Tenacity Wins The Day

I was standing at my kitchen sink washing dishes just a couple of days ago when I saw something that made me laugh.  There was a robin outside the window who had a 4ft length of string in her mouth and she was pulling it with all her might.  One end was knotted in a tangled mess around the leg of a deck chair and the other end was in her beak.  She was diligently trying to get it loose but it was obviously impossible.  I thought about going out there and untangling it for her but then had second thoughts since that would mean the string would smell of human and then she might not want it.  I figured if she kept trying she might be able to pull a few of the frayed parts or little wisps off the main part of the string and use that part for her nest.

There are lots of robins out these days, looking to make nests. Last year we had two nests at our house and I’m happy to say that all the eggs hatched except one. The rest of the babies survived and we got to watch them grow and eventually fly away.

The next day I went out onto the deck and looked up into the eaves.  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  The string….the WHOLE string was up in her nest!  She did what I thought was going to be impossible for her.

See that long string hanging down? She got it up there and has since hauled it all the way up and woven it (along with her other materials) into a nice, neat, pretty little nest

That little robin must have worked the whole day to get that string up into her nest.  It made me think of the role tenacity plays in life…bird life and human life too.  It’s not always the most talented or the most fit for the task that gets things done.  Sometimes it’s pure persistent, stick-to-itiveness that does the trick.  It’s that way in the gym for sure.  It’s not necessarily the most athletic or the genetically gifted that end up with the best physiques.  A lot of the time the prize goes to the most tenacious person, the one who shows up, stays on task and pushes forward without getting discouraged.   That little, mama robin has a message for us all.  Success belongs to those who KEEP ON TRYING!

I Wonder What’s Taking Her So Long In There?

The other day I was on the way to the gym.  It was late which isn’t my habit.  I like to get my workouts done in the morning but sometimes I have to switch my schedule a bit.  It was already afternoon by the time my schedule cleared so I hopped in the car.  I was passing a clothing store and on the spur of the moment decided to stop in for a minute and see if I could find a normal pair of jeans.

Jeans should be easy to find, right?  Sadly, that’s not the case.  It seems the powers that be in the fashion universe have decided that a good old pair of jeans is simply too boring and they’ve come up with a fashion forward substitute they call jeggings.  Jeggings are a horrible combination of jeans and leggings.  They fit like the most uncomfortable pair of tights you can imagine.  They cling to your legs, they cling to your EVERYTHING and there are exactly 6 women in the entire world they look good on.

No, no, no, no, no

I can hear you guys out there thinking. You’re saying to yourself that these don’t look so bad and that this is a great thing for a woman to wear, right?  Well they make them for you too.  That’s right, If you want to see women wearing these I say you should stuff your…stuff in a pair for a day and see how comfy you feel.

You like this style? I suggest you run right out and get a pair!

I didn’t have much luck finding regular jeans but I did find a pair of shorts I wanted to try on.  I went into the dressing room, shut the door and realized that the lighting was excellent in there for taking physique pictures.  Good lighting and a three-way mirror…a gym rat’s delight.

All body sculptors (and photographers) know that lighting makes a big difference in how your body looks in a photo.   I’ve learned that no matter what my body really looks like, it’s going to look washed out and flat in my upstairs bathroom and therefore I never enter that room.  That’s a joke but I don’t try to take physique photos there.  Now and again you find an unexpected place that has excellent conditions like the dressing room at a department store.  I never did get any clothes but I did get a couple decent photos.

A fellow gym rat sent me this a few months ago. True words!

Little By Little

This week I started my heavy lifting phase.  My overall goal is to get nice and cut without losing the muscle mass I’ve worked so hard for.  This is a balancing act but I’ve found over the years that if I combine increased cardio with heavy lifting I get good results.  Lifting in this way helps keep the muscle on my bones as I whittle away the bit of fluff I acquired over the late fall/winter months.

Working toward my goal…nice cuts while keeping the muscles!

Monday was leg day and my concentration there was on squats and traditional deadlifts.  I did Romanian deadlifts too and calf raises but the squats/traditional deadlifts were where I put my emphasis.  Those are great compound exercises and will play a big role in getting me where I want to be.

Tuesday was back day which is one of my favorite days in the gym.  I did a bazillion pull ups of all varieties (overhand, underhand, wide grip and neutral grip).  I also did some lat rows and straight-arm pull downs but the pull ups were where I put the greatest energy.  I did some holding a barbell between my knees to add to the weight I had to pull up.  It’s surprising how much difference 15lbs can make in the number of consecutive pull ups you can do.

Today is chest day and I’ll focus on just two exercises.  I’ll be doing lots of push ups (wide and narrow, incline and decline) and bench presses.

Suffice it to say I’m sore all over which is just fine.  I love this feeling.  It lets me know I’ve been working hard and I can definitely feel the particular muscles I’ve been focusing on.  I’ll stick with the heavy lifting and extra cardio for a few more weeks and little by little I’ll get those pretty cuts I love so much.

Progress Report

I’ve been giving cardio a little more attention lately since my current goal is to get more cut  for the warmer weather (and fewer clothes) ahead.  I started the process a while ago but then had a little glitch and wasn’t able to concentrate on my workouts.  I was still going to the gym but my schedule wasn’t predictable and in light of what was going on in my life I switched to maintenance and just did what I could when I could.  Thankfully, things have settled down nicely and I picked up my plan to get good and lean.  This is always a balancing act for me since my body prefers skinny over anything else but I want to maintain as much muscle mass as possible AND get those lovely little striations to show.  To this end I have increased my cardio to hour-long sessions 3 times a week with at least one more short one (30 minutes) tacked on somewhere once a week.  I don’t do high intensity cardio sessions, I just do what I call “low and slow.”  I  get my heart rate up but do it at a steady pace over the hour.  These aren’t those crazy sessions that leave you gasping, hunched over (or on your knees) feeling sick. I do it this way since I’ve found over the years that if I’m more intense I’ll lose weight alright but mostly by chewing up my hard-earned muscle.  It’s actually pleasant, listening to my music, thinking about things, sometimes zoning out for a while.

This is a current photo expertly taken in my bathroom mirror yesterday. I’m a bit more lean than I was in my last progress photo.

I’ll probably keep up my current routine for a while but add some heavier lifting in a week or so.  The concentration on lower reps with more weight will help keep me from dropping too much muscle during this process.  The human body is incredibly efficient.  It likes to use muscle as fuel but if you’re demanding use of the muscle at the same time you’re increasing your cardio activities, it will tend to hold onto the muscle since it’s being fully utilized.  Instead it will use more of the fat stores for fuel.  That way I get more of what I want…some pretty muscle and less fluff at the same time.

On another note, the area where I do cardio affords me a view of a bank across the parking lot.  Up until yesterday every time I stepped on the elliptical machine I could see the flag at the bank flying at half mast.  As I wrote about in my last post, it’s been that way since the Boston bombings and it drives me crazy.  I decided that  instead of being bothered I should just go over there and see what the problem was and that’s what I did.  Right after I finished my cardio, I hopped off the machine and crossed the parking lot.  I went into the bank and asked to speak to the manager.  She was busy so I had to wait a minute which gave me a chance to look around.  The bank was modern and tidy inside, with two female tellers at the front.  There was only one other customer besides me and he was a young guy wearing long jean shorts (they were practically capris) and a white undershirt with a “Mom” tattoo on his arm.

The manager came out of the back in a few minutes and I told her I was “concerned about her flag.”  I wanted to know why it was at half mast.  She said she had been on vacation for a week and had totally forgotten about it .  I didn’t point out that it was supposed to be back to the top of the pole by April 20th which was a full 11 days before.  She said she’d put it up so I suggested since it wasn’t busy we do it immediately, which we did.

Yay…the flag is back up! Now I don’t have to look at that sad sight of the flag at half mast out of the gym window each morning.

Wishing you a very happy May and lots of great workouts in the days ahead!

Musings While On The Treadmill

Today I was very diligently doing my extra cardio while listening to songs on my pretty, pink iPod.  I think I was at about 1 hour, 10 minutes (out of a total of 1 hour, 20 minutes) and I looked out of the front window of the gym.  From the cardio area that I was in, I was able to see the many cars in the parking lot and across the way a bank.  The bank has a flagpole, from which a tattered, dirty American flag hangs limp at half mast. It’s been just like that, sadly hanging there since the Boston Marathon attacks.  Every day when I pull in the lot to do my workout I see this same sight.  It inspired me to write an open note to my friends/children/family a couple of days ago and then when I saw the flag, still lowered this morning, I decided to add it here.

To all of you in my circle,

I will die sooner or later and my hope is that when I look back on the life I lived here I can say I did a good job.  I want to be able to feel proud of my efforts and of my contribution while I was here.  There is no telling how or when I’ll be leaving but the recent terrorist bombings in Boston have made me reflect on my preferences if I should meet my maker in any kind of similar circumstance.

If I am killed, do NOT under any circumstance lower the flag for me.  I understand this to be a sign of respect, of mourning and I know why various politicians ordered the lowering of the flag for the people killed in the bomb attack but I find it unconscionable to think that a cowardly terrorist could cause the flag to be lowered on my behalf…..EVER!  If anything, weld an extra segment onto the pole so it flies higher than before.

If you need to cry, please do so in your bedroom closet.  Your tears are an honest expression and there is a place for them.  It’s not where those who wish us harm can see.  Stand tall and dry-eyed in public.

Do not observe a public moment of silence anywhere, anytime.  Talk louder, talk more.  Talk about freedom, talk about America, talk about our founding principles, talk about human dignity, love, sacrifice and appreciation.

Don’t concern yourself with my funeral.  Politicians are to make no appearances.  Have a party somewhere.  Celebrate life and the opportunities you have to improve and help others while you’re here.

Don’t wring your hands and ask “Why?” over and over.  Evil exists on this Earth.  Some people commit acts against the innocent precisely to fill their “enemies” with fear, to paralyze them, to make them weak, nervous and upset….to grind them down psychologically. They do it because they feel commanded by their faith to dominate and eradicate those who have a different orientation.  They do it to demoralize.  Don’t ask why, know why.  Inform yourself.  Pull up your socks, wipe your nose, take a deep breath and move forward.  Instead of asking why, say “NO!”  Do not allow them to win the battle for your spirit.

I assure you I’m fine, maybe sorry I had to go while there was still so much to be done but perfectly fine.    Perhaps we will run into each other on the flip side.  Until then, be encouraged, hold your head up and stay strong!

A Better Body Instantly…The Five Second Secret!

There is no denying that along with all the health benefits that can’t be seen, people often gravitate to the gym in a quest to look better physically.  If you go on Bodybuilding. com and look at the section that allows people to state their goals at the gym, a surprising number of people list “look good naked.”  Makes sense to me.  Working for a body you feel comfortable in is an excellent reason to start and continue your training efforts.

One of the reasons I started going to the gym in the first place is because I didn’t want to look like this anymore!

Most people think that in order to see any improvement they’re going to have to wait a significant amount of time, several weeks at least.  I’m here to debunk that.  I see people coming into the gym as newbies all the time.  Women, especially the younger ones tend to slink around looking for that one particular quick fix machine.  I’m sorry to say, that machine doesn’t exist but I do have a piece of advice that will do the trick quite admirably.  STAND UP STRAIGHT…..and smile.  Yes, men and women both have posture problems but it’s the younger ladies (the ones that most want the visible results from working out) that are the worst offenders.  The people I’m talking about typically stand with their pelvis pushed forward and their shoulders rounded to the point that their chests are  a bit concave.

Look at this! Big difference, right?

Your mother was right!  Posture is important. It’s important from a functional standpoint but also from an aesthetic standpoint.  See the difference in the way the woman on the left in the photo above looks and the way she looks on the right when she corrects her posture?  Stand up straight and Voila!  Instant slimming.  She hasn’t lost a single pound but her physique looks so much better.  She also happens to look healthier and more confident when she stands tall.

Some mindful attention and a little adjustment and you automatically look so much better.

It doesn’t take much to look substantially more fit instantly.  I wish I could just tell people how easy it is when I see them slouching around the gym.  It’s an easy, painless fix.  It just takes self-awareness and intentionality.  Practice and it becomes habit.

As for the smile part….what did Mother Teresa say? “Everytime you smile at someone, it’s an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”  You always look better with a smile on your face…or at the very least a pleasant expression!

Freedom At The Checkout Counter…

Last Saturday I left the gym and went the grocery store just down the street.  Yes, I was there on a Saturday.  Weekend workouts aren’t my usual routine but I’m fluffy right now and taking steps to de-fluff.  I jokingly call it, paying for my sins, which in this case refers to the months of gluttony that preceded Mr Mirror’s proclamation that something needed to be done.  So off I went to the gym on a Saturday.  I added an extra 1 hour cardio session and then because I have Gymrat-itis I did a good hard leg workout.

When I had finished my shopping, I stopped to say hello to a nice Asian man I see often, an employee, who was manning the self checkout area.  One day, more than a year ago as I was going though his checkout lane he exchanged a few words with me.  At that particular time I happened to be wearing my 7th Special Forces Group shirt.  He said  ”I remember them.  They were good men.  That was a long time ago, more than 30 years but I’ll never forget.”  We didn’t have time for more because there was a line behind me so I moved on through.  From that day on, we always made it a point to say hello when I did my usual stop after the gym.  Another day many months later he told me he had been a tunnel rat in Vietnam.  On Saturday, he told me a little more of his story.  He said he had been with the 3rd Marines.  He told me that he had a Marine Corps hat he used to wear “but it had the Vietnam ribbon on it and they called me a baby killer.”  He talked a little about his family, his sons and daughter.  He said they asked him “how he could kill his own” referring to other Asian (Vietnamese?) people.  He said they didn’t understand but he just told them that “Freedom isn’t free.”

Freedom isn’t free…It’s an expression you often hear. For some who use it, it’s a throwaway line with little meaning…something pithy to say when they have nothing else to contribute to a conversation but for so many others it touches that shining cord of truth that runs through all of us.   Nobody knows this more powerfully than those who gear up and go out there into the fray, with conviction and a resolute heart what the costs actually are.

Different people carry the burden of that knowledge differently.  For some it’s always locked away, never to be mentioned. For some it’s kept inside for years until the time is right and they are moved to tell certain things publicly  (I heard a Vietnam era Army Ranger named Gary Dolan say that he didn’t speak of his experiences until 30 years after they occurred) . Sometimes they will volunteer bits and pieces if they determine that you’re someone they find worthy like my friend David (a former Marine who gives me things to read and shares personal reflections about his older brother, a Recon Marine who was killed while on patrol in a fierce firefight in Vietnam).   Sometimes they’ll show you.

This amazing piece of artwork is on the back of a Soldier (Ranger) that I came in contact with through our mutual interest in a fit lifestyle.  I saw it and was immediately struck by the great detail and profound meaning.  It’s an entire conversation without words and I find it poignant and beautiful in it’s expression.  He said I could share it and when I asked him if he wanted any words to accompany the photos he told me I could just say he’s “A true patriot.”

Indeed! True patriots; the ones who risk everything, who willing forgo all creature comforts, who endure heat, cold, hunger and bone-weary fatigue, who step forward when all others are running to the rear and who consequently see up close the worst that mankind can set against them.

I’m proud of them.  I’m proud that they answered when called and proud to call them my countrymen.  I know in my heart that freedom isn’t free. The same spirit and determination that’s rooted in them is what helped win it for the rest of us in the first place.  They follow in the footsteps of those who went before, standing up, taking their turn despite the always open door right next to them that says, “the easy way out.”

