I'll just keep eating those Tim Horton's cookies - more about that later! My favourite vice. They should be the cornerstone of a well balanced diet. I can see it now, my readers will be sending me boxes of Tim Horton's cookies to my office.
Sometimes I ask myself, "Why am I doing this?" It's a rhetorical question, but it begs a serious response. Why not just go home after work and park myself down in front of the TV and eat cheezies? A long time ago, I used to do that. I used to fall asleep in front of the TV and wake up well past midnight feeling groggy. The next day I would wake up feeling fatigued and empty inside. My weight had ballooned to 240 lbs, and while I was not in any immediate danger health wise, my blood pressure had risen in a fairly stressful job and was starting to go on medication.
Recently, I jotted down some responses to the question "Why am I doing this?"
Here is what I wrote .....
- To add years to my life and life to my years - By putting in time at the gym now and building my stamina, I may not notice the benefits now, but certainly it should translate into a longer more rewarding years down the road. Spina Bifida is not a debilitating disability, but as I age, things are more likely to go wrong for me. My kidneys may malfunction, arthritis could set in leaving me to rely on walking aids such as wheelchair or a walker. Kidney malfunction is one of the leading causes of death in people with SB (Spina Bifida). By increasing my flexibility now through a consistent exercise program, there is a chance I can at least delay the impact of wear and tear on my body. I read on the Internet that people with Spina Bifida can live fairly normal lives, but their quality of life is only with them until they reach their 60's. I don't necessarily agree with that. I also have learned that my birth was well timed. Prior to the 1960's child with SB had a much lower rate of survival. I was inspired by a story I read about a lady in her 70's who had SB and was an accomplished pianist and recently parachuted from a plane. I have also read about a young man who was born with SB, but is now a successful personal fitness trainer and entrepreneur.
- To make myself appear more youthful - I'm sure that it goes without saying that people who are fit will always look younger than their real age. Why look 45 when you can project the youthful enthusiasm of someone 20 years younger. For me, I call it Middle Age Crisis. But middle age crisis doesn't have to be a bad thing. There is nothing silly about delaying the aging process.
- To increase my mobility - Everyone with SB could benefit from having more mobility to carry out everyday tasks that others may take for granted. This afternoon I tried to pick up a large pot of mums and carry them from the backyard to the front of the house by the stairs. I had difficulties keeping my balance while squatting down to pick them up and walk.
- To appear attractive to others - When you watch your diet and weight and maintain an admirable level of fitness given your own life situation, you will be attractive to others. Physical looks have little to do with attractiveness, but when you are physically fit from the inside out, you are attractive to others. No if's, and's, or but's. If you look after yourself the natural way, you will be rewarded for your efforts. People will eventually compliment you for your appearance, as I was today. There is no vanity in making yourself look attractive to others, especially when the compliments come out of nowhere from people of the opposite sex LOL :) A few weeks ago a lady working at the desk in the fitness club called me "handsome." It made me think. It may have been a simple compliment, but a compliment to prop someone up is a powerful confidence builder.
- To enjoy good food - When you workout regularly, your reward would be to eat your favourite food without worrying about the consequences. Life should not be about deprivation. For me, Saturday is my day to relax a little bit more and enjoy eating some foods that are probably more calorie-rich. My vice is those chewy gourmet cookies at Tim Horton's. After my Toastmasters meeting today I walked down to Tim Horton's at Dundas and had two of those nice, chewy, delicious chocolate chunk cookies - guilt-free, because I know I'll be back on track the next day.
- To prosper - It's well known that people who are considered physically fit for their ability live prosperous, rich lives. Now, I'll leave it up to you to form your own definition of prosperity, but if you took a survey of all the folks who owned a gym membership and exercised on a consistent basis, you'll find the large number of those folks are successful entrepreneurs, people working in management level in a Fortune 500 company, or people who live otherwise successful, balanced lives.
Before I close this week, I wanted to comment on the importance of maintaining a good attitude when you face adversity in tasks in your professional and working life, and especially toward your fitness program.
About five years ago when I joined the club where I still presently workout, I had a personal trainer work with me for about 10 sessions to familiarize myself with the equipment. Although I had set some goals for myself then, looking back I was not ready for the experience. Perhaps I didn't know what I really wanted. I didn't push myself beyond my comfort zone and I either canceled out sessions last minute or came late. In other words, I needed an "attitude check."
This time around when I began working with a trainer, I vowed that I would not fail this time. After 16 weeks, I wanted to look back on this experience and proclaim that I was successful in reaching the goals I set out before me. When I trainer asks me to do 15 repetitions, I wanted to do it. If he asks me to do 5 more, I'll do it, no questions asked, because the difference between 15 and 20 repetitions could be a huge benefit to me.
When you carry a wholesome attitude with you and apply yourself to each and every challenge, you cannot fail!
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