Kids sure do grow up fast

Lately I have been struck by how much older Matthew (our 8-yr old son) looks.  Despite a real difference of only 15 months, he seems much older than his brother Logan.  I watch Matthew when he goes to the rock climbing gym, or as he plays soccer, or as he plays videogames... and I am struck by how he carries himself.

 
There is less and less of the awkwardness that often accompanies the post-toddler years.  He moves like a cat, and looks like a miniature teenager. (Now there's a frightening thought-- Dear God, he's only 8!)  I watch him with a mixture of pride, and wistfulness.  Wistfulness for youth in its own right, and for the speed with which time is passing, carrying my precious son towards manhood....

I'm addicted....

To working out. I've been going to the gym every day now for weeks. 3 days of weight training and 4 days of core strengthening exercises and cardio work.

At the end of last year, my previous employer brought in a motivational speaker at a company meeting. The speaker's name was Gary Guller, the only one-armed man to ever climb Mt. Everest all the way to the North Summit. After listening to Gary speak, I did some research on climbing Mt. Everest, and got a better grasp of the unique challenges he faced (namely: the Hillary Step), and the thought struck me that I had no more excuses for my overweight, out-of-shape physical condition.

You can find out more about Gary and Team Everest here:  Gary Guller  and Team Everest '03

I hung up the Team Everest poster in my office, and included a sign underneath it saying that "If a one-armed man could take a team of quadriplegics and persons with other disabilities to Everest base camp, and then climb to the north summit, then I could lose 60 lbs in 2008".

So I started.  I started doing cardio work on the treadmill, changed my diet  significantly to a doable and reasonable plan suggested by Men's Health  (Belly off!), and went and had a full physical from my doc.

My resolve was only further strengthened by the death of my mom in February, at only age 63.  She died way too early for modern times, primarily because she didn't take care of herself.

So I got even more serious.  After changing jobs and losing access to the little free gym I was using... I bit the bullet and joined a top-notch gym.  And then, after mucho discussions with my wife, we actually budgeted the money for a personal trainer.  (Due to my Everest inspirations, I call my trainer my "sherpa" )

Now, I'm working out 7 times a week.  It's a lot of hard work, but I have more energy to expend throughout the day, my clothes are fitting better, and I've lost around 25 lbs and over 5% body fat so far.

There's a long way to go, and it takes a lot of commitment, but I really feel like I've gotten over the commitment hump.  Indeed... I'm addicted to feeling better about myself :)