My Story, My Journey

So, since it is my one month anniversary, I wanted to talk a little more about my journey. So here I go!

As a child and teenager, I would say I was an actively average child. I was no football star, but I really would not consider myself to be a coach potato either. From the age of 12, I was a student of Martial Arts program called Kajukenbo (Karate, Judo, Kenpo, Boxing). Although martial arts took a lot of my time and although I excelled, I really did not know the value and importance of being healthy and fit. Our household never really adopted the five food groups (now the food pyramid). My parents never pushed the vegetables on us and I am grateful for that. If they did, I could see myself having some kind of anti-vegetable complex. 

We were a working family and we were just happy to have a meal for the family. Plus, it doesn't help when your mother is an amazing cook!

My father tried to push weight lifting on me by borrowing a weight lifting book from the library and giving it to me and saying, "read it, you need it!" Not really the best approach to getting an already stubborn child to start something he felt he did not need. I truly did not understand the point of weight lifting and it bothered me that my father thought there was a problem with me that needed to be fixed with a book. I just genuinely did not know anything!

Now this attitude carried over into adulthood where I would make attempts to exercise and even lift weights. The problem was not that I hated it, it was more my reasoning behind exercising that became the ever emerging problem. I was doing it to look good! For some, this reason alone may work, but for myself it is not good enough.

You see, as time progressed, I got more comfortable with life and my environment. I became accustomed to the busy lifestyle where a meal is a meal no matter where it came from. Rushing to appointments and enjoying the convenience of fast food became the norm for me.

Every year, I would take a chance at getting back in shape. Some efforts were better than others, but the cycle never stopped. Once I got to the point where I was satisfied, I slowly and almost mysteriously began to turn back to my normal eating patterns. One meal never hurts, but when you tell yourself the same thing three times a day, it becomes a problem.

Now, I have gotten to my highest weight ever. When I started my Power 90 program on February 23, 2009, I was 205. Now granted, that I did not feel physically big, but according to my doctor and many health guidelines, I was bordering between 'overweight' and 'obese.'

What trigger me to get serious this time, we my health. I had been to my doctor and was literally told that "[I was] fat." My doctor put if flat out on the table like that. For her, she was concerned because she had treated both my mother and father for high blood pressure, stress, and pneumonia. My blood pressure was extremely high and my heart rate was moving so fast that she told me I could have a heart attack at any point.

She prescribed some medication for me, but I really did not want to go down that never ending, pill popping path. I knew the consequences of not following the medications timetable: heart attack, dizziness, vomiting, etc. That just did not sound very appealing to me. I threw the pills away against my doctors orders.

You see, I have learned that I am a very complex individual and that I have to look at a situation from many different angles before I can make a full hearted effort. Through time and education, I have learned a lot. Although I have not completed my program, but this time really feels different. I don't feel like I'm walking blindly into everything I am doing. I feel confident, supported, and determined. Everyday that passes, brings me closer to the my goals in life. This is the WAR of my life and I have no intention on losing!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my story. I greatly appreciate. Please leave me a comment, suggestion, or just say hi. We all need some support!

I do have a daily blog of my health and fitness journey at Justen's Online Network. Also come and visit me on my facebook page Justen's Facebook. If you have a twitter account Follow me (I'd love to follow you!) Justen's Facebook