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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

My BP numbers are terrific!! Yayy!!!

I am soo cautiously excited crew!! On the advice of a friend who asked me had i taken my BP(Blood Pressure) lately i went to WallyWorld(Walmart) and got it done. It's been an issure for me the last few years and it runs in my family. Soooo off i went. The machine there is really cool because you can set up an account right there and they will log your results and email you everything!! Anyway i was pleasantly surprised to see that my BP wasssss!!! Drum roll!!!! 118/73 Wow!!!!!!!!! I know!! I know!!!! Now in order to appreciate this fully you have to know that i have had numbers as high as 170/100! Its been coming down over the last few years, and the last time i had it checked which was last year it was like 145/90. So this is a big deal and i do thank God! It's also a testiment to what can happen to your health if you stick with your workouts and eat better!! If i can do it so can you!!! Don't give up and don't give in!! God doesn't make quitters he makes people who have failures, but you can come back from a fall. Just believe!! You got this!!! Sodas down!! Water up!!! Let's Go!!!
Peace and Love!!!!!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Something different OMG!

Good morning all! Today i decided to try a little something different at the gym today. I was inspired by a friend of mine who uses Xifinity videos for his workout. Sooo i decided that i would jump rope as a warm up for about 20 minutes and then try a "Core burn" interactive video at the gym. Can i tell you that it worked the snot out of me??!! LOL! I felt like spaghetti noodles when i left out of that room. No worries though...i locked the door so nobody could see me sweating like a pig trying to hold my stomach in and balance on a matt while laying on my side and lifting a leg up. It was crazy intense, but i realize i need to do different things to feel the calorie burn! Do you know you that the reason most people fear a thing is because they don't challenge a thing? In my own life it's definitely true. You say well, What will people think? How is this going to look? This is going to hurt isn't it? And the list goes on. But at the end of the day, the person who says what the heck? What's the worse that can happen? These are the people who succeed at TRYING! Never let it be said that you didn't at least try something different. Even if it means taking you out of your comfort zone. Today driving into work i thought...take a different route in to work. I mean dang...you go the same way every day. Not a big deal i did. Keep it spicy people and do something different for a change. I am!
Sodas down!! Water up! Peace and Love!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Mind your bidness!

Ok! Ok! Im flattered but it can be a little annoying. Sooo today i hit the gym like i do on most Sunday mornings before church.  Im on the treadmill doing my thing. When im there im totally zoned in...feel me? Im not paying attention to anyone or anything, but the music on my ipod and the feeling of a good sweat at about mile 4. As im running i notice a lady come in and hop on the machine beside me...cool. I can't help but notice her looking at my numbers ive got programmed in my machine as i run...hahaha. I chuckle inside...and keep it moving. Anyway..she hops off and im still moving. Cool...im in the zone thinking ive only got a few more minutes then its back home to get ready for church. All at once...this hand waves across my face and i darn near fall off the freekin treadmill!!! Dang!! What the???? Its the lady!! She's like...umm how long you gonna run??? Huh??!! What??! I stammer...uhh 6 miles i say. Wow! she says...why 6? Im thinking to myself..lady!! really?? Your killing my vibe! Don't she know i need all the wind i can get to finish this run???!! Im polite but brief. Thanks for the encouragement! I say...lol! Can i just repeat the message i had from a previous blog. I am not in competition with anybody but ADOLPH!! I could care less what you do im doing me! ...LMBO! The moral of the story is this folks...whatever you do in life beit excercise,school or some type of small business etc. You and i have to develop a level of tunnel vision that blocks out people so that you can keep rolling whether or not they celebrate you or despise you! Yeah...they wonder how you do what you do, but man they don't get that your dialed in!...you were built for this! Your paying your dues through sweat and pain trying to make a LIFESTYLE change. Hang in there crew and mind your bidness! Stop looking around at what others do and do you!! Stop trippin! Everybody was a beginner at some point! Sodas down! Water up! Peace and Love! P.S. Ohhh the satisfaction i got when the fatboy keeps running while you gasp for more air!!! #killin it

Friday, February 22, 2013

It aint worth it!

