So for the past year I've been lucky enough to be working for a company that allows me tremendous freedom during the work week. This has allowed me certain freedoms, including working out whenever I want.
I used to be pretty lazy. I'm talking sitting at the computer for 8-12 hours a day, really doing nothing. Eating pretty much anything I wanted, and drinking a few beers everyday. I got fat....and I am by no means a short person. I'm 6'4", but 245 still looks fat. I finally got fed up of being tired and lazy all the time. I decided to start exercising. No I did not sign up for a gym, or go on some crazy diet, I simply started to eat less and exercise. The first couple months the pounds came off quickly. Some weeks I'd lose 5 pounds or more. Lately it definitely has been much more work to drop weight, but it's actually to the point of being fun now. I went out today and finished 12K in just over an hour, with 3K uphill.
Running has definitely been my exercise of choice as it requires very little thought. You just go for it and you run until you can't run anymore. When I was 230-240 running was hell. Running for any more than 5 minutes and my heart felt like it was going to explode. But eventually, as with everything, it became easier and easier. I'd push myself to go 30 more seconds, or until the next big tree, making up new goals on the fly.
Eventually, I hit a wall. It's impossible for me to give up things that I love to eat, like pizza or wings. I couldn't survive on salad or whole grain pasta, I'm a man not a fairy. So I was stuck at the 200 mark and pushing past it was a back and forth battle. Some weeks I'd drop below it only to put it back on.
Right around this time my uncle was laying in a hospital bed dying from stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It was an incredibly hard time in my life as he was very close with my family, I was even named after him. He eventually passed away after a year long battle and it had a drastic effect on me. I tried to turn it into motivation whenever I went out running. I thought that no matter how much pain my legs were in, or how exhausted I was, it was nothing in comparison to what he had to go through that last year. I would run and look up and think that I can't stop, I had to keep going. Every day that I would go out it was like he was watching me and I didn't want to disappoint him. It was tremendous motivation and gave me time alone with my thoughts as well.
So I just finished what was by far the best run of my life. I don't know what prompted me to come on here and write about this. Maybe it will provide some motivation for someone else. Losing weight isn't easy, but it doesn't have to be something you dread.
