When I started this journey almost five months ago, my goal was to lose 30 pounds before the new year. As of this morning, my weight loss goal was achieved. Thirty pounds in five months. I honestly can’t believe how far I’ve come in that amount of time. When I started, I struggled to run more than one or two miles at a decent pace, my weightlifting regimen wasn’t happening, and my diet was admittedly poor.
Yesterday, I began to converse with a gentleman at the gym; about the same age, a bit taller than me, similar build. He mentioned how he was trying to lose about 25 pounds and was just starting to diet. As we kept talking, I subconsciously began keeping track of his workouts. He began to run on the treadmill – 5.5 mph for 12 minutes before running out of breath; similar to where I was when I started; and his weights were very similar to where I was 5 months ago, too.
Once he left, the realization set in. That was me; my past; who I was 5 months ago. At some point, I made a decision at the proverbial fork in the road. Continue to go down the same path, or start being the kind of person that I wanted to be. When you push yourself, and I mean REALLY push yourself both mentally and physically, you start to realize that you can achieve a lot more than you may have originally thought you could.
Now alone in the gym, my workout stopped as I slowly approached the mirror, looking straight at the floor. I closed my eyes and saw a picture of myself only five months ago. Stressed. Fatigued. Drained. Lacking confidence. I raised my head and opened my eyes, looking at the present picture of myself. Strong. Energetic. Secure. Confident.
Whether it be at the gym, at school, at work, on the field, or elsewhere, the battle that we face is against ourselves. Have you progressed since last year? Last month? Could the “you of today” conquer the “you of yesterday”? When I started, the answer to those questions was a resounding “no”, and that was not okay with me.
Enter my new challenge, Operation: Winter Warrior. You will be competing against one other person reading this post in a challenge to improve your mental and physical health. You will win the challenge only if you improve more than your opponent. If it’s a tie, THEY win. Here’s the catch – your opponent was sitting where you were sitting 5 seconds ago. That’s right, your opposition is you. Remember where you are today, both physically and mentally. In three weeks, ask yourself if the “you of today” could EASILY conquer the “you of yesterday”. If the answer is yes, you have succeeded.
Many people make New Years Resolutions, but here we are, three weeks away from the new year. Why wait? There’s no better time than now to start achieving everything that you want from life.