Get Up & Win This Race!

I am so proud of Katie, but we had a disappointing weigh-in yesterday.  Katie gained 0.2 pounds from last week.  But, she has been doing so good and making smart choices all week long.  So, I do think that she can get back down very quickly.  The good news is that her blood pressure is still down in the normal range and she has lowered her pulse even more!  I was a little worried about her and how this would affect her motivation.  I talked with her and her mom for a long time yesterday afternoon.  She is making great strides and I don’t want her to get frustrated or to give up on me or this new lifestyle.  Rather than getting in a workout (Katie promised me she would do it on her own), she asked me to go to the grocery with her because she had some questions about food choices – brands, ingredients, etc.  So, we drove to the grocery – I had her park in the very last spot so we could get in as many steps as possible!  We then ventured down the aisles of the grocery and looked over the nutrition and ingredients on many products.  It was a wonderful learning experience for Katie and her mom.  On my way home from being with Katie, I remembered a poem I used to read when I played softball.  It is called “The Race” – it’s about a boy running a race and he falls several times while running.  I shared the last part of the poem with Katie last night and I want to share it with you:

            I’ve lost, so what’s the use, he thought, I’ll live with my disgrace.

            But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.

            “Get up,” an echo sounded low.  “Get up and take your place.

            You were not meant for failure here, get up and win the race.”

With borrowed will, “Get up,” it said, “You haven’t lost at all,

For winning is not more than this: to rise each time you fall.”

So up he rose to win once more.  And with a new commit,

He resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.

They cheered the winning runner as he crossed first place.

Head high and proud and happy; no falling, no disgrace.

But when the fallen youngster crossed the line, last place,

The crowd gave him the greater cheer for finishing the race.

And even though he came in last, with head bowed low, unproud;

You would have thought he won the race, to listen to the crowd.

And to his Dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”

“To me you won,” his father said, “You rose each time you fell.”

I told Katie to think of herself as the little boy and I am the father.  Consider this week a minor fall, but she needs to know that she is still winning the race.  I am so proud of her and I know you she get up and win this race! 

I already know that she and her entire family are winning the race.  When I met with them Sunday, Katie had already walked over two miles at the park, then we went outside and got in a bootcamp workout as well.  Also, her oldest sister was home from college with her boyfriend – her mom had told me that they were both looking at the nutrition labels at the grocery when they went as a group!  I love that this has turned into such a family affair!  And, Katie’s younger brother was excited to get one of my wristbands last week.  I made sure he knew what the N.E.R.D stood for. 

Katie is doing such a great job incorporating both exercise and healthy foods into her life.  I keep telling her how proud I am and encouraging her to stay motivated.  But, as I mentioned in one of my previous entries, as Katie drops the weight, she will also have to drop the emotional and mental baggage that comes with it.  We all do much better with a cheering section, and so will Katie.  I have printed out all of the messages I have received so far so Katie could post them up in her room for inspiration.  When I showed it to her, she looked at the paper and said “I have fans!”  I loved it – it was so cute.  So, please offer your encouragement and support to Katie, or simply share your story by commenting below or emailing me at ddamron1@hotmail.com.  And, I hope you or someone you know will be inspired by Katie’s journey along this race – don’t quit, rise each time you fall, and get up and win your own race!