The Index Card, part two

One little index card.

The last time I seriously tried to lose weight, I brought an index card with me to the gym and carried it around as I worked out.

On the index card, I wrote 210. That’s the weight I wanted to get to. That was my end goal. That also was about seven years ago.

I’m happy to report I have recently got down to the number on the card. I weighed in at 209 on Sunday.

But now I want more. I still have about 15 pounds to go to get to my end goal of 100 pounds of weight loss.

So I decided to break out another index card. On this one, I will write 194. That’s the end goal. That’s where I want to be and my target date is December 3, also known in my circle as my daughter’s birthday.

Having kids can be motivating. You have to be on your toes. You have to be ready to move at moment’s notice. I felt like I needed to make changes in my life to be a better dad and husband.

One of my friends at Anytime Fitness, the manager actually, told me choosing my daughter’s birthday was a great idea.

In her words, and I am paraphrasing, she said your daughter has been your biggest cheerleader during the entire process so it makes sense to make the big day her big day.

Now, can I get there? That’s 15 more pounds in about seven weeks.

It won’t be easy. And if I don’t hit the date, it won’t be the end of the world. But having that index card with me while I work out will help motivate me to do another set or two on days I just don’t feel like being there.

I will get to 100 pounds at some point. But getting it done before that date would make it special for me and her.

Shifting gears to my other world, we have reached the football playoffs for the small schools in Iowa and three area teams are in.

Lynnville-Sully won the district title this past Friday in a road win over Belle Plaine. The Hawks’ open the playoffs at home against Highland this week. That’s where I will be to start the night.

My night will end in Newton as the Cardinals fight for their playoff lives in their regular-season finale against Clear Creek-Amana.

A win doesn’t guarantee the Cardinals get an at-large berth. But a loss definitely eliminates them.

There will be a lot on the line for both teams as CCA also is trying to get into the playoffs after losing to Pella this past week.

Baxter and PCM also made the playoffs.

The Mustangs clinched the No. 3 seed out of their district after a road win over Roland-Story this past week. For their efforts, they get a 156-mile one-way trek to Clarinda to face a district runner-up who has the same 4-4 record.

The Bolts were the district runner-up but because of point differential, they also have to travel a long ways on Friday. Baxter will go even further than PCM as it heads 192 miles one way to Tabor to take on Fremont Mills.

All five area volleyball teams will be in postseason action this week. Newton defeated Des Moines Hoover in its Class 4A regional opener on Tuesday.

Newton’s cross country teams are ready for the postseason. The Cardinals head to Pella on Wednesday. The boys’ team is ranked and really feels like it has a shot to advance to state as a team for the first time in school history.

If neither Newton squad advances as a team, I do expect a few Cardinals to make it to state individually.

Two of the top female runners in Class 1A reside in Jasper County. Lynnville-Sully’s Greenlee Smock and Baxter’s Elie Tuhn are both returning state medalists who have been ranked in the top 15 all season.

Expect those two to make it back to Fort Dodge when they compete in their respective state qualifiers in Iowa City and Ottumwa on Thursday.

Time to buckle up for another postseason surge. It’s always the busiest time of each season.

Contact Troy Hyde at thyde@shawmedia.com