Mind and Body

The mind and the body are truly amazing. Independently, the body and mind can handle an enormous amount of stress. Combine their efforts, and they are far stronger and more capable than we can imagine. In order to truly accomplish your health and fitness goals, your mind and body must work together.

My mind and body made the connection during the middle of week two. Week two started out rough, but ended with a bang. I lost 4.6 lbs in week two. I am in the middle of week three, and have lost a couple more pounds. I have lost just over 15 lbs in less than three weeks. To say I am happy would be an understatement.

My clothes are now hanging off of me. The mirror and the scale are becoming my friends. I no longer want to pick up the scale and throw it through the mirror. However, that progress was not what brought my body and mind together. It was my bike that brought harmony to my world.
For those of you who don’t ride, weight is the most dominating factor in cycling. You can train hard, be genetically gifted and still get your but handed to you by the person that weighs just five or ten pounds less than you. Before I started this program, I outweighed most of my club riders by fifty pounds. Sure, I had a ton of power on the flat parts of the road and the sprints. When the road tilted upwards, I drifted backwards. I would lose valuable seconds and even minutes on the smallest uphill. Not only did I lose time, I would lose a greater percentage of energy than everyone else.

Thursday night is our hill training night. We shorten the route and reduce the speed in favor of punishing our legs with a steady dose of climbing. I am normally dropped shortly after we start the first climb. The group assembles at the top of the climb and patiently awaits my arrival. It is very disappointing to be the last person up the climb.

Just a few days before, I had a great ride. I was zooming up hills and felt very light on my bike. I was looking forward to the hill training. We turned the corner and started the climb. I had already decided I was going to put in some extra effort. We hit the climb and I punched the accelerator. Much to my surprise, my body responded in a way I wouldn’t have imagined. I was with the front group and stayed with them through half of the climb. It felt amazing! Halfway up the climb, the low calories started to affect me and I slowed a bit. We had ten people on the ride and I finished fifth. That was a stellar performance in my book. The thoughts of that moment were only overshadowed by one other thought. "What was this going to feel like twenty-five pounds lighter?"

It was that moment my mind and body made the connection. I no longer felt like a slave to a controlled and low calorie diet. I was now on a mission of great magnitude that needed my full attention and efforts. There is no longer room for self pity, anger or depression. This was no longer about a diet; this was about a lifestyle change that would have a profound affect on my life.