#ThisIsForty-(One). Part 2.

For those that know me this is going to be very surprising; I’m not a workout guy. I know, right!? Shocking!

The fact is I never really have been. Even when I was competing in multiple sports through middle and high school and in the best shape of my life I never “hit the gym”. It was always so boring to me. I’d rather just be out there playing football or lacrosse or soccer. I hated lifting weights. Up, down, up, down. YAWN! I was naturally a pretty strong kid with good coordination and stamina and was able to keep up and even excel in some areas.

Well then I stopped playing sports and over the next twenty years devolved into the soft, sedentary, graying middle aged man you see at school drop-off and my kids’ soccer games. I always joke that I gained baby weight at the same rate that my wife did through her three pregnancies (one of which was twins) but she always lost it and I never did. The problem is it’s no joke. Several years ago we lost my grandfather at the age of 80. I recently started thinking to myself, “Hell, I’m halfway there already.” I realized I needed to start getting serious about taking care of myself.

A little over a month ago we were approached by Dave Fannin, owner of The Body Firm, to run a promotion for his bootcamp on TanglewoodMoms.com. Victoria suggested I talk to Dave about doing the bootcamp and I figured I should give it a try. Bootcamp sounds hard but it doesn’t sound boring like lifting weights in a gym. When I talked to Dave though, he had different ideas for me. He wanted to get me going on a more individualized personal training scenario that would focus on getting my old, fat butt in shape through hard work and clean eating.

At this point I am a month away from my 41^st birthday and the realization that I am closer to 60 than I am to 20 has been weighing on me pretty heavily. So, after discussing my goals with Dave and learning about his approach I decided to go all in on his plan. I loved the fact that Dave took the time to listen to my hopes and expectations and to explain his system to me in a way I could really understand how I could achieve my goals working within that system.

It’s really pretty simple. I work out with one of The Body Firm trainers, Will, twice a week, do some cardio work three or four days a week and start eating a lot better and in a year I look like this.

Well, we’ll see. Not sure I can achieve Wolverine status but I can tell you that after a month of working out with Will I have lost 2 inches off my chest, 2 inches off my waist, and 2 inches off my hips. I’ve dropped about 12 pounds and I feel pretty damn good.

About the workouts: It’s high intensity circuit training. There’s a lot of lifting of weights, but there’s also a lot of other stuff too: kettle bells, medicine balls, battle ropes, step-ups, ellipticals, crunches. They keep it really diverse so it never gets stale. I honestly don’t think I’ve done the same exercise twice. But the workouts are hard. They are designed to be because that’s how you get the best results.

Remember I said my trainer’s name is Will? Will is a four letter word. Will will make you sweat. A lot. Will will make you collapse in a puddle of your own secretions and cry for your mommy. Will will make you think your heart and lungs are going to explode out of your chest just like that scene in Alien. But Will will also build you up. Will will make you strong. Will will make you believe in yourself. Will will take you to the limit every workout and Will will help you push past the limit. It’s an incredibly empowering feeling getting every last ounce of can-do out of yourself and Will helps you do that. At first, I needed a good half hour to recuperate after a workout but each week I feel like my recovery time is getting shorter and shorter. The workouts are still very tough but my body has adjusted to them really quickly.

Initially I didn’t worry too much about what I was eating. But the past couple weeks I’ve started paying attention to what I am putting in my body and without trying too hard I have gradually made some pretty big shifts in my diet. Also, I’ve been pretty inconsistent on the cardio so far. So my goal this month is to really incorporate those two aspects more diligently. Dave and Will have both been great about answering questions about diet without being pushy or preachy. Dave told me that some people make the shift like flipping a switch and some need more time to dial it in. He and Will both stress consistency as the key and they are super supportive of all of their clients’ individual needs and circumstances.

So, never having been a workout guy I finally get it. I finally reached a point where I am all in on getting in shape. What got me there? It’s a combination of things but to a very large degree I think it was finding the right guys to work with. Dave and Will have both been absolutely great. You can tell they really care about helping people achieve their goals. They are knowledgeable and supportive and they treat everyone as individuals and not just as another client on the books.

I’m hoping TanglewoodMoms will help hold me accountable for my efforts so I plan on making regular progress reports as well as updates on my experience with The Body Firm. By the way The Body Firm operates out of Inursha so the facilities and equipment are top notch. It’s a great place to go bust your butt.

Finally, Dave is running a great promotion right now for 9 women who want to get fit and love the way they look and feel. This promo is for the ladies only but if you are a dude who wants to get in shape you need to call Dave and get the skinny on getting skinny. You can thank me later.