Saved by the Bell? Not!

So now I am 13 and in the 8th grade. The teenage years have arrived and life certainly gets more interesting. I've managed to pull away from permanent babysitting duty, made a few friends, and become somewhat more sociable. Ages 13-14 really are a blur to me. Probably because I was in a hurry to get my childhood over with and become an adult. I truly believed that once I reached adulthood, life would get better by default.

In high school, the social groupings and hierarchies crystallized for me. Overweight students such as myself were targets for a lot of mean-spirited youths. The larger I got the more invisible I tried to become. It didn't work well. Certain guys got to know my routine; where I hung out for lunch and study periods. Being hassled on a daily basis was not my idea of fun, so I wound up being a loner. I made up my mind that I didn't need to belong to any silly cliques. There were some classmates who were cool and I made friends. The focus became get my grades, mind my own business, socialize when and where I could.

As a junior, I even tried out for the football team. Everyone kept at me to try out because no school had a guy my size on their team. It was assumed I'd be some kind of tough lineman to block. Unfortunately, from a bowling injury at age 13 I had a trick knee that could play its trick at the drop of a hat. At spring training tryouts the knee was swollen up like a grapefruit which only added to my lack of mobility from obesity. It didn't take long for the reality of my not being a football hero to manifest itself.

Now these weren't all gloom and doom times. I took Driver's Ed at age 15, got up at dawn to complete the extra course before school started each day, and on my 16th birthday I was awarded my driver's license. I still take pride in that fact to this day. Also I was getting a reputation for being a very strong math student. It was my junior and senior years where I realized my passion for math as I admired it for its truth and beauty. Shortly before graduation I was given a special award in mathematics achievement and became the school's best student of the subject.

So there was good and bad. The junk food habit still had its grip on me as I was hurtling toward 300 lbs. I was hopelessly shy about approaching girls and, at times, made myself look very foolish when I tried. I grew a full beard in high school as an attempt to look more mature. One student even asked me if I was one of the faculty. I found that pretty humorous. P.E. classes were sometimes dreadful, but sometimes a lot of fun! I certainly couldn't climb that damned rope...you know the one. I did all right with softball and flag football. Volleyball and tennis were the best times physically as I developed a bit of skill for those sports. People were amazed that I could spike the volleyball and return shots on the tennis court they thought were past me. This was a great source of satisfaction that helped offset much of the negative stuff.

Stay tuned for graduation, adulthood, and beyond...

Comparing old wardrobes with Tracy Reifkind, author of The Swing and Russian Kettlebell Instructor Extraordinaire.

Gotta take a moment to give a shout out to Mrs. Reifkind as I had the honor of being her guest for a training session and a very informative consultation afterward. Obviously, she has overcome her own weight struggles. Her husband Mark is a Master Russian Kettlebell Certified Instructor and together are a dynamic force in the fitness industry. More pics and video forthcoming.

As the encouragement and the intensity of training increased and the weight decreased, there came a time when my trainer told me she was leaving the gym for another position or something like that. By this time I knew enough to put myself through a workout when necessary. It looked like it was about to become permanently necessary. But little did I know that after she left, 3 of her employees were plotting a takeover. It was decided that this awesome trio were not about to let me drift away from the progress I had made. They met with me and told me that they were willing to train me 1 session per week each. This meant not only would my proper training continue, but I'd be getting the benefit of 3 training styles coordinated into 1 continuously productive program. Who could be more blessed than me at that moment?

My training was given new life and, of course, I RIPPED into it! I had apparently impressed these 3 and I was not about to let them down. No way in hell! As the triple-tag-teaming went on, I became stronger as I lost weight. A balance was struck between resistance and aerobic exercise; a very important concept which was not lost on me. Many people lose a bunch of weight through surgery, drastic dieting, or some other extreme measures. The difference is that far more often than not, these folks wind up looking gaunt and become physically weak with the shock of relatively sudden weight-loss. Further, there is the tendency to gain some or all of the weight back. I'm telling you, there is NO substitute for diligent hard work, clean, healthy eating habits, and a focused, disciplined behavioral doctrine.

As I wrap it up for this time, I'm proud to say that these 3 professionals have gone on to become the owners and operators of FullForce Personal Training in Modesto, CA, the personal training facility where I currently work out. I am equally proud to say they are my friends.