Changing the Narrative (Part One - Fitness)

The numbers don't lie. 40 pounds + overweight, 37-inch+ waste, high cholesterol, on the verge of medication for the first time. My sugar level was pre-diabetic. The doctor warned me that when the switch flips and it moves to diabetes there is no turning back. And if I continued going the way I was, it was destined to shift the wrong way. My energy level was low, stress high, sleep sporadic. I worked too much, ate too much, drank too much and sat too much. My body hurt, my chest would spasm at times, I was confident my heart would skip a beat on occasion. I had constant heartburn and took medication daily. My joints were clearly inflamed, I used Tylenol more that I care to admit. My emotions would swing from what I thought at the time was “normal” to depressed. I simply did not feel good and frankly did not look good.

So, of course when I left the doctor’s office after this lovely annual physical chat I ran home and began to do something about it. That’s not true.

I spent the next six months thinking about it. I didn’t’ stop thinking about it. Frankly I worried about the implications often. They scared me. I have heard too many stories lately of men just like me or a lot younger passing unexpectedly. Yet, I did nothing but think and worry!

To be clear, I am not afraid of dying (or at least that’s what I tell myself). I am more afraid of not living. I was really clear that in this physical state I was not being a good steward of my body or the physical gifts I have been given. There are plenty of people suffering from non- self – induced physical ailments whose choices are limited. That’s not me. My problem was mental and spiritual but it was not physical.

So why in the hell would I not run home and get after it? (you tell me).

The harsh reality, as embarrassing as it is, was that if you could somehow have had a microphone, recording the internal dialogue that played in the theater of my mind, you would have heard things like, “I am just getting old”, “my metabolism has changed”, “nothing I do makes a difference”.

I remember standing in front of the mirror one day, oh how the mirror doesn’t lie, and thinking “this is just what it’s going to be”, “this is just how the journey progresses” “I have heard that the physical changes of age are shocking, and this must be what they meant”.

I was at the point of just accepting that this was part of the process of aging and in danger of living by default and allowing “the process” to evolve on its own. Pardon my language, but that is such bullshit!

Keep in mind that as of this writing I am 56 years old not 96. As embarrassing as the story is to share and relive, I share it because I suspect I am not alone. My guess is that many of us are way more alike than we are different and a lot of us are stuck in a very similar place.

Fast forward 18 months and the story is significantly different. I am 40 pounds lighter with the addition of considerable muscle mass. I suspect that’s a 50 pound or greater change. 32/33 inch waste. I completed the Crossfit workout called "Murph" for the first time. 1 mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 sit ups, 300 squats, yes that's in one workout session :).

My strength and endurance is off the charts, not only as a baseline for myself, but as a baseline for a majority of 56 year old men.

My body has radically changed. I am literally in the best physical, mental and spiritual shape of my life. High energy, no heartburn, no chest spasm’s, consistent healthy bowel movements (I had to throw that in, after all this is a men’s blog :). Outside of the last two nights my sleep patterns have gotten measuredly better (more on the impact of sleep and measurements to come later). My emotions are way more stable, but still swing at times. (I will share more on how I am learning to deal with this in a future post).

So, what changed that lead to this radical (seriously radical) change?

Five key things.

1. I changed the internal narrative. (this is by far the most important thing and it impacts everything not just fitness).

2. I had a plan. (not rocket science).

3. I picked a platform.

4. I showed up. ("never miss a Monday, one for the day, one for the week").

5. I got / get better every day. (work in progress)

In part two of this post I am going to dig deep on how to change the narrative and then in subsequent posts I will walk through the details and results of each of these steps.

I hope this is helpful to you. That's why I am writing it. Got questions or need help text me at 408-608-5090. I am thrilled to ride along with you.

Keep pressing

Jeff