Monday, August 18, 2008

Reasons to be Cheerful.......

I believe that was a title of a song that came out in the early 80's...."Reasons to be Cheerful" (I think it was Ian Drury and the Blockheads)...but here I use it to give you an update on where I'm at in my ongoing effort in self-transformation.

Here are some of the reasons I have to be cheerful.......

1) Health: The latest numbers were very encouraging. Total cholesterol is at 136, down from around 250...my weight is down to below 180 from 187. It's now at 177 to 179 depending on when I weight myself...and my body fat is at 20.8%....down from 22%.
I'm doing this with a 5 day a week workout...and a diet that consists mainly of protein spread out over 5 or 6 meals daily. It's pretty easy to accomplish during the week when things are more regimented, but I tend to relax things a bit on the weekend. That's my "treat" time. (Remember, it's "treat"...not "cheat"!)

I'd still like my weight to hover at around 175 with an 18% body fat composition, and my goal is to accomplish this by the middle of October.

2) New direction: Besides the daily show I do on New Jersey 101.5....I've also been involved with Sirius Satellite Radio for the past 7 years. That will all change in October as I'll be giving up the satellite radio position, and embarking on a course of study that will hopefully lead to a Personal Trainer Certification. This is something I've long thought about but never thought was possible...given my lack of confidence in my athletic ability. However, my wife knows how much joy I derive from training, and with her encouragement, as well as the encouragement of my trainers Chris and Brian, I saw that it was indeed something I'd like to accomplish.

So off I go.......

3) The love and support of family and friends. None of this would be worth it without some of the things I think we all take for granted. I look around me and remind myself of all there is to be thankful for....not just a beautiful family and great friends; but the kind of job I've always dreamed of having ever since I was a kid.

I'm sure that when all is said and done, I'll take a look from time to time during those moments whenever I get down, (and they do happen every now and then)...and just remind myself that the pluses are way more numerous that the minuses.

Thanks for reading....and for sharing.