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.
And you’re too smart to act so dumb.
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Female. 25 years old. Chinese. Cook. Foodie. UCLA grad. Traveler. Musician. Scuba diver. GWU Law. Runner.
I never keep track when I’m reading your blogs but how often do you run? I know you ran every day for a challenge week but what about now? You shouldn’t run more than 5 days a week to allow your legs to recover. I think if you aren’t already doing this you will see gains giving your legs a rest. And lastly I believe 8:30 miles are awesome and you are probably ahead of pace so relax and you will get your next improvement soon enough. Have a good night!
I run about 5 times a week, but then I’ll do other stuff on top of it. Strength training and the elliptical/stairmaster/sprints. My legs are just tired. There isn’t a bounce in them lately, and it’s hard for me to resist running because I have so many distances to train for. Bah.
Thanks for the support though! I will totally get to an 8:30 mile. Sooner or later!
Maybe it is because I’m so much older than you, but I rarely even give progress a thought. I’m so used to working out intensely 5 times each week that it is just my lifestyle now. Sure, I hope to get to a point where I’m 100% happy with the way my body looks, but I just focus everyday on making that day a happy one instead.
Does any of that make sense?
I definitely get what you’re saying. I think a lot of it has to do with you creating a habit out of your healthy life whereas I’m still learning to live healthy instead of finding it difficult since it’s already ingrained into you. That’s where I’m trying to get to.
I’m not frustrated with my workouts. Having Hottie McTrainer is a HUGE help. Sometimes I feel like why do I have to work so hard when others can just eat crap all day and not work out and still be skinny. But I keep trying to remind myself, it’s not about being skinny, it’s about being healthy. And losing weight in the process. Every little step is work towards your goal. Today I was super sore from yesterdays workout and I didn’t want to do anything but I figured walking my mile at work would still be something! Plus your challenge! I couldn’t get today’s song to work though so I used Sunday’s because I LOVE IT!
That’s great that you have Hottie McTrainer. Tell him I will cook for him if he writes me a super intensive strength training/cardio workout (maybe 30 minutes?)
The song for the challenge is in .m4a format, which should work on iTunes but let me know if you can’t get it. I’ll have to find an .mp3 somewhere! And yes, Explosions in the Sky are AWESOME
When I tried to lose weight before, I was always looking for immediate results and never wanted to work out. Now I don’t care too much (though I still weigh myself too often, imo) and I actually like working out. I’m pretty sure you do more than I do at the gym but I definitely don’t mind the next day feeling. Even when I was sick, I wanted to work out and it was worth it to feel that high afterward.
I like working out, believe me, but lately I’m feeling burnt out. Like I give 120% at the gym every day but my 120% isn’t what it COULD be. I feel like I’m not being patient with my body though. It’s like, I’m working hard, I want to lose FIVE POUNDS instead of just one, but I forget that everything is a slow and steady pace.
Jess, on a side note: Will you come to my home and be my personal chef?
I’m sure my husband (a real life executive chef) would understand if I showed him your pictures.
We couldn’t pay you.
But you can play with the dogs!
In other news: I want the weight to come off quickly too (like yesterday). It’s been a learning process to be patient. Slow and Steady is my mantra now. Everything I do is slow and steady, not rushed. Rushing causes frustration. S&S allows me time to learn what works and what doesn’t. What I like and what I don’t.
Let me know about the cook’s position!
.-= Tara´s last blog Weigh in #13 (or what I like to call “Just when you think you didn’t”) =-.
Can I take free lessons from your hubby? I would love that!
I would totally be down to be somebody’s personal chef. I want my weight to come off quickly too, but more so because I’m working my butt off and I feel like the results are so SLOW. But like you said, slow and steady, and I’ve learned a lot. I’m better with intuitive eating now (not perfect, but better) and I’ve grown to love cooking and use my creative side so it’s been fun. AND, there’s running!
I have those days where I wonder if all my effort matters, but they seem to get less and less the longer I stick with the changes! These are also the times I find it really valuable to step back and look at my progress over the longer term, so that I’m not just focused on the pound I’m trying to lose at the moment, but the fifty (or however many) I’ve lost since I started. Stick with it! You’re doing great!
.-= Chad´s last blog Karma: I Hate You… =-.
