Make Life Happen!

I just recently returned from a family vacation to Breckenridge, CO. It my opinion, it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and I’ve traveled the world quite extensively. The scenery and weather were spectacular! While it was over 100°F in my current home town of Bixby, OK, we were enjoying snow capped mountains and long hikes in the crisp cool air. Truly a wonderful experience!

But, to truly enjoy all that mother nature had to offer required more than just looking out the car window or sitting on a deck at the base of the mountain enjoying the view. You need to strap on a pair of hiking boots and hit the trails. Now, you don’t have to be an elite athlete to go hiking in the mountains, but being fit sure makes it a lot more enjoyable! And going from Oklahoma were the elevation is about 700ft to Breckenridge, where the elevation varies from 9,600 to over 11,000ft was not something that I had considered. It takes your body a few days to adjust to the altitude.

I had brought my INSANITY and INSANITY: THE ASYLUM,and P90X dvds with me, with full intention of doing the workouts. Well, I made it almost through the warm up of Insanity Max Interval Circuit and realized…it wasn’t going well! I was lightheaded and could hardly catch my breath. Thankfully, I also brought Yoga X and X-Stretch dvd’s! I had just crushed both P90X and Asylum workout programs, and was actively doing an Insanity/P90X/Asylum hybrid…so I am pretty darn fit at this point in my life! In fact, I’m in the best shape of my life! But when I got that lightheaded feeling and breathing difficulty, I had an immediate flashback to how I felt just 7 months earlier at 722ft, before I committed to changing my health, my fitness, my life!

Hiking through the mountains obviously isn’t as intense as pushing play on ASYLUM’s Vertical Plyo, or Game Day, but it does requires some stamina, especially to reach those, off the trail locations where you’ll find the truly magnificent places that most people never make the effort to find. Most people aren’t even physically able to reach those places. I had my 6 year old son with me on all these hikes. Like most 6 year olds here is a bundle of energy. He just goes and goes and goes…then he crashes in exhaustion! LOL! That point typically came half way through the hike, and was immediately followed by the request, “Daddy, I’m tired! Will you carry me?” How many of you have heard that one before? Now, seven months ago I probably would have said, “Buddy, I really can’t. I have a bad back” or “my neck hurts”, or “I’m tired too…let’s just sit here and catch our breath for a while.” But this time I am proud to say I could look my son in the eyes and say “Sure pal! Hop on and go for a ride!” He got to enjoy the rest of the hike from the comfort of my shoulders, and I was able to be his hero once again! It’s a memory that I know I will cherish for the rest of my life, and I think my son will too!

Life is too short to sit on the sidelines all the time trying to catch your breath. Get Back in the game!  Take control of your life!

Get fit!  Get healthy!  Be an inspiration!  Be a hero!

Make Life Happen!