Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Project X

I have been working on a project for a little while now I finally feel that I am able to discuss this openly on the blog--Now, in order for you to understand the absolute impact of this major life change, I must back up many years for you to fully appreciate the scope of change that has occurred. 

As you know (or you may not know...) I used to be FAT. While I was walking around all "large", it was my husband who was the athlete. He was always an athlete, from his youth well into adulthood. He excelled at sports, especially football and hockey, and continued to play hockey in college. As an adult, he kept his passion for hockey alive by working as a referee for all kinds of levels of hockey-from high school up to collegiate levels. His job also kept him physically active and fit. He would also workout daily. 
Me...not so much. (ok, let's be honest...I did NOTHING)

Fast forward a few years and due to a change with his job, he was not able to travel for hockey like he could in his other position so he gave up reffing. 
When I discovered my love for fitness and it seemed that the roles were reversed.

I was now the athlete and the pounds were starting to creep onto him. 

Now, when you have any kind of drastic change in your life (ie wife loses a ton of weight) it is also going to change the dynamic of the relationship. Of course there was new stress and strain put into our relationship with the "new Jen". 
I train a lot of hours and that can mean a lot of hours away from home and family. 
Resentment towards my training schedule and "my new life" was starting to build and it was certainly creating a wedge in our marriage. For years I held out hope that Hubby would join me for a run or a bike ride but there was not a shred of interest there...again, only resentment for the sport I had grown to love. I know first hand you cannot force anyone to change, it has to come from within. 

Sometimes life gives you lemons and sometimes life just throws 'em right at you sooo hard it leaves a bruise. So after a series of events it seemed that life was about to take a dramatic turn of events and I feared that we had reached a boiling point. But that is when life--the same life that is chucking lemons at your head-- spins you around and hands you the unexpected.

While Hubby was schlepping around our daughter at the Rev 3 Maine race-and getting to meet some of my wonderful triathlon friends-something sparked a fire in him that weekend and he was ready to make some changes in his own life. 

A couple of days after the race, he told me that he has been INSPIRED by what he witnessed at the race and wanted my help. He was ready to seek out a healthy life.

*picking jaw up off of floor*

I was a little apprehensive at first and to be completely honest, I doubted that he would even stick with a program longer than a few weeks. I mean, football season was rolling around and it would be back to the weekend beerfest-TVwatching-junkfood-eating-crap I had been dealing with for the last several years. 

But here we are now, at the end of October and he is still going strong. I know he is serious because I can count on one hand how many beers he has consumed since late August. THAT right there is an epic change. I believe that he is committed to making long lasting changes and I love that he is making both short-term and long-term goals that are not scale focused.

He has lost 20 pounds.
He is running or biking almost every day
(of course, a good coach monitors their athletes and Rx's rest days even when said athlete protests!)

He is running up to 4 miles now and ran a 5k (not race, just distance) in a tad over 30 mins last week

We have run together a few times-something I dreamed of for a long time.
I was coming in from a bike ride the other day and saw a familiar figure up ahead of me, running towards me.  To my surprise, it was him. He has decided to get out for a quick run after work (Lola was with my parents while I was out riding). 



So now that I see that he is serious about making a change and he has given me some specific goals for the future, I have agreed to take him on as an athlete. He is doing fantastically well and I will be chronicling his own journey here as PROJECT X. 



21 comments:

Courtney from Journey of a Dreamer said...

Awesome! I love being able to share these healthy lifestyle changes with my husband!

Unknown said...

My heart swells when I read what your hubby is doing. It's a beautiful and amazing change and I KNOW what a momentous thing this is. His courage to take this path and make real change and commitment is awe-inspiring. I'm so happy for you both and so excited that you're by his side for the journey… I know how much it meant to me with my own hubby.

Elle said...

Awesome.... life is so much easier when you have similar goals and paths I think. And now you will BOTH be incredible role models for Lola... hurray!

Anonymous said...

That's really fantastic. As someone who struggles very much with motivation most of the time, it's nice to see someone getting in and really getting results.

Molly said...

That's fantastic!

CautiouslyAudacious said...

What great news, I was dreading reading the ending to the post and was so HAPPY when it turned out to be a great one! This is so inspiring and mirrors what a lot of families go through. Thanks for sharing!

Katie said...

This made me SO HAPPY!!!

misszippy said...

That's awesome! Good for him and for you--I know you are the one who inspired him. Enjoy the journey together!

Kabekona Tri Girl said...

Jen, that is awesome!! I have the same issue with my hubby. He's gained all the weight I lost and then some. I can't make him change, but we watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and it's having an impact. We got a juicer and his request yesterday was that we go to the store and get stuff to make 2 juices. YES!!!!!!!!!!!! I am proud of you and your hubby. Keep up the great work!

Matty O said...

High FREAKING FIVE!!!

So cool that the race had that great of an impact on him. I can only imagine how great he feels already w/ that first weight loss!

Not sure what his goals are but he will plateau w/ the weight loss after awhile so don't let him get discouraged if that number is important to him.

So happy for you guys :)

Now just remember, running/training w/ your spouse is not 100% daisies and roses :) TRUST ME! You will yell at each other, but it's a great battle ground to sort out things!

KovasP said...

Congratulations on you being inspirational and your husband for taking on the challenge!

HD said...

Aw Jen, I love this!!! This is so exciting for both of you! And the example that BOTH of you are setting for Lola. The sky is the limit :)

Steph said...

That is awesome! Reminds me of my story, but in reverse. My hubby got of the couch months in advance of me. I was continuing to pack on the pounds and was all for supporting him in his new adventure by taking pics, then a pic showed up on Facebook of me and I didn't recognize myself.

A year and a half later we are both living an active lifestyle, together as much as possible (but I don't mountain bike like he does) while trying to get our daughter up and at 'em. Thanks for being an inspiration to all of us!

Steph said...

Love this post! It reminded me of how I got off the couch after cheering on my hubby for months. It got to the point where I didn't recognize myself and I decided to find my active method, now running on my own and some road cycling with my hubby. Now, if we can just get my kiddo engaged in a consistent program we would all be happier!

Keep it up, you guys are setting a great example for Lola!

Suz and Allan said...

That is wonderful! Congrats to your hubby for doing so well so far!

Frickin' Fabulous at 40 said...

You scared me for a minute there! Not nice! SO frickin' glad that the ending is a happy one! Phew!

Caratunk Girl said...

That is freaking awesome! I am so happy for you Jen! And for him!

Missy said...

Whoa that is AMAZING!
Congrats to you both and good luck on this new journey in your life together!

TriEric said...

Woot woot. I love when couples can share in the love of triathlon...or any exercise related activity.

I know I'm blessed with a great wife I get to share swimming, running and biking with.

You go Jen. Project X sounds like it will be awesome.

Clarinda @ Enjoying the Course said...

Good for you and good for your husband. Sounds like very exciting changes indeed. :)

Jill said...

Oh my gosh, how cool is that?!?! Congratulations to him, I know you were a huge inspiration to him! Your project is going to be a huge hit, can't wait to follow!