Showing posts with label lake travis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lake travis. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Crossfit and the importance of Discipline

In the May of 2009, I stood 5'9 and weighed 209 lbs.  I was bloated and well there is no nice way to say it: I was fat.  I took control of my health, my eating, my body.  I told myself that if I could control my eating, my exercise, my general overall fitness, then I could control anything.  I set out to do just that.  I adopted an eating plan that I came up with after doing some research.  I eliminated 5 things from my diet: 1. bread, 2. sodas, 3. sugar, 4. fried foods and 5. red meat.  The weight loss was almost instant.  Not only was I controlling what I ate but I began to exercise 5-7 days per week.  I would do 100+ pushups, 200+ situps and briskly walk 2 miles every day.  I was down to 172 lbs in November of 2009, just 6 months later.  I then began doing Crossfit exercises and began adding muscle to my physique as well as improving my overall general fitness.  I began doing Crossfit workouts in January of 2010 and have done them approximately 3x per week since.  I am at an all time fitness level and feel better than ever before.  But almost better than the physical payoff has been the mental payoff.  I now know after losing 40lbs of fat and adding more muscle to my frame than ever before in the span of approximately 10 months that I am capable of doing anything I set mind to do.  That I am able to accomplish whatever I want.  That if I can reverse a decade of eating poorly and exercising infrequently in a matter of months, then I can accomplish anything in my personal or professional life.  The discipline I imposed on my eating and exercise routines has carried over to every other part of my life.  It has been huge for me.  It has paid dividends in every facet of my life.

I am now dedicated to this lifestyle of discipline, healthy eating and fitness.  I am wearing size 30 jeans for the first time in over a decade!  I have a full 6 pack and have 12% body fat.  I am determined to lower that to 10% and to add even more muscle.  I am committed to me.  And through that discipline and dedication, I know I can accomplish anything I commit myself to.  I owe my life, my health, my happiness to my new eating and exercise plans.  It was a lot of work but I deserved it.

Set your goals, commit yourself to them and be disciplined in the way you go about each task.

Until the next time,

Jason Atchley, Strategy Consultant


Friday, December 17, 2010

Merry Christmas!

NYC and MERRY CHRISTMAS!  I love taking my wife to NYC for the weekend.  It is the most magical place around the Christmas holidays.  It is when NYC shines the most!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Until the next time,

Jason Atchley

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Change Management

It is painful to change.  There I said it.  Part of it is actually learning how to act a different way or how to do something new but the other part is the most difficult about it.  When you change something, yourself, your habits, the way you do something, you are, in effect, admitting failure.  You are admitting that the way you did something was wrong.  You are acknowledging that all the time you invested in how you were doing it was wasted.  It can be a difficult thing to come to grips with.  It can be humbling.  It can also be difficult to comprehend.

I will give you an example.  Mack Brown is the head coach of the Texas Longhorns Football team.  He has had an unparalleled run of success.  He has won more games over the last ten years than any other coach.  But this past season he lost 7 games while only winning 5.  He had a losing record for the first time in over 20 years and the first time ever during his tenure at Texas.  The problem that led to the losing season was pinned by many on his offensive coordinator.  This wasnt the first time.  People had complained for years that the OC was holding back Mack's teams and if he would only remove his friend and hire a competent OC then the Horns would win conference championship after championship.  Mack refused.  He had already spent greater than 10 years coaching with his friend and they had experienced a lot of success.  He then went on to win a National Championship with his friend at OC.  He felt validated for all the criticism that has been previously levied against him and his friend.  Unfortunately for Mack and his friend, the team suffered through sluggish offensive performances for 4 out of the next 5 seasons.  The calls for Mack's friend to be terminated grew louder and louder.  They made it back to the National Championship game but lost.  Mack felt validated again.  Then this season happened and the offense was the worst it had ever been.  Mack had no choice.  He HAD to change.  He fired his friend.

Why did it take Mack so long to see his friend was the problem?  That his friend was not the great OC  Mack believed him to be.  To do so required Mack to admit that he was wrong, that all that he had invested over the last 20 years was wrong, that the people who had been calling for his friend's head were right.  It was too difficult for Mack.  He was blinded by his refusal to admit his own mistake, that he had been mistaken all this time and that change needed to be made.  He refused to see it until he could no longer turn a blind eye to it.  He had to see it this time.  There was no choice.  The pain of staying the same had finally outweighed the pain of the change.  And that is why Mack finally made the decision to let his friend go.  It was more painful to keep him than to move in a new direction.   Mack could not stand to see his team suffer through another season like this.  If another season like that happened again without change, Mack would be looking for a new job too.  No, Mack had no choice.  His desire to win finally overtook his desire to be right.  He made the correct change.

Dont wait until you are in a crisis to affect change in your life or organization.  Evaluate yourself.  Invest in winning not being right.  Invest in doing the right thing not your thing.  Do it now before you experience crisis.  Make the changes that are necessary to win, to be successful.

My motto is I want to actually be right, not just think I am right.  I want to actually win, not just think I am winning.  I do not fear change.  I embrace it.  I am not invested in being "right" I am invested in winning.  I want to win.  I want to do whatever it takes to make it happen.  I am not stubborn about how something gets done, I am stubborn about getting it done.

Until the next time,

Jason

Monday, December 6, 2010

Monday, Monday...

Good morning Austin, Texas!

I had a fantastic weekend!  I am truly blessed.  I went on a date with my drop dead beautiful wife on Friday night.  We had coffee and just walked and talked around the shops.  The Christmas lights were beautiful and the night was just what I needed to reset for the weekend!

Saturday I took my two oldest sons to the Lake Travis playoff game.  We had a great time.  The game was played at UT's stadium so I took the kids to several of my old haunts on campus including the bench where I proposed to their mother.  We had a great Father-Son day!

Saturday night we watched Christmas movies as a family and spent the entire night just being together.

Sunday was church followed by NFL, playing catch with the football, a little work, a wonderful pot roast my wife made for dinner and ended the day spending time with the kids and Bren.

I put the kids to bed with a Far, Far, Far, Far, Far away story about the Land of Not So Far away invading and then watched Dexter with Bren.  I like the way it makes her squirm.  She is adorable.

I woke up this morning, got my kids dressed, took them to school, came back home, had a GREAT Crossfit workout, got dressed and now am headed to NYC for the week to work with a client on corporate restructuring!

I am humbled by all the blessings in my life.  I am thankful to God for the good fortune he has bestowed upon me and my family.

Until the next time,

Jason Atchley, Consultant

Friday, December 3, 2010

Happy Holidays!

Another successful week comes to a close.  I had a very rewarding week working with my clients and spending quality time with my family.  I am ready to kick off the Christmas Holiday season this weekend and spend time with my wife and kids.

I am looking forward to taking my wife out on a date tonight, doing a little shopping tomorrow and taking my two oldest sons to the Lake Travis football playoff game tomorrow!

I will also be volunteering for Goodwill on Sunday as part of my commitment to giving back this year!

Make it a great weekend!

Until the next time,

Jason Atchley