I finally hit a wall and that wall is called Parkour

One of the great things about losing 3o pounds is that you suddenly feel more energized and ready to take on new/more physical challenges. The truth, however, is that I'm still 245lbs. So one man's physical activity is another pudgy man's failure. Enter parkour.

If your not familiar with parkour than take a look at the video below.



Pretty freaking awesome, right? Of course there are two things that you probably noticed right off the bat:

1. All those guys where considerably leaner than my pudgy 245lbs.
2. They're also considerably younger than my 36 years.

To be honest, the age thing isn't something I really factor into my failed physical attempts. The weight thing on the other hand is something that limits what I actually get accomplished.

For example, last night I went to a parkour beginner's training session. It was painfully obvious before we even started that I was out of my element. But what the hey, I gave it a try anyway.

Bad move.

I got through the initial warm up jog and stretching portion just fine. Sort of. The light five minute jog to the get the blood pumping was no problem. I've been working on my cardio for weeks. The stretching was another thing. A pudgy guy stretching is like a beach ball doing pushups. There's a lot of rolling on the ground and little else.

But it wasn't until we got to the actually jumping that I thought to myself :

"Hey! Whoa there, slow down champ..."

Jumping at 245lbs isn't difficult. Landing is. My knees are not as springy as required. They're more like overtaxed shock absorbers. So that portion of my parkour training was out. And, if you didn't notice from the video above - jumping is pretty much what parkour is about.

Okay. Okay. Parkour isn't as simple as that. According to Cliff Kravit, the session's organizer and instructor, parkour is:

...a non-competitive discipline based on utility, progression, and durability in all aspects physical, mental, and emotional. Parkour presents a mindset of doing what is useful to become useful and to progress and sustain in all aspects. With this mindset and disciplined training, Parkour helps people in their life's journey, allowing them to overcome all obstacles that enter their path...

I believe it. I truly do. I think there's something so liberating about simply moving from point A to B in the quickest and most efficient method possible. It's something I aspire to. Something I yearn for. And something I'm going to have to place on the back burner for now. Maybe I'll try it again at 220lbs or 200lbs. I'm not sure. I'll let my body dictate.

Hell, even when I finally loose all the weight I probably won't be able to do half the things on that video. Of course, it'll be great to simply jump over a wall again instead wobbling my fast ass around it.