September 9, 2009 - Be you

"Insist on yourself. Never imitate." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Elementary school, middle school, high school, college, girls, guys, friends, jobs, bills, vacation, partying, finding a job, finding a career, getting married, having kids, kids graduating from high school, paying for kids college, retiring, then realizing you never knew the real you. You never developed your own identity or learned to tune to your own feelings or needs. You never spent time figuring out your life and your dreams. You were too busy doing what you were supposed to be doing. And now that you're 70 years old, it seems like it might be too late.

But it's not too late right now. It's never too late to take a look at your life, where it's been, where it is now, and where you want it to go and decide if what you are doing is really what makes you happy.

In January of this year I realized I was very unhappy with who I was for the last few years. I had focused too much time on wine and food while letting my relationship, my dogs, and my responsibilities at lab and home fall to the wayside. Though I realized it then that something had to change, it wasn't until May, during my trip to Italy, that I made the decision to become the person I was underneath. In having two weeks to myself, driving through the rolling hills of Tuscany, the beautiful cliffs and shoreline of Liguria, and the mountains of Piedmont, I had time to process everything going on in my life by myself. And the conclusion I came to was that it was time to finally live the life I once had and missed dearly.

Upon my return from Europe, I started eating right, exercising daily, and set some very intense personal and fitness goals for myself. In the meantime, I spent my time alone reflecting on my actions and their consequences. I realized that everything I do has some impact on those that I love, and while I can't always try to please them, I must always be considerate of their feelings. That said, I learned that the most important thing is to be true to myself, my ideals and my morals. This includes working hard, staying focused, showing people how much I care for them, being close to nature and never doing anything that isn't what's best for me or my loved ones.

It's been an interesting 3 1/2 months, with some sorrow and regret, but things are looking up. I know that I'm not perfect, nor do I have to be. I will still make mistakes and will still make people upset from time to time. But what's important is that I am true to myself and that I focus my time and energy on things that are important to me. Staying fit, helping others, spending time with my dogs, family and friends and last but definitely not least, staying close to nature.

I challenge you to take a weekend, or longer, to yourself. Spend the time alone thinking about where you are now and how you got there. Consider what your dreams are and how you can attain them. Think about whether you've been honest to yourself, been taking care of yourself, and whether or not you are the person you want to be. It's never to late to change today, but by tomorrow it might be too late. Don't wait another day, hour, or second. Get to living!

Today's Training: From http://www.crossfit.com:

Four rounds for time of:
100 ft Walking lunge, carrying 30 pound dumbbells
24 inch Box Jump, 30 reps
30 pound Weighted pull-ups, 20 reps

That's a total of 400ft lunge, 120 box jumps, 80 pullups...this is a tough workout!

I did the required reps, but didn't use weights. I finished four rounds in 19:58. After, I did some interval training for 10 minutes, then a cool down and stretch with a giant serving of EnduroxR4. Dinner was baked sweet potato chips and a tilapia stew which includes tomatoes, capers, onion, garlic, olive oil and white wine. It was fantastic!

Another great day that defines who I am now. Lots of time with the dogs, a few great meals, and an intense workout. I feel fantastic!