JUST SHOW UP
When do you say enough is enough? When do you throw in the towel, turn your back on a friendship, or break that habit that is comfortable and satisfying for you? Do you wait until your body starts to hurt after all those nights you spent partying? Do you stop eating unhealthy when you can no longer pick up something on the floor with ease? Or do you wait until you lose a loved one before you starting thinking of self care? When do you make a move?
I’m just like you. I was not immaculate in college; I ate too much fast food and consumed copious amounts of alcohol after a long day at work. I abused my body through food, alcohol, nicotine, and long sleepless nights.
Eight months ago, I went for my annual executive checkup and was shocked to find out that I was at my heaviest—194 lbs., 34 notches above my ideal weight. “How could have I let that happen?” I asked myself. Apart from the excess mass, I also had high cholesterol numbers in sugar and fat, which meant a prescription for a daily lipitor. Shocked, fearful, and deflated, I walked out of the hospital completely embarrassed. I didn’t know what to tell my loved ones who were asking what my results were like. Instead, I sat in the car park for a good 15 minutes and asked myself: “What am I going to do?”
The biggest hurdle you will ever experience is the one that you create for yourself. I knew I wanted to be trim so that I could move better, sleep better, and look better for myself and anyone that would interface with me. I knew I wanted to make a change, so I tried my hardest to convince myself. From that hospital parking lot, I drove myself to the community mall across where I live and enrolled myself at the gym. There, I met my trainer, Mel Espinosa (@melborneespinosa, mobile +63916 994 5328). I was drawn
to him because he didn’t have a body builder’s physique. He is of average height with toned arms and had really good posture. Apart from the monthly gym fees, I also swiped my card for 30 personal training sessions with him without looking at the total because I knew one-on-one sessions don’t come cheap.
I was nervous the night before our first session. I was hoping for a storm, an emergency meeting or some excuse so that I didn’t have to attend our session because I knew I would be punished.
Yes, I ended up going, and yes, I also died. I could only run for 10 minutes. I couldn’t do those foreign sounding names he was telling me to do like burpees, mountain climbers, ropes, snatches, deadlifts, and what-have-you. I also knew I would be sore the day after. The next day came and my alarm went off at 7:00 AM. I couldn’t get out of bed because I didn’t want to. I told myself: “Just show up.” And I did every single day since then.
It has been 10 months since that day and a lot has changed. Apart from changing sizes and moving more swiftly, I feel my mind is a lot stronger. I feel a certain stability that I didn’t expect would result from switching to an active lifestyle. I go to the gym six times a week at 8:00 AM and when I’m on a trip, I bring my sneakers and dri-fit shirts so that I have no excuses. I’m down to 172 lbs. and it has been a slow but gradual weight loss. Experts says this is the best kind because the weight won’t come back and my skin won’t be sag. I’ve transitioned. I showed up every singled time.
How about you? When are you going to say enough is enough? When are you going to change for the better?