One thing that I have learned throughout the years that the first time that you do something new, it is difficult. I remember the first time that I had to make weight at 171 pounds my freshman year. That was definitely something that was hard the first time that I did it, but as the season went on, it became much easier. By the end of the season, I had my workouts and diet down to a science, and I could tell how much I weighed by how sweaty my clothes were after practice. I know that may sound gross, but it is the truth. It was something that I had worked hard for. Every day after a grueling practice, I would grab my jump rope and start bouncing away to the rhythm of whatever music was playing in the wrestling room. It was usually music from the eighties that my coach loved or it was music from the Rocky IV soundtrack. Even to this day when I hear one of those songs it takes me back to that room. It was in that room that I shed 40 pounds off my frame to get down to a weight where I felt I could compete and win at, but it wasn’t easy. I had to learn how to do the right things and do them over and over until I got the results that I was working so hard for.

When I first started my weight loss journey, I had no idea about what a calorie was. I knew that some foods were definitely better for me than others were, but I was really clueless about what my body needed and how it would respond to a restriction of calories. When I first started “dieting” I tried to get by eating lettuce with some fat free Italian dressing on it, and a couple of pieces of bread for dinner. I would eat a little breakfast, and I would eat a little lunch. Really what I was doing was starving myself, and it took a while of feeling tired, weak, and sluggish before I realized there were certain things that I could eat to lose weight and still feel good while I trained. I stopped drinking my calories, I cut out most dairy, I stopped eating fatty cuts of meat, and I eliminated junk food from my diet. I did start to eat more fruits and vegetables, more beans, and a lot of chicken. The healthy eating coupled with a lot of exercise got me the results that I was looking for. I was able to drop that weight, and instead of being a fat kid, I was a fit kid. I gained a new confidence and strength, and I was winning wrestling matches. I did the right things, and I got the right results that I was looking for.

I know that the idea sounds simple. Sure you do the right things and good things happen. Of course it is hard at the beginning, but then it gets easier and easier as you go. When you develop good habits you feel good to keep doing the right things. Then if you start to slip up and get lazy in working toward your goals, you can also build inertia in the other direction. So if you are on a strict diet and you hit a fast food joint, you might feel bad about it at first, but if you stop by that same fast food joint two days in a row it is easier the second time. Finally, if you stop at the same place a third day in a row, then you are in big trouble, and you have possibly ruined your diet for the week because now you have 3 bad days in a row. You might be thinking, “Well I will just start next week.” That is not a good idea. The best time to start something is now. Even if you think that conditions may be more favorable in the future, chances are that you can still take some sort of action today that will put you in a better place for when your moment of truth arrives. Don’t get caught in a downward spiral by doing the wrong things because they get easier to do as well the more you do them.

I don’t recall who said it, but the saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” If you start working on something today, you really might surprise yourself as to what you can make happen. I have noticed in my life, as soon as I start working toward something, doors begin to open that I had no idea even existed. I am sure that the same can happen for you. Get started on whatever you have been putting off. Get started on it today! This doesn’t just apply to weight loss or wrestling. Sure you need to do the right things in wrestling. You have to do the technique the right way in practice if you want to hit it the right way in a match. Sure you should practice your sales presentation so that you can get it right in the big meeting coming up. Of course you need to rehearse the song that you are going to perform on stage. Just make sure that you know what course you are on, and if it is in the wrong direction change it. Nobody says that you can’t.

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