Pushing Play

I just simply wasn’t feeling it.

I went through my entire day, today, feeling heavy and a little blasé about my workouts. Not just today, but over the last little bit. The thought of having to endure broken ankle pain AND ab pain was a bit overwhelming today, for some reason. Maybe it was the 3-4 days of ridiculous ab pain I endured over the last little bit. Regardless, I wasn’t feeling like my old, gung-ho “Let’s do this!” self.

And what does a guy who wants to avoid working out turn to? TV, of course.

On the platter tonight was last week’s episode of The Biggest Loser. I didn’t wanna be two episodes down and my PVR really could use the 120 minute purge from the memory …. so on it went!

Boy was that an inspiring episode! Contestants were chosen to go home and deal with losing weight in a real life setting – away from the trainers, the dieticians, the gym …

Watching them struggle through their workouts, work through their mental and emotional hurdles and making the right choices in eating was very uplifting. Like, they CAN do it! … And so can I!

There was a point where I looked at my wife and said … “Well, now I HAVE to go work out after this.”

See, it’s not that I was forced … it’s more that once you open your eyes and are able to see the truth, bound by none of your preconceptions and excuses, it becomes hard to NOT do the right thing …. and the right thing for me was to continue to follow through on my Ab Challenge.

So after my show, I went to my basement and proceded to start light – Ten Minute Abs. I figure I’ll do this til I work up my muscles to be able to tackle the grueling sessions of Ab Ripper X again …. it won’t take long … maybe a week?

And “Light” is WAY too soft a term to describe the workout ….. it was tough … but a positive note is that my ankle is getting stronger. I was able to put more weight on it than last time. And some of the exercises I had skipped because of pain, I was able to do this time! So that was definitely uplifting.

I feel sore now … but really … pain is the only thing that we have to let us know that we are living, right?

If you are stuck in a rut and are having a tough time finding motivation I say this: Either watch the Biggest Loser, or try to understand that the only way to make THAT type of change is to struggle. You can do it …. WE can do it.

And I am glad that I did it tonight …

I’ve always been a fan of Biggest Loser. Always.

I’ve loved the premise, the way that the game is played in comparison to other reality elimination shows and the camaraderie that is shared by its participants. The nation just seems to rally and be more positive during this show. It has a good, old fashioned, POSITIVE message: Being healthy is important for a long life and nothing worth doing is easy.

But I was always SHY of admitting that I DID watch it. I guess it’s because I watched it, in part, just so I could laugh at all the fat chicks trying to do pushups. And partly it was just so I could feel better about myself, like: “Well, at least I’m not THAT fat.” Looking back on my shallowness, it actually kind of shames me.

But when I suffered the herniated discs in my lower back in 2007, I watched the show with a completely different focus and new found insight.

Where I first watched the show as a guilty pleasure, I now watched it as a human being with compassion and empathy. Where I once watched “fat people trying to get thin”, I now watched people trying to improve their quality of life, just as I was trying to do with my back. The show that year tugged at my heartstrings and it was one of the main reasons I decided to opt for P90X.

Ever since then, I PROUDLY watch the show and profess its virtues.

I’ve had the theme song (Proud – Heather Small) as a Song of the Week on my blog.

It’s not about the WEIGHT. It’s about the journey: From broken to fixed, healing whatever is inside you in order to make that change. Working HARD to meet your own goals. Not doing it because you wanna look like someone else, but because you don’t wanna die before your time. You wanna see your family grow up. You want a better life for yourself.

Well, I’ve been watching this year’s edition of The Biggest Loser and have been gripped by the twists and turns. 2 shows ago a player chose to have absolute power in the game and stabbed her “friends” in the back, come weigh-in time. The ramifications last week were shocking as well, as the contestants had to make do without their kitchen and ONLY order out ALL week. The weigh in proved to be unpredictable, but not in the way you would have expected. One of the contestants has proven to be a real snake and I have gotten so into the show this year that I think I actually dislike this individual as a human being! It’s crazy.

……. Okay, I get it. I get it.

I see the blank stares. It’s a reality TV Show and it’s spawned a legion of Marketing doodads (coffee mugs, soundtracks, cookbooks, diet books, supplements, work out gear) that do no more than pander for your hard earned dollar. It’s corporate. It’s lame. And it’s a turnoff in the same way that people are turned off by Survivor or Big Brother. But don’t blame the participants for the way their hard work and good intentions are whored out to the masses for a quick buck; Blame the heartless NBC execs who are more than willing to sell out a noble purpose for the bottom line and a “fat” payday.

The core of the show, though, it is a noble endeavour: People wanting to change their lives – taking charge! – and putting in the work necessary to do it. For health or family (or sometimes more superficial) reasons, the show IS what P90X is all about: making choices and making changes. Suffering through the workouts. Eating healthier. Learning about yourself and what you CAN achieve. Finding the desire and the heart to keep going. Beating the odds and looking great afterwards.

Trust me, watch the show. But don’t watch it as a regular TV audience member. Watch it as a P90X practicing human being and put yourself in the shoes of the individual. It is hard, sometimes, for your soul to not be moved by the people IN the show.

The contestants are currently on Week 6. New episode tomorrow at 8:00pm. If nothing else, PVR it and watch it when you feel like you DON’T wanna work out.

This is a show that I consistently turn to when I feel down about my workouts. Watching other human beings go through the motions like we do ….. it makes the struggle easier. Especially if you work out on your own.

I love the Biggest Loser.