Happy Funky Friday people! Can i just say with all that i have going on in my life personally that it still aint worth me eating like a fool!!! Sure i could but im trying to chill! I'm starting to turn the corner with stress and transform it into gym time. Yeah! I figure if i can channel some stress into burning calories atleast i won't feel doubly bad about whatever im dealing with and i actually feel better after i run or go to the gym! Soo!!! one day at a time we roll on folks. Look how far you've come??!!! You can't give up now cause you got issues and you want a Cinnabon! Take a minute and think it through first. If you do eat something stupid you best be working it off!!..lol!! Have a good weekend and remember excercise aint a fad for us! It's a LIFESTYLE baby!!!!
Come on now! Sodas down!! Water up!!! Peace and Love!!!!!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Drop it!

Good morning all! Today my hope is that i will learn to lean more on God than myself. That i will listen a lot better than i talk and think before i speak. Im grateful today that ive lost more weight...4.2lbs and dropping! So i am currently 232.6. You know? I thought about that saying "lost it". I'm not sure that's adequate for me personally, because i don't want to find it again! LOL! My buddy Art sais that losing weight isn't a Battle it's more like a War filled with battles. I like that. So i'm embracing this victory but i know there are more hills to climb,more runs to challenge and more weights to lift. I am very thankful. When you're engaged in life, learning to drop some things that weigh you down is important. Give your mind a break and just "drop it." Don't forget that the sun still shines and you are still alive. Failing is part of the process that leads us all to victory personally. And don't get hung up in who sees it and knows it! Whatever! They can't live your life because it belongs to God. Oh yeah!! See mess ups help you to help other people who mess up. But if you act like you've never wanted a twinkie or a cookie you're trippin! Aint nobody got time for that!!!! Ha! Calm down! Don't beat yourself up. Just "drop it" and start again! Sodas down! Water Up!!! Peace and Love!!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

You can learn something from everybody!

I will be sooo glad when this sore throat of mine!! It's really annoying and it actually makes me sooo sluggish between that and the coughing. You really want to just lay in bed and drink warm tea and cuddle in a blanket. But anyway i pressed in the gym and did like 5.3 miles on the hamster wheel(treadmill) at 6.0mph!! OMG!!! The sweat was rolling!..lol!! You know at that moment on the treadmill i thought back to his heirness Michael Jordan in the Flu game. You remember that game right? Where he was soooo sick but he pushed through with a fever and all the flu like symptoms and went off for like 60 points or something!!! Hahaha! well i envisioned myself like MJ and kept on pushing on that thing untill it beeped! I felt sooo accomplished. Do you know you can learn something from anybody or anything??? If you pay attention long enough you can see things in people you'd like to mimic or things that you say...hmmm..nahhh i aint doing that! lol!! Life is like a blank canvas that you paint as you wish and you and i can use the good and the bad experiences of others to create our own picture!!! If you want what other people have you may have to do what they did??? Imagine that? Or if you don't want what they have don't do what they've done! Sodas down!! Water up!! Peace and Love yall!!!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Health and Strength!

Thank God it's finally friday yall! We made it! Today my workout was a push because i didn't feel especially well with a cold. But nevertheless i did it. May we all be grateful for whatever health and strength we have. You know what?? No matter how bad we think we have it. Somebody would gladly trade places with us. Aint that a trip?? Just when you think you've got it bad that someone else has it worse? Impossible right? Nope! Today is beautiful so let us not focus on what's always wrong in our lives but what is good. That helps to keep me focused and appreciative. Your life may not be perfect,but then again nobody's is. Take a deep breath, count your blessings because they are many.
Cars,clothes and material things don't mean a thing if you can't enjoy them because of the stress to keep them. This weekend get out and get active!! Run,jump,skip and be silly for once! Ohhh!..and you know how we do! Sodas down!! Water up!! Peace and Love!!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Some days you just wanna eat some Junk!

Snickers,icecream,apple pie,hostess cupcakes,twinkies and oatmeal rasin cookies all rolled up together and eaten at once!!! LOL! Yesterday was one of those days for me! No! I didn't eat all that, but i sure felt like it. Sometimes i just feel like i want some junk sooo bad! For me, normally the feeling fades after i throw a tantrum and look at a picture of myself a year ago. Oh yeah...that's my weapon against my mind to somehow want to go backwards. I think about how i felt and how i looked in those pictures and how i NEVER want to go back!! Soooo...what do i do? I eat some peanuts...i eat a starlight mint....i eat some apple or caramel flavored rice cakes...i have a hershey's kiss or an apple. Anything BUT the above! See for me i just need to take the edge off. Seriously yall it's what i do to help me. Bottom line is this. When you feel the urge to binge, you better chill out, get a  grip and grab an old pic!!! If your just getting started use whatever tool you have at your disposal to not go backwards!!! It completely sucks and you'll regret it afterwards if you allow yourself to pig out on crap! Look! It's a battle and everybody isn't doing what your doing. Fight the good fight and tell that cookie to talk to the hand!! Sodas down!!! Water up!!! Peace and Love!!!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Staying focused long enough to win!

