4:00am……
Beep beep beep – beep beep beep- beep beep beep.
The sound of the alarm is going off. I reach over to the nightstand to turn it off before I get an elbow from my wife to say (In her half asleep groggy voice) “SHUT THAT CRAP OFF”.
Tired, half awake, and somewhat confused, I’m awake and truth be told I have only about 20 seconds to make a decision on whether or not I’m actually going to get up and go to the gym. Why did morning come so early? I really don’t want to be up yet. I don’t want to go work out this morning. I’m not going to work today. Then that cool, brisk morning breeze comes through the window making me clutch the sheet & blanket ever so gently. I roll slightly toward my side of the bed so I don’t wake my wife. My breathing starts to slow again and then it happens, I feel myself going, going, going, going, gone. And right before Old-Man sleep starts to take over again, it hit’s me…. Dang-it, I gotta go pee!
Ok, I make it to the bathroom just in the nick of time. Aahhhh, feel much better… Wash/dry my hands. That same thought comes up again. Why? Why am I up this early? Then it hits me that I made an agreement with myself that this year I would push it as far as I possibly could. Whether I was tired, hungry, sore, or just completely didn’t feel like getting out of the bed, I was going to make myself get up and go. My feelings didn’t matter anymore and how I felt didn’t matter either. Even if I didn’t get enough sleep, I was going to get up, get dressed, and go work out.
I think about the kid that grew up struggling with his weight. The kid that had to wear ‘”husky” sizes because he was too big to wear normal size boys clothing. The kid who was nick-named “Hog-Bear”. The kid who’s self-confidence was shattered after hearing fat joke after fat joke. At the time, it was easier to accept being overweight and go ahead & laugh with them.
I look back over my shoulder and tell that kid, “Hey Hogbear, I got you covered! Let’s go get ’em!” I brush my teeth wash my face, finish getting dressed, and off to the gym I go.
I have gotten the questions like: How did you do it? What made you change? I realized my number one answer is that I was just sick & tired of struggling with my weight and this would be the year that I would fix it.
I realized that you have to have a strong enough “Why” because of those mornings you don’t feel like getting out of the bed or those evenings after a long day at work, the only thing that is going to get you through it is your “Why”. Your why will push you long after everyone else has given up on their New Year’s Resolution or after your friends have lost few pounds just in time for their high school reunion. Regardless of where you are at in your weight loss journey, keep your “Why” around. Your “Why” will get you through those tough times and inspire you when you have lost all encouragement.
My question to you is What’s Your Why?
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