“The Soldier above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” (Douglass MacArthur)

Lady Soldier With Biceps (And Why A Surprise Santa Is A No-No)

Now and again something happens that gives me a little thrill.  Early in the week it came to my attention that if you google the search term “lady soldier with biceps” and look under images, my photo is there.  Actually, 5 of my physique photos are under that heading.  A couple of them are pictures I took of myself in the mirror at the gym so I’m not sure how those got in the mix but three of them are military appreciation photos or patriotic in nature.  Only one is really a photo specifically dedicated to the Army.  That was one I did for Special Forces, Third Group.

The reason I like this little discovery is that the military tribute photos I create are meant to fulfill the wishes of the person who requested them but they’re also public and meant to be shared.  That’s why I never put watermarks on them.  I want anyone who happens to see them and enjoy them to be able to print or save them.  If they’ve managed, through the magic of the cyberspace fairies to appear in google images it maximizes the number of people who may run across them.

There I am…4 times in this screenshot. There was a 5th photo too but it was too far apart from this group to be included in the screenshot.

I also happen to like the search term “lady soldier with biceps.”  I’m not a soldier but if I had it to do all over again I’d be a surgical nurse in the Army.  I used to think I missed my calling since I went into education and not into medicine but if your calling only occurs to you when you hit 40 years of age, perhaps it really wasn’t a calling, only a backward wish.  As it was, I spent many happy years teaching, then running a school, looking into the faces of the best, freshest, brightest little people you could ever hope to meet.  My students were my heart and we had lots of fabulous adventures along the way.  I taught them lots of things but they taught me even more.

A couple of my 6th grade students when I first started teaching

Me, my classroom aide, and some of my students making a fun mess!

I learned that children always learn the most, feel the most secure and are happiest in a classroom with a strict (and fair) teacher.

I learned the reason you shouldn’t let Santa make a surprise visit to a kindergarten room (much shrieking , running and tears)

I learned that washable fingerprint isn’t.

I learned that no matter how carefully you watch the children while they’re using scissors at least once a year someone from your classroom is going home without a full head of hair.

I learned that if young boys discover a box of Tampax in the supply closet they are in seventh heaven.  They have no idea what they are but shooting those things out of the plastic tubes is great fun and they’ll pout for the rest of the afternoon when you take them away.

I learned that if you watch caterpillars turn into butterflies in the classroom and then take them outside to let them go they will sit on the ground for a while before flying and in the pushing and jostling to watch them a few (many) will get stepped on.

I learned that if you find a dead robin on the playground in the morning but don’t throw it far enough over the fence, the children will spend the day poking sticks through the links inching it closer.  Eventually, they will be able to reach their little hands through the fence to grasp the bird.  Unfortunately, its fat body won’t fit through the opening but it’s head will.  Children can pull hard enough to detach the head. The boys will then use the head to chase the girls around the yard.

I learned that when life gets tough, spending time with children always makes you feel better.

These were young siblings of students in my kindergarten class. See how they’re looking at Santa? Not thrilled. Their siblings are still over on the other side of the classroom terrified by Santa’s surprise visit. I was using the little ones to help reassure them that Santa was friendly. I never planned another surprise guest visit to a classroom in my career.

Just give them some time and these adorable boys will be getting into something. A great photo of some of my favorite kids. Bird heads, Tampax rocket launchers, smooshed butterflies….we had a great time!

I guess upon further reflection it’s OK that I didn’t become a lady soldier with biceps.  Maybe a lady teacher with biceps was good enough.

Alien Infiltrator

I worked out with an alien the other day.   Well, I didn’t actually do a workout with her but we were in the gym at the same time and believe me I kept a close eye on her.  I’ve seen this alien before.  She always wears a hat…a knit cap that’s big and bulbous on top.  She has a tiny face and the cap bulges out above her in quite a strange and remarkable way.  I initially thought she had some long dreads tucked up there which would explain why the top of her head is so giant in comparison to her little, pointy chin but truth be told I’ve never seen any dreads so now I’m pretty sure it’s just her head.  To complete the look she wears huge, mirrored sunglasses. That’s right sunglasses for an inside workout and she’s always completely covered from wrist to ankle in a tight, long-sleeved shirt and leggings.  She’s a rather slight, little thing and looks just about like this.

