Marshall Ramsey

Today was another Line 1 day.  We did suicides, step-ups, sit-ups, wall jumps, squats, and all kinds of other exercises a normal human wouldn’t normally do at the crack of *ss.  I sweated a gallon and got winded. I pumped some iron in the weight room and ended the week on a proper (exhausted) note. I walked out of the workout soaked to the core.

I noticed in the mirror this morning that my body has changed. I have definition in my upper body, including my stomach.  Fat is being burned. Muscle is replacing it.  I kept thinking this morning that I wish I had had this kind of training when I played football.  I would have been a beast.

At 45, I’m in the best shape of my life.

I have energy when I need it.  I can push through my fatigue easier. I have less depression when bad things happen.  And I don’t look (or feel my age.).   I am healthier, meaning less doctor’s visits.

I feel like an idiot some mornings when I wake up at 3:45 a.m.  I feel like a moron when I am lying in a pool of my own sweat at 5:15 a.m.  And I feel like an idiot when I am gasping for my breath at 5:45 a.m.

But I feel like a million dollars for the rest of the day.

That’s why I workout. That’s why I try to get to the next level.

Thursdays usually are my tough day. I’m fatigued from Tuesday and Wednesday and yet I know I still have another hard day ahead of me. Today lived up to its billing.  I struggled. My mind and body are tired.

It may have been what I ate last night. It may have been a slight cold in my lungs.  I even may have been my being bumped back up to Line 1. (My friend Jenny and I usually fill in Line 1 when they are short on folks.) I don’t know. Today kinda kicked my butt.

All my old friends were waiting for me. Towels, treadmills, wall squats, mountain climbers, burpees — but there were new twists. We had to run on the treadmill with the motor off (can you say sweatfest?)  Paul was back. He pushed us hard. (and on a happy note, his son is doing well after surgery.)

I’m very tired right now and have a long day ahead of me.

But at 6:20 a.m., I walked out of the Walter Payton Center with the knowledge I had another strong workout under my belt.  Today I made another step toward the next level.

Thursday was a tough day. But I’m tougher. 

As I was running around the gym this morning, I watched several of the other Fit4Changers.  I am very, very proud of many of them. The amount of progress they have made is stunning.  Some of the folks who were suffering at the beginning of the 12 weeks are now pushing through the exercises with their heads held high.  It’s inspiring to see.

Life has thrown me a few curve balls recently. As a cancer survivor, I am addicted to certainty.  Well, I can tell you this much — lately, my world has been anything but certain. That’s why I love Fit4Change’s workouts. I know what I am expected to do, I turn my brain off and just do it. It’s about the only certainty I have in my life. It’s as much of a mental release as it is a physical challenge.

I won the warm-up this morning. My brain was sorting through all the things I have on my mind and my legs just took off.  I climbed up the treadmill this morning as we hit intervals at 10% grade.  I bear-crawled and inch-wormed across the aerobics’ room floor. I hit the weights hard. Then I ran the gauntlet quickly (it’s a long run inside).  When it was over, I won the cool-down.

Today I pushed hard and now I feel it. I’m tired.

Last year’s Fit4Change for me was about losing weight. And I did — I lost nearly 50 lbs. This year, it’s about taking my mental and physical toughness to another level.  After seven weeks into the training, I can tell you that so far, so good.  The big difference is that last year, I would groan when it was time to go workout. This year, I cherish the opportunity.

It’s about attitude.  And mine is being reshaped with the rest of my body.