"I'm in your hands. Tell me what to do."

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The man who is completely responsible for putting me back in the woods after a twenty-five year absence called me with an urgent request to get together. We agreed to meet later in the day. “You know me, John. I’ve been carrying too much weight for way too long and it’s catching up with me. I go to do a weight workout and I’m just not recovering the way I once did. My legs and ankles are sore. I need to lose weight and I know it. I’ve been reading what you’ve done with the ‘Paleo Diet’ and I need to make myself do it. I trust you to tell me how to make it happen,” he said over a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

I’d been thinking about Henry since a voicemail he had left me on Sunday. Coincidentally, he’d left that message as I was hitting the summit of Wright Mt., a peak I would neve be on if not for his influence in getting me back to the Adirondacks  His message said he was in Grayling, Mi., the headwater of the Au Sable River and one that we had run twice in our kayaks…a distance of over 100 miles. I owed him a great debt for putting me back in touch with the woods and all of the wonderful things that have occurred because of that since that time. When he called again to get together, I started thinking about what he needed to do to get back in shape and was ready for the meeting with some basic questions. “You’ve got to change the way you eat and that means everyone in the house has to be on board,” I began. He said his wife totally supported his efforts and only needed some of the particulars to put a plan into action. “I really think you should focus on the eating first and worry about the exercise in 30 days. The Paleo has worked for me and it will work for you. I’ll get you a copy of the book, but I really think you ought to meet with my nutritionist, Bob…get the blood work and do it right,” I said. He agreed to the broad strokes of our plan and said he’d call Bob right away.

And I know he will. Henry…like an addict who really wants to conquer his or her problem…has hit rock bottom. He knows and accepts it and will give himself completely to the steps he has to take to fix the problem. As I’ve analyzed my success over the previous months and that of others I have helped over the years, it is this starting point that must be reached. It’s not a part-time thing…particularly as you age. There is no forgiveness. Body fat, poor conditioning, high blood sugar and other self-inflicted maladies don’t give a rat’s ass about how busy you are or how difficult it is to eat correctly. Either you do it right or you pay the price. There are no negotiations. When you truly understand and accept this simple truth, you can recapture your fitness and health. I know you’re reading, Henry, and I also know you’ll be a new man…Younger Next Year…as we go forward. Let’s climb a peak next September…

I got back in the saddle with a good Survival Workout, breaking my push-up record by doing 60 in my final set on trembling arms and totaling 166 for the three sets. I had someone pass me as I was curling rocks and actually cheer for the methods I was employing. “Beats the hell out of a fitness club,” he called as he ran by. I couldn’t agree more.

Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.