Sergeant Tony's Blog

You’ve all enjoyed an exercise called “Starting Jim Steiner’s Woodchipper.”

No, that’s not the exercise’s official name. I mean, you won’t find that name in any fitness book because Jim was one of us, a Boot Camper.

Jim’s wife, Carole, gave him a month of Boot Camp as a Christmas present in 1999. Jim arrived and wasted NO time making a difference! He quickly became everyone’s favorite “older brother.”

For over two years we enjoyed Jim’s daily dose of fun, fellowship, and enthusiasm for life. And unless he was out of town, Jim never missed a day of boot camp! From time to time he would arrive early with his telescope in order to look at the stars and give us all an astronomy lesson in the early morning darkness before class. He was a faithful friend of USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP and to me personally.

One dark and cold morning during that very first winter, in the pouring rain, I whined to Jim that maybe the program just wasn’t going to “make it.”

That morning, it was just Jim and me at 5:30 AM. Only the two of us. (We abandoned our workout and went to Perkins for breakfast!)

“Maybe this should be our last month,” I said with a sigh, crestfallen, picking at my pancakes, discouraged and ready to give up. I sounded more like Eeyore than a hard charging Marine. (So embarrassing.)

“Don’t do that, Tony,” Jim countered. “This is the best program I’ve ever been in. Hang in there, just wait! They’ll come out of the woodwork! You’ll see!!”

It was sort of a “Field of Dreams” moment: “If you do it … they will come.”

During that first winter, five people at boot camp was considered a pretty good crowd. That morning I was discouraged and ready to quit. But Jim encouraged me and gave me a new commitment to make Boot Camp work. “If Steiner says it’ll work, then it’ll work,” I thought.

Two and a half years later, while Jim, Carole, their son Rob, daughter Meredith, and I were making plans to run the Marine Corps Marathon together, Jim suffered what we all thought was a mild stroke.

In the weeks and months that followed, we discovered that it wasn’t a stroke that Jim had. It was a brain tumor.

Because of medical treatment and diminished capacity, Jim had to quit coming to boot camp in June of 2002.

In October of 2003, with the aid of his brother and sister in law, Jim came back to Boot Camp at 0530!

In a wheel chair!!!!

He had dumbbells in hand and worked as hard as anyone that morning!

IN A WHEEL CHAIR!!!!

That was the last time Jim came to Boot Camp. He passed away two months later, at the age of 58. That was four years ago yesterday, December 19, 2003.

Jim Steiner was the best of the best! A man of great intelligence, integrity, faith, happiness, and joy. Jim was always upbeat; always an encourager; a huge capacity for fun, and full of silly mischief. I never heard him say a single bad thing about anyone … not even me! And he had more funny stories to tell than anyone I’ve ever known!

I have often said that in the “Company of Great Men,” and in the “Kingdom of the Kind,” Jim Steiner reigned as royalty. I was privileged to have known him. Deeply honored to have been his friend. And profoundly heartbroken by his death.

The morning after his funeral service, 30 members of Jim’s family came to Boot Camp at 5:30 AM … to honor him! It was a very emotional morning … an incredible thing!

It was also the last workout of 2003.

Since then I have dedicated the last workout of each year to Jim Steiner. Jim’s gift of friendship to me was a wonderful thing! But he touched my life one dark morning during a casual conversation over pancakes and coffee. And he touched yours too, because if it hadn’t been for Jim, I’d have thrown in the towel that morning and there’d be no Boot Camp today.

Let me ask you to be an encouragement to someone, especially during these crazy, hectic, chaotic, busy, stress filled, over-extended, pressure filled holy-days. Who knows how your words of encouragement, delivered at just the right moment, will make the difference in someone’s life. Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

“Be ye kind, one to another.”

The message of Christmas is that Christ came as an expression of love, hope, and charity. Make sure that your countenance, words, and tone are a Christmas gift to others!

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HOLIDAY WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE

Some of you guys are doing GREAT! Others of you … well … you need to get on the stick! Before you shove that next fat/calorie laden holiday snack down your pie hole, ask yourself this question: “What part of my body will this be applied to?” “Is this fuel for a hard charging, lean, mean boot campin’ machine? Or is it more rolls and blubber to burn off in 2008?”

