Back To The Old Grind

Happy Monday! It's almost time for our first run of the week. I would like to invite all of you to join us. Whether you decide to walk or run, it does not matter. I cannot stress to you all enough that the first step is always the hardest. Once you get your legs moving, it's all downhill from there! My personal goal will be at least 1.25 miles without stopping. For those of you who are competitive like me, I would absolutely love for you to leave a comment denoting how many miles you ran before stopping! Let's get the week started off right people. If you keep saying "I'll workout tomorrow", you'll never get around to it. Quit putting it off and join me on this quest to better ourselves both mentally and physically! Good luck everybody, and don't forget to post a comment saying how many miles you ran. I would love to hear from each and every one of you!

End Of The Weekend

The weekend came and went quickly for me. I achieved my running goals and I hope you all did too! Please share this blog with as many people as you can. Anybody that is struggling to lose weight, PLEASE, let them know about this project. Together we can motivate each other! This week will be hard, so prepare yourselves! Make sure to eat 3-4 balanced meals a day. Eating less at each meal, but more often, is the best way to lose weight. It keeps your metabolism at an incredibly high rate, melting fat right off your body. This in addition to 3-5 runs a week will have you skinny before you know it! Bathing suit season is literally right around the corner, and you all know you want to be ready for it. I know I do! I will be checking in with you all tomorrow before my run. If any of you have comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to post a comment, or E-mail me at wxyzgarrett@yahoo.com. I am always here for anybody that wants help motivating themselves! Everybody have a great Monday!

Sunday Update

Hello all, first off, happy daylight savings time! It is approximately 11:48 AM (central) and I will be soon heading out to conquer today's run. Today will also be a 1-mile trek (Remember, if you can't make it that far, it does NOT matter) What does matter is that you get out there and get started! I plan on doing two more updates today, maybe one right after the run and possibly one later on tonight to discuss the plans for this week. I have shaved off about a pound since last week when I started, and that just serves as more motivation for myself, and hopefully for all of you! I'm TELLING you, the hardest part is getting started. Please, please, PLEASE try this experiment with me if you truly want to lose weight. Together, we can do it! Don't forget to get your runs in today. Just go as far as you can without stopping, then head back home. As for me, I will be attempting to hit 1.25 miles without stopping. I will let you all know how that goes a little later. Good luck!

One Last Post Before Bed

Hey guys, just wanted to update you all one last time before I hit the sack. I'm so happy that we finally have this project underway. I hope that readers who are struggling with finding a way to get rid of unwanted body fat will join me in this attempt to get faster, slimmer, and stronger. Together, we CAN motivate ourselves! Tomorrow, we will be running at least 1 mile (or however much you can do). If you can't even make it 50 feet DON'T WORRY. The point of this project is to simply get everybody started. The hardest step is the first one. Once you've started you will not want to stop. Trust me! Or find out for yourself, and join us tomorrow. Thank you all again for helping me motivate myself to keep running. I will update you all tomorrow on our scheduled run.

First Run Update

Well, here we are. The project is finally underway. I accomplished my first documented goal of at least 1 mile without stopping. I live right near Lake Michigan in Northeast Illinois, so my usual route is running along the road towards the lake as far as I can. Today I took it further than ever before (even with sore legs from playing basketball yesterday). I also noticed that it is easier for me to get back to my house. At first, I had to walk the majority of the way back to my house, but now, I can run back almost the whole way. What this tells me is that my stamina level is increasing and that it can regenerate much quicker than just a week ago. It's awesome to see how far I've come in one short week. I hope that you folks choose to join me! There's nothing more rewarding in the world than seeing yourself achieve personal goals like this!

Today's Run

It is almost time for today's run. This is a very important run for me, as it will be the first documented one. I challenge you all to either match my distance, or beat it. I will attempt to run at least 1 mile without stopping. If you wish to take part in today's run, don't worry about not making it all the way. If you have to stop and walk to catch your breath DON'T WORRY. The important part is getting out there and starting. The best of athletes were all rookies at one point in their lives. We can do this! The final distance will be documented when I am done. Good luck to you all! Please, feel free to share your distance with me! I would LOVE to hear from you.

The Problem

I was born in Waukegan, Illinois on April 4, 1994 at 5:02 PM. I came into a beautiful, loving family of three: my father, Patrick, my mother, Patricia, and my sister, Jessica. I've lived in the same area all my life, and I've come to know many people. I've never had to worry about moving and having to make new friends. I've never had to worry about extreme financial hardships. I've never had to worry about not being loved by my parents. I was given a fortunate existence and have never forgotten it. Often times, I find myself pondering the possibilities of how I could pay back my parents for all the happiness they've given me. I get along with them better than most kids get along with their parents and for that, I'm extremely thankful. As the years went on, we shared many enjoyable experiences like vacations, holidays, and other times spent together. I started to notice something though. My parents were gaining weight more than my friends' parents were. I thought gaining weight as a person aged was completely normal, and didn't think much of it at first. But then I started to see how it got in the way of their happiness and self-confidence. It scared me because I didn't want them feeling that way, and also, I didn't want to have to go through that. But somewhere in between the middle school and high school years, I started to notice a change in myself. I was never huge as a kid, but also was never skinny. I was comfortable, however and that soon started to change. I was losing self-confidence at a high rate and I started to withdraw from social activities. My parents and I were both victims of this and we put it for far too long. We became sick of how we looked and the way we felt about ourselves. We decided to make a change for the better. My mom started watching her diet in the summer of 2011, and without any immediate exercise, she started to lose weight quickly. It inspired me to do it for myself and, since I worked a summer job for the local park district, I had free access to the fitness center. This was the perfect reason for me to get into shape! It was too late for excuses and I soon found myself in there nearly every day. The months went on, and the pounds fell off. Muscle replaced flab and confidence replaced shyness. My dad saw our success and knew it was time for him to join the movement too. They purchased memberships to the fitness center and soon enough found that they enjoyed working out together. Today, March 10, 2012, I have lost 30+ pounds and replaced some of that space with muscle. My mother has lost over 50 pounds. My father doesn't believe in weighing himself and I have no idea how much he has lost, but believe me when I tell you he looks good! 30 pounds sounds like alot, but it is not enough for me. I still have a long way to go and have focused on getting out of the crowded fitness center and on to the streets. I have taken up a new practice: running. I was never good at running. Often times I saw my friends who were on the cross country or track team running miles on end each day for practice and this never ceased to amaze me. I decided that I could do it too, and one day, set out for a run just to see how far I could get. I only got about three quarters of a mile before I had to slow down for a breath. That was only 8 days ago. Since then, I have already doubled the distance I can run without stopping and have found a new joy in running. I know, though, that I still have a long path ahead of me, but I am willing to work for the rewards. I have had a history of getting bored with things, and quit them shortly after I start. Running will not be added to the long list of failed attempts in my life. I have created this blog not only for readers, but as an incentive for me to do my daily runs. I would like to invite anybody who is struggling with weight (girl or boy, young or old) to join me on this crusade to end our pain of being overweight. If we join others, we can help motivate each other to keep going through the hard times! So please, join us on this quest to end obesity.