Where Fitness Happens: Getting to the point (short intro)

I figured I would write this separately so it is clear and to the point rather than trudging through that massive introductory blog post below.

Mark commented that him and I are at very different points in our fitness goals. Mark started years early than myself and with different motivations. Though our end goal is the same (getting in shape), our motivations and reasons for doing so are slightly different, I feel. However, we both have lots of shared interests, basketball, for instance is something we passionately enjoy.

My blood and heart lies with my favorite player in the world, and the reason for my interest in the game in the first place: Allen Iverson. Mark may humorously poke fun at this at some point, but my adoration for Allen Iverson is often sickening, if not ludicrous all the time. I would delve into how angry I am at the NBA for blackballing him and essentially exiling him, but that would be a tangent deserving of its own blog.

What is my end game?
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Where does it end? Well, it never should end. Fitness, as I’ve realized, can’t be like getting in a car, driving, and reaching your destination; instead, it’s an endless car drive. This analog is why it’s difficult for many people to get started…because the length of that “car drive” is often too big a monster to tackle. But, yes you need to work in small steps with pit stops along the way, and therefore, my end game is to achieve 165lbs (which if you must know, is Allen Iverson’s weight…and he and I are the same height – I think I am a little shorter).

Why drives me?

One of the characteristics you will quickly learn when you read my posts is my insistence and affinity for making pop culture references (mainly to mainstream media and movies). Here is my reference (pointed out to you blatantly…don’t get used to this!). This question of “what drives me?” is reminiscent of Liam Neeson’s character Henri Ducard asking a young Bruce Wayne “What do you fear?” For those of you who have watched, that question is eventually answered by stringing together the root cause of Bruce Wayne’s fear by viewing his childhood. Anyhow, before I confuse you all anymore…the question of what drives me is a complicated one. If you took the time to read my first post below (and I applaud you if you did), you saw (read) that my knee pain was the physical trigger (or *lightbulb* moment) that did it. But there are a bunch of other smaller, fundamental reasons for me to pursue further weight loss.

A.) One very important motivation is to be able to compete healthily in a basketball league at some point. Growing up, the answer to the popularly posed question “what do you want to be when you grow up” for me, was “playing in the NBA.” Well that never happened. I’d like to delude myself and say if I was in shape all my life, I could have ABSOLUTELY driven/pushed myself to be in the league. Imagine that. The NBA’s first Indian-American player. Drool. Well, the closest thing woul be to be in good enough shape to help a competitive basketball team out. To do this, I need to be in better shape, hence this fitness journey. This is a mutual goal (somewhat) that Mark and I share.

B.) Physical attraction. Another unique reason for this, and one that is not shared by Mark, mainly because of a difference in our personal relationships/experience with women is the realization that women need some level of physical attraction. Dating gurus, my other friends (both male and female) will criticize me for this statement, citing that attraction isn’t always physical. I say BS. Think about it. When you are out in public, as a woman, you don’t look at a guy and say, “Wow, from a distance, he looks like he has a good personality…” The first thing that catches a woman’s eye is…”Wow! “he is cute”. That one pre-requisite makes it infinitely easier for a guy to approach a woman in the game of dating. I lack this pre-requisite. So, my secondary goal in this fitness journey is to over-kill it. I want to be *that* hot attractive guy. I want the elusive six-pack that many men dream of. It’s just a matter of hard work. And it will absolutely pay off.

Recap
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Why put myself through the rigors of gym, sacrificing fast food (yummm), and effort?

-Long term health (avoiding injuries like that of my knee)

-Being able to play basketball without having “physical fitness” as a weakness

-Being a hot guy.

Personal Deadlines:

Today is February 13, 2011. 2 months from now, I have a wedding to go to in LA (Laker land!). I want to reduce my current weight of 245 to 225, buy a new suit, and look good for it. Tomorrow, I will end my absence streak at Planet Fitness, and slowly return to gym schedule with the help of my guide, Mark. I’ll also optimize my eating habits, which haven’t been terrible (like pre 2010 days), but I’ve definitely been more casual than I should be.

I know I can do this. It’s just that V₀ that I need (physics joke, lol).

And here…we…go!