by Coach Jimmy Hays Nelson
So it was a normal Saturday afternoon. Me, my lovely wife, Kelly, and our two year old son, Asher, decided to get out of the house and stroll around the Galleria Mall in Dallas. We didn’t go with any specific shopping plans, it was mostly a case of cabin fever and just wanting to go kick around somewhere. Plus Asher has a love for malls … or any large places with lots of people.
However, as we wandered from store to store Kelly reminded me that I was in need of some new jeans for my upcoming trip to Los Angeles. As I looked down at my bare knee poking through the whole in the pair I was wearing, I knew she was right.
When it comes to me and jeans, there is always one stop for me. I have developed an exclusive relationship with Lucky Brand Jeans. Pretty much for one reason. They make jeans for guys with “junk in the trunk”. Most guys my height have no butt to them at all, and many jean manufacturers reflect that ratio. Not this dude! Most Insanity workout fans recognize me from the DVDs because Shaun T describes me as ‘The guy with the Good Squats’. You don’t become a good squat guy without some serious muscle growth in the gluteal area.
So off to the Lucky Brand Jeans store we strolled. I walked in, went straight to the back, found the bootcut style I normally wear, grabbed 2 sizes, and proceeded to a dressing room. As I slipped on the pair that fit like a glove I was stopped in my tracks. It was like I was watching myself try these jeans on.
Even after losing 100 pounds and keeping it off for over 10 years, buying new jeans is still a surreal experience.
21 year old Jimmy would have never believed that there would be a day he would actually look forward to jean shopping. Starting at the age of 7, shopping for clothes was never a fun experience. It was very traumatic, and emotionally draining. “Husky” is never a term one wants to hear, much less before the start of every new school year!
Yet here I was, staring at myself in a mirror snugly in a 30 inch waist pair of designer jeans. That wasn’t even ever a goal of mine!!! I just got tired of being the fat guy. I got tired of hiding my hurt behind a false smile and a joke. I knew something greater lived inside of me than what I was seeing on the outside. I didn’t know where this road would lead to, but it had to be better than where I was.
I was 100 pounds heavier, living with my parents, with really no plans or goals, and to top it all off I had just come out of a 2 year relationship. I remember stepping out of the shower, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, feeling totally alone and saying, “Who is going to love this?!?”
This isn’t about needing to get into a size 30 waist pair of jeans. This is about giving yourself a chance. It’s about starting right where you are. Right now, today, with all the excuses of why now isn’t a good time to get started. Money, Time, Energy, Family, Kids, Fears, Injuries, etc …. there will always be an excuse or ‘reason’ why we can’t start readily available. When I got started I had a ton of ‘reasons’ why I couldn’t. I had zero guarantee that this time was going to be any different than the 100’s of times I started and failed in the past. But I was willing to try again with one very big difference. I set my pride aside. I stopped trying to do it all on my own. I plugged into a system of support. I decided to be vulnerable, and let others know me – the real me! Good days and bad days, I stayed plugged in. Because I didn’t go at it alone, that has made all the difference in the world.
Have you felt alone in your journey? Are you tired of ‘starting over’? Is your desire for change greater than your need to do it on your own? If so, I invite you to stop by my Facebook Page. Let’s connect! I want to help you take that first step right where you are today. You aren’t in this thing alone!
Coach Jimmy