Three months of intense workouts, harsh diet control, and constant reminders to do ALL of this have taught me one, somewhat unexpected thing. Weight loss is MUCH easier than I though it was. Thinking back through this project, there where only a handfull of days, at most, when I REALLY didn't want to do my workout/diet/whatever. Even though at times I felt I would collapse, or was unable to continue with my daily life due to all that I was doing, I still felt as though PcP was dragging me along by the nose. As pounds started to melt off and muscles became more and more apparent, I came upon a startling realization...that I had kind of always known but never really fully understood the gravity of.
Our bodies have momentum. LOTS of it.
Every time I did a pushup, every plank I barely eeked my way thru, I could feel them all pushing me to do another, and all the ones I had not yet done where calling me to do them. Now, a week after my last workout. I can FEEL my body yearning for me to start again, to get that feeling that I'd somehow defeated the whole world. The last 3 months of my life are sitting there, staring at me, daring me to start again, DEFYING me to stay in this great shape, to continue pushing myself. Everything I do reminds me that I'm better than I was, and that I can keep it this way as long as I want.
But looking at this as a purely physical phenomenon is incorrect. The ability to overcome the barriers that life may throw in my way is a wonderful feeling. Lifting things and only THEN realizing how heavy they are gives a MASSIVE ego boost, leading to me walking around feeling good, and like I can take on the whole world. Before I had to think hard to do things, because "the hard way" was the one that required a large amount of physical strength and dexterity, but now that is the easy way. Picking up the couch to reach that thing you dropped is now easier than searching for a stick to fish it out. Climbing 15 feet up the wall to get into the locked house is now easier/faster than finding someone to let me in.
The world is my oyster, and now I can pick the pearl whenever I want.
Even better than that is the fact that I now feel as though I have all the knowledge I could need to stay here, or even get better. Very early in the program I realized that I should treat this like a class. I'm doing this less so to get the results that I have attained and more to learn how to do it whenever I want. With Patrick's help I understand the processes of the body better, and can keep pushing myself. Before I started PcP the biggest barrier to me being in shape was a lack of that knowledge. I didn't know which workouts would work, how to really make the muscles burn right, and I didn't particularly want to learn through trial and error This short little class has taught me more about the human body, how it moves and reacts, the way it WANTS to be strong, to do these things which seem hard. Things which would have made no sense at all 90 days ago are obvious facts now, and I wonder about how I missed them before.
But looking at this as a purely physical phenomenon is incorrect. The ability to overcome the barriers that life may throw in my way is a wonderful feeling. Lifting things and only THEN realizing how heavy they are gives a MASSIVE ego boost, leading to me walking around feeling good, and like I can take on the whole world. Before I had to think hard to do things, because "the hard way" was the one that required a large amount of physical strength and dexterity, but now that is the easy way. Picking up the couch to reach that thing you dropped is now easier than searching for a stick to fish it out. Climbing 15 feet up the wall to get into the locked house is now easier/faster than finding someone to let me in.
The world is my oyster, and now I can pick the pearl whenever I want.
To those of you recently joining the project, I congratulate you. You've made a wonderful choice. The road ahead looks rocky and difficult, full of bumps, twists, turns and harsh uphills, but when you look back you will realize that it's not Everest, but the hill behind your house with that delicious apple tree growing at the top, and you can climb up and have one ANY TIME YOU WANT.
The strength you gain from this is strength for life. Not to mention that you are going thru this change!
The strength you gain from this is strength for life. Not to mention that you are going thru this change!
Ok everyone. I want you to all go out and do better than me. I know you have it in you, and you know you have it in you, and Patrick will help you get it out of you. Push hard, and the incredible feeling of being a superhuman will just FLOW into you.
Hercules, over and out.
