One year ago today I made a decision to change my life, but that decision wasn't to start running. I was already running for almost a year at this point. No, I set out to do what most people say they want to do, attempt to do, fail and say they are still going to do... some day. Yep. Weight loss. One year ago today I was 225lbs and I hid it very well. Today I am 47lbs lighter.
I had finally made up my mind that this was the year I was going to lose weight. I planned 2 weeks in advance of June 1st. I gorged myself on every kind of fast food, every Little Debbie snack and I would be doing much better had I owned stock in Pepsi. With my 8 can a day habit I'm sure I was sending someone's kid to Harvard. Well I convinced myself that I could abstain from those food sources for 12 weeks. A measly 12 weeks after which if I wanted to I could indulge in all those things that made me happy as much as I wanted, but I had to abstain for 12 weeks.
I toughed it out and at the end of 12 weeks I was down 30 lbs and I felt and looked great. I was doing so great in fact I didn't miss my weekly Big Mac, well maybe a little. But there was no way I was going to start putting that weight back on. Nope, I sit here today at 178 lbs. I went from 38" jeans down to 32". I was running 9.5 min miles now I'm running 7.25 min miles. I measured 44" around my stomach now I'm 36".
All that stuff is great for me and I'm proud of my accomplishments, but it was during a long run this past winter. I was hit with something that is well known yet often treated as trivial. I was jogging along Jefferson street listening to my iPod when a song from DC Talk started playing. The song title is "Time is ticking away" The lyrics really struck a chord with me during that run. "All the money in the world can never stop the hands of time, and a wasted day in your life is more than a crime" I got to thinking about all the things we put off in life assuming we'll get to them later. Lose weight, get in shape, save money, clean up my life, quit smoking, eat better, exercise daily, start running, read more, watch TV less, go to church, get right with God, read my Bible, spend more time with my kids, spend more time with my wife etc... Time is ticking away just ask any parent with grown kids. That's why the time is NOW. Some things you want to do will be easier to do while you are younger(meaning now)others you want to complete before you leave this planet.
I encourage you to start something this summer. Something you've been putting off. Something that you insist you were going to do later. Make later now. I can now tell you from my experience that it's a great and rewarding feeling. I can tell you that I have my list of laters that I'm working on now. The journey is just as great as the destination. Instead of leaving me a comment saying "congrats" or something, tell me what later you are going to start now.
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