I was contacted by 4all to try out to be a brand ambassador. I was encouraged to write a post about…

What or who inspired you to start a fitness routine
and
how are you planning to gain power in the New Year?

As I was running tonight on the treadmill, my mind kept coming back to the question of who or what inspired me.

To be honest, my first motivation is vanity. When I weighed 263 pounds, the first thing that motivated me to move more, eat healthier, was because I wanted to be thin. I wanted to buy cute clothes. I wanted to look good. I had the brains, I wanted the bod.

But as time passed, I realized that vanity is not enough. The pounds may shed quickly in the beginning, but the quest for health is a process that spans over a lifetime. When you focus on looking good, well, that “inspiration” fades quickly.

My real inspiration comes from my parents.

At my heaviest, I was always quarreling with my mom about my weight. Always. It seemed like the only thing she could do was pick on me about how fat I was. Even though I was huge, my mom had a way of making me feel small and inferior based on my appearance.

It took me a long time to understand that my mom wasn’t concerned about my appearance so much as she was concerned about my health. She wanted me to be healthy, not thin. She could care less what I weighed, but she didn’t want me to get type II diabetes. She didn’t want me to die from a heart attack at an early age. She wanted me to live long so I could accomplish great things.

As I’ve become more fit, as I’ve continued on my quest for health, I can see the brightness and joy in my parents’ eyes. They’re proud of me for all that I have accomplished, not just academically, but also physically and mentally. Seeing my parents genuinely beam with pride is priceless. They don’t boast about my weight loss. Rather, they’re proud that I have learned to set and achieve my goals. They’re happy that I no longer have sleep apnea. They’re in awe that I ran a half marathon.

And knowing that they want the best for me, that they want to see me healthy and fit, that they want to see me hit new milestones in life, motivates and inspires me to train every day.

As an only child, I have a lot of pressure to perform well, and knowing that my weight and health no longer trouble my parents at night, knowing that my mom doesn’t have to fret about my fitness, gives me a sense of peace and satisfaction.

What started out as a plain old quest for beauty turned into a journey towards health with a focus on family. I feel as if I can connect with my parents more now. I can communicate with them and I know when to stick up for myself.

I am gaining power in 2011 by learning how to budget my time better. It sounds so simple, but it isn’t. People make time for things that are important to them, no matter how busy they claim to be.

Do I want to skip the gym after a long day of class? Yes, sometimes, but I keep in mind the sense of accomplishment I feel after a great workout.

I finally ran my first 5K in 2011, which is also my first 5K in a few months. It felt good. I felt strong. And that is something money can’t buy.

I am planning to gain power by running a marathon sometime in 2011. And hopefully a triathlon. This all takes time, but with a training schedule, determination and diligence, I can do it.

I will gain power in 2011 by not succumbing to that nagging voice in the back of my mind telling me to give up. I will not find excuses to skip the gym. I will not use excuses to eat like crap. Because I’ve got big things to strive for, big milestones to accomplish.

 
What inspires you to move?

What are your goals for 2011?

How will you achieve these goals?

When I was little, my mom always told me that in order to succeed in life, you’ve got to take one solid step at a time.

一步一腳印
yi bu yi jiao yin

Translated literally from Chinese to English, this means: one step, one footprint.

Chinese proverbs never seem to fail. In order to get anywhere, especially to establish a solid foundation, you’ve got to take one step at a time.

If you leap too far ahead, you’re likely to trip, fall and injure yourself.

Sometimes, I really should listen to my mother.

Applying this one solid step at a time mentality to running, I’ve realized that the way I got to running from nothing to a half marathon last year was because I was dedicated and trained myself every single day. I was always in training mode. I listened to my body, I built up a solid foundation of miles, and I pushed myself.

I didn’t try to go from no miles to ten miles in one day. I took it one step at a time, one mile at a time. And it worked.

I am ditching the mentality that I’ve regressed and just focusing on starting with a clean slate.

So I might not be able to run a sub-10 minute mile right now, but that’s ok. I will get there eventually.

If I stick with it, I will continue to improve.

I’ve been running at least a mile consistently almost every single day, and it’s gotten easier.

I did sprint intervals yesterday and was able to sprint at a 6.5mph pace for a quarter mile. And I wasn’t out of breath or in pain.

Sometimes, I just have to give myself time.

Each step I take has to be solid because I need to build a foundation so I can continue to add miles. Instead of focusing on the 13.1 or 26.2 miles ahead in the future, I’m focusing on what I can do today that will impact and improve my running.

Trying to skip ahead, trying to run too much too quickly, will only lead to injury. And I don’t need that.

What I do need is…

Consistency.
Dedication.
Focus.

And so far, it’s working out well. I’ve set small goals for myself, and even though I’m a bit behind my training schedule, I’ve made a ton of progress in just a few short weeks. It feels good to be able to run again.

I have yet to run a full 5K, but I know that I will be at that point soon enough.

One solid step at a time.

 

What proverbial genius have your parents bestowed upon you?

How do you go about focusing on taking one step at a time?