The World According to Cb...

The World According to Cb...

Thursday, February 03, 2011

The Athlete Within

Webster (the dictionary, not the TV show): Athlete: a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.

My good friend Paul Carrozza and I have long had a common thought: simply put, there’s an athlete within all of us.  To start with, note that in the above definition you don’t see anything about being naturally talented, you just have to be “trained or skilled.”  You can be trained or skilled in practically anything you set your mind to, and conversely you can be pretty bad at anything you don’t.

When we look back at our childhood, we will usually recall one of two scenarios.  For many, there were times of running, riding, and playing with friends.  For others there may not have been many of those experiences, but we sure wished we could – we wanted to be athletic.  As we get older, busier, and life in general takes center stage, our priorities can limit us as to what we will do physically.

Personal case in point: in 2010 I was in the worst shape of my life.  Lots of travel, eating out, a busy work schedule and lack of consistent exercise saw me balloon past even my power lifting weight.  But guess what?  It all came down to what I was prioritizing in life, and not the usual suspects of travel and food (Ok, and red wine).  I had literally accepted that I was a “former athlete” and that was just what happened when you hit your late 40’s.  Thankfully, I was wrong and the athlete within was just biding his time.

As I went through the breakup of my relationship, my great friend David insisted I take better care of myself.  Proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep were mandatory, and he would sometimes call or email several times a day to make sure I was doing it.  The net result was not only a much better (if that’s the right word) personal experience through the breakup, but also over 30 lbs of weight loss, a reestablishment of self esteem, and a desire to once again be competitive.

So what changed?  My priorities.  Being an athlete was once again top of mind, as opposed to something I did if I got around to it.  And it didn’t take a lot, just how I viewed what I ate and drank, plus making exercise part of my daily routine.  Now I know I’ll probably never win a bike race again or be a goalkeeper on a top soccer team, but I can sure as hell can eat and train like that and go out and give it a go.  I have a new wardrobe (OK, it’s my old one that I now can fit in again) and a new outlook on life – and people notice.  Who doesn’t like to hear someone who hasn’t seen you in a while say, “You losing some weight?” or “Man, looks like you’ve been in the gym…” – sure it’s an ego stroke, but it also makes you more confident in your daily life as well.

I read an article recently where billionaire Richard Branson was asked at a leadership conference, what is the best way to boost productivity?  He thought about it for a moment, said two words: work out.  I would add eat and drink right and get good rest, but you get the point.  By waking up the athlete within all of us we can make it happen across many spectrums in our daily lives.  So what’s your excuse? I know mine was totally invalid - Ciao for now, Cb…

PS – thanks to Courtney for reminding me about this topic!

2 comments:

Paul Hurdlow said...

Great entry Chris; so glad you're back amongst us!

Anonymous said...

come on merlot, you will never win another bike race with that attitude. get at em and train to win a race!

About Me

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Austin, TX, United States
A proud single dad, strong cancer survivor, and a guy who loves his bike, red wine, family and friends - the order is dependent on my mood...