NSV - Passed ATA Fit Test

wombat94

Hi all...

I had a BIG NSV last night!

My fitness/weight loss journey started nearly two years ago when I weighed 347 pounds and decided to start taking taekwondo classes. The program at our school is about 2 to 2.5 years to get to black belt.

Back then, I didn't really think about the black belt - I just wanted to get some activity and change the way I was living.

Well, fast forward to last night. Last week, I received my red/black belt - the last "color" belt before black belt. One of the requirements to make that last step is to pass a fitness test that consists of the following:

60 seconds of push ups
30 seconds rest
60 seconds of crunches
30 seconds rest
60 seconds of kicks on heavy bag
30 seconds rest
60 seconds of punch-punch-kick combinations
30 seconds rest
60 seconds of punches

You add up the count from each of the 5 rounds and you need a total of at least 300 to pass.

two years ago, I couldn't do one push up or sit up... and would be winded an unable to continue by about 20 seconds of the combination round.

Last night, I passed the fit test! I didn't do as well as I had hoped, but I got EXACTLY 300!

This is such a huge step... now I can concentrate on improving my techniques and focus on my board breaks for the Black Belt test in four months.

Ted

esphixiet

Congratulations! That's quite an accomplishment!!

ccjforreal

Congrats on all your hard work and your acheivement!!

w2bab

Congratulations!

busyblkgirl

Congrats!!! That's the type of dedication that keeps me motivated! Thanks for posting!!!

nymple

This is fantastic, well done on passing! I too think Exercise NSV are the most motivating, it's great seeing yourself become stronger and knowing that you worked your butt off, literally, to get there. Way to go!

hooligansmom

I am impressed...it must haven taken so much sweat and courage to do what you have done!

wombat94

Thanks for the support and encouragement everyone.

Hooligansmom, I have also started running in the last couple of months and have read several books by the author John Bingham... who was overweight, smoked and ate and drank too much until he made changes in his life, including running - at the age of 43 - which happens to be the age I am now.

His first book is titled "The Courage to Start" - about starting to run no matter what your current physical fitness level.

One of his most famous quotes is "The miracle is not that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start."

That is the way I feel today... I started with the taekwondo... there was no way that I felt confident enough in my body at my highest weight to have the courage to start running, but the miracle was that I decided to give it a try... it took courage to be sure, but the enCOURAGEment that I got from so many people at the taekwondo school was what gave me the strength to get going.

I truly could not have done it without them.

I've decided to try to give back some of that encouragement to others who are on the same journey (and I have a long way to go) by participating in forums like this one and some others.

I get so much inspiration from other people's stories, and hope that someone might be encouraged by my story... even if in just a small way.

Ted