Changing the fat guy, and changing the fat life.

The five days since my last post has been a strange period of time, in fact I don’t recall what I did during those 120 hours.  I am trying to pinpoint how my time was spent, it’s hard to say.  Last Wednesday the day after my trip to Atlantic City I started to get sick, I have a tradition of getting really ill once in the fall and once when the winter transitions into spring. 

These periods of sickness in the past would sometimes take me out for 3-4 days straight, I mean out, like I was an opponent of Mike Tyson during his heyday.  It would take almost a week following the end of the sickness for me to fully recover, so these cycles would last for 10 days.

So last week as I started to get sick, I started to take Nyquil, Dayquil, Vitamin C, and Airborne.  Thursday I went to work, Friday I went to work, Saturday I stayed knocked out.  I stayed home and slept most of the day.  Sunday was partially more of the same, but I did get up at one point and do a quick lap around both sites to check up on my managers. 

Monday morning I started to feel a little better, but wasn’t fully recovered.  I still felt out of it, had a headache, and was still on my Quad pack of over the counter cold remedies.  In my mind I started to ask myself if I was still sick or being lazy.  It was a valid question, because during the prior 4 days I never got to the point of being Knocked Out by Tyson, I was just in a constant haze. 

My place started to look like I was developing a hoarding problem.

What little time of my haze that was coherent I spent thinking about my entire situation in life, and how I got to be over 400 lbs.  When I weighed myself this past Sunday I weighed in at 286 lbs, that’s right I have gained 6 lbs.  This temporary weight gain is in part because my routine was falling collapsing and in part to two months of not being consistent with those components of my new regime which got me to this lighter weight.

To some degree burnout has played a role in my present funk, a lack of proper rest, not just physical but emotional as well, yet the deeper issue that I have been dealing with the last 5 years is genuinely being disappointed with my life.  The choices that I’ve made, and the circumstances I have put myself in have not created the results that I’ve wanted. 

The last five days of being in a haze, sickness, or funk has sharpened the focus on what I have to do to change how I feel, I have to extricate myself from the entangled web of shit that is causing me to feel fucked.   Being in this haze again forced me to understand that I don’t like being clouded, and remembering the feelings that I had which started me down a path of obesity pushed me to reflect on where I am and where I am going.

My present success and subsequent speed bump are further indicators of a need to change the bigger picture, as much as I am changing myself from the inside out, I have to change the environment in which I exist in order to maintain these changes.   

Ultimately this particular post is one that will seem like a vague series of nonsensical ideas, but right now, I understand that I feel stifled, and my passion for life and growth are being stifled for outward sacrifice to personal obligations.  I no longer can exist in this world.  It will either cause me to jump off a bridge, stick my head in an oven, or weigh 1000 lbs.    

All you have to take away from this post is that as much as we can change what we want to be from the inside out, we also have to change the outside environment in which we exist, as much as the soil dictates the outward health of a plant, the sun, and rain impact the growth of the plant, in order for me to further grow, I have to live to pursue things which I am passionate about.   Each and every one of us should try and find this one idea or thing that gives us the passion to not just get by but truly to live life.

 Life is too short to remain unhappy.

Daily Recap  

After five days of not working out, my body was almost craving intense physical activity.  With fight gone bad coming up this weekend, I wanted to make sure I was doing as much Crossfit Work as I could to not only prime my body, but to have my mind ready for the work. 

I had a session with Liz today, and have one scheduled with her Tomorrow, and Thursday.  She started today’s workout with 5 minutes on the Airdyne bike to warm-up, the first two minutes was tough because my body was tight.  Starting with the third minute I started to move faster, and I was almost jonesing for more, my entire body just started to feel better.

With my thumb still gimpy, she had me work on front squats.  Front squats are difficult for me as I haven’t improved much in my shoulder flexibility.  I ended up doing 5 sets of 3 reps at 145 lbs. 

Video here:

For the Metcon portion of the workout Liz had me do Tabata.  Tabata is the interval training method which involves doing 20 seconds of high intensity work with 10 seconds of rest, and then repeating for 8 cycles.   She had me do the Tabata workout with Hang Power Snatches with the Bar, Sit-Ups, and air squat-jumps.   I have video from the snatches and the squat jumps. 

At the end of the Tabata work I had done 80 Hang Power Snatches, 71 sit-ups, and 82 jump squats.  It was exactly what I needed to get back to work after a five day layoff.

FIGHT GONE BAD GOAL ALMOST REACHED !

I am so close to getting the $500 bonus matching donation from my parents. 

I just need $205 more dollars and we will reach $3000 for the entire event.

Thanks everyone who has made some awesome donations, I am amazed at the generosity people have shown, especially in the cases of people I haven‘t seen in many years, thank you so much.  I want to again say thank you, thank you everyone.

Now let’s show my silly parents we mean business…

If you don't know already…

I'm Involved With Fight Gone Bad!  A CHARITY WORKOUT WHERE YOU RAISE MONEY FROM PEOPLE YOU KNOW!  SO I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD HELP ME!!

Fight Gone Bad is a workout named by an MMA fighter who when finished with it said it was like a fight gone bad, and Crossfit has dedicated a day this month for all Crossfit affiliates to get together and do the workout while raising money for three charities. 

Fight Gone Bad Consists of:

The following five exercises for one minute each, with a one minute rest between rounds and three total rounds.

1. Wall-ball: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)
2. Sumo deadlift high-pull: 75 pounds (Reps)
3. Box Jump: 20" box (Reps)
4. Push-press: 75 pounds (Reps)
5. Row: calories (Calories)

The charities invovled are:

The Special Operations Warrior Foundation

Camp Patriot

The Crossfit Foundation

The event is supposed to be on the 17th of September, yet my affiliate Potomac Crossfit is holding the event on September 24th 2011.  In an effort to overcome feeling like a fat guy I am going to do the event.