Day 206 A Musical Memory Moves Me and My Weight Training Resolve

Day 206

A Musical Memory Moves Me and My Weight Training Resolve

“Come on, let's go to work. We got what'll make your body jerk. Make you throw your hands up in the air shake your booty and scream, "Oh, yeah" 'cause we are the Jam On Crew And jammin' on it is how we do the do. We'll funk you up until you boogie down, so come on people check out the sound.” I'll never forget the lyrics to that song. I memorized them when I was twelve years old. My cousin Steve and I discovered the song “Jam On It” by Nucleus about the same time kids our age were discovering rap around the United States. It was revolutionary and we knew it made us feel so good. So we listened to it over and over until we had every word memorized, then we worked on our break dancing moves. To this day I can still sing the song and do the wave, head move, and full body wave. We were committed to that song and our break dancing. That's one of my fondest childhood memories. It was a pleasure to add it to my workout tonight at the YMCA. The beat moved me on that treadmill and I have to admit, I almost busted out my sweet break dancing moves right there in the Y Fitness center. That song took me back to 1983 tonight. I was a big kid with even bigger dreams. Back then I would fantasize about performing “Jam On It” in the school talent show in front of everyone. Tonight I closed my eyes as I walked on that treadmill and dreamed that same dream again. As the wave traveled up my right arm, through my head, and down my left arm, I finished it through my finger tips, and pointed to Steve for him to pick up the wave I was sending. Just then I realized that the person on the treadmill next to me wasn't my cousin, it was just another person exercising to their own musical memories and motivations.

Our workout at the YMCA tonight was OK. It wasn't great for me, and I'll explain why: I'm reasonably disappointed in myself because I feel I've dropped the ball with my weight training. I haven't allowed myself to really establish a solid, committed, get-it-done-at-all-cost routine just yet. The kind of determination that I apply to my regular exercise routine is lacking. Do I want it? Yes! When I get to where I'm headed, I want form dog gone it! I want visible muscles, not flabby skin. I want a body that gives absolutely no indication that I was ever over 500 pounds, ever. Then when I reveal that information, people will not believe it, no way! I'll have to show them the proof. I don't want to look like a guy that use to be fat. I'm fully comfortable with the idea of needing a full body tuck to remove some of the most stubborn excess skin, but for the most part good old fashioned weight training will do wonders. Believe me, there isn't a workout that can rid me of all the damage I've done to this body, surgery is the only way to fully correct my excess skin around the stomach and thigh areas. I've got to remember Day 1, maybe I should go back and read Day 1 through 20 again. Because that's how I feel in the weight room. My upper body is extremely weak. But I know from experience with walking that with consistent effort and total commitment I'll progress rapidly, so what's my problem? You will not hear any excuses from me. I've had a few circumstances get in the way, but no excuses. I didn't bring my weight training pad and a pen to the Y tonight, so obviously I was only planning a cardio workout. Then I ran into Mark. He arrived mere seconds after Courtney and me. I felt like a kid who didn't do his homework, and now the teacher is asking for everyone to pass theirs to the front of the room. Mark was very nice, he didn't ask to see my weight training logs, he just said “You doing cardio tonight?” and I replied “Uh, yeah, yeah, cardio, that's what we're doing tonight.” Mark has taken his own time and written me a fantastic weight training routine to get me started, and he knows that Wednesday is on that schedule, but still he didn't challenge me on that point. He just smiled and headed downstairs to the weight room. As I walked toward the fitness center and the treadmills it hit me: “I didn't say thank you for the weight training encyclopedia book!” I immediately flew down the stairs and luckily caught him before he put on the headphones and entered his weight training zone. I thanked him for the book, and I can't really think of what else I may have said. But I'm sure it wasn't an excuse! I'm looking forward to fully applying what he's taught me and really showing what can be done and how far you can come when you set your mind to it and decide. Then I ran back up the stairs and headed for the treadmill. On the way back to the fitness center I was thinking—your not one that gets excited about something for two weeks and then let's it go and forgets about it, get it together Sean, get the plan down, read and reference the book that he so generously provided, and get in there and get it going. I will be weight training tomorrow evening from 8 to 9pm in the YMCA weight room, you can bet your last dime on that. And even though I can barely use a 10 pound weight on some of the movements, I know that with time and consistent effort, my muscles will grow and define, and soon I'll be able to lift much much more.

Irene prepared the most wonderful homemade vegetable beef stew in the crock-pot today. I had a mini bowl of it as an afternoon snack, then a hearty bowl of it for dinner. The wonderful aroma filled the entire house, I just couldn't resist having some early! That girl can cook some mean beef stew I tell ya! I also sampled some deep fried venison back-strap. A friend of mine brought me some venison he processed and I was going to throw the back-strap on the grill, until he told me the only way to prepare that part of the deer is to batter and deep fry. Since we don't do much deep frying around here, I took the package to my sister-in-law's house and she battered and deep fried it up real good. I stopped by for a sampling and it was amazingly good. And that back-strap is virtually fat free. The batter and oil on the other hand, well...it was so good! I still have plenty other packages of venison from his gift, and I can't wait to fire up the grill. The calories in venison isn't bad at all! Less than beef in fact. Now, if only I could convince Irene and Courtney that it's not Bambi, maybe we could have it as a family meal. Until then I guess I'll save some room on the grill for their chicken breast and beef while I enjoy the venison, more for me right?

I stopped at a convenience store today that I normally don't to gas up and I ran into a clerk that I might have seen once or twice before in my entire life. She took one look and asked “how much weight have you lost? I replied “Officially One hundred and thirty-seven pounds so far.” The looks I get from people standing in line and the clerks behind the counter are fantastic. That was a nice confidence booster. Then when I called my friend Dan to thank him for the venison, he told me that he and his family watched the “Lose To Win” kick-off video of my talk on February 19th. He told me that he really enjoyed it and his wife felt inspired once again to get started on her own journey. She was talking in the background about it, so Dan just handed her the phone. She sounded profoundly effected, and gave me some of the best compliments I've ever heard about my public speaking. She's requested copies so she can share it with a few of her close friends that she feels could benefit from the message. That video is posted in four segments on a special Day 165 Bonus Blog in the archives. Dan, Mary Ann, and Becca, thank you for that boost of confidence, the extremely kind words, and that venison!

I'm headed to bed tonight with a renewed spirit and resolve. Weight training will not be something I slack on anymore. Tomorrow is a new day, and I'll treat it as such, ridding myself of whatever it is that's made me inconsistent with the weights. Thank you very much for reading. Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean