January 6, 2015 Weight 225 lbs.
There was freaking frost on the football field. Frost. My virus broke last night, leaving me sleeping in a pool of sweat. What the heck was I doing standing outside in sub-freezing weather? Was I chasing pneumonia? What was I doing wearing tights? (I’m sure my PLS teammates were wondering that on, too.)
Well, I was doing my fit-test for the next 12-weeks of my Paul Lacoste Sports bootcamp. And this is my first Fit2Fat2Fit blog entry for 2015.
Here are my numbers:
Pushups. 60. Goal: 100. The most I’ve ever done consecutively: 73 — ten years ago.
Sit-ups: 50. Goal: 100. I got this one.
Overhead press: 40
Step-ups: Something like that, too.
Running was where things went to heck. My lungs are off-line from being sick, so I felt like a fish gasping on a dock. I did the 100-yard shuttle (while slipping on the icy field) in 24 seconds. I should be closer to 21 seconds.
And my mile run? A CRAPPY 8:54. Ugh. My goal is to get back in the seven-minute range.
I weigh (by their scale and with a lot of clothing on to stay warm) 225 lbs. My goal, shared my by teammates Michael and John, is to lose 25 lbs. That will require me eating VERY clean. I’m really not that fat. But I used to be.
Seven sessions ago, I started this program weighing 248 lbs. That was nearly 250 lbs. of pure fat. I couldn’t run to the fridge, either. My waist was 41 inches. I had chest pains. I was the poster child for a heart attack.
Today, my waist is 34 inches and I can run in the neighborhood of 15 miles. It’s muscle now. But I could still trim down.
In 2011, it was about getting in shape. But today, it’s about mental training. The past three weeks have been some of the most taxing of my life. I’m coming into this physically and mental beat up. PLS training teaches you that your body can achieve way more than your mind thinks it can. That’s huge. In this stressful time, that’s invaluable.
I’ll be training in Madison, outside, with my PLS friends. I love them — and I’m not being sappy. They inspire me and encourage me. And they’ll bust my chops if I’m slacking off. We all need warriors like them in our lives.
What really excites me is that several of my Clarion-Ledger coworkers are doing the program for the first time. They’ll be at Jackson State and inside. But it won’t be easy for them. I look forward to following their journey and encouraging them however I can. And I hope they have the same results I have had.
So here we go. The journey to better health has begun.