My Niece's Birthday Reminds Me of My Goals

Photo from the Nutrilite Health Institute in Buena Park

Motivation:

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!"
Rocky Balboa
Speaking to his son in the movie Rocky Balboa (2006)

Diary:
I watched the movie "Rocky Balboa" on the plane while traveling to Irvine, California. I think I chose this movie because of my recent depression deciding what to do now that I have met some of my goals. I am desperately trying to get fired up to go for the next goal, I just need to take the next step. Also, in the last posts, I brought up Rocky, and so I had this character in my brain. In this movie, Rocky was retired from boxing, and through what probably is a preposterous series of events, comes out of retirement to fight the current boxing champion. Why? He kept saying that he still had "something in the basement" - something still in the bottom of his heart - some passion to "be somebody" again. Rocky says about the current heavyweight champion "Who am I kiddin'? I ain't even in the guy's league...It don't matter, 'cause I was nobody before...I was nobody. That don't matter either, ya know...It really don't matter if I lose this fight... 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance... And if I can go that distance, ya see, and that bell rings, ya know, and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, ya see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood."

Another, perhaps simpler way to say what Rocky is feeling might be "If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot."

I enjoyed my "Birthday Gift Weekend" In California. I visited (toured) the Nutrilite Health Institute, which develops some of the weight loss supplements and products that I used to lose 250lbs, and continue to use on my way to achieve optimal health. I also met other people who had set goals (weight loss, health, financial, family goals, etc) and I heard several stories of people who had goals and dreams for improvements, and were met with obstacles, pain, embarrassment and loss. It was depressing to think about all the struggle and defeat these people had. What did they have along with their pain - a desire, and an ongoing reminder of their goals. They repeated their habits over and over again, over and over again, over and over again. As they made small steps, they could see how their life would be better as they would realize their goals.

Did they stop the pain and suffering involved in change? No. Did it make it more palatable? No. Sometimes challenge sucks - that is just how it is. Sometimes you fall on your face in a patch of black ice and take a moment to cry on the hard, cold cement outside your garage door.

But as much as change can stink, getting that glimmer of hope when you are down can be a beautiful, life changing moment. I pine for that feeling - want to get back to that feeling that what I was doing was exactly what I was supposed to be doing, that everything seemed to be happening for a reason, and that all my hard work was worth it. It doesn't just happen, though.

While watching the Super Bowl (congratulations New York Giants) I was very excited to see the half-time show. It was really classy, in my opinion, and I liked it. I use Tom Petty songs for my mp3 player when running and training - Running Down a Dream and Won't Back Down are good songs to have on a gloomy day. So, already I have a bias for this music.

What hit me while watching the half-time show, It hit me that while they "looked like" they were just out there having fun with the same old songs that they have been playing for years, I thought to myself, "wait, they have been playing for 10 minutes. how many hours did it take for them to prepare for this show?"

Of course the answer is impossible to quantify, because some of their preparation for this show took place years ago, before they even thought they would be introduced or invited to attend a super bowl. These beginning steps happened years ago, as they learned these songs, developed relationships in the band and gained a base of fans who appreciated their songs.

"It's mind-blowing [awesome]," Petty said. "It's something that I never even dreamed of. It never crossed my mind, but it's very exciting. We've had quite a week already. It's really something." Petty said it was really hard to select what songs from the band's lengthy career to perform.

The same is true with our goals. You can't merely look at your success and say "it takes XX to do this!" It took XX, but it also took AA, BB, CC, FF, MM, and so on. Every step is part of the process, even steps that seem to go backwards or sideways...

On my birthday, I received a wonderful card from my brother's family, with wonderful pictures of my nephew and nieces. The oldest of the three has a birthday a few days after mine, and I am always looking at the changes that I see in her face. She seems more mature every time I see her and her latest picture shows it. I wonder what steps she is taking now to be who she plans to be in the future. Will she be singing for the super-bowl half time show, winning a dance competition or running a presidential election? Maybe she will be caring and loving to her family and friends, or an inspiration to others around her? No doubt, she is taking steps to something worthy, even if she doesn't yet know what that something is.

On her birthday, I think about all the fun times I would like to have this year, and that is a goal that I can hold on to. When it comes to a project, having that desire or goal fresh in your mind is important - to focus on what you want to achieve helps the rest of the "chaff" to clear away. Some of the goals that I had on my list are still very much on the list, such as "Be able to play games with my nephew and nieces." "Go to baseball games with family and friends" and "Be around as the kids of my family and friends are growing up" It is for these reasons (and others) that I continue to commit to my habits, discipline, reaching for new goals, new milestones, striving to eat health, take natural supplements, move daily in my fitness routine, and *try* to live with a stress-free positive attitude.

Her birthday card is on it's way, just need to assemble it together.... I am so glad she is on my list.



So, similar to Rocky and the heroes that I met on the west coast, I am diving into my goal - head first. Back into training - again.

Starting this week, I am beginning a 12-week 5K training program. I choose a race at random, but it fits the timeline that I need to have to prepare for a race.

I am preparing to do the 5k Run/Walk For Batten Disease in St Paul, MN on Saturday, May 10, 2008. I don't know much about Batten Disease, other than it is a genetic disorder (I am familiar with this concept, as I was diagnosed with Galactosemia at birth). It will be timely, as a week later (May 17th) I will be traveling to Dallas to once again share my weight loss / optimal health experience with others and also to be a witness/cheerleader/motivator/encourager for others who wish to do the same.

