Jim's Place

A wake-up call

As mentioned in another thread, I've had a bit of a challenge with illness lately. However, the other day I got a real wake-up call... Just what a person with severe sleep problems needs! (Yuk! Yuk!). My body had pretty much crashed for 3 days due to illness and I was finally getting out on my road bike to go for a short ride... I still didn't feel like working out, but I REALLY needed - physically and emotionally - to get out on the road and turn the pedals...

The plan was to do a short 5-6 mile ride which would include several highpoints induced by the hills on my route. Having not been on the bike for almost a week, I lamented at just how fat and out-of-shape I felt. Those nagging doubts ran through my head...

"How could you have let so much weight come back? Man! Don't you look silly wearing tight bicycle clothes?! It's going to take forever to achieve your fitness goals... And look how hard it is for you to go up this hill!"

But then it hit me...   

"Listen Jim buddy... Right now, most people are sitting on the couch...flipping channels...and pigging out on junk food... But here you are Jim, pushing your heart rate up to 160 bpm, climbing an 8% grade on your bike. How many people in their 50s even think about doing something like this? or even in their 40s? Or even their 30s??? And how many people carrying so much extra weight would even dare to try to get back in shape. And how many people who have repeatedly had their dreams crushed would dare to dream again? Not many buddy...not many at all. There's a good reason you are always out on the road climbing these hills alone... You don't fit in with the masses...and you never will...and more importantly you never want to... Even if you are nowhere near achieving your fitness goals what you are doing right at this moment is a great accomplishment...every turn of the pedals is a victory in and of itself...every elevated beat of your heart is a treasure...every bead of sweat precious... Be thankful... Be grateful... And keep on pedaling..."

Just wanted to share this as a reminder that just committing to and living the Body-for-Life lifestyle makes every day so much more rewarding than it would be without it...

Blood, sweat and tears...

Just wanted to pop in and let you know I'm still here and still focused on Body-for-Life. But I've had a rough time the last few weeks... It's been the usual situation...fatigue and sleep problems related to my underlying medical condition (pituitary failure, sleep apnea, low thyroid)... In a way I'm sure it sounds like a broken record to those of you who have known me a while...

Almost every night I'm struggle to get to sleep before the sun comes up. And then once I do get to sleep, I have a hard time staying asleep, especially with all the traffic noise from the nearby street. As a result, my day often doesn't start until late afternoon and that topsy-turvy sleep cycle really drains my energy. I'm sure that has also been a factor in getting sinus infections a lot more often.

I've tried sleep medication but it doesn't seem to have any affect. I've also tried to force things. For example, the other day instead of trying to fall asleep after being awake all night I just got up and tried to function, hoping to reset my sleep cycle. However, after being up for almost 2 days straight, my body crashed...bigtime. I was wiped-out for the next 3 days - no workouts...no nothing! My doctor has warned before that pushing myself would likely cause this (an adrenal 'crash') but I just felt like I had to do SOMETHING to change things!

Anyway, he doesn't have an explanation so I've been trying to find another doctor. I finally got an appointment with a noted endocrinologist - in November! Every time these episodes have occurred over the last 10 years, they have been due to a hormonal imbalance so I suspect that's what it is this time as well. However, I know the isolation of not having any family or friends nearby doesn't help! I'm trying to reconnect with friends at church but it's been a bit hard with a topsy-turvy sleep cycle.

I've done the best I know how but have missed quite a few workouts the last few weeks. But I still start everyday committed to staying on track...despite the uncertainty of my health. I guess it's like a boxing match. I keep getting knocked down...but I also keep getting up... And I still believe that no matter how many times I have to step back into the ring, at some point I WILL win this fight!!!

Thanks for letting me vent... I can't wait until I get past all of this and start making dramatic progress again! Don't worry gang... I'm still pretty much a happy camper...I've just had to work extra hard lately to keep my usually positive outlook...

BTW - I'm still going to finish this challenge no-matter-what!!!   

So what if I just quit...

I'm on day 62 of this challenge and I have to admit that so far I haven't had the kind of results I planned. I've had ongoing fatigue and sleep problems mostly due to my medical condition. I've also had sinus infections, a stomach bug and some injury issues with my left heel, my back, my right elbow and my knees. Sheesh! I'm a real piece of work! The last three weeks have been especially challenging since I haven't felt well most of the time. I missed a few workouts and messed up on the food a few times. So I suppose some people would understand if I decided to quit this challenge. Besides, with only three weeks left there's no way I'll be able to "rescue" my challenge... Right??? So the logical thing to do would be to bail out of this challenge,wait until I feel better and then start a new challenge. Right???

WRONG!!!!   

The last few days it hit me how absurd this so-called logic is and how that kind of thinking derails many people's BFL challenge as well as their long-term success. It's as if you're blaming the Body-for-Life program for the adversities that have come along during your challenge! Those problems are going to come along regardless of whether you're watching what you eat or are committed to improving your fitness.

I think the main reason people quit their challenge is that we hate the idea of formally wrapping up our 12 weeks and seeing that we failed to achieve our goals. We tell ourselves that if we bail out of it early, we don't have to go through that pain. And of course, it's much more exciting to push aside the frustrations of the current challenge and dream about the promise of the new one. But I think that perspective is detrimental to long-term success. It supports the belief that the only valid BFL challenge is one with stunning results. But the truth is there is tremendous value in every day that you commit to living the BFL lifestyle. For some people, I almost believe it's better to forget about the 12 weeks and from day one simply think of this as a program to be followed for the rest of your life.

I'm only human, and hate to think that I'm not going to be skinny by the end of this challenge (Yuk! Yuk!), but nonetheless I'm going to stay the course. I'm going to give it everything I've got for the rest of this challenge... and the rest of my life... Besides, I have still made solid progress - even if it's not dramatic. It means a lot to know that even with medical issues, I can still make progress! And perhaps the most important thing is more than ever before, I've put together a bunch of BFL-compliant recipes that I truly enjoy and are easy to make. That's going to continue to pay off long after this challenge is over.

The main point here is that I'm not going to quit and I don't want you to either! Just completing a Body-for-Life challenge, in and of itself, is something to be very proud of! While the masses are sitting on the couch, you are one of the few taking action... Even if you haven't seen the results you wanted this challenge, give it everything you've got in the last few weeks. You'll be so glad you did! Who knows, you might just make dramatic progress in that short period of time! And even if you don't, it will go a long way to making your next challenge even more successful... So hang in there gang...and as always...

Keep on truckin'!!!