No weigh-in tomorrow.

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BOOT CAMP SWEATSHIRTS

The black, hooded, and embroidered BOOT CAMP sweatshirts are IN! Women’s sizes in small and medium, and unisex sweatshirts from S to XXL! Get yours ASAP! $35 each or two for $65! (Some of you caught my little math quiz last week!) If you’d like to buy one during the holiday break, just email me or give me a call. 901-644-0145.

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BOOT CAMP GIFT CERTIFICATES

I’ve got them! They make a GREAT Christmas present! Or even a great NEW YEARS present!

As you know, the first month of USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP is $180. Then it’s $75 per month after that. BUT a Boot Camp gift certificate that YOU purchase costs YOU only $75 to give to your friends or family members! The certificate you buy takes care of their first month’s fee. That’s over $100 savings for their first month! ALMOST 60% OFF!! Such a deal!

Only members of USMC Fitness Boot Camp can purchase these gift certificates at this savings.

If you’re not a Boot Camper, but would like to purchase one for yourself, a friend or a family member, email me and ask me about YOUR special Christmas deal!!

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HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

Our last 0530 and 0830 workouts for 2007 will be tomorrow Friday, December 21. NO EVENING WORKOUT ON FRIDAY!

I will be leaving town early tomorrow morning so Staff Sergeant Richard Bourland and Sergeant Teri Trotter will be teaching those classes respectively.

THE LAST EVENING WORKOUT WILL BE TONIGHT — Tonight’s workout will be a hybrid workout with a little cardio and a little weight work mixed up.

Our first workout for 2008 will be on Thursday morning, January 3. ALL CLASSES will resume on the 3rd. We will do hybrid workouts on both Thursday and Friday of that week. Don’t know what a hybrid workout is, just come and find out! Wear your running shoes and bring your weights!

LISTEN UP 0830 CLASS MEMBERS: Unless otherwise countermanded, the Tuesday/Thursday cardio classes are canceled until April 2008.

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CHRISTMAS WEEK WORKOUT

Assistant Drill Instructor, Teri Trotter, will conduct a workout at 8:30 AM on Friday the 28th. Feel free to join her on that day!

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BRUCE THOMPSON’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

0530 Boot Camper, Bruce Thompson, is having a birthday on Saturday! (As are Sarah Cowens and Wendy Greenlaw!) Bruce is having a surprise birthday party at Corky’s in Cordova at 7 PM. All boot campers are invited to this surprise party! Shhhhh, don’t tell Bruce. Email me for more details.

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WHY ARE OUTDOOR WORKOUTS GOOD FOR YOU IN THE WINTER?

Q: Tony, why must we work out outside? You’d make more money and you’d have more recruits and you’d make more money and you’d have more recruits (see a theme?) if we worked out inside! So …how ’bout it?

A: Here are the five benefits of cold weather workouts!

1. Strengthens the immune system!

2. Naturally increases the body’s production of saratonin, a natural calming chemical in your body.

3. Increased calorie burn!

4. Runny noses keep the cooties from taking up residence inside your schnozz and making you sick.

5. Bragging rights! You get to tell your sissy “indoor” friends how tough you are!

* If I moved us inside, my Marine Corps buddies, including my Marine Corps son, would abuse me, harass me, and laugh at me. Plus, in shame, I’d have to remove the “USMC” from our name and replace it with USAF. hahahaha

What should you wear? Layers. Layer your clothes so that you can adjust your body temperature as you get warmed up.

One more thing to remember about our outdoor winter workouts: hydrate! Because we’re not hot and sweaty, like in the summer, we often don’t drink enough water in the winter time. So hydrate y’all!

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Today’s Christmas thought …

“For God so loved the world … “

Merry Christmas Everyone and Happy Holidays!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow
USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
4888 Southern Cove
Memphis, TN 38117
901-644-0145

www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

www.shaklee.net/tonyludlow/main