Over the weekend, I started watching through the Rocky movies. It’s something that I’d always meant to do with Ashley, but we never got around to it.

The funny part is that it was her idea, not mine. I’d only ever seen pieces of the first and forth film, but she loved them. She said that she really identified with Adrien in the first film–the shy, quiet nerd girl. I used to brag that while most other guys’ girlfriends would drag them to campy chick flicks, mine loved Rocky and The Godfather movies.

Now that we’ve split, I’ve lost that opportunity to share that with her… But there’s nothing stopping me from indulging in these movies myself; enjoying them on their own merits. So far, I’ve seen the original five, but can’t find Rocky Balboa on any rental or legit streaming service. I may have to watch Adam Carolla’s The Hammer until I can score a cheap/free copy of Rocky Balboa.

Watching up through Rocky III, I began to feel inspired. Through Rocky’s character, I could feel the passion and the struggle to be the best man you can be and taking care of those close to you. Then I saw Rocky IV…and that was kinda silly. It had a good villain and story, but as a film, it was messy. About two thirds of the movie was made up of montages and then there was the distracting, unrealistic robot. Rocky V was meh and could have almost been a TV movie. I thought that by this point, Rocky must be saying to himself, “I gotta stop coming to press conferences. There’s always some black guy waiting to pop out and demand a fight!”

This weekend I also started jumping rope for my daily cardio. It’s another thing I’ve been meaning to do for a while. Seeing it in Rocky reminded me to finally get started and felt appropriate to do while watching the movie. It seems like the perfect workout for me: It doesn’t cost a lot of money, it doesn’t require a lot of time or space, it burns a lot of calories, and works the entire body. It also helps that it’s Adam Carolla’s (who’s also a trained boxer) exercise of choice.

Of course, in the shape I’m currently in, by Day 3 of this commitment, my body feels like this may be the worst best idea I’ve ever had. I believe that it’s an effective workout because all my muscles are getting increasingly sore, especially in my gut. My toes also sting, but that’s because I really ought to wear shoes with I jump rope.

Once I slim down to my goal weight (which is currently 250lbs) I’d like to get into more intermediate activities. Like rock climbing… I already have the shoes! Once my physical bulk isn’t in my way as much, I’ll be better-equipped for those things. I may sell the roller skates that have done me no favors and instead pick up a bicycle later this year.

I don’t dare fancy that I’ll ever have the build of a boxer, but I just want to look good. I’ve done a lot of damage to myself in the past couple of years that I need to undo. Plus I need to break the chain of bad habits that have bound my family to a legacy of poor health. I’m still not convinced I’ll ever be anyone great, but I’m also not quite ready to give up testing just what it is I can do.