Chasing Cheeseburgers

The last time I joined a gym will probably be the last time I ever join one.

Like everyone who joins a gym, my intentions were good. I knew I needed to lose weight, and what better place to focus on physical fitness than at a place full of exercise equipment?

The results, I’m afraid to say, were disappointing. I went every day for a couple of weeks. And then I missed a day or two on the third week.

By the fifth week, I was going only once or twice after work, and I always watched cooking shows on the treadmill. To the amused onlooker, I was a fat man breathlessly chasing a screen full of cheeseburgers.

Six weeks in, I was going to the gym once a week and then stopping by the drive-thru window for milkshakes on the way home.

My lack of self-discipline made my well-intentioned gym membership as useful as a glass hammer.

The Missing Piece

When I got serious about losing weight due to my diagnosis with Type 2 diabetes, I knew I was going to have to do something different.

If I wanted to avoid the awful possibilities that uncontrolled diabetes brings with it, I had to make movement a daily priority. It was no longer optional.

One thing got me motivated and has helped me stay motivated.

It wasn’t my smart watch.

It wasn’t a playlist.

It wasn’t a screenful of cheeseburgers.

The one thing I added to my exercise routine that has kept me on track is a friend.

Like Father, Like Son

Having an accountability partner has made all the difference to my exercise habits.

I walk with my dad every day, in rain, in sun, beneath a cloud of locusts, whatever may come. Despite what falls from the sky or what temperature it is outside, we take an hour and walk our daily three miles.

When I first began walking, I struggled. After half an hour of walking around my parents’ driveway, my 400-pound body was soaked with sweat, I was seeing stars, every joint was aching, and I thought I was going to pass out.

Dad came outside and joined me. He was concerned enough about my physical state that night that he walked me home to make sure I didn’t die in the woods.

We are neighbors, so the commute wasn’t that far.

He came out the next night, too.

Together we made a pact, that we would walk with each other every night, no matter the weather or time of year.

It’s a pact that, coupled with healthier eating habits, saved my life.

It’s been nearly a year and we haven’t missed many nights. I will admit that we did call it early one night because of a tornado warning. But I no longer call it quits because I’m tired or because I’ve had a bad day, and you can forget going on a milkshake run afterwards.

Having an accountability partner means that showing up to exercise is also keeping an appointment. And the results have been incredible.

Not only have I lost 180 pounds, but Dad, a veteran runner, says that the nightly walks have helped to improve his time in races.

 

What Made the Difference?

Having an accountability partner has completely changed the nature of exercise for me. Instead of relying on my own willpower to get me to the gym, I know that I will spend an hour each night laughing and talking with my dad. Plus, if I miss our nightly walk, he will track me down and ask me why.

Not only have we walked more than 1,000 miles together in the past year, but I get the benefit of learning from his wisdom and experience about every facet of life, and we also exchange funny stories.

Chasing cheeseburgers at the gym got old really fast. But spending time with my dad is worth every moment.

It’s a friendship that quite literally saved my life.