Nothing worth achieving is easy...

When I began the Spring semester of my senior year I weighed almost 250 pounds. I knew I needed to make a change, but didn't know where to start. When a few people where I worked decided to head up a "Biggest Loser" challenge for our work...I knew it was my opportunity. I knew that the combination of having the opportunity to win a nice little chunk of money and losing weight while doing it was what I needed to get me started.
I began to do the Couch25k (Couch to 5k) running program. This is a 9 week running program that does exactly what its name indicates...takes you from the couch to running a 5k. My experience supported a movie that one of my college professors would frequently reference. Apparently in the movie "What About Bob" the whole theory is "Baby Steps." I had tried losing weight before, but most of the time I'd go to the fitness center and start running and run a mile or so a few days in a row and then not go to the fitness center for another 2 or 3 months. This running program was all about baby steps. It slowly introduced me into running and helped me so that I didn't overdue it and burn out.
Over the course of the 4 or so months that we did the "Biggest Loser" challenge I went from 250 pounds to 220 pounds. Losing those 30 pounds was to me one of the biggest hurdles. I remember thinking that I had the choice of continue on trying to lose weight or stop and most likely gain back the 30 pounds in a year or so. I knew that this was my opportunity so I ran with it..literally.
Over the next few months I worked my way up to running 6 miles without stopping. If you knew me in high school you'd know that me and running were not best friends...we weren't even friends...more like enemies. If you were to pick anyone on any of the teams I played on to run 6 miles you would have most likely picked me last. While I haven't been as consistent as I would like in terms of running I am currently sitting at 175 pounds..lighter than I was as a freshman in high school...75 pounds lighter than I was when I began the "Biggest Loser" challenge.

I have been thinking about this lately because this past weekend I gave a talk to my amazing junior highers at the Junior High service I lead on Sunday mornings. One of my main points to them was that nothing worth achieving is easy. It seems that the things that are really worth achieving are hard. Losing weight was most definitely worth it and it was most definitely hard. I let them know that to achieve something it takes discipline. You have to be strict with yourself and live a disciplined life in order to achieve your goals.

Life is one baby step after another...