OG Checking In

[Robzilla1983]

Back story: it's the first shirt sold by NF. I picked it up as soon as it was available. I think this was 6 years ago? At the time I was an avid reader and avid poster here in the forums. 

 

I've been feeling reflective lately. I wore my NF shirt for my workout last night and started thinking about how much my life has changed since I got the shirt.  In no particular order this is what I've gone through since buying this shirt: 

- starting the Stronglifts 5x5 program and realizing I love lifting weights (something I always assumed I would hate) 

- starting Crossfit (still going strong 5 years later)

- changing my workout plan/schedule multiple times. Pretty much 2x a year. A big deal for me. I like routine

- worn out 3 pairs of Vibrams (though 2 were cheap ebay knockoffs and they started to fall apart quickly)

- ran a 5k race 

- ran 8k in training

- ran 10k as a fun race. All distances at that time were in my Vibrams

- suffered through 3 bouts of plantar fasciitis. Left foot one year. Right foot the next. Left foot the year after

- when I started Crossfit, which is when my weight training really kicked in, I could squat 225 for 1 rep, deadlift 225 for 1 rep. I remember Spezzy posting here something like a 350 deadlift and it blew my mind. My squat is now at 375, and really it could be higher; back issues have plagued me so I haven't been able to push that as far as I'd like. Deadlift is 500

- at a bachelor party once: my friend, the bachelor, was always a fitness nut. All of his friends were. Except me. At one point someone asked me if I played sports or worked out. I proudly displayed my beer belly and asked: "does it look like I work out?" He made some excuse that I could be in rugby or something. I laughed it off. I've gone from bragging about my beer belly to being the go-to healthy lifestyle person for family and a few friends. I'm far from perfect, still working on getting rid of the beer belly, but I know a lot, have done a lot, and it's affected how people view me in a positive way

- found out I was going to be a father

- a few months later I found out I was going to be a father of twins

- got a dog

- had to give up the dog, and 2 cats, when my girls were 5 months old because they had allergies. It’s heartbreaking when your little baby can’t stop coughing. At the time, giving up the dog was the hardest thing I’ve ever done

- had a vasectomy (2 kids are enough – never out number yourself, parents!)

- had eye surgery. 2 years later I still have odd habits from wearing glasses my whole life. I swear one morning this week I reached for my glasses when I woke up

- changed jobs 3 times

- got diagnosed with depression

- missed 3 weeks of work when I was first diagnosed

- missed 2 months of work

- asthma medication has remained consistent, but I started medication for depression, then changed it twice

- Started medication or allergies, and take monthly shots. For the first 6 months, I had to get weekly shots. It helped get over my fear of needles

- Donated blood twice, and will be putting in a third donation next week

- held a marriage together despite more than I want to get into today. TLDR version: it’s a god damn miracle

- saw 2 counselors, 1 marriage counselor, and am still working with a psychologist

- gave up video games for a while

- picked up a PS4 in the Fall and fell in love with gaming again.

- read some great books (Wheel of Time, Stormlight Archives, Kingkiller Chronicles)

- turned 30

- dealt with kids’ changing daycare needs. Started them in a daycare, switched to a nanny, fired nanny after 6 weeks and hired a better one, put them in better-nanny’s new home based daycare, moved into a different daycare, and am now prepping for kindergarten

- overhauled my diet multiple times until I found a happy medium. Generally, I consider paleo as good eating, so I stick close to it, and try not to stress too much when I eat chocolate (which admittedly is daily lately and I need to cut back)

- when my wife decided to lose weight she went paleo. Well, what she really did was cut out sugar. In her head it was more cutting out sugar than about eating paleo, but that’s what she ended up eating. She lost 40 pounds in a year on diet changes alone. I’m listing this for myself since she often asked me for food advice.

- talked myself out of quitting crossfit twice, because it was getting hard to make time for it

- lots of changes to the house. Completely finished the basement (I’ve now got a “man cave” that’s overrun with princess toys). Lots of painting. New furniture. Etc. We’re prepping to sell now so there’s been a lot of small upgrades lately

- there's probably other milestones I'm missing

 

Not a lot has remained consistent. But wearing my NF shirt for workouts has. I tried to think of how many workouts it’s been through, and my rough guess is hundreds. I’ve worn it more or less once a week for a workout since I picked it up. Hundreds of times sweating my ass off. Working my ass off. Being pissed off when I missed a PR. Being blown away at hitting a PR. Being annoyed at my lungs (because of allergies and asthma I only have 65% lung capacity). Accepting that my lungs are shit and doing the best I can with what I’ve got.

 

What’s the woot? Just general ass kicking over the last 6 years.

 

I’ve gone through a lot. A lot. Since I first picked up that shirt. Even though I’m not as active in the NF community, I still hold it in high regards. Obviously, I can’t trace all of my life changes back to NF, but this is where I got my start on a healthy lifestyle. I wouldn’t have tried weight training if I didn’t hear about it hear first. I would’ve have worn Vibrams. My diet would be shit(tier). I owe a lot to NF

 

 

PS: I can’t believe that shirt is still in one piece. I’ve gone through a few crossfit shirts now that have been ripped apart. I don’t know what it’s made out of but it’s held together amazingly well!

 

 

[Guzzi]

Dude!  

 

Respect.