Post by jbweld on Jul 21, 2017 6:51:19 GMT -8
I just wanted to drop in and say hello. When I left the Army in 1995, Sgt. Sunday (that is me) was still pretty hardcore. I was a Combat Engineer, and a "regular" type trooper. I had loved being a soldier, I was very good at my job, and it laid strong foundation for who I am today (22 years later). I was 29 and after 4 years in the Army (1 year reserve and then 3 years active), I had finally grown up. I ran and worked out EVERY day. Then in 1996, in a flag football game (with no warning), I had a complete ACL tear of my right knee. It was devastating for me. Unfortunately, I took the easy road and allowed myself to be dead-lined. It took a year for a complete recovery, but I made it through. Did ever pack on the pounds! I can look back now though, and see that it was the point when I started seeking comfort instead of striving for excellence. I allowed myself to be comforted by food, and I had become a sugar junkie! In all other aspects of my life I still pursued excellence, and I have had a good life in many regards.
I was a scientist, and had a good job working a local lab. Eventually, I met the woman who would become my wife. Through no choice of our own, My bride and I had our children late in life. I was 43 we had a beautiful little girl. By this time I was pretty broken down physically. My strength and mobility started to really decline after 40, and I was being so PASSIVE about it. At 46, we had our second beautiful little girl. I could hardly give them a piggy back ride down the hall at bedtime. I remember wrenching my back one day trying to put one of my girls into her car seat. It was an old injury from my teen years when I fractured a vertebrae. When I was younger, my core was still strong enough to support the injury, but in my current stated of brokenness it was a quick spiral downward. I remember being in my doctor's office with tears in my eyes begging for help. He told me what I needed to do, but I still did not listen... Life went on.
Then one day (several weeks ago), I found a YouTube video by this joker named Jocko Willink. It was the one about a "Seals take on martial arts", and I watched it. I thought, "I like what this guy is laying down", and I looked up some other videos. Then I found the Podcast and I started listening to it. By then I was hooked! Listening to Jocko reminded me about who I had once been, and deep down inside old Sgt. Sunday was clawing his way to the surface! I had kind of locked him away because he was kind of an A-hole. He was only allowed out if the situation required it. I like to joke that, "I am about to let Sgt. Sunday out of the box!".
I was sitting in my recliner one morning when I had The Epiphany: I could sit in this chair sipping coffee and trying to be comfortable (to relieve my pain), or I could start doing something to reject comfort and better myself. I was going to hurt either way. I decided to welcome Pain as my Trophy! I decided that I wanted to lead my family well in all aspects of life, including being a good steward of this body I had been granted! I knew I needed to work on my mobility first. In many ways, I am still pretty strong, but was I stiff as a board. I started getting up a little earlier and stretching every morning! Every day was Monday! When I was in the Army, I could easily max my pushups and sit-ups on a PT test. I could crank out about 30 pull-ups too (you had to do pull-ups before you could enter the chow hall at jump school, so I was motivated to get my pull-up on back then). Now, I could hardly do 5 regular pushups. To be honest, it almost brought tears to my eyes. But I set my mind like FLINT and kept going. I would stretch and do a little Yoga for 30 minuets. It hurt like hell at first, but overall it made a vast difference in how I felt during my day. After 2 weeks of purely stretching, I started adding in some jump-rope and calisthenics. Man, this fat boy was jiggling when I was getting my jump rope on! It must be a sight to see. Now I am in week three and I have added in some hill running. We live in the foothills of the Ouachita mountains here in Arkansas, and my second driveway is a smoker! It is about 100 yards long at 45 degrees. I listen to a little Psychological Warfare before I hit that hill, and it fires me up. I have been beating the hill 2 times, but today, I hammered it a 3rd time. The nausea was amazing! I knew I hit the wall today and crashed through. It felt great! Pain & Misery are my Trophies! They are the signs that I am tearing down this shed I have built for my tool! My eight year old girl asked for a piggy back ride the other night, and it did not hurt at all as I carried her down the hall to tuck her in bed. I actually ordered the Way of the Warrior Kid this morning we will read it together when it comes in. She needs her daddy to lead her into a lifestyle of fitness. I have let her down in that regard, but now that we have the New and Improved Sgt. Sunday in the house. Things are changing for the better.
