25 January 2008

Persistence pays off

If anyone would have told me a year ago that I’d be capable of losing over 20 lbs., I would have promptly laughed in their face. To be frank, I never gave myself much credit when it came to willpower or determination; quite rightly I suppose, seeing as I had none at the time.

As I quickly approach my twenty-seventh birthday, I can finally say that I have both the body and health that I’ve always dreamed of. While I was never obese, I always leaned towards the very diplomatic ‘curvy’ and ‘well-fed’ category. I never had lofty goals of being model thin, my body just isn’t meant to be that way, but I always felt that I was hovering just above what a normal and healthy weight should be for a person of my height and small frame. As I quickly discovered, when your only 5’2” tall, those extra pounds don’t have much room to distribute evenly. Even more worrisome is the fact that your metabolism already starts to slowdown in your 20s. All of a sudden my blissful freshman University diet of beer, whisky, chocolate and fries backfired…darn!

Turning my habits and lifestyle around over the past several months has been challenging, but thankfully not as horrible as I originally anticipated. Old habits die hard and probably always will, but at least I know I’m capable of confronting my issues head on now. If I indulge a little too much, I know it’s not a huge deal, I’ll be hitting the gym or doing a few more reps. Physical activity has become such an intrinsic part of my life that I actually finding myself craving it. I enjoy my new regime to the extent that I’m even considered taking courses to become a certified personal trainer. It’s amazing what you are capable of once you get your health in check and find motivation. I think it would be equally gratifying to inspire others and help them find that same sense of power and fulfillment. The body is an amazing and fascinating machine; I just never realized its full potential before. I used to think my father was a bit mad with his religious bodybuilding schedule, but now I have nothing but respect for the dedication and focus that it takes. In a small way, I like to think that I’m following in his footsteps and hopefully I’ll be able to pass on the value and benefits of physical activity to my own children some day – here’s hoping it doesn’t take them 26 years to catch on!

I hope this post doesn’t come off as too high-handed. Believe me it’s not often that I “blow my own horn.” I do however think it is important to celebrate your successes and personal victories, no matter how big or small. In my case, I feel as though I’ve crossed a major threshold, one that I plan to never have to walk through again.



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