Sergeant Tony's Blog

narcissistic
adjective
… vain, self-loving, self-admiring, self-absorbed, self-obsessed, conceited, self-centered, self-regarding, egotistic, egotistical, egoistic.

Narcissism might not be the right word.

Self-absorbed … self-obsessed, maybe that’s more like it.

I’m probably going to step on some toes, so get ready.

Disclaimer: We all want to look nice and look our best. Being fit is a fantastic thing. I’m there.

One of my favorite movies is “Fight Club.” Don’t hate on me if you don’t like it! But I think there are tons of interesting things in that movie if you can get past some of the dirty, gritty, nasty parts.

There is a very interesting scene where Tyler Durden, the character played by Brad Pitt, is addressing the guys in the Fight Club and says,
“You’re not your job.
You’re not how much money you have in the bank.
You’re not the car you drive.
You’re not the contents of your wallet.
You’re not your khakis.”

To which I add:
“You’re not your abs.
You’re not your pace per mile.
You’re not your finish time.
You’re not your cellulite.
You’re not your push ups. (Aren’t you glad?!)
You’re not your dress size.
You’re not your percentage of body fat.
You’re not your waist size.
You’re not what you see in the mirror.

You may think it strange that a “fitness guy” would be saying this … but …

You ARE the things you think.
You ARE the things you say.
You ARE the things you believe.
You’re the influence you have on others.
You’re the contribution you make to the world around you.
You’re everything that remains when you have no money and no beauty.
You are what remains when you are gone.”

Happiness is a microwave thing. Happiness is not a convection thing. Happiness on the inside doesn’t happen externally. It happens internally.

The self absorbed and self-obsessed are ugly and unattractive no matter what they look like on the outside … and they’re usually unhappy and miserable.

A number of years ago I was doing personal training during my summer breaks from teaching school. My last summer of doing one on one personal training I had about 20 clients, three of whom were exotic dancers. Two of them had been dancing for quite a while and the other was a college student working her way through school dancing at her uncle’s club. Can you say creepy?

The gym that I used to train these clients sort of became a second home to me. I was there all the time working out myself or, more often than not, training one of these clients. Over time I made friends with several of the guys who came to the gym at the same time of day that I was there working or working out.

I’ll never forget the day that I was hanging out with three or four of these guys when the door opened and in walked one of the two veteran dancers. And even though we were on the other side of the gym, these guys stopped talking and started staring at her. When I noticed that it was “Candy” (not her real stage name) I said to the gawkers, “Well fellas, there’s my 10 o’clock.” They were full of envy … called me “LUCKY!!!” … gave me pats on the back as I walked away to meet her.

My one hour with Candy was, by far and without exaggeration, one of the most miserable hours of my day. Maybe of my life.

Candy was physically flawless and was the kind of woman who commanded the attention of any room she entered. My gym rat buddies thought I was the luckiest guy in the world, but I wasn’t. I even told them so. They didn’t believe me. Spending time with Candy was horrible. Candy’s beauty could not make up for the foulness of her personality. She was ugly, unhappy, and unattractive inside. Poisoned. She was bitter, angry, jaded, cynical, self-absorbed, and tragically self-obsessed. Maybe it was her line of work, always surrounded by the worst of men, I don’t know, but she seemingly had little regard for anyone or anything … except her appearance.

On the other hand, there was Mike and Kelly (not their real names) who were also clients of mine. They were an engaged couple that I trained separately. Mike was a school teacher and Kelly worked for a local charity. Neither of them were in very good shape and they wanted to look nice for their wedding. But more importantly they were going to be hiking the Grand Canyon for part of their honeymoon and needed to get fit for their hike. Both of them were … not fit … you might say that they were a “sturdy couple.” When Kelly arrived at the gym for her first session, my gym rat pals hardly glanced her way.

But I loved training Mike and Kelly! She had a great sense of humor, was kind, caring, and thought most of what I said was hysterical. She also snorted when she laughed. That was adorable! And Mike was a fire hydrant type of guy who loved life, loved people, and had a quick wit. Truth is, he was way funnier than me! HE made ME laugh hysterically.

I charged Mike and Kelly $35 an hour.

I charged Candy $120.

Look for yourself within. Find your sense of self worth and self esteem in the energy you exude and the difference you make in the lives of others.

And what of BOOT CAMP? Why am I training you? I’m training you to facilitate your life, your activities, and your ambitions. I want you to be healthy, happy, fit, active, and full of life!

Be Mike!

Be Kelly!

Don’t be no Candy.

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CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations go to the following BOOT CAMPERS: Scot Bearup, for finishing the Marine Corps Marathon (26.2) on October 26; Kevin Johnston and Bryan Smith, for finishing the New York City Marathon (26.2) this past Sunday; and Andrew Forsdick, for finishing the Soma Half Ironman Triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run = 70.3!) in Arizona on October 26!

Way to go guys! You all ROCK!

Who’s next? The St. Jude Half Marathon and Marathon are on Saturday, December 6!

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HOLIDAY CHALLENGE!

Our annual Holiday Challenge is fast approaching. This is a weight loss challenge for EVERYONE! More details next week!

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THE WEATHER OUTSIDE …

The weather outside might get frightful, but BOOT CAMP will be oh so … AWESOME!
Ladies and Gentlemen, November arrives on Saturday and the temperatures drop every year at this time. News? Of course not!
It’s that time of the year! It’s time to dig out your workout pants and long sleeve workout clothes.
Find your sweatshirts and gloves and put your hats on your head! And get yourself to BOOT CAMP!
You’ll lose burn more calories working out in the cold. Seriously!

Here are the FIVE BENEFITS OF 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 and making you sick.
5. Bragging rights! You get to tell your sissy “indoor” friends how tough YOU are!

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HELP WANTED

Well, not exactly.

But do you know of someone who could be another Sergeant Tony?

I’m looking to expand the empire beyond Memphis. Les Bonnett has successfully launched USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP — Collierville! I’d especially like to move into north Mississippi or northern Shelby County. Like Hernando or Millington!

Here’s a little of what I’m looking for in a prospective “Sergeant Tony.”
* Former military, preferably a Marine.
* College degree, or working toward it.
* Exercise certification, military or civilian, or working toward it.
* Personally interested and involved in a lifestyle of fitness and athletics.
* Good communication skills, written and oral. (I answer about 40 emails a day, write a newsletter, and answer more than a half dozen or so daily Boot Camp related phone calls)
* