My hips, hamstrings and lower back have formed a union and are threatening to go on strike. You don’t realize just how out of shape you are until you start doing movements and exercises you never really did before. I’m finding that out now after the first three workouts at Life –The Evolution of Fitness during their November “Back to Life Challenge.” Life is located in the Acme shopping center in Somers Point and is a personal training studio that offers extensive exercise training as well as nutritional plans for people of all ages who are sick of feeling lethargic and want to get the body, look and feel they have been searching for. When you start hearing phrases like “grab the viper” and “let’s get on the TRX” you know you are in trouble! Ha. But overall it is a good thing. During the first week of the challenge we are attacking the core and doing a lot of work with the foam roller to start to activate muscles that many people don’t get a chance to on a regular basis, such as the hip flexor and hamstrings. Like I have said before, I have been an athlete most of my life. Played high school and college baseball and played in summer baseball leagues for the better part of 20 years. I also dabble in golf and snowboarding (I ride goofy-footed, which we all know is how the cool kids ride! Can’t wait to hit the slopes this winter). But, like many other folks out there, time goes by, and years of working desk jobs have chipped away at what we spend our teens and 20s building. The biggest thing I have realized so far through three workouts is just how bad my flexibility is, and Life co-owner Hesh Donnerstag said that is the most common stumbling block people face as they begin to really train the right way. So at this point we are breaking it down to the basics, getting good stretches in and doing exercises that target the core and the flexibility of the lower body. I kid about the soreness involved, but it actually feels good and invigorating. Hesh and trainer D.J. Morton are pushing me hard, as evidenced by the quadriceps crawls I had to endure at the end of this morning’s workout! But as any athlete who has that competitive fire will attest, getting pushed is a good thing and athletes respond to that challenge.
I officially weighed in at 213 pounds, which by all accounts is ridiculous for a man who is 5-foot-7 … in shoes. But much of that is due to a combination of sedentary jobs and poor diet choices. So this transformation is as much mental as it is physical. I have to display will power to avoid the junk such as chips and cheesesteaks that have become far too common in my diet. If you want to feel good and be energized you have to put the right fuel into your body. I feel like I am off to a good start, but by the same token I am feeling the struggle of getting the body to do what the mind wants it to. It’s not going to be an easy month, but my goal is to get down to 195 by December 1 and keep going strong after that until I am a lean, mean machine! Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays. If you would like to learn more about Life and what its staff has to offer, look for them on Facebook, call 609-365-2359 or visit their website welcome2life.net.
