Sergeant Tony's Blog

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances
are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess
what they have planned for you? Not much.”
—Jim Rohn: Author and motivational speaker

The power of intention is pretty strong. It’s the power to live a life with a purpose and a direction, a plan and a goal.

I know some people who have some pretty detailed plans for the things they will do in the next year, 3 years, 5 years, and even beyond. (I have a Japanese friend whose company has a 100 year plan!) One of my best friends is a detail oriented guy who has very specific plans extending several years down the road. I also know people who don’t have much of a clue what they’ll be doing 5 minutes from now.

A few years ago I was asked what it was like being a divorced dad.

That answer took a while.

Later on I bullet-pointed my answer in a journal entry. One of those bullet points was “I learned to parent intentionally.”

Sometimes we parent “accidentally.” It happens, it just doesn’t happen with a purpose or a plan. In the day to day hustle and bustle of domestic life, filled with after school activities, the mystery of “what will we eat for dinner,” book reports, homework, and American Idol … intentional parenting can often be lost within that over extended family agenda. As a dad who had limited uninterrupted time with his kids, I had to parent intentionally. I had to have a plan and a purpose. I would often jot down things during the week that I wanted to discuss with my kids face to face on the weekends.

What are you doing intentionally? You’ve got a lot of roles to play within the many contexts of your life. Which of those roles are being addressed purposefully and which ones are hit or miss?

When you consider the plans for your life, are you taking charge or flying by the seat of your pants? I’m not saying that having detailed plans for every role is the right way to live. I’m saying that living with intention and purpose, with or without a detailed plan, is the right way to do it!

And of course you know that I’d have to challenge you to approach your health and fitness with purpose and intention. One of you told me that the reason you come to Boot Camp is so that you don’t have to think about what to do. You trust me to guide and direct you. That works too. (That’s one of Boot Camp’s best selling points. “Just do what Tony says!”) You’ve got a purpose and an intention. Coming to Boot Camp takes you from the plan and intention phase to the key phase, the main phase: execution.

Yesterday morning, Les Bonnett and I tag teamed the 0530 workout together. (I’m training Les to become a USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP instructor in Collierville.) I told Les that three things happen before each exercise we do. First I announce the exercise, often twice: “PICK UP YOUR DUMBBELLS FOR ALTERNATING BICEP CURLS … ALTERNATING BICEP CURLS!” After the announcement of the exercise, comes the preparatory command: “READY!!” followed by a pause. And then comes the command of execution: “EXERCISE!!”

Without the command of execution, we’re all just standing around with our dumbbells in our hands.

Without EXECUTION, your plans, purposes, and intentions are just mental gymnastics.

The power of intention is awesome, but the power of execution is life changing! Life rewards action!

Plan with intention, approach the day with purpose … and …

EXECUTE!

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SATURDAY MORNING RUNS!

Would you like to run with some Boot Campers tomorrow? There are two informal USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP groups running tomorrow morning. One group is meeting at the U of M at 8 AM in front of the Zach Curlin parking garage. That group is planning on running for an hour straight. Another group is meeting at 9 AM at Shelby Farms in front of the Visitor’s Center. That group will be running the 1hr 45 min @ 5 min “on” and 1 min walk break format.

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SUMMER HOURS

Traditionally the 0830 class, which meets only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, goes on hiatus for June, July, and August. If you’re a regular member of the 0830 class and you WANT that class to continue through the summer, you need to email me and let me know. If a significant number of you 0830 boot campers want to continue through the summer, I’ll keep that class on active duty.

In June we’ll begin a 0645 class at Christ Methodist. That 0645 summer class will go for June, July, and August, meeting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

There are NO changes to the 0530 class or the evening class!

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CHEAP BOTOX

Every once in a while I need to remind you to increase the weight of your dumbbells. If you’re able to perform the exercises without “making a face” then you NEED to get some heavier ones. The grimace will help keep your face youthful and bright! (If you can scratch your nose while holding your dumbbells — I saw that this morning — you need heavier ones!)

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WHATEVER YOU WANT

In the day to day of my job, I hear a lot of excuses. Very few from you guys. Mainly because you guys know better.

I hear a lot of excuses from people who tell me why they can’t do BOOT CAMP with me.

“Your 5:30 class is too early, I can’t get up in the morning for that.”
“I’m too tired after work to come to the evening class.”
“It’s too cold in the winter!”
“It’s too hot.”
“You’re too mean.”
“I’ve heard too many stories about how hard your class is.”

Blah, blah, blah …

It’s the problem of too many too’s. Too hot. Too cold. Too early. Too late.

People do what they want. Period.

People change when the misery of staying the way they are becomes greater than the misery, work, or fear of changing.

If you’ve got a friend or family member who needs to change their lives, point them in the right direction. Encourage them to get on the right path. But the bottom line is: they’ll only change when they WANT to change.

“A man convinced against his will,
is of the same opinion still.”

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“When you stop moving, it’s over.”
~ Don Wildman, 75 year old athlete and adventurer

To your good health and fitness,

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow
USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
5358 Denwood
Memphis, TN 38120
901-644-0145

www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

www.shaklee.net/tonyludlow/main