The Two-Fold Journey

I cannot begin to explain how effing annoying it is to have created an average calorie deficit of 8,492.5 calories each week for the past two weeks only to lose a total of .5lbs.

My spreadsheets and equations and counting of calories and expending of energy and consumption of gallons and gallons of water and lowering my sodium intake and increasing my protein intake and getting enough sleep is not translating into digital format and it’s pissing me off greatly.

Yet, posting small numbers has taught me something else. It has taught me the importance of having goals beyond simply ‘losing weight’. It has taught me that physical, emotional, and mental strength are far more important than a number on a scale. And that’s where 10K training comes in.

Training for the ‘impossible’ is a hundred times more rewarding than sleep-walking through the week just to see how much weight I’ve lost. Training means getting in touch with my body. It means pushing myself beyond what I have once deemed my ‘limit’. It’s about stepping outside of my comfort zone (even if that means enduring an hour of painful stomach cramps after jogging five consecutive miles!). It’s not about a number on some stupid scale or a calorie or a portion size. It’s about standing on my own two feet. It’s about creating opportunities and taking action. It’s about making the world my playground.

Fitness guru Jonathan Ross could not have said it better in his most recent TV Trainer Watchdog post over at Inspire where he provides a trainer’s perspective on the show everyone loves to hate — The Biggest Loser:

“As much as the show focuses on the scale, it ultimately doesn’t matter that much. Lowering the numbers doesn’t give you a better life. Getting fitter, more capable, and able to participate in your own life is what really matters.

This is what really motivates the contestants (and all of us). Beneath the surface of “lose weight,” or “get in shape,” lies a deeper, more meaningful reason that fitness matters to all of us.

Shay now has that new awareness. Anyone who pursues fitness with an understanding of the “why” is going to be more likely to have success.”

Instead of feeling poorly about a small loss, I feel great about the strides I’ve made with my training. If I didn’t have that to fall back on, who knows. Maybe I’d be face-deep in a box of powered donuts instead of writing this blog entry.