Sowing the seeds
New Year, New You: Cycling Weight-Loss Stories
I love this series of stories! You have to see the transformations some of these people have made, the before and after photos. As I clicked through them I thought about my own transformation, and what the bicycle has done for me. I will never forget the moment when the thought came to me about a bicycle. In the 'winter' of 1997 I was driving north on US1 in Stuart, Florida and saw Pro Bicycles on my right. Ding! I immediately thought I should get a bicycle. Just like that it popped into my head.
By that time I was pushing 235 pounds, which for me was my heaviest ever. I was still working out in the weight room and running a little bit, but nowhere near as active and competitive as I had been during baseball. I was only two years removed from playing, but I had already packed 30 pounds to my playing weight of 205. Odds were that I was going to keep adding pounds instead of subtracting, unless I did something dramatic. My logic was I enjoyed riding my bike as a kid and remember riding a lot, so surely I would enjoy doing it now. I remember the freedom my bicycle gave me as a kid, but I had no idea the freedoms it would eventually bring as an adult.
After my visit to Pro Bicycles I saved up money for a few months and went back in early spring for my first road bike purchase. Right away I fell in love with riding with people at the Treasure Coast Cycling Association, but soon I moved back home to Nashville. I kept riding more and doing all kinds of organized rides and charity events. As each year passed I began noticing transformations with my body. I went from 235 to 220, from 220 to 205, from 205 to 195, from 195 to 190 to 185 to 180 to 175! I have been in the 175-180 range for the last two years, which is lower than when I was in high school! The weight loss and body transformation process took years to happen. I kept getting smaller and smaller, and my friends I have known for years kept shaking their heads in disbelief.
I will say that it wasn't just riding that did the trick. As I kept losing weight I incorporated other better habits to facilitate the process. I ate better foods more regularly, stopped drinking so much Coke if any at all, turned away from alcohol completely for five years at one point, started practicing yoga and pilates, and with each new change (sacrifice!) I saw results. There's nothing more motivating to stick with something than when you see your actions helping you to get stronger and faster on the bike!
What once was considered a sacrifice is now a way of life for me, a joy to do. I went from 235 to 175, which if you're counting is 60 pounds or 26% less than who I used to be. As you can imagine I feel great!
I tell my young athletes and students all the time, the decisions you are making today are shaping your future beyond your imagination. Making good decisions consistently is what will distinguish you from everyone else, but you must be aware of them in the moment and realize that each decision is important. Even if you aren't sure what that seed will produce you still must make a wise and well thought out decision.
So in my life I look back and think.....
I am thankful I accepted that job out of graduate school and moved to Florida. Out of hundreds of miles of Atlantic Coast to choose to live I am thankful to have chosen that spot near Pro Bicycles. I am thankful that cycling club gave me encouragement. I am thankful I had an unsupportive boss who did not help me to succeed, and corporate business strategies that accelerated that lack of success, thus prompting me to realize there were better life opportunities back home here in Nashville. I am thankful to have immediately found riding friends when I moved back home to Nashville. I am thankful for a good friend in Tupelo who encouraged me to race. I am thankful to have eventually found the Model Airplane Field on Saturday morning. The list goes on and on.
Now look where I am at.
Some day I want to go back and visit my old friends in South Florida and tell them all I have done and am doing in cycling. I bet they won't recognize me. I will thank them and let them know it was their encouragement and nice words about the ability they saw in me that kept me riding. They planted a seed not knowing the outcome. Through their farming it helped produce a bike racer, a website, racing events, a racing team, a cycling coach and development of a collegiate cycling program. In the end I can only pray it has earned the respect of everyone. Do you think they had any idea of the crop they would produce?
You too have seed sowing abilities. You too are planting seeds and impacting the lives of others wanting to ride their bikes to become better people. You too have words of encouragement that somebody needs to hear. You too can make a difference.
How is your harvest coming?
