My whole life I’ve been chubby. Growing up, I was the funny fat kid that everyone liked. It never really bothered me, but now that I’m a 25 year old, slightly balding, single accountant, I realize that I really need to get healthy now or end up miserable and alone.

During March and April, I was remodeling my kitchen. What I thought would be a weekend rehab turned into a 6 week major project. During that time, I ate out every single night. Pizza 5 days a week isn’t the greatest thing for one’s physical appearance.

When shirts I bought only a year ago started ripping at the elbows, buttoning my dress pants became a battle of wills, XL polo shirts were stretching to the max, and I couldn’t even suck in my gut when a pretty girl walked by, I realized it was time for a change.

On May 12, 2009, I joined a gym.

The first thing I did when I walked in was weigh myself. 236 pounds……I’m only 5’7”, so do the math. That fat ass you see walking away from the camera on those news shows? Chances are one of them was me. But you want to know what went through my mind? In a few months, this will be an opportunity to brag about how much weight I lost. I hit the gym almost every night, started eating less, and eating healthy. I cut my pizza intake to one night a week (I could never stop eating pizza completely…)

I’m a firm believer that motivation needs to come from within. Whether it’s to lose weight, get better grades, get a better job, quit smoking, or whatever, there’s nothing anyone else can say to you that will get you moving better than kicking yourself in the ass and deciding it’s time for a change. If you’re in the right mindset, you can accomplish anything.

There are no quick fixes. You want to quit smoking? Don’t chew the gum, wear the patch, or take the pill. QUIT! Throw your pack away, suck up the pain for a week, and kick it. There is no better feeling than when you accomplish something that you thought you could never do.

In the past 6 weeks, I’ve lost 10 pounds and got my first “Hey, have you lost weight?” comment from a pretty girl at work today.

I have two goals that I’ve set for myself for the near future:

1.) I started a pushup program. Initially, I could only do 10 good form pushups in a row. After 6 weeks, I will be able to do 100. If you’re interested in joining the program, I downloaded the iPhone app from this website: http://hundredpushups.com/

2.) On August 22nd, I will be running a 5k. I have never ran 3 miles in my life, and I am not a runner. I always do the easy cardio, like biking or elliptical. But I’m challenging myself to go from zero to 5k in only 8 weeks, and run it at a 10 minute pace.

I’ll be posting periodic updates with my progress on both the pushups and running. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area and want to run the 5k with me, I’d love to get a big group together. I’ll even pitch in for tippingglass t-shirts for everyone.

The website for the race is here: http://www.runaroundthesquare.com/

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3. Getting and Staying Fit in Your Late Twenties