It Takes Time, Consistency, & Patience

January 1, 2024. This was probably one of the lowest points of my life. I was broken, depressed, feeling alone, lost, and pretty much every other emotion you can think of. I was going further and further into a dark abyss. I knew I had to do something, so I leaned on one of my pillars that had been a foundational part of my life for many years. Fitness.

I was about 215 lbs, discovered I had gout in my knee, and running was not possible, as it just hurt. Hurt my knees, my back hurt, hell my lungs hurt. So, I started walking and using my gym at work. I would do simple strength training workouts, and ride the stationary bike. Then I would try and walk at least a mile every day. On weekends I'd try to walk 2-3 miles. I knew I had to start slow, as I didn't want to injure myself. As I progressed I started using the elliptical.

Slowly I started jogging. Just one mile, once a week, still lifting 4-5 days a week, and using the bike or elliptical. I hate treadmills. 🤣 I started eating a little cleaner, identifying what did and did not flare up the gout in my knee. I love beer and bourbon, so that's still a challenge, but all things in moderation, right!

Cut to 7 months later. This morning I weighed in at 188, that's 27 lbs down since January. I'm the strongest I have been in a really long time, (not ready to try a one arm push up yet, though there's video footage out there somewhere😉) and I'm averaging 10-12 miles a week running. I still try to walk at least 1 mile a day, only had one flare up in my knee during this time and that was because I had a cheat weekend instead of a day, and overall just feel better.

My mental health is still a challenge, but I'm able to navigate those obstacles a lot better now, then I could months ago. I sought help for that, and that was probably the best thing I could have done ever done for myself.

Sometines we think we have to push really hard to get the results we want, or to improve ourselves. That's not always the case. I think you just have to start. Start easy and gradually progress. Challenge yourself often, but not to the point of injury or defeat. It takes time, patience, and consistency. You'll plateau from time to time, but if you stick with it, you'll break through. Just don't quit.

If you made it to the end of this post, thank you. I hope this inspires you. I hope someone is in your corner to cheer you on. If there's not, hit me up. I'd be happy to lift you up. Together we rise!