The 100 Club and other assorted challenges

Motivation:

"Sometimes the best helping hand you can get is a good, firm, push."

Diary:

On Tuesday, while in the locker room, I stumbled ever so slightly, lost my balance as I was taking off my sock, and landed my left foot on top of my dress pants, which were on the locker room floor. What I didn't know and couldn't see what that my belt buckle was open and the sharp, metal hook part of the buckle was extended straight up - straight into the middle part of the heel of my foot, causing a sudden shooting pain. I looked down at my foot, sockless, bloody and marred, a huge scar of skin dangling and a hole piercing my normally healthy appendage.

Another time and place, I would have stopped / postponed my workout, and gone back to my desk and felt bitter about the whole experience. Today I was just stubborn enough to look at the foot, get pissed off, put my workout clothes on, and go for a 3.15 mile run on the elliptical. Every step hurt, and not just on my foot, but all the way up my ankle, into my leg, and throughout my lower back. Every now and then, if I stepped on my heel just right, a shooting pain would reach all the way up my spine into my shoulders. I have a headache.

The incident, and the pain did not distract me from reaching my goal. I have to keep running, because I know what prize will await me at the end of the run. I know that today I will have completed my task, and am one step closer to reaching my goal. One bloody foot is not a good enough reason to give up on the dream, and the pain that is associated with such an event will go away, but the experience of dignity, pride, and self-assurance is much more permanent.

As we get closer to Easter, this piercing of my foot in a very small way reminds me of the gifts that have been given for me and my goodwill. I can endure life's pain and conquer the barriers put in front of me.

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

"Sometimes the best helping hand you can get is a good, firm, push."

So, it has been a while since I wrote about my fitness and weight loss program, which was the main reason for blogging in the first place. So I feel compelled, since I am now out of the locker room, to write a little about my experience for the last few weeks.

I indicated that I have a new job, and the first week of the new job found that there is a small fitness center in the basement of the building. It is a very reasonably priced facility for tenants and they have the equipment that I use regularly, elliptical machines, some free weights, treadmills, a shower and locker area.

The one thing they have that I have never done in my life, was a "Group Exercise." For some reason, I assumed that this was either too 'girly' or that I wouldn't like it, so I have never tried to get involved in group fitness classes (yoga, pilates, cardio kickboxing, step classes, etc). I guess I imagined all the dumb videos I saw in the 1980s and thought that was not for me. (I am really starting to learn that assumptions are always wrong, and if you have a choice of trying something or assuming you can't do it, you should try it once, be embarrassed, and then never do it again.)

This time, someone at work, who I was impressed with, indicated that he liked the classes, and suggested that I should try one, but he indicated "you will be sore!" I figured I would do 1 class a week, and then run the other days. That would keep me from getting bored with running, but I still need to run to keep in shape for the 5K runs later this summer. So, I would be ok with mixing it up a little, maybe at least for one time.

I picked out something called "Boot Camp" with instructor Karl. Karl is a "functionalist" according to the information on the sign-up sheet. Functional movements save time and build lean mass while burning total body fat. The workouts look simple, but are deceptively challenging. Karl believes that the best fitness results will come from performing constantly varied functional movements at a relative high intensity. He enjoys using any and all tools available to keep the body guessing and to avoid slipping into the dreaded rut of any routine.

Every week in Boot Camp, Karl has a new toy to share with us - huge stability balls, steps, dumbbells, empty barbells, medicine balls, resistance bands, sit-up mats, jump ropes, and next week is planning on obtaining some kettle balls. We never know what sort of moves we will be doing and it is maybe, outside of high-school wrestling, the toughest workouts I have ever had to complete.

The first day of Boot Camp, I felt GREAT! The next morning, I felt GOOD, and as the day went on, I started to feel OK, then TIRED and finally, EXHAUSTED. The second day after the workout, I couldn't get out of bed, and was in PAIN. Later that day I started to feel OK again, but still was so TIRED and didn't think I could run any more that week. By the third day, Karl said - now is a good time to come back to class. (Huh, it hasn't been a week yet. Oh no.)