I love this series of stories! You have to see the transformations some of these people have made, the before and after photos. As I clicked through them I thought about my own transformation, and what the bicycle has done for me. I will never forget the moment when the thought came to me about a bicycle. In the 'winter' of 1997 I was driving north on US1 in Stuart, Florida and saw Pro Bicycles on my right. Ding! I immediately thought I should get a bicycle. Just like that it popped into my head.
By that time I was pushing 235 pounds, which for me was my heaviest ever. I was still working out in the weight room and running a little bit, but nowhere near as active and competitive as I had been during baseball. I was only two years removed from playing, but I had already packed 30 pounds to my playing weight of 205. Odds were that I was going to keep adding pounds instead of subtracting, unless I did something dramatic. My logic was I enjoyed riding my bike as a kid and remember riding a lot, so surely I would enjoy doing it now. I remember the freedom my bicycle gave me as a kid, but I had no idea the freedoms it would eventually bring as an adult.
After my visit to Pro Bicycles I saved up money for a few months and went back in early spring for my first road bike purchase. Right away I fell in love with riding with people at the Treasure Coast Cycling Association, but soon I moved back home to Nashville. I kept riding more and doing all kinds of organized rides and charity events. As each year passed I began noticing transformations with my body. I went from 235 to 220, from 220 to 205, from 205 to 195, from 195 to 190 to 185 to 180 to 175! I have been in the 175-180 range for the last two years, which is lower than when I was in high school! The weight loss and body transformation process took years to happen. I kept getting smaller and smaller, and my friends I have known for years kept shaking their heads in disbelief.
I will say that it wasn't just riding that did the trick. As I kept losing weight I incorporated other better habits to facilitate the process. I ate better foods more regularly, stopped drinking so much Coke if any at all, turned away from alcohol completely for five years at one point, started practicing yoga and pilates, and with each new change (sacrifice!) I saw results. There's nothing more motivating to stick with something than when you see your actions helping you to get stronger and faster on the bike!
What once was considered a sacrifice is now a way of life for me, a joy to do. I went from 235 to 175, which if you're counting is 60 pounds or 26% less than who I used to be. As you can imagine I feel great!
I tell my young athletes and students all the time, the decisions you are making today are shaping your future beyond your imagination. Making good decisions consistently is what will distinguish you from everyone else, but you must be aware of them in the moment and realize that each decision is important. Even if you aren't sure what that seed will produce you still must make a wise and well thought out decision.
So in my life I look back and think.....
I am thankful I accepted that job out of graduate school and moved to Florida. Out of hundreds of miles of Atlantic Coast to choose to live I am thankful to have chosen that spot near Pro Bicycles. I am thankful that cycling club gave me encouragement. I am thankful I had an unsupportive boss who did not help me to succeed, and corporate business strategies that accelerated that lack of success, thus prompting me to realize there were better life opportunities back home here in Nashville. I am thankful to have immediately found riding friends when I moved back home to Nashville. I am thankful for a good friend in Tupelo who encouraged me to race. I am thankful to have eventually found the Model Airplane Field on Saturday morning. The list goes on and on.
Now look where I am at.
Some day I want to go back and visit my old friends in South Florida and tell them all I have done and am doing in cycling. I bet they won't recognize me. I will thank them and let them know it was their encouragement and nice words about the ability they saw in me that kept me riding. They planted a seed not knowing the outcome. Through their farming it helped produce a bike racer, a website, racing events, a racing team, a cycling coach and development of a collegiate cycling program. In the end I can only pray it has earned the respect of everyone. Do you think they had any idea of the crop they would produce?
You too have seed sowing abilities. You too are planting seeds and impacting the lives of others wanting to ride their bikes to become better people. You too have words of encouragement that somebody needs to hear. You too can make a difference.
How is your harvest coming?
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 12/04/2008 08:27:00 AM
2 Comments:
Congrats on the weight loss and healthy habits...I went from 225 in Feb-07 to 175 May-07 (just in time for the 3State3Mountain ride), to 155, Nov-07. Just riding a bike and eating right. I did all your crits this year in the 5's finishing just shy of a podium finish overall, looking forward to next year in the 4's and maybe 3's by year end.
Surely you meant May '08? That would mean 50 pounds in just a few months!
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