Day 412. 198.5 lbs lost.
I think there is a good chance I might hit that initial 200 lb goal this week. I’m going to be about 40-50 days behind schedule, but I’m okay with that. Hell, when I started I only knew I would hit it, I didn’t know the day. LOL. I’m also learning that I need to be flexible in my goal setting.
At the beginning of the year, I set a final goal weight for September because I felt 10 lbs a month was doable. I have since lifted that restriction. I am going to give myself the entire year. If I surprise myself and complete it early, then it will just be a bonus. I learned lessons last year, and the biggest lesson I learned was to give myself time and be flexible. Mostly because of the devastation I felt when that first initial big goal wasn’t achieved.
Over the last several weeks I studied my goals as I plotted them on a dashboard I use called “Goals on Track.” One of those goals was to compete in powerlifting, but I had no idea how I was going to make that happen. I knew the three movements I would need to work on but clueless when it came to actually finding the competitions. Another goal was to make it to the gym 5 days a week. I had worked up to a 5-day-a-week schedule, but I need to be honest and say I was getting burned out with the drive down to Lakeville. It’s a huge commitment time-wise and a goal I would need to modify if I was going to keep myself motivated. The other challenge I was having was “snow days” and “waking up late days.” If either happened, I wouldn’t go to the gym that day. This wasn’t working on my 2018 plan. I can’t merely miss days. One day can quickly turn into two or three if I wasn’t careful. Most of the time when I can’t figure something out I toss it up to GOD and let him do the hard work. Then I wait and see what happens which is exactly what I did.
As I pondered over some of these challenges, I went to Sam’s club one Saturday which is only a mile and a half from my home. As I’m driving out of the parking lot, I see a bunch of people running and carrying kettlebells. Instantly, I knew there was a CrossFit gym, and I looked it up when I got home. Sure enough, it was called Bear Fitness. I spent some time on the website and decided to check the place out a few days later. I met with one of the coaches there and found out this Box had a powerlifting team. No shit? In my head instantly I knew this was the answer to one of my goals. Excitedly I went home that night and also figured out this could be the solution to another problem I was having; the drive. I sat down and made a new plan that night. Holy shit, it’s coming together here. I would train with the team or attend Bear Fitness twice a week and do three days a week at my other home gym (Mi5) in Lakeville. I could get a small reprieve from the drive twice a week to lessen the burnout and train with the powerlifting team at the same time. Within a week the plan was pretty solidified this is what it would look like going forward. I kill two birds with one stone and seemingly, they were answers to the challenges I was having.
I knew a year ago how much I loved the barbell, but I didn’t realize it would become a passion. I wasn’t athletic
growing up and the notion that being an athlete in any sport seemed ridiculous. I’m not a runner either, and my right leg presents challenges even with some of the standard Crossfit moves. Lifting is something I can do, and furthermore, I love it. I love lifting HEAVY FU**ING SHIT. It increases self-belief, I’m learning better goal setting, prioritization, and discipline. It’s teaching me new skills, I’m developing habits to push through my fears, and it gets me out of my head and into my body.
I think of Mi5 and Bear Fitness as being “’Two Worlds, One Family.” Or as I also like to call it ….. “Two Families, One Goal.” I’ve added Bear Fitness because it’s going to help get me where I want to go. That’s what it’s all about.
How many tools are you going to need to get where you’re going? As many as it takes. Don’t be afraid to try new ones.
Lovingly,
Bean
