Thursday, August 15, 2013

Week 28 - An Amazing Insight

Again I was almost at a loss for something to write about this week and had completely forgotten about writing tonight until just now!  Which is absolutely extraordinary given how close I am to my competition and everything that is going on around that.  I guess that there are parts of that process that are still being worked through in my head without anything ready to be articulated in a meaningful sense.  There's plenty of time for that to come.

I have been really concentrating on 'eating clean' as I call it for the past couple of weeks as I know it is a serious challenge for me to make the weight required for my competition.  That magic number is still looming large over me.  I feel as though the work I have been putting in on the diet and nutrition front is really paying dividends.   This week's spot check weigh in saw me hit 96.7kg.  Astonishing really that at this stage I can see an 800 gram loss in the week.  To top that off even more, my average weight dropped by 900 grams in the week.  It is the largest single week loss I have seen in both measures since week 20.  Very encouraging indeed.  I cannot say it has not required an enormous amount of discipline and thought, but, now is the time for such things.  This is a pretty serious endeavour for me at this point after all.  If I am going to be the best me I can be on that day in September, then I have to end each day being able to look in the mirror and know that I have done absolutely everything I could have in that day to be successful.  Even if that means that the best thing on that day was to rest.  Isn't that right coach?

Adding to the desire to achieve my immediate goals, the thought occurred to me over the past few days that right now is the fittest, leanest and most disciplined I have ever been, period.  I may not have the athleticism of my youth and could surely not perform the physical feats I could back then.  But, I am at a point now where for the first time I actually have a chance to be 'the best me I can be'.  In mind, body and spirit.  A deeply meaningful opportunity that I am both grateful for and proud of, even though the end is only in sight and not achieved.  In reality though, with the work I put in each and every day, I feel like it is true every time I wake up at the moment.  Each day, I am the best I can be on that day.  Exciting or what?

I came across a video today that lead me to a whole series based on a UFC fighter named Alistair Overeem.  He is a man that I have admired and been somewhat puzzled by at the same time.  He is a singularly impressive specimen of physicality and his performances in competition can be almost breathtaking at times (as they have been for many of his opponents I am sure).  The puzzling aspects from my perspective are no doubt more to do with only having an outsiders understanding on his last fight.  Me being completely ignorant of what his world is like.

The video I have embedded below I found to be an absolutely absorbing insight into what he went through in his latest UFC fight.  One that he was heavily favoured to win, but, lost.  It is perhaps his candid openness to have the before and after footage presented like this that left me so enthralled.  It also gave me a fantastic look at what someone in his position goes through.  I found it to be well worth the 20 minutes investment.

It is episode 3 of what looks to be a documentary series made on Alistair.  I highly recommend watching Episode 4 that was released only today as well.  It goes through his efforts towards his latest match, looming large on the horizon.  Absolutely engaging!  For me anyway.  To let the world in like that.  Amazing.

*edit - Changed the embedded video to THIS LINK as I imagine the autoplay will annoy people who visit the page.  So follow THE LINK to watch the video.  Post script to it is that he lost his latest fight on the weekend just gone.....*

No comments:

Post a Comment