The 5 Ds

This post is at the request of my mom.  When I played competitive softball, my coaches came up with our team's focus. They called it "The 5 Ds." I don't remember where they got it from. I want to say they took the idea from a Division 1 team like Arizona or someone else who was hot at the time.  They said that if you prepare and play according to these 5 D words, you will always be successful.  I can still recite them without looking: Dedication, Determination, Desire, Discipline, and Defense.  To prove it, we had it on our pin for the '98 season. (I was 14.)

Mom came across my old pin bag in her basement.  Side note: many teams produced a pin for their team and at major tournaments/nationals, teams would exchange pins.  Then, you them in a pin bag as a collection.  So, Mom found my pin bag, found this pin, and called me requesting a blog post because she believes that I am still trying to live by these 5 Ds...especially Discipline.

Well, it's true.  Getting fit takes more discipline that you can imagine.  Think about it. How many people bitch and complain about not being the weight or size that they want to be?!  OR how many people never say a word, but you know that they aren't happy inside their own skin?  Millions.  In our own lives, we could all probably name 20 people. At least.  There are even people who have been thin all their lives for whatever reason and they still don't have discipline.  I have a fitness instructor who talked to me a couple of weeks ago.  She has never had to lose weight before.  Now, she needs to lose 10 pounds and is beyond frustrated.  She has no idea how to do it.  The only people who truly know how hard it is are the people who have done it.

I will admit that there is a lot of misinformation about "health" and weight loss strategies.  Especially when it comes to our food supply.  However, once you figure out the true way to lose weight, it just comes down to discipline.  The thing about softball is I always thought discipline referred to not chasing the high pitch.  I also thought it was about not attempting to pick off a runner at third when we are only up by one. Or it's about reading a pass ball and making a good decision before attempting to take the next base.  Basically, put some brain power behind your actions when you only have a split second to even think.  That is what discipline meant in softball.  In fitness, it is much the same.  What people don't understand is that being disciplined nutritionally and losing 35 pounds in 4 months is made up of a million split second moments.

They are all getting Starbucks.. Should I?
There are brownies in the office.  Can I have one?
Generic cheese crackers are cheaper than organic cheddar crackers. Should I buy them?
My family is having cupcakes for my nephew's birthday. Should I have one?
My family won't eat chicken, sweet potato, and broccoli for dinner. Should I just give up and have what they want?
The scale barely moved this week. Am I doing the right thing?
I want a pop so badly. Can I afford to get a small one?
My kid was given 2 suckers and he offered me one (how sweet!). Should I take it?

Seriously. A million split second moments.  It takes an insane amount of discipline in a world obsessed with food.  Bad food, at that.  In the "diet" world, it's called will power.  I think sports and dieting translate well.  How does a 5-year-old become a top athlete by the age of 18? It's made up of a million moments in which he had to learn to be disciplined.  How does someone lose 20% body fat in 4 months? It doesn't just happen.  They don't just eat whatever they want in front of others and the go to the gym to work it off.  It takes discipline. Period. It's simple.