It's never too late...

April 29, 2014

Some number of years ago while working at the Cleveland Athletic Club as the Athletic Director, I began to work as a personal trainer with a member named Stephanie.  She was completely out of shape at the time and had never been much of an athlete.  She was a busy mom and practicing attorney and needed guidance and a shove.  I provided both.

I thought then as I still think now, that it’s all about goal setting.  We looked at what she’d been doing; lots of running, swimming, cycling and weight training and I suggested a triathlon.  “I can’t do a triathlon, John,” she said with shocked amazement.

“Why not?  You do one every day with me,” I said.

And so we found a short one for her to do, and she did it.

That was 25 years ago and now she’s 60 and once again out of shape.  We met in the North Chagrin Reservation where I’d told her I was going to take her through a very unusual workout.  As always, she was game though a broken ankle and a knee injury would be factors I needed to consider.

We headed into the woods and did portions of the Survival Workout she was capable of doing.  She tried everything; lifting rocks and logs, climbing muddy hills, wading through Clear Creek with shoes on, and pushed herself at every station.  When we finally returned to the car and discussed the workout, she admitted it was unlikely she would do it regularly.

“I didn’t think you would, or that you should.  I think you need another goal, though, and I’d be happy to sit down and write out a program that gets you from where you are to where you want to be again,” I offered.

She agreed and we scheduled another meeting.  Be careful, Stephanie.  We got older, but I got nuttier.  I still believe I can do damned near anything I could do when I was thirty something and doing the Iron Man.  I’ll push/encourage you in the same direction.  Why should we give in to age?  I refuse…you should, too.

Survival Workout:  60 minutes

Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm.

Calories burned:  600