First off, watch this and know that my next door neighbor “One Arm Pete” is a bad ass. You will not regret watching one single second of the next eight a half minutes.
Gimp Monkeys from ARC’TERYX on Vimeo.
Ya. Right? My favorite quote from Pete:
It’s all about attitude and it’s all about perception. What to you really perceive as hard? I feel like having one arm – it’s a pretty minor inconvenience really, and that’s just my perception. So that’s allowed me to do a lot of things in life and not hold me back. The right attitude and one arm will beat the wrong attitude and two arms every time.
So ya, that’s what my next door neighbor has been doing this past summer while I allowed myself to get lazy. Pete moved in the month before we bought our house 2 1/2 years ago, so as long as we have lived here, he has been the neighbor that we BBQ and chat over the back fence with. Pete is funny as hell. He works really long hours and is dedicated to his job. He loves to drink beer with his friends. And he is inspired when it comes to rock climbing. It has driven him to be better, to work harder, and to put in the hours to be really great at something.
I want to do that. Two years ago I was doing that. (Albeit in a very beginning manner!)
I’m not saying I want to be an amazing rock climber (though it’s not a bad goal – every one of my friends who climbs around here has a rock hard body!)… I just want to work again at being inspired about something. To treat my body well. To push myself past my limits.
Today I’m going to a spin class. I’m a little petrified and a little excited, all at the same time. I’m also starting to get back into my hot yoga classes, and I want to actually focus on trying to run again. I want to do better by my body and by myself. My husband told me the other day that I needed to focus on me again, because with every pound I put on, he can see me becoming more and more unhappy. I’ve seen you do this before, Jos, and I don’t want it to be like that again. Poor guy…he’s not just worried about me, he’s worried about him. I’m not happy when I feel unhealthy, and by extension, I’m not nice to my husband.
SO. I’m recommitting myself to this.
My little sister is getting married in 101 days. I am going to do my best to get back to being a healthy, fit, active person in those 101 days. I have about 15 weeks to lose 15# to get to a place where I feel really good about myself again (a toned 150# on a 5’8″ frame looks great on me).
No more excuses. No more bad attitudes. I can do this. I will do this.
Thanks for the inspiration, Neighbor Pete.