I wish Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid was my personal trainer. I’d be winning competitions in no time. If you haven’t seen The Karate Kid, you’re missing out. It’s a tale of determination and triumph of the underdog. And that’s what I am: the underdog. My formidable adversary? My fat and my body.

In The Karate Kid, Daniel challenged a bully who happened to be a karate champion, so he underwent training from Mr. Miyagi who was a bad ass karate master (and a gardener, too). Mr. Miyagi had him do countless numbers of house chores, like waxing cars. It was tedious and Daniel couldn’t see how performing boring routines would help him become an accomplished karate champion. But even a simple task like waxing helped condition Daniel’s muscles to remember defensive karate moves and improve his reaction time. Although his training appeared unrelated to his primary goal, every little movement he performed, every little effort he gave, contributed to him beating the bully.

I’m like Daniel. I feel like every day is the same, old routine. I wake up, eat, blog, eat, walk, eat, gym, eat. I get frustrated when I don’t see immediate progress and sometimes I want to slip into my old habits. I like running, but I feel like I’m hitting a running plateau since I haven’t gotten much faster and I feel burnt out. I like working out, but man, being sore the next day hurts. I like cooking, but it takes so much time. I have mornings when I wake up and want to say SCREW THIS and just give up.

But just like Daniel, I am short-sighted. Instead of remembering the long-term benefits of losing weight – becoming healthy, beautiful and confident – I focus on the day to day activities that are dull and repetitive. But every little thing I do teaches my body something new. Every little thing conditions my body to become stronger, to become healthier. Every little thing trains my mind to overcome setbacks and aggravation. Every little thing I do, from stretching to the elliptical to registering for races, is altering my body and my life in some way. And for the better.

Daniel did not become a karate champion overnight. He trained diligently every day in order to accomplish his goal. Did he hate training? I bet he did. But did it feel amazing when he beat the bully and won the trophy? More than words could express.

I want to beat my bully. And no, 140 pounds and a healthy BMI won’t occur overnight. I tend to forget that it took me 20 years to reach 263 pounds. Although I have been working hard, two months or even a year or two is nothing compared to the number of years I have abused my body.

So I have to keep pushing forward, despite being tired, worn down, sore, and frustrated. Two months of hard work is nothing in the grand scheme of life. This is a life decision. Battling my sworn enemy, my fat, is a life decision. Although I may not have Mr. Miyagi in my life, his message of persistence, of every little thing counting and making a difference, applies to my quest for a healthier life. Wax on. Wax off.

Are you frustrated with your workouts lately? Do you ever feel like you’re running out of gas, like giving up?

 

Spicy Lemon Chicken Sandwich – Lunch: chicken breast in a lemon, basil and sriracha marinade on an English muffin with cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes and onions.

Garlic and Scallions with Wonton Noodles – wonton noodles topped with scallions and garlic in soy sauce, minced chicken breast, bamboo shoots, cabbage, and beech mushrooms.

 

Consumption: 1576 calories, 12.8g of fat. Total steps: 16,593

Data for March 29.

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Workout: Treadmill. Upper back. Shoulders. Chest. Biceps.

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Training for that 8:30 mile kills me. I can do about 5 minutes before I get really tired and my legs start hurting. I’m going to take a few days off from the treadmill to rest my legs. Maybe I’ll do better if my legs are fresh and not sore all the time. Managed to bench 70 pounds! One set of 8. That’s a new high for me.

Completed Day 2 of the stretch challenge.

 

WEEKLY CHALLENGE – Song of the Day

It features Owen, Mike Kinsella’s solo project. Prominent in the Chicago indie scene, Owen’s sound is soft and melodic. Couple that with Kinsella’s brilliant lyrics and soothing voice and you can’t go wrong.

 Owen - Note to Self:

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