Last night my brother-in-law showed me some pictures from two Christmases ago (2008). At the time I weighed around 225 lbs., had a nearly shaved head, wore XL shirts, had a 36″ waist, and a major double chin. I didn’t think I was fat, people tell me now that they didn’t think I was fat, but I WAS FAT!

I was sucking down full calorie soda all day long and the sugar was building into major amounts of fat in my body. My body fat percentage was around 33%. I was 28.5 years old, and looked AT LEAST thirty- wow!

18 months later, I have given up regular pop, eat vegetables and like them, watch what I eat, run 3 miles every other day, do lots of sit-ups and push-ups daily, and have grown fond of riding my bike often instead of driving. I now weigh around 165 lbs., have a body fat percentage of around 11%, grew my hair out, shaved my chest (tmi), have amazing muscle tone, and look all of about 18 years-old!

Some tell me that I care too much about what shape I am in or that I am too anal about sticking to my fitness plan. I couldn’t care less! All I have to do is look at that picture of me from 18 months ago, and know that it has all been worth it and that all of the work I continue to put into it will be worth it to keep up the great shape I’m in.

The exercise routine I follow is running, abs, and light weights. The abs and weights I do in my home. And the running I do exclusively outside.

Lately it has been VERY cold outside when I go to run which tends to tighten up my muscles and joints, making it very difficult to run. So I have been considering joining a gym that is very close to my house in order to run on a treadmill when it is too cold to run outside.

This weekend I got a trial pass for the gym to see if I would like it. Yesterday I tried it out.

Normally I run in the morning throughout my neighborhood. I wake up, get out of bed, put on my running clothes and go. The whole routine only takes about 30 minutes. The gym, I learned, takes a lot more work; and a whole lot more time.

I had to get up and get dressed. I had to drive to the gym (because it was very cold and I didn’t have a lot of time to walk there). I had to check in with my pass at the front desk. I had to go into the locker room and put my stuff in a locker. I had to find a vacant place to stretch out. I had to find a machine that worked. I had to set up the machine. I used the machine. Then when done with exercising I had to go back to the locker room to get my stuff, then go out to my car to go home. This routine took forever compared to the normal one.

Not only did going to the gym take a lot more work and a lot more time; there was also a ton of distraction for my ADD (not diagnosed)  mind to handle:

One of the first things I noticed as I walked in were lots of guys strutting around like roosters trying to impress each other and the hens around them by the way they carried themselves, the clothes they wore, and how they looked at others- especially the belittling looks they gave to the other men. One guy even laughed at me for some reason while I was lifting weights??

Another thing that was distracting were the old guys walking around naked in the locker room- it’s been a while since being around naked guys (HS PE) and I’d like to keep it that way.

Once I finally got to the treadmills I as going to work on, I stepped on one to begin running only to find out that I could not get it to work. I had to go to another and attempt to figure out how to program it for the run I wanted to do. I began to run at a high pace to reach a goal of three miles when all of the sudden, about 1.75 miles into the run, the treadmill halted to a dead stop- almost throwing me off. I hadn’t pressed any buttons, it just quit working and I could not get it to start up again.

So with my heart rate soaring I stepped to the treadmill next to me in order to continue my run, only to learn that it would not turn on either. I tried another and got to running again but the speed kept lowering to a level I did not want it to be at without me adjusting it.

What a waste of time; I can’t spend the majority of my valuable workout time simply trying to get a machine to work.

I didn’t really like the treadmill either. There was no sense of going anywhere or accomplishing anything like there is outside. I got very bored.

The hand rails on each side of me on the treadmill were also very constricting. I felt like I was running inside of a box, unable to move my arms freely.

In front of me were 6 TVs playing various different shows. My ADD and OCD mind felt like I had to watch and know what was going on one each show. My eyes tried to scan the closed captioning to read what my ears could not hear all while trying to listen to a podcast. Many of the shows had sexual undertones and attractive women in the leading roles which did not help my mind stay focused on honoring God with my body while I worked out.

Then to top it all off; there were fit, young, attractive women in tights and tight fitting sport’s tops everywhere! How can I give the treadmill all that I have when a spandex enveloped perfectly shaped female butt bounces up and down in front of me the whole time?! I’m a man for Pete’s sake. This gym thing is tough!

So after over an hour of frustration and distractions I determined that the gym was not for me and for now I will stick to a shorter more focused and effective workout- even if it is 15 degrees outside.

…having something to distract your mind while you exercise.

As you exercise, your brain usually is screaming at you to stop. Other times I find myself repeated phrases over and over again with every rhythmic step of my run- this is weird I know, but I have found it is common when talking with other runners. All of these things can make it very tempting to quit.

So I make sure, that every time I exercise that I listen to something on my iPhone. Most people listen to music, but music can get repetitious and  can cause you to zone out from time to time, so I do something else.

I listen to podcasts. These are great because they can be both entertaining and educational while you are working out. It leaves little time for your brain to tell you to stop, and little time for cycling thoughts to repeat through your mind.

A podcast allows you to work out your mind and your body at the same time; keeping both busy to accomplish your goal of a healthier you.

I am a Christian, so I enjoy listening to preaching podcasts and leadership podcasts while I work out. Here a list of some that keep me company while I exercise:

1. Mars Hill Church- Seattle WA

2. Mars Hill Bible Church- Grand Rapids MI

3. Cornerstone Community Church- Simi Valley CA

4. Northpoint Community Church- Atlanta area GA

5. Elevation Church- Charlotte NC

6. Newspring Community Church- Anderson SC

…Very difficult. But a little determination, 20 minutes of vigorous exercise a day, and eating a low calorie/ low sugar/ low fat diet can change your life and give your kids someone to look up to.

…finally understanding what Nike means by,” Just Do It.” Realizing that once you set up an exercize routine that there is no giving up or turning back. Once you begin your daily routine, and your body starts screaming at you to stop, you just realize that you have to “Just Do It.”