Beat the odds through training!

It's a dreary Saturday morning. The wind is blowing and the rain is coming down in buckets. Where am I? In a kayak, of course. In a kayak and loving it. I am one of those strange ducks that actually enjoys being outside in this kind of weather . . . for a while. Loving it was how the paddle started. Then, after about an hour and a half, I wanted to be home. Unfortunately, kayaking in the middle of the bay does not lend itself well to simply packing it in and going home. According to my GPS, I wasn't due to be back on shore for another 30 minutes so I decided to make the best of it and think about what I was going to blog about this week.

My thoughts drifted to the paddle I was holding. My paddle is a high performance wing paddle and I bought it from a kayak racer in Rhode Island. When I got to his house to buy the paddle, I asked to use the bathroom. Rhode Island is a long drive and I do drink a lot of water. While I was washing up, I noticed that he had written: “When you are NOT training, someone else is!” on his mirror. True as that was, I knew that I need to train in order to beat the 270 mile circumference of this island and the island does not need to train to beat me.

Then I began to think about what the term "training" really meant. According to "the Free Dictionary," training is the process of bringing a person to an agreed standard. It is a process. It involves commitment and consistency. It requires that you do something, anything. I believe that training can be physical, mental and spiritual. I believe the purpose of training is to beat the person you were yesterday. And I believe the process of continuous improvement is noble and beautiful.

Then it came to me. My blog post would be a celebration of all that I have overcome through training!

I beat my obesity by training!
I beat Diabetes by training!
I beat poor self esteem by training!
I beat joint pain by training!
I beat being unable run by training!
I beat being old before my time by training!
I beat being too tired to play with my kids by training!
I beat being ashamed by training!
I beat my limiting beliefs by training!
I beat this storm by training!
I beat negativity by training!
I beat the judgments of others by training!
I beat food addictions by training! 
I kept the weight off for 10 years and beat the odds by training!  

. . . and the list goes on. What have you beat by training? What would you like to beat?

Dr. Russ is doing this paddle to show that ordinary people like him can lose weight and dramatically improve their life.

          One of the most common and dangerous of the complications of being overweight is type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that diabetes contributes to more than 40% of all deaths in this country each year.

It is important that word gets out that, for most overweight people, type 2 diabetes can be controlled, cured, and prevented through weight loss and physical activity. One study showed that a mere 2.2-pound weight loss in a person who is diabetic could add three to four months to his life! A 22-pound weight loss reduced the risk of premature death from diabetes by an amazing 35 percent.

This is why Dr. Russ has teamed up with the American Diabetes Association to help raise funds and awareness that ordinary people can take control of their health and change their future.

By engaging in this epic journey Dr. Russ hopes to show that

• It is possible for ordinary people to lose extraordinary amounts of weight.
• It is possible for ordinary people to take control of the diseases that currently control them.
• Losing weight is not about the weight you lose it is about gaining a remarkable life
• Living BIG is the key to staying healthy and fulfilled
• It is possible for ordinary people to live an EXTRAORDINARY life.

For more information on this paddle or to make a donation to the American Diabetes Association please visit Dr. Russ’ blog at  www.longislandpaddle.com