Today on the Lighten Up Facebook page, I mentioned that there is no "D" in Lighten Up.  If I hit all of my goals, I can only hope everyone else hits theirs.  Fitness is not a zero-sum game.

To be perfectly honest, I have already reached just about all of my goals.  If the contest ended today, this experience has already been incredible enough to rank up there with the birth of my two sons, completion of two marathons in 1978 and 1982, and a 300 game in bowling.  I now only need a hole-in-one to complete my "Bucket List".

Forget winning a chicken wing eating contest.  I erased that from my "Bucket List" when I entered this contest.

And, although way more fun, these last few weeks have still required a lot of hard work.

While out of town on business, I was able to not only survive, but also thrive through it all.

A good breakfast was a priority every day and I took healthy snacks to keep my metabolism on fire.  I ate enough bananas to make a gorilla proud.

My improved physical condition allowed me to hit the hotel fitness center just about every evening, even though I put in a full eight hours or more on the job.  Four months ago, I would have said "The heck with this.  Where's the nearest Hooters?  Isn't it 20 cent wing night?". 

Instead, dinner was typically a salad, grilled fish and whatever veggies the restaurant offered.

I'm a changed man.  And another item "Reached Fitness Target" is almost ready to be crossed off the "Bucket List", thanks to "Lighten Up".