While Karl direct "Boot Camp" on Mondays, where the goal is to do core-muscle workouts, exposing the weaknesses in the participants (my weaknesses are evident in my push ups and jumping jacks), he also is the leader for "The 100 Club" on Thursdays, which is a gauntlet of different motions and exercises. The goal is to crank out 100 reps of the different activities in the time allowed, so you are constantly moving, pushing, pulling, stretching and lifting. It is a grind, and it is marvelous. So, after the Boot Camp on Monday, and running on Tue and Wed, Karl had me back in on Thursday, where we did 100 reps each of the following moves:

• single leg lunges (back, front, side to side)
  

• standing rows (using resistance bands);
• overhead presses (with resistance bands);
• "mountain climbers", then
  

• crunches;
• supermen;
• seated twists, then
  

• squats;
• hip elevation bridge;
• bicycles, then
  

• stretching and breathing;

after 45 minutes of this constant motion (up and down, up and down) I am pretty darned tired, but I know something - which is this - shhhh - I have muscles, but don't tell anyone. Karl is helping me build my muscles that are down underneath my fat - it is exciting because I can feel them and when I have lost the next layer of flab, they will be there ready to show themselves off to the world.

One of the hardest things is that Karl wants our "eyes up" and reminds us of this, as we need to keep our posture during the moves and it helps to make sure we are bending in the right places, and not injuring ourselves. It is so difficult to watch yourself do a move in the mirror that exposes your weak spots.

I already know the answer without asking. It simply is that if you never focus on your weaknesses, you can never acknowledge them or know what you need to work on. Use your strengths to help you to overcome your weaknesses. In a step-by-step approach, this is fine, because you don't have to get rid of your weaknesses TODAY, but maybe in the next cycle of goals, you may want to add a weakness to your list. You don't dwell on your weakness, but you should be confident that you are not destined to be directed by your weaknesses if you don't want to be - you can, perhaps with help of someone like a Karl, to find your work around. The best thing about having "a Karl" directing you, is that you can turn off your brain for a little while and be told "do this - do that - keep moving - go, go, go, go" and then just push yourself and get caught into the whole commotion. Having an instructor that has been there and knows what you should do makes working out so SIMPLE, but you still have to do the work, and believe me, it IS NOT EASY.

If I can do it, YOU can do it too. Here is the nutshell version of how:

1. I assume you have a doctor and she has given you the green light to start working out.
   
2. If you are starting and nervous about working out / injury, or just starting, do what I did - WALK. I walked inside the mall and later around a lake. The point is to focus on moving during the walk. If you are at the mall, don't stop and browse the stores, make a point of focus on walking for 20 - 45 minutes straight, pump your arms, listen to music, do whatever it takes to be concentrating on your fitness. As time goes by, do other moves, like marching or suck in your abs while you are walking.
3. If you are comfortable walking, maybe try using an elliptical machine at the gym, or sign up for a "Curves" or other quick-fitness program. I think these can be beneficial to keep moving. Again, this is your time to focus on your body, so make the most out of it and focus on improving a little bit every day.
4. When you feel comfortable, start to challenge yourself. Would you be able to walk or jog for 3 miles? Then sign up for a 5K this fall. You have plenty of time to get training for a September or October challenge.
   
5. Sign up for a fitness class at the local gym or get some one-on-one training. Most gyms will give a fitness assessment and some general counseling - and help you form a plan for weight loss or fitness. For extra $$, you can get a series of training sessions where you could learn more. (I am not in to this so much, but might do it someday.)
   

So, here is where I stand with the current fitness goals. Over the next few months I plan on achieving the following:

• Every Monday and Thursday - work with Karl.
• Every Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat - run for equivalent of 3 miles.
• Finish a 5K race in May.
• Lose 2 lbs of fat per week and continue down the 200lb goal milestones. The current goal is to get down to 226lbs, a loss of 39lbs from my current weight. It is very achievable, but it is also going to be a challenge.
  
• By October, Finish a 5K under 30 minutes.
• Fit into new suits from Kendall and get professional portraits taken for a before/after album.
• Get into pant size 36 - the number that JodiR said was my special number - way back in 2001, 4 years before I started my weight loss journey.
• Feel comfortable on social events, whatever that means. I think I just want to feel comfortable dancing, going to ballgames, walking around the state fair, snuggling with a special someone at a movie, being able to go horseback riding/hiking/climbing/skygliding/whatever. It isn't that I am trying to impress anyone specifically, but I want to feel like I would be up for any sort of challenge that I might get into, in a social sense.
  

Next week, "Writers Wanted"- why being a writer is a very good profession for a Renaissance Man, and a student of Kaizen.

In the upcoming weeks, I am going to disclose the secrets behind my weight loss plan - taking supplements.


more later,

Chazz

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