Following through has at times been a tough thing for me when it comes to excercise. I can remember when i started college my freshmen year at VCU in orientation. The counselor said, "take a look around because not everybody that starts here today will finish." He was right. And unfortunately i was one of those people. But as ive grown in life and taken a few classes over the years. Pursuing my education has always been something that ive always considered to be important. Just like with education,weight loss and being healthier takes a will,determination and a focus that will outlast distractions and stinkin thinkin. Who knows? Getting a degree may be the next thing i accomplish in life,but for now my focus is on my body. Maybe my list of things to check off will be that degree? I don't know? But i do know that in life whatever we do. We have to decide to stay focused long enough to win. You know what? You may not be as fast or as strong as the next person,but your focus should be soooo laser sharp that it oulasts the muscles or speed of others. They way i see it, anybody can quit!!! There are people all around the world who do that everyday!!!! Start and stop,start and stop!! Don't you get tired of starting and stopping?? I do! It gets on my nerves! Soo remember folks. You may not have a pep rally cheering you on at 4am telling you, you can do it! You may not have a friend call you up and ask you to meet them at the gym! No! But you do have to bring your focus with you as much as you can. A good friend of mine told me years ago when we were in business together that,"you have to be the machine."I think everyone has the ability to develop an iron will,but it starts with us making a decision to stay focused long enough to win! Yeah..even through the dumb scale that won't show the numbers we like! Even through the distractions of life and the people who don't believe you will. We have to stay focused long enough to win! Sodas down! Water up! Peace and Love!!

Monday, February 11, 2013

A brand new week.

Hey all! Hope you had a good weekend. Mine was pretty good. I got to spend some time with my sons and laugh with them!..lol! Kids come up with the craziest stuff and they do have a lot to say if you just listen to them. One thing im learning is to not be soo self absorbed with my running and workouts that i forget to listen to them. We went to dinner on Saturday and it was interesting to hear them share about some of the struggles they face in school. They really enlightened me on how things are in a predominately white school. I can't even relate because where i grew up my school was mostly black. So to hear them share about that was worth listening to. Anyway, this week my approach is to get back to what i have to do as far as eating. I thought i did pretty well but when i stepped on the scale i had gained 2lbs back!! Ohh well..i can trace back my eating on last week and it all becomes clearer now. Yeah there was that Woodgrill meal for an employee who left....and oh yeah i went to the cafeteria at work and ate a little more than i should. And ohhh yeah! I did have and oatmeal cream pie that i knew i shouldn't have had before i bought the stupid thing! Sooooo!! Its back to what i know i must do. Hopefully this week we all can get a fresh perspective and do what we have to do. Hiccups  are a part of the battle, but quitting is not an option! I was back in  the gym this morning and got a nice sweat on...Let's do this! Sodas down! Water up!! Peace and Love!!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

I had a moment.

Well thank God i did what i said i was going to do today. I told myself that from here on out i need to do 10 miles on Saturday's in preparation for this 10miler next month and i was able to get it done!! I couldn't help though at about mile 8 to be overcome with emotion just thinking about my mother. GOD!! I miss that woman! She taught soo much about life and people and how to stay focused even when it doesn't feel good. I watched her work one of the most stressful jobs in the world as a social worker for the city of Hampton. She'd come home with an arm full of files and sit at our kitchen table and just cry sometimes! BUT! She never quit! I watched God show her favor towards the end of her career there. She had gotten a new boss that nobody seemed to care for and she was very demanding. But for some reason mom would say,"Adolph that woman aint done nothing to me." As time went on this lady helped mom get full disability because of her diabeties as it weighed down on her health...Wow! As i ran i couldn't help but think about how strong she was. I mean it was enough to deal with a crazy job and clients but then she had my, daddy Adolph Young Sr. to deal with..Sheesh! I loved the man,but he was just as crazy as those clients mom had...LOL! BUT! She never quit! So when i thought about my mom and all the crap she had to deal with,but kept pushing...mile 8 suddenly turned into mile 10 and i was done! I'm told i will have these moments years from now,but its all good. Mom's legacy will live on in me. I was glad the Lord allowed her to see and do soooo much in her retirement. That woman literally traveled around the world!!!! I couldn't keep up with her if i had tried..but i miss her a lot. Anyway..stay focused gang and embrace the ones you love while they are alive. Tell them you love them...like a lot...like all the time!! And do something good for yourself,by taking care of yourself! Sodas down!!! Water up!!!!!! Peace and Love!!

