A Temporary Setback

I weighed in this morning at 236.4. By August 1, I plan on weighing in at 221. Jo Ann Burns is no longer training me, but she was kind enough to provide me with a workout routine and insisted I set monthly goals. She also suggested I continue my journaling, which you can see I’m doing in this blog. The act of writing solidifies resolve and increases focus; the act of submitting the document for public inspection strengthens commitment and provides motivation. It puts me on the spot. It makes me think about what I’m doing and why. Above all, it means I have to deal with cajoling and teasing if I fall short. That’s what friends are for.

You may have noticed that my last blog entry was May 30, a month ago. Things were going quite well; shortly after that, they weren’t. My last workout with Jo Ann was on a Friday. It was an awesome total body workout, ending in leg lifts. I could really feel my abs tightening and was confident throughout the routine. At the end, I was wiped out, which is the way it should be. That’s how I know I got my money’s worth. A good trainer will push you further than you would normally push yourself. This is important with strength training, where it’s very easy to stop when you start getting sore and winded. There’s also a real art to the type of exercises and the order in which they’re done. It takes time and effort to get to this point, and that’s where the trainer comes in. It’s more than weight loss or bodybuilding – it’s an education.

My tutelage came to an end on the evening of June 12, the day after my last workout with Jo Ann. My friend Jim was visiting from the Twin Cities, and we indulged in steak and a few beers after an afternoon of watching the World Cup. It was a much-needed day off. After ingesting the 12 ounce sirloin, a baked potato and a beer, I sat down on the new couch to watch the Twins play the Braves. At some point during the course of the game, I felt a sharp pain in my belly. It wasn’t gastrointestinal, either. I was more bloated than I should have been, even after meat and potatoes, and found that lying down was the only thing that served to alleviate the pain. It felt a lot like the hernia I had suffered while first lifting weights 25 years ago. Damn, I thought. Not this. I knew the implications; depending on the severity of the injury, it would drastically curtail or even completely halt my weight training. This wasn’t the first time, either. In the course of my 52 years, I’ve been subjected to a broken arm, an inguinal hernia, Lyme disease, a torn rotator cuff, plantar fasciitis, sprained feet, bad knees, sciatica, tennis elbow and lower back pain. And those are just the physical issues. After I was sure it wasn’t going away, I surfed the web and learned all about umbilical hernias. The pain was centered around my navel, and my innie was now an outie. I sent Jo Ann an email the next day, asking for suggestions. She told me I should see a doctor. I made an appointment the next day.

Dr. Gee confirmed my diagnosis. I was now the unwilling owner of an umbilical hernia. It’s not something serious in itself, but if abdominal contents should push through the tear and strangulate, I could be in serious trouble. Surgery was, and still is, an option. Going under the knife would, however, prevent me not only from lifting, but also from any type of exercise for a long time. Too long. I elected to keep the injury in mind and adjust my workouts accordingly. After a few lame attempts and some soul-searching, I once again resumed a rigorous fitness routine. Jo Ann was kind enough to “prescribe” a regimen of cardio 3-4 times a week, as well as a detailed total body training plan to follow 3 times a week. When I went to Anytime Fitness earlier this week, I didn’t finish all the sets Jo Ann had given me (that’s where a trainer with a big whip would have come in handy), but I realized I had learned something. I felt the pain and increase in heart rate, and worked up a drenching sweat. I knew then that my injury was just a temporary setback, just like all the other before. I was back in the saddle again, pardner. Giddyup!

As I stated at the beginning of this entry, I plan on losing 15 pounds this month. I encourage all of my readers and friends to drop in every now and then and check up on me. Kick my ass, please. It’s turning out to be a beautiful summer and there are lots of distractions and lame excuses to deter me from my objective. Another objective I set for myself is to write a page a day – of anything. I call it “Write First” and have been at it for 10 days. The intent is to keep it up for a lifetime, and that goes for fitness as well. I’ve reached the conclusion that health is the most important in our lives, both mentally and physically. It’s what everything else we do is based on. Good exercise, good nutrition, good sleep and the right dose of mental stimulation work for me, and will work for you as well. It’s all part of being human.