So, to all of you that are over 40 or even 50 (like me), you have no excuse. I am broke down like an old rented mule. Make Pain your Trophy! At this age, you are probably going to be hurting anyway. GET STARTED! Get moving! Plan and Implement! Nothing will change if you do not make a change. Like Jocko says, "you know what you need to do, you just need to do it." Reject that passivity and comfort! START GETTING AFTER IT!
Kevin Sunday
Getting After It (over 50!)
Sappers Forward
I was a scientist, and had a good job working a local lab. Eventually, I met the woman who would become my wife. Through no choice of our own, My bride and I had our children late in life. I was 43 we had a beautiful little girl. By this time I was pretty broken down physically. My strength and mobility started to really decline after 40, and I was being so PASSIVE about it. At 46, we had our second beautiful little girl. I could hardly give them a piggy back ride down the hall at bedtime. I remember wrenching my back one day trying to put one of my girls into her car seat. It was an old injury from my teen years when I fractured a vertebrae. When I was younger, my core was still strong enough to support the injury, but in my current stated of brokenness it was a quick spiral downward. I remember being in my doctor's office with tears in my eyes begging for help. He told me what I needed to do, but I still did not listen... Life went on.
Then one day (several weeks ago), I found a YouTube video by this joker named Jocko Willink. It was the one about a "Seals take on martial arts", and I watched it. I thought, "I like what this guy is laying down", and I looked up some other videos. Then I found the Podcast and I started listening to it. By then I was hooked! Listening to Jocko reminded me about who I had once been, and deep down inside old Sgt. Sunday was clawing his way to the surface! I had kind of locked him away because he was kind of an A-hole. He was only allowed out if the situation required it. I like to joke that, "I am about to let Sgt. Sunday out of the box!".
I was sitting in my recliner one morning when I had The Epiphany: I could sit in this chair sipping coffee and trying to be comfortable (to relieve my pain), or I could start doing something to reject comfort and better myself. I was going to hurt either way. I decided to welcome Pain as my Trophy! I decided that I wanted to lead my family well in all aspects of life, including being a good steward of this body I had been granted! I knew I needed to work on my mobility first. In many ways, I am still pretty strong, but was I stiff as a board. I started getting up a little earlier and stretching every morning! Every day was Monday! When I was in the Army, I could easily max my pushups and sit-ups on a PT test. I could crank out about 30 pull-ups too (you had to do pull-ups before you could enter the chow hall at jump school, so I was motivated to get my pull-up on back then). Now, I could hardly do 5 regular pushups. To be honest, it almost brought tears to my eyes. But I set my mind like FLINT and kept going. I would stretch and do a little Yoga for 30 minuets. It hurt like hell at first, but overall it made a vast difference in how I felt during my day. After 2 weeks of purely stretching, I started adding in some jump-rope and calisthenics. Man, this fat boy was jiggling when I was getting my jump rope on! It must be a sight to see. Now I am in week three and I have added in some hill running. We live in the foothills of the Ouachita mountains here in Arkansas, and my second driveway is a smoker! It is about 100 yards long at 45 degrees. I listen to a little Psychological Warfare before I hit that hill, and it fires me up. I have been beating the hill 2 times, but today, I hammered it a 3rd time. The nausea was amazing! I knew I hit the wall today and crashed through. It felt great! Pain & Misery are my Trophies! They are the signs that I am tearing down this shed I have built for my tool! My eight year old girl asked for a piggy back ride the other night, and it did not hurt at all as I carried her down the hall to tuck her in bed. I actually ordered the Way of the Warrior Kid this morning we will read it together when it comes in. She needs her daddy to lead her into a lifestyle of fitness. I have let her down in that regard, but now that we have the New and Improved Sgt. Sunday in the house. Things are changing for the better.
So, to all of you that are over 40 or even 50 (like me), you have no excuse. I am broke down like an old rented mule. Make Pain your Trophy! At this age, you are probably going to be hurting anyway. GET STARTED! Get moving! Plan and Implement! Nothing will change if you do not make a change. Like Jocko says, "you know what you need to do, you just need to do it." Reject that passivity and comfort! START GETTING AFTER IT!
Kevin Sunday
Getting After It (over 50!)
Sappers Forward