Friday, February 8, 2013

There's more to you than what people see.

Today i had the pleasure of being in the gym ALONE. Not a soul was there but me. So when i have that opportunity i like to talk and sing out loud!! Sometimes you just want to be silly and say whatever you want without getting strange looks..lol! At least i don't think anybody saw or heard me?? Anyway, today was sheer will. I woke up to snow and a little ice and im thinking...Nahhh! Ima chill today! But! Neverthelss i made it. It could have easily gone the way of the pillow though. While i was there though i started thinking about the type of person that i am when it comes to life and my perspective about things. I know..i know! I have these deep conversations with myself while im running. But it really does help me to sort through things and hopefully come to some conclusions. What i came up with this morning is that..im not the smartest guy or coolest dude but i am a person who wants to be better. Not just physically,but mentally and spiritually. My approach to life is to live it to the fullest and have no regrets. But a self inventory is sometimes the best medicine. There really is more to you and than what people see. We are unique beings who are constantly "becoming." Working out and taking care of our health just helps us to hopefully be here long enough to see our destiny through. I mean doesn't it make since that while we are here on planet earth that we at least have a great quality of life? I used to think it was all about how much money i could make.Hmm.. But in the end if you don't have peace with yourself and better shell(body)to live in. What good is all that money going to do for you? Aight! Im done preaching..lol! Be blessed and safe on this Fantastic Friday!!! Sodas down! Water up!!! Lookatcha!! Peace and Love!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Mix it up!

Ok so you know i'm after that 6 pack right?..hahaha! Yesterday i thought about what i would do today to change up my work out a bit. I have to admit there are times when i get a little bored with the same routine. So last night i said i would do some ab work and try to tighten up that tire in the middle! Can i just say it's a good feeling when you can rub your stomach and feel your rib cage? LOL! I mean i love seeing progress,but i have to stay engaged if i'm going to keep going. This morning was good though. I worked out on 3 different ab machines and then i hopped on the bike for a few. Nice workout! Good sweat and i feel accomplished. Not only that but im trying to remember to give my knees a break. I'm still a big guy so i have to do that to keep running for a long time. I get kind of in a zone in my mind sometimes and think that if i don't always run im not "working out." Listen...anything you do which is more than what you were doing is a good thing. If nobody tells you today? You are awesome just because!! Mix it up crew and incorporate some other things that can keep you motivated to reach your goal. Its all good!
Sodas down! Water up! Peace and Love!!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Outside Run

Wassup everybody? I had a nice run this morning outside. It's a nice break from the gym and i really prefer to be outdoors anyway. The only bad thing is running across skunks,possums and whatever critters might be out there!..lol! Make today a great day and move as much as possible. My mind is full of thoughts and ideas about the next quarter of the year. Big races  etc.. etc.!!! Today was brought to us by God. Embrace it and do something nice for somebody else..ohhh and try not to go off!!
Peace and Love!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Got Heart?

Every so often a story just moves me soo much that im in tears. This morning as i worked out was one of those moments. I always look at ESPN when im on the treadmill running and i heard the story of a kid who's heart literally stopped beating on the football field. The kid was dead! Had it not been for a nurse in the stands that knew cpr and other precautions to take this boy would have been gone. Anyway they showed how this kid had 2 options. Either have a bypass and never play again or have a riskier surgery that if successful would allow him to play ball. He opted for the latter. To see him cry when he met his team on the field in street clothes knowing it would be a while before he could suit up, moved me!!!! I cried! He battled back though and began training and made it back to the game he loved with a winning touchdown for his team. Heyward Demison was the kids name and he really did have HEART!! Now every story doesn't always have a happy ending in life. We all know that. But let me ask you. Do you know that nothing can beat you until you stop battling? I mean i think im starting to understand my responsibility is to keep fighting no matter the outcome. If i stay the same weight and never reach my goal i want to be known as a guy who had heart! If i never run a marathon or get a six pack. I wanna be known as a guy who had heart! Because in the end TODAY is all any of us really has. If life ended today what would people or rather what could YOU honestly say about your level of fight???? I'd like for part of my legacy to be that, "Man he came a long way and fought til the end!" Ask yourself. Got Heart? Sodas down! Waters Up! Peace and Love!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Full steam ahead!

