Life is a journey…
… and it is amazing to me how often different legs of that journey connect together.
As with most others joining me on this current journey towards health, well-being and ridiculously long walking/running, this is not the first time I have attempted to improve my health. This is the first time I have incorporated exercise and diet modification at the same time. And the first time I have joined with so many others doing the same. But I have recently been thinking a lot about a previous time I began an exercise program.
When I was 32 years old I went back to college to finish my degree. That is a long story in and of itself that I may get into at a later date. But school only serves as the back drop to this story. As I say, I was 32 with three small children and I started going to Mississippi College while working night shift making car batteries in Florence. Right there on MC’s campus is the Baptist Healthplex. At the time it was a really nice and relatively new facility. May still be nice, I haven’t been there for a while. But students could join for $99 a semester and when you joined you were given a personalized workout program.
I figured I would join and see if I could lose some weight. I really didn’t put much stock in the “Free Personalized Workout Program.” You know how those gyms can be. The trainers aren’t real trainers, they’re just guys and girls who work out a lot and set you up a cookie cutter program. But anything was better than nothing, so I joined.
I met with my trainer and was surprised how much time he spent with me. He measured my arms, legs stomach and neck to determine the areas that had the most fat and least muscle. He carefully demonstrated how to use each machine and told me the most common mistakes and risks of doing things wrong. He also told me something that has been with me ever since. He said that almost all of my fat was in the mid-section and that mid-section fat was the easiest to lose. However, he added that mid-section fat was the most dangerous because it suffocated vital organs.
After our initial meeting, whenever he saw me he asked how I was doing and he did a few follow-up meetings to make sure I was doing things correctly. Over all, this guy was really helpful. Unfortunately, life got in the way, I did not renew my membership, and I never did lose all my weight. In fact, I gained more over the next ten years and now the job is even harder. But I never did forget that guy who did such a good job.
What made me think of this guy from 10 years ago who had a hand in beginning me on the road to being healthy? The DVD from Marathon Makeover. My trainer at MC was Scott Long. (Robin – I know how you felt during the making of that DVD.)
As I was working through that DVD tonight with Kathleen, I was thinking. WOW – He’s back to finish what he started 10 years ago and doesn’t even know it. Isn’t it great to have such talented folks as Scott, Mark, Robin, and Rebecca to come along side of us, dump us off the couch and MOVE!!!
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