Day Twenty One

These pictures are from 2nd grade, 3rd grade and 4th grade. You can see that in 2nd and 3rd grade I look pretty normal. But in 4th I started to put on the weight.

I know that I have spelled out some heavy stuff the last couple of days. And it took a bit out of me to write all this down. But understand that my current weight climbed due to stress and not releasing that stress down the healthy avenue.

Everything is a choice in life. I am now choosing to turn my stress into something positive. Let's face it: Life is hard and the older we get the harder it seems to become. This is due to responsibilities, but eating up the tension is not the answer. Action is the answer. Movement is the answer.

By taking my life by the horns, I have taken back control and that is not just a gift to me. It effects everything and everyone in my life--it is a gift to them too.

Life is hard. I firmly believe that our real purpose here is to learn, to expand our souls. I know that all of us, especially guys, would love to live in the Garden of Eden. Just think of it: walking around naked all day and not a care in the world. Even better would be a giant screen TV with every sports channel imaginable and a nice comfortable chair. Everything you need is at your finger tips.

I hate to break it to you, but I think Eve had it right. She was bored and decided to shake things up. We really would not have learned a thing if we still lived in Eden; we would be bored to death. It would be a permanent vacation. It sounds idyllic at first, but eventually it would get old. How many days can you sit on the beach all day? We need the angst of change. It really makes things more interesting -- especially after we not only survive but thrive through difficult times.

Life is filled with opportunity to learn. And God teaches us things whether we want to learn them or not.

Menu for yesterday:

BRKFAST:Go Lean Crunch

NO SNACK

LUNCH: Grilled Turkey on sourdough with cheddar cheese. An orange and an apple.

Banana before work out.

DNR: Flank steak (4 slices), Alexia Sweet Potato Fries (baked), and Lima Beans. Dessert was an apple and a protein shake.

EXERCISE: Hour on elliptical and 30 min of weights.