So I started out well over 70 pounds heavier, married with two kids
and in a successful job. Lets skip to 18 months later, I'm down to 175
pounds, divorced (I won't make the joke about losing the weight of the
ex...oops, I guess I just did), and I'm back in school. So how did I
end up here?
Well lets start with what I called the
divorce diet. When I found out my wife and I wouldn't work, it took a
pretty good toll on my mental, emotional and physical well-being, as you
would expect. I didn't sleep (Ambien and Klonipin tried their best), I
didn't eat and I barely went thru the motions at work. I dropped 20
pounds by not eating and not sleeping in two weeks. I knew this wasn't healthy.
I would like to
say I made the changes I made because of my kids, but it was more than
that. I wanted something to distract me and to help me burn energy so I
could physically exhaust myself into sleep. A friend suggested
CrossFit, don't worry this isn't going to be a blog that spews my love
of CrossFit, it's going to be a blog that spews my love of CrossFit, my
new diet, my schoolwork, my kids, and anything else I come up with.
My friend had
just started CrossFit and when she was describing it, it sounded like
something that I might be able to handle. It had a set schedule and set work outs ( I
need a schedule as I'm the kind of guy that can make up any excuse to
get out of something), it had scaling (I admit I didn't want to look
weak in front of the other guys and gals), and most importantly, it was a
little expensive (if I'm paying, I'm going).
I
started to realize I could do much more than I thought when I went to
Crossfit Latrobe. I started out slow, walking when I had to walk, using
the rings to do pull ups, doing a lot less weight and so on, just like
everybody that first starts working out. Over the 18 months, I started
to notice I was getting better at every aspect of working out (I won't
be confused for a CrossFit games competitor tho). I know that I won't
be the first guy eaten in a zombie apocalypse, at least.
An
interesting transformation was taking place, not just physically but also
emotionally and mentally. I noticed that when I walked by a
mirror, I didn't avoid it, in fact there were times I actually
lingered. Sure this seems egotistical, but you have to realize, I was a
big guy with zero confidence. I started to focus on the daily routine I
was setting, which I didn't even know I was setting. Somehow I had become more organized since I started working out.
Taking the hour or two a day at the gym was a nice escape for my stress, it still is. When I'm there I think about getting done so I can collapse and sweat. I don't think about bills, laundry, what I'm making the kiddos for dinner, dating, family (lets face it, family is stressful), or any trivial stress I had when I walked in. Working out doesn't eliminate my stress, it's still there when I walk out the gym doors, but it does give me a break and that can lead to a new way to look at a problem.
Working out wasn't the only way I became emotionally stronger, I had a lot of help from my therapist. I have zero issues discussing my need for therapy. If you break your leg, you need a cast. I broke my head, my therapy was my cast. I'll go into why I love my therapist and how it changed my life in a separate post.
So as I was cruising along in my growth adventure, I was downsized from my sales job after being there for only eight months. Keep in mind this was a company that came after me and hired me away from another company. I had been in sales for over 13 years, I was good at it, but I had grown to hate it. I didn't want to become that guy that was miserable everyday of his working life. I shouldn't complain about being downsized/fired/displaced/impacted (I love the way companies try to fluff up termination), because it gave me the push I needed to go back to school. I figured I could get another sales job, be miserable then go back to school, or I could skip the miserable part and go right into school. I'm currently going to school to earn my Masters in Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy, a little ironic I suppose.
So that's just a little about me, trust me I'm a talker, so there is a lot more coming!
No comments:
Post a Comment