Michael & Liz are Bloggable

The title sounds ridiculous but the concept is simple, treat yourself as if you were a machine and your health and wellness will thrive.

This year I am going to lose 26 pounds. I'm determined to do it. I want to do it but talk is cheap. I have got to put all of the effort I have into accomplishing it. I can't just wander into losing 26 pounds especially when I'm not really all that overweight. But I'm no where near where I want to be as far as running shape. This post is to show my philosophy I am taking over the next few months toward achieving that goal.

What makes a car perform well (or any machine for that matter)? It needs to be well fueled with the proper fluids put in the proper places. You can't pour diesel gas into a car that won't accept it and you can't put washer fluid into the container where anti-freeze belongs. I have gotten into such a rhythm of just eating whatever is delicious no matter how terrible it is for me. If I were to honestly ask myself every single meal "What is the best fuel available for my body?", I think I would be much more likely to make good choices. The quote of the week for Liz and me is "That's not very good fuel". I can't expect to throw down a large Spicy Chicken meal with a coke from Wendy's and then go to the gym and feel great running. I heard this concept back in 2005 when training for my first marathon, you have to look at your food as fuel. I am one of the worst violators of this concept which is why I'm blogging about it. I eat way too much and the wrong foods way too often. But the past few days that has changed, and so far I'm feeling pretty good about it. I hope to keep it up.

Another thing a machine needs is to be used often. It's the old "if you don't use it, you lose it" concept. You can't just put a car in the garage for a year and then start it up and expect it to be running well. I have done this two years in a row with the lawn mower. Every spring I want to just roll it out and start it up, but you just can't do that or you'll ruin it. Our bodies just like the lawn mower, have to be exercised and stretched all the time in order to stay in shape. In between trainings I just ruin myself by taking weeks or months off and then deteriorate the progress I made. Then when I start back up, I have to start over. I wish I could go out and run the way I used to but right now, I'm just not there. Every year near the end of the soccer season, I end up pulling a hamstring or some muscle because at the beginning of the season I'll stretch a lot and then stop caring since the season is coming to an end. I just can't do that to myself. So to aid in my weight loss, I'm going to be running, lifting, biking, doing workout videos, stretching and doing everything I can do keep myself moving every day.

There is one more concept I'm trying to keep in my mind about "becoming a machine". I am going to be running the Country Music Half-marathon at the end of April. Most machines can get going and go for a long time with the proper fuel. Running 13 miles or 26 miles is a lot like driving somewhere that's 8 hours away. Your car won't make it on one tank, but after filling up, most cars should be fine. The only reason it wouldn't is because you overheat your engine or a hose breaks or something. But well maintained cars should have no problem with an 8 hour drive. I keep thinking while running, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to keep going with water and the proper nutrients. Of course there is a limit to every body, but my goal is to stretch the limit and continue to lengthen the amount of time I can keep going. Then over time I want to increase my speed. Running is so mental and if you keep thinking to yourself that you are a machine, it's a lot of motivation to keep on going.

The only reason I'm blogging about this is to give myself motivation to follow through with what I write down. I think if we all looked at our bodies like machines, we'd all be much healthier.