I finally started losing again. However, I am stuck on a hamster wheel, losing and gaining the same five pounds month to month. Some call it a plateau, others may refer to this as hitting my set point. I do not like either label. But sometimes, it feels like something is preventing me from moving forward. A BLOCKADE in chess…
I have previously refracted on my first time I went to a TOPS chapter meeting: the fear of the unknown, being extremely uncomfortable and being weighed by someone I had just met. My thoughts were racing on what world I had just stepped into. Twenty-plus years ago, an in-person meeting was the only option. Given where my head was during…
DEVELOPMENT is the method of moving chess pieces from their starting spots to a POSITION to gain an ADVANTAGE. Players do this in an attempt to control the center of the board. As I refract on the first eight installments of Making the Right Moves with TOPS, I realize my journey to a healthy lifestyle has always been in DEVELOPMENT.…
As much as I want to focus on just one thing at a time, it never seems to happen that way. In the blink of an eye, many things are happening all at once. Sometimes I do not even notice what type of COMBINATION is occurring. In chess, a tactical approach of forced moves to exploit a player’s POSITION in…
Whether it’s the right place at the wrong time, the wrong place at the right time, the right place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time, being in the right POSITION can have an impact on reaching a goal. In chess, POSITION refers to the locations of every piece and how they are moved to…
When I start an original blog series, I have a plan in mind on how the series will run. I do not write each installment ahead of time. I get it into the communications staff a day or two before it is due to post. Maybe it is not great planning, however it is my STRATEGY. STRATEGY in chess has…
On a chessboard, the term “ATTACK” refers to an aggressive, coordinated move to gain an ADVANTAGE. The goal is to put a piece in danger and provoke the defense into sacrificing pieces or accepting being weakened. Early on in my journey to a healthy lifestyle, I never thought I needed to be in ATTACK mode. Sounds a little violent. Luckily,…