Has anyone seen my "mojo" ?

the3erwins

A Couch Potato's Resurrection - (A regular guy's venture into the world of fitness)





Call it what you want - mojo, motivation, energy, willpower...I've never had it. Even in high school, I was always on the sidelines - never a player. There was that stint on the Academic Decathlon team, but I don't think that counts as "active." At any rate, as I got older, it got easier and easier to just do nothing. I literally wore out my recliner. And as a result, my wife and I both kind of just let ourselves go. After all, we were happy with the way we were, so why bother?

A year or so back, as I was trying to decide whether to continue stuffing myself into my size 48 jeans, or making the jump to "the 50's" I decided it was time to drop a few pounds. No diet though - and definitely no excercise. I would just "watch" what I ate. I had some limited success. Over the course of a year, I managed to drop about 20 lbs. I was so proud of myself. But it never went anywhere else. I told myself I had changed my life, but the only person I was fooling was myself.

Now, things are different. I found my mojo. Where did I find it? I found mine at a popular amusement park in Pigeon Forge, TN. My wife and I took our 13 year old son to this park that we had once enjoyed on our honeymoon. The weather was beautiful. We were spending time together as a family. What a great day! The very first ride that we got on was a roller coaster - something I have always loved. Then it happened. Or rather it didn't happen. I could not buckle the safety harness. I had two staff members pushing and pulling, instructing me to suck it in, lift my hips, wiggle my left foot, etc. All to no avail. My wife and I both had to get off. I was a little embarassed; my wife was mortified; and my son kept apologizing for wanting to ride the coaster. He spent the rest of the day refusing to ride the rides because he didn't want to ride alone, and he didn't want us to be embarassed. That's when I found it. My mojo was hiding on a roller coaster in the mountains of eastern Tennessee.

So I am making progress. I really started "watching" what I eat. My Fitness Pal has really helped in that regard. Also, I joined a fitness club, and I work out every morning before work. It is SO HARD to go to the gym at 5:30 in the morning. But I keep that roller coaster in mind. I am going back and I am going to ride that coaster with my son. That's my mojo.

So far I have lost 74 pounds, and I feel so good about myself. Even better is the fact that my wife also joined the fitness club. She has lost 85 pounds so far, and she is looking good! My teenage son has even lost some weight, so the whole family is involved.

What about you? Have you found your mojo? Where was it? What is it that keeps you going?

Mom2rh

Well done!

My cat is named Mojo and he's currently asleep on a chair in the living room. :laugh: