyncrasies, and I'm loving life.

Do you like my lunchbox? I do.

As You Wish

We interrupt our typically humorous blogcast for this important, somewhat serious, totally heartfelt, private service announcement...

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You may have seen from a previous post that my wife (and son) were going to Texas for a couple of weeks. They've only been gone for 3 1/2 days, but tonight it got me thinking.

We've been married 15 years, and known each other for almost 18. I've known her longer than I can remember not knowing her, if that makes sense.

And you know, it's true what they say, that you don't always have those initial butterflies, that excitement you have as you begin a new relationship. But it's NOT true that you NEVER have them. I'm already anticipating next weekend when she returns. I admit that when I think about her coming home, I get a few Monarchs in my belly. I can't hardly wait!

How cool is that? After 18 years I'm still in love with a wonderful woman...absolutely, totally smitten!

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We now return you to our regularly scheduled series of witty anecdotal blogs...

Impossible? Maybe...maybe not!

I'm re-re-re-reading a favorite old book of mine. After reading it several times over the years, something just jumped out at me last night.

In the story, a commander has just force marched his army for miles and miles to meet the enemy. When they finally finished the march, one of the commander's friends said to him that when they had started, he thought the march would be impossible.

"Why didn't you say something before we started?" the commander asked.

"Ahh, my friend, everything that is not attempted is impossible," his friend replied.

It got me thinking. How many things in our life are impossible simply because we don't attempt them? What impossible thing could I do if I just attempted it?

Get in shape?

Live out of debt?

Raise sane kids in a crazy world?