Hello I'm Rich Brown and this is my personal website and blog. I'm just your simple, average, down to earth, professional, out gay man and aspiring circuit boy, living in Phoenix, Arizona with a few things to say while trying to find my place among all the scary, conservative, religious nuts in this sick and twisted world.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Is It Worth All The Effort?
My most recent photo ... Taken this morning at 1:53 AM after getting home from working out.
My Mother said today that I'm too skinny and she thinks I look anorexic. I think it's the Slovak genetics that blinds her to what people are actually supposed to look like.
Justin and I just got back from the gym a little bit ago and I'm tired, sore and my body totally aches. We've begun our ridiculously regimented diet and workout routine for the White Party and for that matter, the summer, which has us weight training in the gym 5x per week. Protein shakes, Creatine supplements, Two days of Chest & Back, two days of Arms & Shoulders and one day of legs. So far it's been pretty grueling and hard to keep up with which makes me wonder sometimes if it's worth all the effort.
Well the truthful answer to that question is absolutely yes for me. It's funny because I made an agreement with myself about 6 years ago to get myself into the best shape of my life. Well somewhere that fell short and it took me until last year to finally kick myself in the ass and get motivated to do something. I know this diet and workout isn't for everyone, and I have to admit it really does take a lot of will power and self-control, both of which I forget about sometimes, but manage to maintain most of the time. I say yes it's worth it because I feel better, I'm happier, and I'm much more confident these days then I ever was before. I'm not perfect, and I have a long way to go yet, but the gains I've seen from my effort have made me want to keep going. The nights where I'm sore, tired, grumpy and don't feel like going to the gym, I just have to think back to how much both Justin and I have achieved so far and how much more we want to accomplish. That's enough to keep me going.
I actually sometimes refrain from writing about my success with our diet and workout routine because I don't want to come across as the typical gay gym bunny only focused on self image, because we aren't. I'm really proud of us both, and the fact is, working out is an integral part of our life these days and it's something I'm completely unwilling to give up. Personally I think doing something like this is a decision that people have to make on their own and I would never criticize anyone for their choices. Justin and I committed to each other that we were going to set our minds too it and do it, we did. I think at any other point in our lives we really would never have been serious about making such a commitment and would have failed.
I have a lot of people ask me what was our secret, what did we do to loose so much weight, what did we do to start getting so buff. I always say the same three things. You really have to want it, you have to cut almost all carbs and work out intensely. It's really that simple. There is no magic diet, no special drink, you just have to want it and you just have to do it. Anything short of that won't be enough and you'll just set yourself up for failure.
Anyway enough of my rambling, I need to get my ass to bed so that I can get up and work in the morning. I just wanted to throw out another workout post out there as 1 a reminder to the rest of you circuit boys, you have less then a month away from the White Party Palm Springs, and two to just say how very worth all the effort is to me. Cheers!
Hell I don't think you look "skinny" at all! And the whole point is how you feel, so if you're feeling great then you must be doing it right. Have a great weekend Rich!
|______________________________________________________________________ posted by Jude @ Thursday, March 15, 2007 9:01:00 AM
If you are working out for your health and because you enjoy it and the way it makes you look, then it's worth it. If you are working out just to look good at some party - then, I'd say, it's not worth it. "yo-yo"ing is not good for you! My workout stays the same all year round (well, OK, so I change what I do and cycle the intensity - I run and kayak more in the summer and get out of the gym more - but I do similar amounts of stuff). I think you look great right now!
|______________________________________________________________________ posted by J. David Zacko-Smith @ Saturday, March 17, 2007 10:41:00 AM