If you are ready to start the 5K journey with me, I challenge you to join me. In 12 weeks, I assure you that you can participate. It is a Walk/Run event, so if you feel that a 3 mile run is too stressful, please consider doing the walk. It is a worthy experience. If you need help, let me know - I would be happy to help get you started.

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

The Zen Habits blog discusses how you can eliminate stress and be healthier at the same time by simplifying your diet. I will try to compress these thoughts into the following list:

A healthy diet could be

• Simple. Everything should be easy to prepare and not take long.
• Nutritious. We need to get fiber, vitamins and minerals, protein, good fats, etc.
• Low in calories, saturated fat, sugar and cholesterol.
• Homemade - no Fast food or Junk food. it's high in saturated fat and sugar and that bad stuff.
• Whole food - not Processed food. No fiber, low in nutrition, high in calories. Try to get stuff in its natural state, without all the gravies and sauces and cheeses on top.
• Lean meats. If you want to eat meat, eat fish and boneless skinless chicken breast and turkey breast. Or try other forms of protein that doesn't have all the fat: tofu, nuts, whole grains, beans.
• Baked or Grilled instead of Fried food. Fried = High in saturated fat and calories. Look for baked or stir fried or even raw (as in fruits and veggies, not meat).
• Keep stocked with the essentials. By simplifying your food choices at home, you shorten your prep time and save $$ on groceries. Processed food costs are bundled with the packaging and marketing that aren't necessary.

A Simplified diet would have a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, beans, nuts, whole grains, including some simple meals:

• Breakfast: Whole-grain cereals (no processed or sugary cereals), homemade granola, fresh fruits, whole-grain toast with almond butter, scrambled eggs for protein.
• Lunch: Sandwiches of turkey or avocado with tomatoes and sprouts on whole wheat bread; pita filled with hummus and tomatoes and sprouts and lettuce; leftover soup or chili. Apple or orange for a dessert.
  
• Dinner: Hearty soups; homemade vegetarian chili - make a big pot of the easy-to-make chili or soup and it can last for days; hearty salad with nuts and spinach and avocados and lettuce and carrots and a light dressing; steamed veggies with seasoned brown rice; stir-fry tofu and veggies; butternut squash with couscous and chutney.
• Snacks: Fruits, cut-up veggies, nuts.
• Treats: Every now and then treat yourself with little things like a little bit of dark chocolate (watch out for sugar content), natural peanut butter or berries.
  

Other notes and Errata:

1. Stay tuned in the next couple weeks for BIG NEWS on the blog. I am not allowed to reveal the information yet, and it is driving me somewhat crazy.
   
2. The most recent St Olaf Magazine indicated that Chazz "writes that he has embarked on a mission to lose weight and lead a clean and healthy lifestyle. In a year and a half, Chazz lost more than 200 pounds. One of his major motivational goals was to run the 5k at St. Olaf during Homecoming and Family Weekend last fall. He not only ran successfully, but followed it up with a 5k affiliated with the Twin Cities Marathon."
   Ok - some correction MUST be made here. First, I never wrote this!!! I got a letter from my class thanking me for writing to the newsletter, and a very long explanation that I think was stolen from my blog and website. I then was stopped in the hallway at work and told "Hey I read your letter in the St. Olaf Magazine. When did you start a 'clean and healthy lifestyle'?" from one of my co-workers. So, that caught me a bit off-guard. I have no idea who wrote it or how it got in the magazine. It wasn't my first choice. seriously, why would they write "he writes" in the article, when I never wrote this!! How do I recant this, when supposedly they are claiming that I wrote the original? "Chazz writes that what was written in the magazine attributed to be written by Chazz was not previously written by him, but none the less is factual and really did happen, so he is not disputing the content of what was written but disputing that he, in fact, did not write it." Brilliant! Secondly, what is 'leading a clean and healthy lifestyle?' It comes off sounding like I am oh so much better than everyone else OR it depends on what your definition of *IS* is. On occasion my lifestyle is healthier and cleaner than others. Other times, my lifestyle is about as pathetic and dirty as you can imagine. Since they ("they" being whoever would be tasked to do this) haven't yet made a measurement comparing the health-o-meter or clean-li-ness-ness of a lifestyle, I think I am in the free and clear. I shudder to think of the day that you put your hand up to a monitor and it tells you "today your lifestyle is at level orange, which is a medium level of healthy and clean. please continue to monitor your lifestyle today with caution."
   
3. sweers3 asks "I'd like to know more about the "Jared Cooley" work out... who is he and where can I get in contact with him for my own work out. jas
   Chazz says: Sweers3, Jared Cooley is a fellow I met at a local fitness club. I don't know how you could get in touch with him, as I don't really know him. He wrote down a fitness routine for me on a cocktail napkin - sized piece of paper, and I spoke with him for only about 10 minutes. I think my best advice would be to ask a fitness instructor at your local club to sit down with you for a 30 minute session and map out your goals and a plan to get improvement. I hope this helps.
4. Thanks to Diamond Dave, Kaptain Karl and MaryR for your comments to the posts. Everyone is free to please post your comments and thoughts on the blog - share information and ideas if you want.
   
5. To MaryS, PremaP and Memphis, who have asked if I am going to start my "90 Days to Better Health" program - "Yes!" I am! I just haven't been feeling motivated to be able to pick up the ball and run with it. If you can wait just a few more weeks - I will be getting my act together and meeting with you to discuss how we should move forward.
   

more later,

Chazz

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