Hey guys,
Getting ready for the BT Basketball Summer Blast Off Clinic tomorrow and gonna get a good workout in soon. Got some cool stuff planned and CAN’T WAIT (insert Bart Scott voice here). Just went to the kitchen for a quick snack and decided I want to let you guys in on something that has been a major challenge for me. Maybe you can relate…

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an insatiable sweet tooth! It’s definitely something I’ve stuggled with for years. My eating habits haven’t always been the most productive for my body! Fortunately, I’ve always been active and I have a pretty churning metabolism that, up to this point, has served me well. Welp, I’m not 25 anymore! At 35, I not only still love to play, but play against the youngest talent at the highest level I can find. I love challenging myself to continue to compete as my body gets older. I’ve known in my head for years how important diet is, and I’ve made changes here and there. But I’ve always known that I’ve needed to make more. If eating was a competition for me, it would look like this…

Cookies vs. salad… Cookies in a 1st round knockout and salad had to go to the hospital for surgery.

Milkshakes vs. vegetables… Milkshakes sweep 4-0 and win each game by 86 points.

Crackers/snacks vs. fruit… Crackers/snacks kicks and recovers an onsides kick on the first play of the game, scores a touchdown on the next play, and goes on to win by a score of 107-10 (berries sneak in for a td and field goal with all the scrubs on the field in the final few minutes).

It wasn’t even a fair fight. So about a month ago, I decided that I needed to make changes, real changes. I’m not getting any younger, and like many people, I have a family history that I have to watch out for. In order for this decision to actually work, there were two things that needed to take place…

1. I had to buy more fruits and veges and get out of my comfort zone of just raspberries and blueberries.
2. I actually had to EAT the fruit and veges! I have a nasty habit of buying them, eating them for a day, and then letting them sit there, and a week later throwing them out. Just being honest…

So I went to the grocery store the next day and here’s what I came back with. The standard stuff that often gets thrown out (raspberries, blueberries, salad). And in addition, bought bananas (also often tossed), strawberries (same), blackberries, green beans, broccoli (my one dinner vege staple), cauliflower, red peppers, and green peppers. I also bought sugar free jelly as I just LOVE my pb and j (yes, I’m 35). Ok, so step one, handled. Now, on to the 2nd and harder step… eating it all.
I am proud to say that in that first week, not only did I not throw ANY of it out, but I ate every last bite of it. To most of you reading this, I’m sure it’s a piece of cake for you, but not for me. This is an obstacle that has challenged me for life, and I am determined to overcome and conquer. Not only did I have the all the veges in the same dinner, but actually ate a salad beforehand and shockingly had fruit as a snack (previously unheard of). Believe me, when I told my Mom of these developments, she nearly fell off her chair. In fact, no lie, she asked who she was speaking to!

I also have to add that I went to dinner with a few friends and when they asked me what kind of dressing I wanted on my salad I changed my typical answer. As anyone who’s ever been out to dinner with me knows, my immediate response to that question is always a look across at my companions and asking “Would you like my salad?” Because I certainly wasn’t going to eat it! But this time? Even though I declined the dressing, I accepted the salad. And even though I ate a small portion of it, it was still a step in the right direction!

A month later, it is still a mighty stuggle, and I anticipate it will be for some time. But my new habits have remained from that first week and these are changes I am excited about making permanent. I intend on not only evening the score with sugar and a bad diet, but turning the tables and winning the championship.

Do you stuggle with this? Do you have anything similar that is your obstacle? Hit me with some comments below, fill me in. I’d love to know that I’m not the only one fighting this! Whatever it is, let’s beat it together with discipline, change, and support. Whether it’s on the court or off, life contains obstacles that must be overcome! Let’s get after it!

Now let me go grab a few oreos before this workout… JUST KIDDING!!!!!

bt