Rocky IV

Rocky IV Training Montage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZA6mvMXxBQ
Trust- Prince
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Yxv1P3BCo

Strange title for a post i know...but it is quite fitting for how my exercise progress is coming. 11.9....that number has been my best. 11.9. Couldnt make it farther than 11.9 miles in 45 minutes on the bike. That is until the training montage from rocky IV popped on my mp3 player. Instead of thinking about how much the last 10 minutes of riding sucked i was focused on hardcore training to defeat that dastardly russian! Its amazing how much the type of song you are listening to can quicken your pace. When i listened to that song i fought hard and defeated my previous 11.9 miles and i ended my 45 minutes with 12.1 miles! VICTORY!!! YO ADRIAN!!!! I DID IT!!!!! Something i found humerous after i did this was that the song Trust by Prince (off of the original Batman soundtrack) came on and it was victory dance time. I laughed pretty hard for i had danced all the way upstairs hands raised in the air for victory and went right to the fridge for my championship belt glass of water...victory never tasted so sweet.

My eating habits still aren't the healthiest but i have been eating quite a bit less and drinking more water. I still have an occasional glass of pop but it isnt like my old habit of being able to down a 2-liter a night. Small changes have been working. My weight loss to date since i have started is 7 lbs as of today. Ive been noticing myself getting full with considerably less food these days and its a great feeling. I know i can eat alot healthier but i know cheating here and there is gonna make me less likely to crash and burn and im ok with that. I cant even imagine the money i have saved even just in the past week by not buying several bags of chips and several pops. In fact i think i might start puttin a dollar away for every time i have wanted to buy a bag of chips or a pop and treat myself to a nice steak dinner and a movie sometime.

My body is already starting to feel the effects of this working out. After my bike ride today (which was 12.1 miles also :-D) i am sitting here typing this and i am not sore in the least even though i can feel a burn....its a good burn though. It feels great to start getting in shape again. Its nice to not walk up the stairs and not breathe heavy...well it wasnt that bad but you get the example. This is a great start to a healthier life for me. I am working my hardest to combat my obesity, family history of heart trouble, and family history of diabetes. I pray my dad starts riding this bike with me. He has had a heart attack in the past and recently had a quadruple bypass on his heart. I love him to death and i want him to be around for my children when i have them. Please pray with me.

A recent realization hit me when i have been riding this bike. I know pump up songs are a great way to quicken your pace but lately i have been picking up the pace with slower songs...how you ask? Well alot of the songs have been slow worship songs and other inspiring christian songs. I found myself being swept up in the emotion of the song and not the beats per minute. Alot of the times i close my eyes, raise my hands, and sing these songs to God. Its a great way to control my breathing also. I am a musician and by learning to sing when my heartrate is up it could help me move around and entertain better without losing the quality of my voice.

My relationship with God is growing steadily. The two biggest ways that it is growing is leading worship with a few of my really good friends and my youth group. Worship went great at church this past Sunday and i could really feel the Holy Spirit moving within all of us. It was nice to change the pace and format of our sunday morning worship. Its normally 3 fast songs, prayer song, communion song and decision song...but this time our music was all slower songs and its nice to break out of that mold and have that slow meditative time with God. Working with youth is a pretty big passion for me. I love my kids...they are my kids...and i want to help raise my kids to be Godly examples and shine for His glory! Them kids are a amazing way to hold myself accountable. Who would i be wagging my finger at my kids saying dont do this and dont do that if i do it myself. If i become a more God-centered man then my kids will see this and maybe learn from it.

Go ahead and take a listen to the songs and you will get to know a little bit of what i find humerous. Gotta love the small things. Peace!