No one runs in my family.
I am not built like a runner.
My bones aren’t weightless.
My legs aren’t gazelle-like.
As a child, no one ever said,
“Now that one…she’s going
to be a runner.”
I am not a marathon runner.
But, I know that no one
is a marathon runner until
they actually run one
~ Nike
Alarm off, cowboy hat on 140.6 miles to cheer. I’ve participated in several sprint triathlons, but I am here ti cheer and admire all of those men and women that are putting it on the line this morning in The Woodland’s.
The sun in coming up over the horizon and you could cut the tension with a knife. The energy is contagious.
6:50 a.m
The professional swim has begun.
6:52
The bridge on Lakewood’s Drive is full spectator’s looking to get a glimpse of someone they will soon call an Ironman.
7:00 a.m
The horn sounds and those with a dream have begun their 2.4 mile journey.
Just wondering if wearing workout gear is a requirement for spectators? Shoot the way I look at if I wasn’t going to be moving between 4-6 miles today I’d have planted myself with a chair and a cooler, requirements would be koozie, chair and cooler.
Pros are out of the water and staring to exit T1. As we track our athlete of the day, Wilson we expect him to arrive just after 8 a.m.
On the journey to 112 miles.
What does one do when it’s only 8:30a.m and even the tri stores aren’t open? Number one is find a place to do exactly that. Apparently every spectator’s coffee has run write through them as well. After a lengthy wait it seems there’s a lot of what to do next. 112 miles will take 5 – 9 hours to complete. Is this a fan friendly sport?
Swapping stories with fellow fans for a hours and then her came Wilson. Bam!!! We yelled and we got a thumbs up. HO boy. Let the marathon begin.
The marathon loops have begun and we have shade, but the runners don’t. It’s Africa hot!
We saw our boy, Wilson.
Climbed to summit of the Alpine Tower in Leakey, Texas before the torrential rainfall yesterday.
Preparing to share my full experience in a few days.
Sometimes you just have to put it out there, so here I go. I have decided to amp up my workouts. By day my title is Community Wellness Director, what does that mean? That means I am tasked with managing a staff of personal trainers, group fitness instructors (they are often one in the same), front desk staff, registered nurse as well as a respiratory therapist. All of these folks work in within the confines of a community wellness center and cardiac rehab. That means everyday I am around people who believe that exercise is medicine. That means I need to ensure I take care of myself in order to show that I am leading by example.
I am lucky to actually make a living promoting health and fitness. It has been some 7 or 8 years since I began taking my health and fitness seriously on a consistent basis. Since 2005 I have been exercising regularly, getting my annual labs done, watching what I eat and drinking light beer (well sometimes). I have visual evidence that my body has changed physically. I found a web site that shows pictures from my first triathlon in 2005 up to my first century ride in 2009, Kruetz Photography and me 2012 (on the right and slightly below this sentence )
. We all want to look and feel better and today I am much healthier than when I started this journey in 2005, but lately I haven’t felt like I have been paying as close attention to my health and fitness. Just a few months back I busted my tail to drop a few pounds and it was damn hard work, but like a lot of folks it only took what seemed like a day or two to put some of the weight I had lost back on and I just felt “ugh”.
Remember I am surrounded by like-minded fitness professionals, so today I reached out to one of our personal trainer’s. I had come out of our consultation room and Harper looks at me and put’s his thumb in the air, symbolizing is it good? I say, “nah” I have put on a couple of pounds and I just don’t feel very good. Harper is super supportive and talks to me no differently than he would if I was one of his clients, not his boss. We began to talk about the normal struggles people have with maintaining or obtaining their ideal body weight or percentage body fat. We continue to talk and I ask Harper to build a 6-week strength training plan for me. Maybe if someone else writes the plan I will stick to the plan; write an exercise schedule and stick to it. I asked him to write one that I can do in my MANsion (garage) with the equipment I have.
