Fighting for Fit

Make it happen!

Accomplishments won’t happen without a strategy. Luckily, the basic foundational strategies to get into peak shape are pretty simple and consistent- eat well, put in honest work at the gym and be committed to your goals.

The best part about this, is that while I’m implementing the plan, I’m setting a fantastic example for my kids.

I’ve been at this plan whole-heartedly since the end of January, and already I’ve seen myself increase in power and I’ve watched my kids become excited about what I’m doing; they even clear their plates of chicken and broccoli!

But let’s be more specific than just calling it The Plan. It’s nice to be able to re-hash what every other fitness site tells you in 100 words or less, but what about the real meat of it all?

Turns out, despite the unreasonable amount of (sometimes contradictory) information out there on the subject of fitness, it’s not so difficult to piece together.

I do have some help, however. I’m using MyFitnessPal to track calories and macros and JEFIT to plan my workouts. These two apps make it extremely simple to log your progress and give you a highly visible way to measure your accomplishments day by day. This is vital, at least for me, to keep motivated some days.

On Diet

This is probably the toughest part of the strategy for most people. There are so many tasty foods out there, both healthy and unhealthy, and a lot of us want to try them all! Who could blame you? The thing is, and I didn’t realize this until I started tracking my intake, calories add up FAST! And when it’s generally accepted that 3500 calories is equal to a pound of fat, it’s pretty easy to watch those bad calories go right to those dreaded spots. So, for your own sake, why not give clean eating the old college try? For me, maintaining my current weight, but shredding fat and building muscle, requires approximately 2350 calories a day. I eat one gram (at least) of protein per pound of body weight, and try to keep my other macros reasonable. Some days that’s easier said than done, but at least it makes grocery shopping easy- load up on greek yogurt, chicken, lean beef, veggies, rice and milk. The list stays the same, the price stays reasonable, and the kids get healthy meals all the time!

I know what you’re saying- booooring! But look at it this way. You can view this regimen as temporary until you get your desired results. Then, you can either continue with it, or ditch it. And if you ditch it, at least you’ll be in a better place physically to burn those calories you will end up putting on!

On Training

8 days a week!

I’ve chosen to do 5 days at the gym, one day swimming and one day active recovery. Now, luckily, under all those years of inactivity I have a foundation of hard physical training. I’m not sure if I’d recommend 6/1 if you’re just starting, but if you have the mindset and are cautious about injuries, the sky is the limit- as long as your program it correctly!

I don’t profess to be an expert, but I think I’ve done alright in terms of programming for my goals.

I run a major muscle group split- biceps, forearms and back; shoulders, triceps and chest; legs. On alternating days, during rest periods between sets, I hit abs with weighted resistance training and some plank variations. At least one day at the gym during the week, I do a dry-land HIIT session and on Sundays I do a swimming HIIT session followed by 30 minutes of steady state swimming. It’s not perfect, but it syngergizes, makes sure I hit target muscle groups at least twice a week without overwork, and incorporates overall body work with the HIITs. Due to personal issues, I’ve had to take a rest day for the past two Thursdays, but I hit hard on Friday.

On Commitment

I can see the future.

Not really, but I can envision what I will look like in July when I cross the finish not once, but twice in a weekend. I may even warm-up in public without a shirt on! I’ll be damned if I let anything deter me from this, especially when I know it’s within reach. I can imagine my kid’s faces when they see Daddy burn through the course and come out the other side. Those successes are within reach, and if all I have to do is eat clean and spend an hour and a half each day putting in my sweat equity…well I think you can see the clear path forward.

Let’s do this!

Have you ever made a bad decision?

Ok, let’s be real, of course you have. If you haven’t, I would love to meet you and find out what the rest of us are doing wrong!

I was thinking about my poor decisions recently, and found that one had reverberations beyond what I originally was able to comprehend.

The year is 2005…

I’m an impressionable 17 year old. Pretty normal by all accounts; depressed (put a pin in that, it will come back later), but in peak physical condition, if a little skinny. I have my second degree black belt in Jiu Jitsu, I’m certified to be a lifeguard and I have a brain that keeps up with whatever challenges is thrown at it. Then, I get offered a cigarette. It’s disgusting. But a day later, I figure, why not try it again? I dry-heave for 15 minutes. Two or three days later, I find myself with another cigarette in my hand. What the hell?

It’s 2012. Things have gone wrong over the years, and instead of turning towards the physical activity that formed me, I sit back, waste away and watch my physical and mental health deteriorate. Apathetic. But as the next year rolls on, I meet someone who will change my life forever.

It’s 2014. We’ve (really just her, let’s be serious, though I tried my best to mirror what the doctors were saying in the delivery room) just delivered our first child, a beautiful baby boy. Some months later, she makes it abundantly clear she will not be with a smoker. Finally, I put away the pack for good.

But, throughout all of this, I never had a tally of the toll this decision to smoke took on me, and those who are special to me. I lost my physicality, lost my health, lost my energy, and created stress on my partner.

Present day…

Though I quit smoking, I never took my health back into my hands. We had another wonderful child, a baby girl. I told myself I was busy, and that becoming physically fit again was lower priority. The apathy remained even though the habit was gone.

Now, having just experienced the greatest loss of my life (one of only three of the most important people to me in the world has decided she wants to separate [to work on her happiness and self-love, which despite my heartache, I am truly hoping she achieves]) I am breaking the cycle of apathy, excuses and self-doubt.

After 13 years of inactivity, I have signed myself up to run two Spartan Races in one weekend; one 5km and one 10km. I have 5 months to prepare to accomplish this goal.

I’d be lying if I said one of the motivations for taking the plunge wasn’t to impress this woman. But for a long time, there’s been a part of me that wants to look in the mirror and see abs instead of pudge. I want to lift both of my kids up at once and not worry about my back. And then, when I put them down, and they take off with inexhaustible energy, I want to run with them. Of course I want to find a way back into the heart of the mother of my children, but I also want to be a better man than I ever have been before.

I’m not just running these races for the physical challenge. I’m running them to show everyone a Will they’ve never seen before. I’m running these races to fight for my fitness; physical, mental and spiritual. And believe me when I say it’s a fight, but it’s a worthy fight.

The fight of my life.