Aright! Now that Ray Lewis has had his last ride and i ate plenty of pizza and wings, it's time to get back to what WE DO! It was fun and i had a great time. The food was great! I hadn't had Pappa Johns in a minute and Buffalo Wild Wings Carribean Jerk was off the chain! But alas i must keep the goal in mind. Ohh yeah did i mention i dropped 2 more pounds on Sunday. I was soo happy about that. Now i am at 235. Although i may have gained the 2 i lost after Sunday afternoon!..LOL! Oh well...Look! You know im gonna live my life! I aint no quitter! So bright and early i was back in the gym working like crazy today. See! This is one more reason why i call this a LIFE STYLE. Just over a year ago i would have been like whatever! Ima eat and i don't care about the fricken scale or anything else afterwards. But.....i do. Party time is party time. But the grind and the mission remains the same. Eat less and move more! Oh and the strawberry lemonade my wife made was excellent!!!! hahaha! The water is flowing freshly this a.m. though!! My point here is simple. It may be unorthodox to some but it's my approach none the less. Have fun and enjoy life,but excercise some moderation and don't hop off the wagon. Keep your hands around the handle and push FULL STEAM AHEAD gang! You got this!!!! Don't call it a come back. We never left!! Sodas down! Water up!!! Peace and Love!!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Ok! I had 2 cookies! What??!!

Alright alright!....i had 2 cookies yesterday i can't lie! But i did not have any soda. I don't think it will be the death of me, but i didnt want to do it and i did. I guess i still need to grow in that department, but hey im trying. My run yesterday wasn't bad until i got frustrated with my new running watch. Men don't typically read the instructions on things and i guess im no different. I ran for about 5 or 6 miles before i noticed the stupid thing was in some other mode!! DANG!! Soo angry!! But i ran anyway and it was freezing cold!! It had to be still in the upper teens at 7:30am. I pushed to the gym to get 4 more miles of treadmill work in to try and capture 10 miles of training. I really want to be ready for this 10miler in March. Ohh yeah and i did get all my water in and then some. My eating yesterday wasn't bad at all. I went to Applebees and had chicken fingers and fries and water and later that evening i had some yogurt and popcorn...oh and the 2 cookies!..lol. It's all good. I am learning moderation day by day! How did you eat yesterday?? Let's stay focused and fight to get and stay in shape! Go Ravens!! hahaha!! You are amazing no matter what anybody says!! Peace and Love!!!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Ssshh...wait a second! Your hear that?

Do you hear what i hear??? Hahaha! Ahhh the sound of nothingness! That's the sound of your critics that said you won't stick with it a year from now. You'll quit just like the last 100 times! You talk a good game but YOU, you're not really down with all this! See when i run, that satisfaction kinda plays in my head. You silence people, not by what you say but by what you DO! I remember when i started walking at the track i told myself i'd start running a lap then walking a lap and just alternate for a while. Then one day i decided im going to run until i throw up!!! LMBO! And that's exactly what i did! See nobody really knows your level of "being sick and tired of being sick and tired!!"
You have to come to the end of yourself and let the folks that love you the most know upfront that you HAVEto do this! Pencil it in,put on your phone,mark a calendar or send up a smoke signal that this is what you do NOW! Tell'em i can go to the game "after the gym". I can go hang out with yall
"after the gym." I can hit the mall "after the gym!!!" Let's all make a vow to see this thing through even at the expense of missing some time with friends and family for a few minutes while we get it in. Hopefully they'll join you, but if they don't. We gotta go!! Why?? Because that silence my friend,
Is GOLDEN!!!!! Sodas down! Pump your water! Peace and Love!!

Friday, February 1, 2013

Weekend Challenge!

Well thank God we made it through another week! Some of you may be off this weekend and others may not be. My goal for what i call the "Weekend Challenge" is to not have any soda or cookies!! This may seem like a small thing to some but it's huge for me! I don't know what your THING is but we all have something. Face that thing head on and challenge it! Yeah yeah yeah...its Super Bowl Sunday! I know!!!!!!!!!! But ima try to get it done! Hang in there,pump your water and move for the 30 minutes Saturday and Sunday gang! Today my thoughts are on where to run new this weekend. I get bored with the same route so im on a search! Have fun with your work out and feel like a BOSS when you're done!!! Peace and Love!