The alien in my gym looks like this except she wears a bulbous knit cap which makes her head look enormous on top and she doesn’t have a price tag (that I can see) on her big, mirrored glasses.

I try to be polite, but it’s hard not to stare.  When I was a child my mother would always tell me to stop staring at someone I found interesting for one thing or another. I complied but wondered why I had to avert my eyes when it was clear that the person I was fascinated by wanted to be looked at. Why else would they appear in public like they did?  The guy with about 1000 necklaces (think Mr T) comes to mind, also the guy who put maroon henna markings all over his face and the woman with the beehive hairdo at the gift shop that was so high I was sure she was going to fall over one day if that thing got just a little out of balance.  But I digress.

My observations of this little woman were quite enough to make me suspect her alien origins and then I walked into the locker room and found her wearing this.

That’s right!  I’m not kidding.  She was in a space suit!  Now I’m absolutely sure she’s not from Earth!

There’s another lady in the gym who has been showing up lately wearing a surgical mask.  You know why?  I think she’s on to the alien and she’s worried that she’s going to be exposed to some sort of pathogen by being in close proximity to the foreign life form.

My gym is a strange place, a strange place indeed!

The Best Laid Schemes

A while ago I posted the following photo.  It was a progress picture and around that time I said that my goal for the next few weeks was to get cut up…meaning to lower my body fat a little through a slight cutback in caloric intake and an increase in cardio.

After the passing of several weeks you may be curious to know what I look like now.  The following photo was taken this morning.

That’s right, not too much of a difference between the first and the second photo…if anything my abs have faded a bit in the second photo.  The reason is that I’ve been eating with a shovel instead of a fork.  That’s almost true.  I certainly have been living the past weeks without regard to my caloric intake and on top of that I haven’t been keeping to my regular gym schedule.  Am I upset?  Not at all.  True, I missed my goal which was to be significantly more cut by today but as happens now and then, life got a little crazy.  It’s something that everybody who trains understands.  Most of the time with a little extra effort you can get those workouts in but occasionally there are weeks when for some reason or another you just don’t.  As most of you know my father fell a few weeks ago.  He was unfortunately unable to recover from surgery and after lingering for a short while he passed away.  During those weeks I had other things to command my attention and my workouts were not in the absolutely-must-attend-to column.  Events like these happen in everybody’s life.  Experienced lifters don’t even give it a second thought.  Flexibility is something we’ve learned over the years.  If something comes between you and your gym plan, you just adjust and pick it up when you can.

Life happens!  No problem!  Dust off and keep going!

To a Mouse (The Best Laid Schemes o’ Mice and Men) by Robert Burns

(one of my favorite poems from the old days when I was an English Lit major)

Wee, sleeket, cowrin, tim’rous beastie,
Oh, what a panic’s in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi’ bickerin brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee
Wi’ murd’ring pattle!I’m truly sorry man’s dominion
Has broken Nature’s social union,
An’ justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor earth-born companion,
An’ fellow-mortal!I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve:
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
‘S a sma’ request;
I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave,
An’ never miss ‘t!Thy wee bit housie, too, in ruin!
Its silly wa’s the win’s are strewin!
An’ naething, now, to big a new ane,
O’ foggage green!
An’ bleak December’s winds ensuin
Baith snell an’ keen!Thou saw the fields laid bare an’ wast,
An’ weary winter comin fast,
An’ cozie here beneath the blast
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro’ thy cell.That wee bit heap o’ leaves an’ stibble
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou’s turn’d out for a’ thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter’s sleety dribble
An’ cranreuch cauld!But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain
For promis’d joy.Still thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But, och! I backward cast my e’e
On prospects drear!
An’ forward, tho’ I canna see,
I guess an’ fear!