Thanks Chad! I’m trying to focus on the bigger picture and I do remind myself by wearing my jeans more (they’re loose now so hopefully I can move on to my smaller sizes soon). On top of that, I think I’m just frustrated that I let myself get back to the 200s. I HATE BEING IN THE 200s! And every time I’m out of it, I tell myself never again and then I slip back. So I think it’s a bit of me being disappointed with myself and frustrated with my body’s slowness haha.
I’ve been frustrated with myself quite a bit lately. I feel like I’ll work really hard for two weeks, then have a binge, and undo it all. I’ve been trying to get past 245 for a month now! *sigh*
.-= Lauren´s last blog Workout Pledge of Awesomeness! =-.
Aw, you can do it! I haven’t had a binge yet. I’ve been practicing intuitive eating too. I count my calories, but I try to eat when I’m hungry although there are days where I definitely stuff myself because I know I wouldn’t be eating enough otherwise.
I don’t know how I can help you with your binge but if you need to vent sometimes, feel free to email me!
My last binge was the worst, I’m hoping I’ll be okay for a while. I had a pretty intense carbo-binge Sunday night that I’m still working off. Hopefully this pledge I’m doing will help, hah.
PS – I noticed your food section suffers from a severe lack of dessert!
.-= Lauren´s last blog Workout Pledge of Awesomeness! =-.
I know! I have to go to Trader Joe’s still. And, it sucks because my parents don’t eat that much sweet stuff (at least Americanized sweet stuff) so if I made brownies, the entire batch would be for me. Badddd.
Oh YES all the time! I hate being sore. I hate sweating. I hate getting up earlier than need be. I hate tracking food. But I DO IT because I know that the only way to beat my bully is to kick the crap out of it. Kicking the crap out of it requires practice and structure…did I mention i hate structure? I sound like Grouchy Smurf.
I don’t like structure much either but I think we can build a habit out of structure, and then turn it into a sort of dis-structured structure. If that makes sense. Wow, I used structure 4 times in one sentence.
But I’m glad you do those things that you hate! I’m pretty sure that hate will turn into love the longer you do it. So keep at it!
I just recently found your blog & will now be on vacation until Sunday and I’m already going to miss it! I’ve been in a slump similar to Lauren’s … but without the working out part … and WITH the binging … and am really hoping that this mini vacation will be what I need to get my head together and that when we come back I’ll be back guns-a-blazing. How about a really gung-ho “you can do it” post on Sunday as a welcome home present?
Oh wow, this hits home. I love Karate Kid, by the way…my favorite line is “We make sacred pact. I promise teach karate to you, you promise learn. I say, you do, no questions.”
I’ve been doing this for 18 months, and I tend to lose sight of the things I’ve accomplished in that time and focus only on what I’ve yet to do. My mental game still gravitates towards the negative, and I’m constantly correcting myself. I need to keep in mind that I’ve lost 65 pounds in 18 months, and I’ve gained countless nonscale victories in the gym, in going shopping, and in LIFE!!! I’ve never seriously contemplated giving up, because when I made my decision to get in shape, I made it for life. But, I do get sidetracked and I do succumb to the pressure of my old habits. I’m by no means perfect, no one is. But I just get back up, dust myself off and move forward, because I konw that it’s the only way I will truly succeed. Giving up is NOT an option.
You can do it! Also, if you’re plateauing and bored of your routine… a visit to LA will cure you. We can go on a long, intense hike and then get something healthy, like pho.
I know exactly how you feel Jess. It’s very hard not to get discouraged sometimes, to not have some off days when you just want to give in and have that huge slice of chocolate cake. But you’ve just got to take it one day at a time, one pound at a time. And that’s one of the great things about such a great community of folks that we have here – they’re always their for you to offer support and encouragement when you’re having a not-so-great day. So keep with it, day by day, and I know you’ll make it to your goal!
.-= Brandon´s last blog Weekend Warriors Challenge: The Empire Strikes Back =-.
Jess, thank you for this. I think your feeling burnt out, being short-sighted, wanting to give up sometimes is applicable to everyone, no matter what phase of life they’re in, or what challenges they face. I really appreciate your positive insights and am so happy to see that you’ve been so disciplined on working toward your goal. Thanks for inspiring me to do the same. Love you, E
Loved this post Jess.
Right up my alley in terms of analogies. Now you just gotta learn a Crane Kick!
-Steve