Day 6: Perseverance

As many of you know, my favorite sport for the past 3-4 years has been UFC (ultimate fighting).  I know, I know...don't judge.  I just absolutely LOVE it.  I can often be found watching old fights on Spike after work.  I would choose UFC over Oprah any day!  Today I came home from work (and a horrendous appointment with my ENT doc to check up post-op), immediately got into my elastic pants, and plopped down in my recliner to watch some UFC on my DVR (I'm watching it as I type this = happiness).  Everybody always asks me why in the world I enjoy, let alone, watch big, sweaty, monkey-looking dudes beat the crap out of each other.  My answer is always that I just can't believe that these guys are masters at boxing, wrestling, and a form of martial arts; that they dedicate every day to training just so they can go beat the crap out of someone; and that they absolutely love what they do-- there seems to be nothing that these fighters want to do other than fight.  Now, it could be that they have all missed a step in evolution (they sure look like it) and are just idiots for putting themselves through this punishment.  But I don't think so.  I think that these fighters have more perseverance than many other athletes around.  To go between 3 and 5 rounds with someone circling around an actual cage (in the shape of an octogan which I think is very creative), hunting you down, beating you up, choking you...and not give up for any reason...to me that is the definition of perseverance. 

Now, don't be alarmed, I'm not becoming a cage fighter.  Oh man, that would be cool though...maybe that should be my next goal!  Anyways, thinking about the perseverance of these fighters made me think about myself training for this competition.  No, I don't need vaseline on my face to prevent my skin from splitting open, but just like these fighters, I have to have the passion and desire to do whatever is necessary to be successful in this competition.  I have to love what I am doing (even on the days when I want to bathe in a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream instead of eating chicken and oatmeal).  I have to have a true passion for what I'm working for.  I have to make this my priority day in and day out.  I cannot give up while I'm training for any reason (unless I vom, then I'm going home). 

I know this all sounds kinda deep and I have not even been training for a week (holy hell, has it not even been a WEEK?!) but I realized today that I know that I have the perseverance to get through these 12/13 weeks.  I know, that like these fighters I adore, I will have to push myself to all kinds of limits no matter how much pain I'm in, no matter how hungry I get, no matter how sick of working out I get.  I will have to persevere to reach my goals.  As cheesy as that sounds, it really is true.  This workout program, diet, and competition are on my mind all of the time. 

I often wonder if I need more mental perseverance than physical.  I can push myself pretty hard in the gym (most of the time) and I can be disciplined with my food intake.  But sometimes the mental part of all of it is the hardest part of it all.  Just like these UFC fighters (arrrrrr, that's me rolling my tongue and loving them), I am training every single day, physically and mentally, just so I can "perform" for probably about 10 minutes total.  But it's the love of what I'm doing, the love of the results, the love of having something to work towards, and the perseverance to push through when the love temporarily disappears. 

I think I'm talking about perseverance tonight because I need to recharge myself and realize that I'm in this for 12 more long, tiring, exhausting, love-filled weeks and I have to persevere when I feel like I have lost the love because I know that I will love the end-results and the feelings that come with that.  I love, almost as much as I love everything UFC, working towards a goal and reaching it.  There is no better feeling.  So, my faithful blog followers :), I will persevere if for no other reason than to keep you all entertained with my daily thoughts and stories.

It's 7:15pm, you remember what that means?  Dinner, making food for tomorrow, and going to bed early!  Thanks again for checking in!  The support is amazing and will help me persevere!  I have added a SUBSCRIBE button at the top, right corner of my blog.  You can put your email in this box and then you will receive an email almost immediately.  You will then have to verify your email and then you will start getting an email when I make a post.  It seems as though there is a little bit of a delay from when I post to when people get the email saying that I've posted, but maybe it will get quicker?  Just an option :)

Until next time!
xoxo
PS-- On Sunday, I met one of my crushes, UFC legend Randy Couture.  Once I figure out how to post pictures I will post that one too :)