Competing goals and the state of Mike

Back in January I wrote a post regarding some of my goals for this year. Usually I'm one of those people who makes a resolution and then never truly follows up on it. This is the 1st year that has been different.

2011 has been a year of change for me. I moved into a new place in November 2010, a move which was long overdue and which has done wonders for my overall well-being. (though not for my bank account) I'm now living with a buddy from work. It's worked out quite well and to some extent he treats me like a little brother, which is funny since he's 32, about the same age as my older brother.

When even your mother recognizes that a current living situation is messing you up it's time to do something about it. It's amazing how much better I feel now that I've removed myself from some constant stressors. Having to deal with a person or person(s) who constantly tear you down can wear on you after a while, especially if you're constantly butting heads. The lack of negative energy has been a great improvement.

Now, I can't say I've made good on all of the goals laid out in that January 3rd post. Truth be told I've primarily focused on goal #1. I've made good on #2 to some extent despite the fact that working out and drinking more beer are somewhat competing interests. I've actually managed to try some new beers while cutting my beer intake by ~75%. Beer is simply not good when you're working out almost daily, so for the most part beer has been replaced by 3 protein shakes a day.

Goal #1 has also made goal # 3 more difficult. I'm not one to half-ass things, and when I get to the point where I don't think I can possibly do one more rep I do more. I was so sore in the chest, arms and shoulders last Sunday that I could hardly bring a pistol up to eye level without a good deal of pain. When I do legs I am so spent by the end I can hardly walk back to my apartment. My legs are ridiculously weak and they fatigue easily due to my CP, but that's all the more reason to work them hard.

Every single New Year's I say I'm going to work out more and every year I start, don't see results and then fizzle out. A huge part of that was insecurities about not wanting to go to the gym where other people can actually see me lifting. (yay CP) My roommate is my height and a 200+ lb. gym rat. There's a gym in our complex which he actually has me going to and he's acting as my personal trainer. You see much better results when you're going to the gym versus just doing simple exercises in your living room. It also helps to have someone who knows what they're doing pushing you to the point of failure and beyond. Imagine that!

Now that we've gotten my base strength up I'm hitting the gym hard 4 or 5 times a week, focusing on different muscle groups each day. I'm also doing abs and balance workouts and changing things up regularly. Truth be told I'm really happy with this turn of events, despite the pain. I'm sick of being an in shape, ridiculously skinny weakling. I finally manned up and made the decision that if I was going to be in pain all the time anyway I might as well work out hard, be in pain and actually get something out of it. Next week I'm adding a supplement in addition to the protein, which should help increase my gains. I've got a long, long way to go.

I have a wedding to attend in June and my roommate said there's no way my suit jacket would fit by then. At the time I thought he was full of shit, but now I'm starting to believe him. I've got at least 40+ pounds I want to gain and plan to do it without gaining so much as an inch in my waist. I am not about to have to go buy all new pants.

I was going to tie this post into my cerebral palsy and use it as part two of that series, but it just didn't pan out that way. I'll have to do a separate post for part two of that series this week.

If any of my readers have fizzled out on their commitment to their New Year's resolution I urge them to get back on the horse. Trust me, you will be glad you did. I know I'm looking forward to seeing a whole new me come my 26th birthday in September.