Transforming the self...

In order to know where you are, it is necessary to know where you began.

I awoke the first morning of transformation and came as close to making a bad decision as I could - to stay in bed and forget the whole workout thing - before I made that self-determined resolute decision to get up - NOW! After a few minutes of stretching and rubbing my eyes, I headed straight to the gym for early cardio. Weight training would follow that afternoon.

Before heading to the gym, I weighed in - a sort of heads up to know the point of origin for this journey. 199.5 pounds. I think the scale was being nice by not saying 200 lbs so as to not make me feel rotten that early in the morning. 199.5 pounds and 30+% body fat. 

Yuck.

For some,199.5 pounds doesn't sound like a whole lot. I suppose it's not in the grand scheme of things. I mean, everyone else in my family (mom, dad, 2 sisters) except my younger sister blows that number away. My older sis is having gastric bypass in December, dad is type-2 diabetic, and mom is likely pre-diabetic. Comparatively speaking, 199.5 pounds is pretty good in my family.

But that is like saying that being nearly dead is ok because you're not actually dead.

So the "beer gut" (amusing, because I don't actually drink beer) and love handles account for most of the 30% body fat that I'm carting around everywhere.  But that's only the beginning. The unseen effects of weight gain are far worse than the unpleasant image I see in the mirror every morning. The physiologic degradation that my body undergoes is mind-boggling. Stress on the heart causes heart disease and (possibly) heart failure. The potential for diabetes is ever-present. Then there's the pain: constant, and at times excruciating. Feet, knees, hips, and back are always sore as they struggle to accomodate the pounds that throw everything out of alignment.

That is where I am, but that is not WHO I am.

I am Fabulously Fit at 40. The pain is gone. My heart is strong (and will last for at least another 50 years). My body is healthy, vibrant, and active.

The image is formed in my mind. The only things that remainare doing the work and watching the days tick off the calendar.