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| Bren |
| Consequences |
| 01.05.2010 01:56:32 | |
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Happy new year everyone! I look forward to 2010 being my best year ever! This is the time of year that many people make resolutions. Everyone wants to improve upon areas in their lives that are lacking in one way or another. Relationships, personal health and fitness, work, organization...whatever it is that has fallen by the wayside. I gave up making resolutions years ago. I never followed through. Oh sure, I used to start a "diet" more Mondays than I can remember. If a Monday happened to fall on the first day of the month, it was even better. I seemed to think that if I started a new behavior on the first day of the week, month or year, then I was working with a "fresh slate" so to speak. Looking back, I see how foolish my thinking was. It doesn't matter when you start a new behavior, what matters is that you actually START! So my journey to compete started in June of 09, when I began to workout just to look and feel better. I was tired of being fat and unhealthy, and everything that comes with a lifestyle of neglect. I was always tired and sluggish, and because of being overweight I couldn't do the things I wanted to do easily. I kept working out, and slowly began to lose bodyfat. It's so exciting to see the changes happening in my body. These last 6 months I've witnessed so many changes. The biggest outward change is that I'm developing muscle and losing bodyfat. The inside however, is where the real change is happening. I've developed a self confidence that I never knew I had. I feel good about myself for the first time in a long time. I had pictures taken the other day, and I actually liked what I saw! To me, that's a miracle in itself. You see, I "hid" whenever a camera was pointed in my direction for so many years. I missed out on so many memories of me and my kids when I could have been in photos, because I hated my picture being taken. In fact, I don't even have a "before" picture of me at my heaviest weight, because it was too painful to see myself in pictures. Now, I like pictures of me with my friends and family, because I know I am achieving the goals I have set for myself, and it is beginning to show. I know I have a ways to go before I am in competition shape, but I'm liking what I see so far. Hard work and dedication does pay off! Training is going well, however, I had a little injury that has left me trying to deal with the "mental" issue of bodybuilding. Here's the story. About 2 weeks ago, I smacked my knee into the footboard of my bed. I hit it HARD. At the time, I heard a cracking sound. "Not good," I thought to myself. As I lay on the floor, writhing in pain, my first thought was "Is anything broken?" No, I had just hyper-extended my knee joint and it hurt. My next thought was "Is this going to affect my training?" Well, I put ice on it throughout the week, but it didn't get better very fast. I was supposed to train legs later in the week with Dave, and I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. So I did a hard chest workout instead for my weekly session with Dave. I was disappointed that I didn't get to work legs, but relieved I wasn't hurt bad. It just needed some time off, and I would be back to training legs next session. The next week it was feeling pretty good, but still had a few issues with it "talking" to me. I didn't listen to it. I wanted to go snowboarding on Christmas day, even though I knew my knee joint still felt a bit unstable (I had a previous ACL reconstruction in this knee and I've felt the same "unstable" feeling in this joint before). I didn't run it by Dave to see what he thought about snowboarding since I had hurt the knee, because I knew he'd say it's a bad idea. I knew in my heart and mind that I needed to rest it if I wanted to train legs at my next workout with Dave. So what did I do? I went snowboarding. Hmmm..., I did not listen to my body OR my mind telling me I shouldn't go. I went boarding on Christmas anyway. Since I weighed 50 pounds lighter than I did last time I went boarding, it was so much easier and way more fun! I paid a price for it however. My knee started to "talk" to me...well...scream at me, actually. I think I heard it scream..."Boy are you stupid,...you gonna pay for this!" I was supposed to work out legs the next day with Dave. When I told Dave that I went snowboarding, and my knee was still acting up a bit, but I wanted to try to do legs anyway, he said in a matter of fact voice, "NO, we're not doing legs!" That kind of took me by surprise, since I thought bodybuilders just pressed on, working through the pain. Surely, Dave would tell me to just deal with it. Nope, he said no leg workouts until it heals up. Ice and rest. Okay. I can understand that. What I wasn't prepared for were the intense feelings I had about missing leg workouts. I got mentally messed up. I talked about it with Dave, and he helped me to wrap my mind around it, so that I can continue to train for my competition and not be left with permanent injuries. Here is a sample of the questions that flooded my mind...are my leg muscles going to atrophy if I miss 2 or 3 leg workouts? Will I be able to squat the same weight when I come back to legs? How many weeks is this gonna put me back? Am I gonna make my competition in time? All those questions were really messing with my head. He answered every question! Rest and ice are important after an injury. If you don't rest an injured joint, you risk arthritis setting in. Don't want that! So rest and ice, and listen to Dave. That's what I'm gonna do. When it's okay to work legs, I will work them. I will not worry about what I can't control. So what did I learn from all of this? I always want to learn something new from my life lessons! What I learned is that there are CONSEQUENCES to our actions. I knew that I shouldn't go snowboarding, but I did it anyway. Now I delayed my leg workout at least another week. CONSEQUENCES. I learned to ask Dave for his recommendations on training issues and to listen and follow his advice. Dave is my advisor, and that is why we have trainers...to advise us what we should do, to help us achieve our goals. CONSEQUENCES. I learned to listen to my body. If I just would have listened....CONSEQUENCES! On a brighter note...I made my first goal. I wanted to have lost 50 pounds by Christmas day, and I MADE it happen! 50 pounds lighter since last Christmas...Yay! Notice I said "I MADE" it happen? I am realizing to achieve goals, no one else is gonna make it happen for you. I made it happen. It was a priority for me. You have to want it! You have to desire it... more than anything else! Think on it: If you have ever run out of air in your lungs while under water, all you can think about is getting to the surface of the water and taking a big breath. You're not thinking about anything else, you're just focused on that one thought. You want that air... you need that air. That breath of air is the only thing that matters to you at the time. You know that feeling? Training is alot like that. To get what you want, you have to want it that bad. (This thought was taken from a movie. The coach had held a players head under water until he was struggling for air. When the player came up to take a breath, the coach said that is how you should be training...like your life depended on it. I can't remember the name of the movie. It might have been from Remember the Titans. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due). While I'm at giving credit where credit is due...a special "thank you" to Dave Patterson, for giving me advice and helping edit my beginning blogs. He knows his stuff, and I appreciate the help he is giving me to get me started. Thanks Dave! Bren Tags:
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