Second Chances...

Another year. One whole year gone by....

Amazing what kinds of things can happen, or not happen, in a year.

The last time I posted here, I had grand designs on 2011 and all that I would achieve. I was heady with the successes of my weight loss and charity fund raising. I was tearing it up. And I was gonna keep going...

Let's just say that 2011 was NOT a year of achieving my fitness and health goals. Not only did I not do the Cooper River Bridge Run, but I pretty much dropped out of running all together for the majority of the year. I allowed an aggravation (stress fracture of my foot) to become an excuse that lasted long after I had healed.

As for the USMC PFT, I started the pull-up workout by purchasing a bar that works in a doorway. I got it assembled and hung it up. Beyond that, not much there. No real progress on the sit-ups or push-ups either.

And then, to top it all off, I bailed out of the LiveStrong approach to losing weight that had been so successful for me before. In about March, I read "The 4 Hour Body" and liked the look of what it had in there about weight loss and muscle gain. I did pretty well for about 6 to 8 weeks with it and then found ways to "cheat" the program. Of course, I was only cheating myself....

By Thanksgiving 2011, I had gone from a low of 216 lbs (around Christmas 2010) to right at 240 lbs. Not the right direction....

So what does it mean now? It means I lost focus and need to get it back. My goal is still to get below 200 lbs. I'm targeting the end of 2012 for that. I should be able to average less than a pound a week to make that. I'm setting up my LiveStong account to count calories as if I was going to do 1.5 lbs per week to see how that works for a couple of months.

I'm disappointed in myself and I know that these set backs are not permanent. They don't define who I am or what I can do. I see my successes in the past and know what I am capable of.

So, as I start of 2012, I'm taking a second chance. We all get them. We don't all give them. And many of us won't take them.....

How was your 2011? Do you need to take a second chance?

Logo/image credit to Designhuone.net

That was then. This is now.

As 2010 ends and 2011 begins, I'm looking back on this "journey of health" I began in September 2009. I was trying to figure out how much had changed between then and now. Here's a few highlights:


Weight

• Then - 321lbs
• Now - 216lbs

Waist size:

• Then - 48in
• Now - 36in

Shirt size:

• Then - 3XL
• Now - XL (a couple are L)

Exercise

• Then - None
• Now - Run 3 miles 3 times a week

Money raised for Love146

• Then - $0
• Now - Over $1400 (and counting)

It doesn't look like a lot when I type it out (well, except for the money for Love146!) but I gotta tell you it is HUGE. My everyday life is so very different now. From tying my shoes to playing with my kids (Nerf guns rule!) to exercising... it's like I'm a new person. It's so hard to describe to someone who hasn't been, effectively, held captive within their own body. The liberation is absolutely amazing!

So, where to go from here?

As far as weight goes, I'm targeting 200lbs. I want to be at or below the 200 mark by July 1. Doesn't seem so hard: less than 20lbs in 6 months. One thing will be different this time, though. I plan to start adding strength training into my schedule. Not body building stuff but I really need to get some muscle tone and strength back.

There was a time I could bench press around 350lbs. I'm not going for that kind of thing but I figure I should at least be able to bench my own body weight a few times. I also found out recently how bad off I was when I failed to even do one "regulation" pull-up.

So, I'm looking at a few things along with my weight target:

1. Run the Bridge (10K over the Cooper River bridge here in Charleston in the Spring)
2. Complete 100 consecutive push ups
3. Complete 200 consecutive sit-ups
4. Score 150pts on the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test (3 mile run in 27min, 10-12 pull-ups, 50+ sit-ups in 2 min).

I'm not necessarily shooting for July on all of these items. Obviously, the Bridge Run will happen before then but I don't know about the other yet. And I'm not joining the Corps but the USMC PFT is a daggum good measure of physical fitness so I figure it's a good goal to shoot for (300 is a perfect score on the PFT, by the way).

So, here's to a stronger and healthier 2011. If any of you have done these sorts of things before, I'd love to hear about your efforts and victories. Also, if there is anything that I can do to help anyone in their efforts or fitness goals (I'm no expert but I am willing to try to help) please let me know.

Happy New Year!

Photo credit to kconnors.