The Easiest thing to do is Quit

I've reached a point in my workout routine where I look in the mirror and don't see the results I was expecting. In the first couple months of working out I saw amazing results. Belts that I wasn't even able to fit into before starting now can be pulled through to the second loop on my jeans, and I can fit into pants I haven't worn in ten years. Now that I've seen those results I want more, but as I've gotten in better shape the improvements have slowed down.

It is a little disconcerting to go from seeing very fast results to not seeing results because the progress is that slow, but progress is progress and while the desire exists to simply give up that isn't an option. Even if I don't make any progress forward going backwards is the worst thing possible. When you've dug yourself into a hole the first thing to do is to stop digging. While in four months of working out I haven't gotten to where I want to be I am in a hell of a lot of a better place than I was.

 That is all that really matters. What I look like is only a side benefit of being healthier. Four months ago there was no way I could've completed a 5K obstacle race or do an eight mile hike with a half mile change in elevation. In the past month I've done both those things, and while I've worked hard for over 90 days including some of the workout programs that claim to show massive improvements in less time than that I haven't reached the level they say I should.

The biggest reason for this is my mirrors don't have Photoshop. A lot is made about women's body issues and how society says they should look, but men face the same thing, and if you don't believe me here are a couple recent images of professional wrestler HHH.

The photo on the left almost looks like a cartoon while the image of HHH from Wrestlemania 30 is more realistic. HHH is in great shape but on the magazine cover he is in ridiculous shape. As I said he looks like a cartoon and these two images of HHH could serve as before and after photos for a workout program or a supplement.

While the goal of looking great is attainable to much more important goal is being healthy and being in shape. That is a process and no goal can be reached without a process. The amazing thing is that now that I've gone this far I can't go backwards. I wake up every morning with the need to workout. My diet has also completely changed by no real design of my own. Before I started working out I ate a lot of pizza and pasta, but after I started working out my body started to reject those foods and crave more lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables.

One recent and startling development was that my body suddenly no longer wanted cookies. Now it thinks that apples and bananas are the best kinds of snacks and white break hardly appeals to me anymore. So while I may not have an after image that looks like I just completed an infomercial workout program I've made tremendous strides in being healthier and in much better shape. I may never get that after image look because I'm not going to Photoshop myself, but then again if I keep on the path I'm on I may end up with the cleaner and more natural look of someone with functional strength.