WBF Blog

Well this week with summer like tempatures blazing outside…wildflowers blooming all over…and an extra hour of daylight to work with…I thought I would talk about getting outside and doing one of my favorite activities!  For me hiking is about getting outside…being in nature…exploring and experiencing new challenges.  It is a gift because you earn your views…you go where only those that braved the hike along with you get to go. 

So when I say “hiking” or “outdoors” are many of you getting scared and envisioning a buggy, hot, dusty, sweaty mess of an afternoon out?  I can understand…I used to be someone who would have rather been in an air-conditioned movie theatre watching aliens blow up the earth than doing pretty much anything outside.  I had no idea what REI was (which if you still aren’t sure- it’s a store that is the holy land for outdoor enthusiasts).  I really never thought of myself as an “outdoors type person”…that is until I traded my flip flops for hiking boots…my popcorn and Milk Duds for trail mix…and hit the hiking trails!  Funny enough some of this motivation for hiking came from going to REI.  Several years ago- I wandered around the store one afternoon wondering what in the heck people did with all of the equipment that I saw for sale there (some of which was totally unidentifiable to me).  And it got me thinking…”what am I missing here”?  As I watched all of the people buzzing around the store and picking up maps…backpacks…hiking shoes…and talking about the places they were going and have been- they sounded so excited…like they couldn’t wait to get out of the store and onto their destination!  The excitement and pure passion was fascinating to me. 

However- in my world hiking at 350 pounds didn’t seem like a great idea.  I thought about what would happen if I got  tired and couldn’t make it back.  And that scared me.  Scared me so much that I didn’t have the confidence to even try it.  However- confidence is a funny thing…all you need is for it to kick in one day…and confidence breeds…well breeds more confidence.  So that is what happened…one day I decided to just try hiking in Peter’s Canyon.  I had no idea what to really expect but I just got tired of sitting on the sidelines.  I had been doing a lot of training in the gym…and I knew I was getting stronger and I had quite a bit of endurance…but it was somehow different outside…less forgiving.  I knew if I pooped out on the treadmill I could always hop off and go sit down.  But outside…on a hike…if I pooped out- well I needed to some how get back home…even if I needed to crawl.  In other words this was a true challange for me…something that scared the heck out of me.  I now realize that so much of that fear was in my mind…and (forgive the pun) it wasn’t a walk in the park…but hiking Peter’s Canyon that day was not scary or daunting and I certainly did not have to crawl back!  Even when I eventually came to the granddaddy of all hills who’s nickname is “Big Red” (well because it’s big and it has red clay like dirt that covers it)…I looked up it and at first thought maybe I had gotten too much sun for even considering climbing up there.  And then I thought one of the greatest things during this weight loss journey…”what is the worst thing that can happen”?  What is the worst thing that can happen from you trying?  The worst thing was that I would climb back down and not make it to the top.  The earth would not come off it’s axis or explode…I would simply come down and try again on a different day.  Now- what is the best thing that can happen?  I could make it and get to see the view from the top!  Yep…and I probably don’t need to tell you - but as I reached the top of Big Red that day I was filled with so much accomplishment!  And I “got it”…I finally understood what all of those people were doing in REI and why they were so excited and passionate!  It wasn’t about the destinations that they were going to…it was about accomplishing…overcoming…conquering…and having their own personal journeys! 

I thought for the first posting I would start out with something that is an absolute key to weight loss and also one of the hardest things to maintain while losing weight.  Motivation.  Come January 1st…we have all had New Years resolution’s that read something like this….I’m going to go to the gym everyday, eat rice cakes for meals while starving myself, and not touch a cupcake (even if there is a gun to my head).  However- by week three we are ready to bite someone’s head off….sneaking food and popping Reese’s peanut butter cups like we are some kind of addict…and we haven’t seen the inside of the gym in days.  Good intentions…do not always equal good results.  When it comes to weight loss we have no shortage of supplies, diets, pills, surgeries, television programs…and even infomercials that promise tight abs with minimal effort.  We look to movies like “Rocky” and think that we can change our lives and bodies over the time lapse of one song (albeit a great motivational song like “Getting Stronger”).  However- when actually stepping into the gym at 6am before going to work…the “getting stronger” mentality quickly dissipates and takes our motivation with it.  So this brings me to our first topic…and that is maintaining motivation. 

Let’s face it- some days  it’s not easy to exercise.  It’s sometimes not even easy to drive to the gym - much less work out in it.  However- someone once said that “half of life is just showing up”…and when it comes to exercise and the gym I think that couldn’t be more accurate.  You have to find ways to motivate yourself into movement everyday.  What is your motivation?  Better health…more energy…being able to play with your kids…looking awesome in that little black dress…fitting into the seat on the Montezuma’s Revenge roller-coaster…shopping couture…traveling through Europe and being able to sightsee for hours at a time…running a marathon…biking on the weekends with your brother…feeling 25 again…bringing sexy back…or being bikini ready come June!  You have to find “that thing”…the thing that will motivate you come 6am when it’s still dark and rainy out…to get moving and pushing toward your goals.  Once you find that thing that is motivating you…hold on to it!  It will be your guiding light…and when your feet are hurting and you think you can’t possibly go another step…call on it…visualize it…and then get out of bed and get to the gym!  Your dreams and goals will thank you in the end!  And I will tell you that without that motivation…you can get as off track as Britney Spears at a Mensa meeting!