Harper doesn’t hesitate to reach under one of the gym’s computer monitors and hammer out what he say’s is a workout that will get me where I want to be over the next 6 weeks. In the MANsion I have a
Gold’s Power Tower, 10 and 20 lb dumbbells and a towel for a matt. This is all of the additional equipment I will be using in my strength training program over the next six weeks. I like to think of myself as a minimalist. I don’t need the latest fanciest gizmo’s to maintain my fitness goals.
Harper knows that I teach indoor cycling twice a week and that should give me about 2 hours of cardio minimum. I will schedule another 60 minutes of cardio into my exercise week so that leaves what I think is a much-needed strength training routine. The program is only as good as the one putting in the time and sweat!
6 week Harper-Boyle Fitness Program
Strength Training Program
| #1 | Weight | Reps |
| Swing | 20 lbs | 15 |
| Squat Press | 20 lbs | 15 |
| Push-ups | 10-15 | |
| Wide Grip Pull-up | 4-8 | |
| Russian Twist | 10 lbs | 20 |
| Rest | Rest 2-3 minutes | |
| Repeat set #1 – 3 times |
| #2 | Weight | Reps |
| Lunge Curl | 10 or 20 lbs | 10 each leg |
| Dip | 10-12 | |
| Bent over row | 20 lbs | 15 |
| Burpee | 10 | |
| Low Plank | 45 seconds | |
| Rest 2-3 minutes | ||
| Repeat set #2 – 3 times |
So now that there is a routine it’s time to formulate a schedule.
I will be writing about my progress so that it keeps me focused on my goal. My goal is to complete this 6 week program. NO EXCUSES! I want to get my body fat to 17%.
SMART goals:
The week of May 6 has begun with 2 indoor cycling classes. Wednesday will be my first attempt at Harper’s strength training program. The first attempt isn’t the most difficult, that usually happens as days pass and your body and brain realize that a lot of hard work is ahead. In order to ensure accountability I will be writing my pre and post workouts here. Here goes a whole lot of something.
Obesity, a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, has reached epidemic proportions globally. A third of the world’s adult population was obese or overweight in 2005, and if current trends continue the share could reach 57.8 percent by 2030.
The U.S. has already passed that milestone. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 63.2 percent of U.S. adults were obese or overweight in 2009.
And Texas is in even worse shape — fully two-thirds of Texans (66.7 percent) are overweight or clinically obese.
4 Texas companies that understand the benefits of a well run worksite wellness programs.
San Antonio, Texas
22,000 U.S. Employees
14,000 in Texas
USAA has learned some lessons since creating its award-winning wellness program, “Take Care of Your Health,” in 2002.
Despite program’s successes, USAA workers were still gaining weight, so the company added two programs with financial incentives in 2008.
San Antonio, Texas
70,000 Employees in Texas
“Healthy at H-E-B” offers employees a number of wellness initiatives.
Dallas, Texas
26,700 employees worldwide, 9,000 in Texas
Texas Instruments’ Live Healthy Program targets unhealthy eating habits and inactivity through programs that engage the entire family. Employees and family members can log on to an online health portal that includes resources such as:
The company also:
Health risk assessments in 2007 indicated that there were fewer employees considered “high risk” than in 2006. The share of employees at high risk fell from 40 to 35 percent. Forty-six percent of the employees were considered medium risk and 18 percent were low risk.
1,700 employees
Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (D/FW) wellness initiative, LiveWell, launched in 2007. Program incorporates:
After health-risk assessments, obesity was found to be biggest threat facing employees. In 2008, more than 75 percent of work force was obese or overweight. Of the most prevalent employee health risks, 53.7 percent related to body weight.
To create supportive work environment, D/FW built a 14,500 square-foot fitness facility housing:
At the annual health fair, employees can receive free health screenings and interact with service providers, including massage therapists and chiropractors.
Between 2007 and 2009:
If you are a fitness professional think outside the box when it comes to encouraging your company to include a worksite wellness program. Emulate what is going well in other companies and try new things that will inspire those around you to improve their health.
Sources: Gianing Costs, Losing Time, The Obseity Crisis in Texas
We have to remember that the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines begin with the statement: ‘More activity is better than less; something is better than nothing.’ The key is to not sit so much, be up and moving.
