Monday, November 14, 2011

My Husband's Thoughts: Injury Update and New Motivations

I have a had a good couple of weeks.  I love the fall in the Midwest, football games are becoming meaningful and the college wrestling season kicks off in earnest.  My girls are healthy and active and my beautiful wife is doing great, twenty-two weeks into her third pregnancy since late 2007…  I am continuing to learn and contribute at work and I expect 2012 to be a great year.  Our family has found a great church to attend here and we are continuing to develop incredible friendships and learning a great deal from the leadership.



My back is healing up thanks to the treatment of a wonderful chiropractor and I have been back in a more consistent training regimen.   I am at the gym 4-5 times per week and have been getting back onto the grappling or wrestling mats 2-3 times as well. 


I have always enjoyed coming back from injuries and have found solace in the challenge of getting back to where I was at pre-injury.  During my recent stint on “IR” I was able to do some body weight exercises and some light running / drilling / cardio training.  As my efforts at the local Y have picked up over the past couple of weeks, I have found myself in a number of interesting conversations with my gym buddies.   I love the effects of training on the body but I have always enjoyed the challenge of physical tasks more.  I love feats of strength, tests of athleticism and skill development, gymnastics, plyometrics, and every type of conditioning activity ever created. 



I was in the middle of a workout last Thursday, when a guy asked me why I was doing box jumps onto the 42 inch platform that we have in my local Y.  My answer surprised him, but not my wife, when I told her my reply.



“I just found out today that I am going to have a son.”   

We had just found out that morning, that number three baby is a boy and I now have another reason to train to stay in shape.  I began to think about my motivation for training and I realized that I have always had a unique trait of being easily motivated.  This trait served me well during my years of competitive training and has continued to be a factor in how I have managed to stay in pretty good shape for a man my age (37).



I thought some of you may get a kick out of some of my current training motivations:



·         I have daughters.  Therefore I would like to keep a neck measurement of 17 inches in order to help deter possible suitors for as long as possible.
·         I have been able to do 20 pull-ups, unassisted, since I was 8.  I would like this streak to continue until I turn 80.
·         I have been able to squat / dead lift over 400 lbs since 1994.  I would like that streak to continue until the year 2041.
·         I can still score points on college wrestlers and I would like to be able to do this until my son is done wrestling.
·       Bald, fat guys with cauliflower ears do not sell a lot of I.T. Consulting Products and Services.  Scary looking, caveman-types, that can speak intelligently and look good in a suit can do ok for themselves…
·         I have never failed in opening a jar for my wife – why start now?
·        I’m an still pretty confident in my ability to protect myself or my family if a physical confrontation ever develops.  I hope this never changes. 
·         My wife still thinks I’m attractive with my shirt off – why would I want that to change?

Your motivation may be different than mine, but I hope there is something inside of you that keeps you moving.  Is there?

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