Choices. Choices. Choices.

I decided to change the title of this post from "Honesty. Sometimes the truth hurts" to "Choices. Choices. Choices." because that is what this journey is all about - choosing to be healthy.

I have become more self-aware over the past few days. I have realized that this journey that I'm on may be more challenging for me than others because, well, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

I have to choose to be healthy BUT when it comes to things (food) that make me feel good or make me feel comfortable I have an extraordinarily difficult time sacrificing them...especially after a rough day. So what do I do? I give in and eat 3 chocolate chip cookies. Immediately, I feel like crap because I am disappointed in myself, and then I become complacent and say to myself "It's okay, Mike. You're really not that overweight." For so long, food has been a crutch/security blanket for me.

Truth is...I am way too comfortable with my bad habits and I need to move out of my comfort zone because the numbers do not lie: my BMI is 30.4 and, according to the World Health Organization, the ideal weight for a 30 year old male standing 5' 11" is 197 pounds. Even though I have lost a total of 6 pounds in this journey, I still have quite a ways to go. But I can do it...if I make the right choices.

A couple of days ago during my young adult bible study, I realized that choosing to eat the right food and going to the gym is just part of the code that will break the back of this battle I have been fighting since I was a child. The other part, and for me the most important part, is positive self talk and owning the choices I make TODAY and forgetting about the one's from yesterday or tomorrow. This is especially important when it comes to setbacks like the fast food I ate last night at 9 p.m. because I had not eaten dinner and was stuck in traffic on HWY 17. That was yesterday, and today I have a new opportunity to make good choices in my life. Ones that will benefit more than just myself because this really isn't about me...it's about my family.

Today I choose to be healthy.

Thanks for reading...

My Backyard vs The Gym

So if you look at the date of my last post, you can tell that it has been quite some time since I made my last post. This mostly has to do with the temperment God gave me. Thus, I start a project with great enthusiasm and then, shortly thereafter, I get distracted by another project.

This time I was distracted by my backyard. Don't worry though, this project did require a significant amount of physical exertion. First, with the help of a 60lb Jackhammer, I had to rip out the existing concrete patio. It was in the 90's that day and took me four hours complete. I was exhausted and sooooo sore. It took me 3 days to recover from that four hours of work. The following Saturday, my brother Joe and I load up all that concrete into a good friend's truck, hauled to the dump and then unloaded it. Again, a lot of work. But once I cleared all the concrete out, I realized the work had just begun. Next weekend it would be time to dig. And boy did I dig. I rented a truck from Home Depot, and my friend Emilio and I removed a total of 3 cubic yards from my backyard. That equals a lot of dirt...9,500lbs of dirt to be exact. That took 6 hours and, needless to say, I was exhausted (again) after that. Finally, this past Saturday I had 4 tons of rock delivered to my house and we filled in the area to provide a foundation for the concrete we will be pouring this weekend. And while I only made it to the gym a few times during this project, I still managed to drop four pounds.

I have made progress, but I would have like to have lost more by this point, which leads me to my next post "Honesty. Sometimes the truth hurts."

"Let's go over to the husky section."

Those are the words my mother would say to me when we went up to the school to get my uniform for the new school year. As a matter of fact, I can still remember looking inside the new pants for a label with a number on it. Instead, the label just read: "HUSKY." Not sure what genius came up with that idea. Sheesh...fourth grade was rough!

Today was an awesome day! I grabbed a hold of my desire to lose 30 before I turn 30. I feel motivated and determined to make it happen.

My goal today was to get to the gym for an hour before I went home tonight, but my last appointment went a bit long and I was not able to leave until after 6 p.m. However, I wasn't going to let that stand in my way of getting some exercise in today.

I got home, ate dinner and helped get the kiddos in the bath. Then I put on my running shoes and my shuffle and hit the pavement. I was pumped. I was having a great run. And then, toward the end of my run, I came upon the hill of death - Firethorne. The hill conquered me today, but one day I will reign victorious on its summit!

Introduction

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of public scrutiny, so I figured what a better way to report on my progress (or lack of progress) then to publish my journey on the World Wide Web. Hence, the birth of my blog: 30before30.

Here is some quick and dirty information, immediately followed by a promise.

Who: Michael J. Flynn, Jr
What: Will lose 30 lbs before his 30th birthday
When: No later than 11:59 p.m. on September 19, 2009
Where: Primarily in the table muscle area
Why: Because I love my wife and kids, and would like to live a long and healthy life
How: In addition to monitoring my eating habits, I plan on accomplishing this by running, biking, lifting and other exercises.

And here is my promise to all those that decide to spend a few minutes following my journey: I promise to be brutally honest with you and with myself. I will share with you my victories, as well as my failures on a weekly basis.

So here we go.

Failure: I went downstairs to Sweet Peas Cafe for lunch and had an Omelet and Country Potatoes. However, I did not eat the whole thing.

Victory: I established this blog shortly after consuming that tasty, albeit, gut-busting omelet.

All prayers and words of encouragement are welcome and appreciated.