It’s taken me a while to get used to this, but I think I can honestly say this with a straight face and truly mean it: I am a runner! I may not be a LONG DISTANCE runner yet, but I run almost as much as I walk for 2, 3, 4 miles and I have even competed in several 5K events.

I hear you out there: “But John, you’re a….BIG GUY…and you can HONESTLY call yourself a runner? Dude…seriously?”  And to that I say…absolutely!  I am over 300lbs, I’m losing that extra weight, and have run/walked 5 Disney 5Ks and also competed in last year’s Disney’s Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon Relay.  So, yeah naysayers…suck on that!

So the REAL point of this little article was to try to encourage all you other BIG GUYS (male and female) to get off your cans and get healthy and become runners too!  Here’s 5 (Not) Easy Steps to go from Fat Guy to Runner!

Step #1 – GET OFF THE COUCH!

I know you have the highest score on RedKillAlienDeathMegaCoolAwesomeShock, but seriously, is THAT what you want on your tomb stone? Do you REALLY need to watch that episode of WHATEVER?  Look, we would all LOVE to just sit on the couch and WISH those extra pounds away, but we live in this little place we like to call REALITY!  The ONLY way those pounds are going to fall off and turn you into a runner is to get you butt off that deadly life-sucking couch and DO SOMETHING!

Step #2 – Put One Foot in Front of the Other

Go for a walk.  You may only be able to get to the mailbox, but start there.  Then go to the end of the street….then go to around the block.  Then go TWICE around the block.  Keep adding more and more laps until you get one mile, then two, then three…  You get the idea.  The only way to start running is to walk.

Step #3 – Eat Less and Drink Water

Look, it isn’t rocket science, if you pound 2 cheeseburgers, a large fry and Coke, no matter how much you work out, you’re not going to drop any weight.  But you don’t have to go cold turkey…start buy just eating 1 burger, a small fry, and forget the Coke.   Then start making better (wiser) substitutions like salads and eventually dropping fried, greasy foods from your life all together.  Carry a gallon jug of water with you everywhere you go and drink LOTS, and LOTS, and LOTS of water.  You’ve probably been living your life dehydrated.  You’ll be AMAZED at how much better you feel when you ditch the coffee and Cokes and chug some good old H2O!

Step #4 – Sign Up for a 5K

Look for a “Fun Run” or a 5K that isn’t to strict on TIME and sign up for it.  You will find an AMAZING amount of motivation when you pay YOUR MONEY to participate in a run.  Put your name, and more importantly, your reputation on the line and sign up for a run.  Better yet, tell your wife, your friends, your co-workers, and your kids that you signed up for a run…there is all the motivation you will need.

Step #5 – Find a Training Plan That Works

Once you get past the walking, eating correctly, and get signed up for that first 5K…you’d better get to training, because if you don’t…your butt will DIE on mile 2 or 3, trust me…I’ve been there.  I use the Jeff Galloway method to train with is basically two 30-minute runs during the week and a longer run on the weekend.  We also try to to do some other type of workout on our “non-run” days.    So Monday-Friday we’re training and Saturday, we’re running for distance.  This also gives us a day off…which is nice.

But Seriously

If you take anything away from this article, please let it be this:  I don’t care if you’re a runner, walker, bicyclist, or swimmer…you must do something to get healthier.  We’ve become a society of fat, lazy people who are leaving a legacy of fat, lazy kids.   I want to have a family one day soon and live a long, long time, but if I don’t get healthy and drop this weight, I’m not going to be here for my wife or (future) kids.  And I want you here with me too.  I chose running, but you may choose something else…whatever it is, I don’t care, but please do something.  If not for your family, do it for yourself!

**SPOILER ALERT**

Mary Poppins (the book) is in SIMILAR to Mary Poppins (the movie) and also SIMILAR to Mary Poppins (the Musical) which is also more like Mary Poppins (the movie) than Mary Poppins (the movie) is SIMILAR to Mary Poppins (the book)…understand?  I’ll try to explain….

I LOVE Mary Poppins…there, I’ve said it.  Well, actually, I LOVE Mary Poppins as portrayed by Julie Andrews.  I love THAT Mary Poppins more than I like the character in P.L. Travers’ book of the same name.  Julie Andrews portrayal of the practically perfect in every way nanny is filled with humanity and wit, but I did not get the same “warm fuzzies” from the book as I did the movie.

One major reason is that the movie has been so “Disney-fied” that is bares little resemblance to the actual book penned by Travers, which makes the first that she had with Walt Disney much more understandable.

Walt Disney first attempted to purchase the film rights to Mary Poppins from P.L. Travers as early as 1938, but was denied because Travers did not believe a film version of her books would do justice to her creation and did not want an animated cartoon based on it. Disney finally succeeded in 1961, although Travers demanded and got script approval rights.

- Mary Poppins (45th Anniversary Special Edition)

Once you get past the movie, the musical, and all the preconceived notions of who Mary Poppins is, you can truly enjoy the book.  Filled with amazing characters and situations, you get a sense for how a creative like Walt Disney could have a field day with this material.

I found Mary to be a little more gruff than I expected.  Mr. and Mrs. Banks do not seem as overwhelmed with child rearing, as much as just disinterested.  They come in and out of their children’s days with regularity, but no mention of truly having a great affect on them.  Mary flies in at the beginning of the book, she and the children have some amazing adventures and she leaves.  There is no “let’s go fly a kite,” family realization of  how important each other are, let’s all smile and hug moment, but then again, there are still SEVERAL Mary Poppins books I still need to read.

Too truly get a real sense of Mary Poppins and fall in love with the original character that Walt Disney brought to life, I wold suggest this book, but be warned, it’s not the movie or the musical…it’s something different, and in some ways…better!

I spend a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom.  It’s the “Happiest Place on Earth.” And at Christmas, there is no better place to be…it truly is magical.

At Christmas, Disney goes ALL OUT and decorates every inch of the 4 parks and numerous resorts.  It’s unbelievable.  And I could spend every day of my life in that magical place…

But today is about the birth a a child, in a far away place.  Born to a poor family.  And He would be the Savior of this world.  Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God.  He would live a perfect, sinless life, giving and serving those who He came to save.  And they, in turn, would nail Him to a tree, to die a sinner’s death.

And He died to save each and every one of us.  And He went to prepare a place for us…in His kingdom.  And as AMAZING as any kingdom that Walt Disney can make…  Can you imagine what God can do you?  Merry Christmas.