FINAL REPORT: January Mini-Manifesto Goal

As January winds down, it’s time to reflect for a moment on my January mini-Manifesto goal of burning 15,000 calories at the gym this month. Fifteen thousand calories. Sure sounds like a lot. Originally, my goal was 12,000 – and I remember at the time thinking I was nuts and I’d probably never be able to achieve that. It would mean burning 400 calories at the gym every single day in January (the gym was closed on New Year’s Day, so I had 30 days to work with). But four hundred doesn’t sound nearly as daunting…until you think about it every single day, with no rest days.

But the workouts began in earnest on Saturday, Jan. 2. Each day was essentially the same – bike for about an hour, treadmill for awhile. There were a few off days (when I’d hurt my knee or was sick), but they were few and far between. And, to my own astonishment, I began to approach 12,000 and started to realize I’d even reach it early, with several days left in the month. So I modified my goal to 15,000. Some thought I was nuts, but I was determined.

It took all 30 days to get there, but today I celebrated my first mini-Manifesto victory – I reached 15,000 gym calories for the month (actually, I went over and finished the month with 15,500). If you’d have told me last July that I’d burn 15,500 calories at the gym in January, I’d have laughed at you. But I did it.

And for those who are having a hard time picturing exactly what 15,000 calories looks like, let me give you some help. To burn 15,500 calories at the gym on the recumbent bike (my weapon of choice), it’s about an hour each day at level 10 (uphill). Sixty minutes, up a hill, every single day. For 460 miles. That’s the equivalent of riding my bike to Ontario (Windsor), Canada, and back – uphill both ways – this month. Crazy.

But just when I started to feel pretty good about what I’d accomplished, I started thinking about what else 15,000 calories might look like. Yea, sure it’s a lot of sweat on a bike. But what did it look like BEFORE my decision to get healthy. Well, before Nov. 9 (when I started on this path to a healthier lifestyle), 15,000 calories might have looked like five large Papa John’s Meat Lovers pizzas. Five. That's it. Or just under 7.5 boxes of Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Cream Pies (one of my all-time favorites). Or almost 7.5 bags of Cool Ranch Doritos. Or about 52 Mountain Dews (just over 1.5 20-ounce bottles per day in January). Crazy.

As I continue on this journey, I will have victories and I will have setbacks. I will love the gym and I will curse it. But each day I will remember that it was a lifetime of my own bad decisions that got me here. I think back to how many large pizzas I’ve eaten and how many snack cakes, Doritos and sodas I’ve consumed.

In the spirit of my 08.01.09 Manifesto, I promise this: when I am tired and want to quit, I’ll think about this month – the hours and hours at the gym, the buckets of sweat and all the aches and pains. And then I’ll think about five large pizzas. And I’ll peddle on. I know now that it was a lifetime of bad decisions that got me where I was, and the only thing that will bring me back is a lifetime of good decisions. For those who are on a similar journey – trying to lose weight, trying to stop smoking or drinking or whatever it is that makes you need, no, DEMAND a change – stay strong.

Change isn’t easy, but it’s definitely worth the struggle.

Tune in tomorrow to see what my February Mini-Manifesto goal will be. It's an interesting one, and it has nothing to do with my getting healthy. Until then, I love you all, my Facebook family.