Goal Weight: 195 lbs. by April 28. Today’s weight: 230.4 lbs.
What does exercise mean to me?
Exercise strengthens more than my heart, lungs and muscles. It strengthens my will.
It allows me to find my breaking point. The point where I quit. And then it pushes it farther away. It gives me challenges that teach me how to plow through pain, adversity and discomfort. It prepares me for the greater challenges that life will give me. I know exactly how much I can take. And at the point where I’m in danger of quitting.
It has taught me how to set realistic goals. To push through until I complete them. Exercise has allowed me to develop skills that have helped me succeed in everyday life.
And it gives me the energy to face whatever challenges life throws at me. Plus its a proven antidepressant.
I’ve discovered my breaking points on a bike on a mountain in Vermont. On a bridge during a marathon in Washington D.C. On a football field in high school. And on a treadmill in a gym in Jackson, Miss. I wish I could say I passed all those tests with flying colors. I didn’t. But I plowed through them and learned a lot about myself. I learned lessons that have helped me through being diagnosed with a very deadly form of cancer and a severely disappointing career change. My failures while exercising allowed me to rebuild stronger.
My will was been strengthened. And I now am strengthening it again through exercise to withstand changing times. That’s what exercise means to me.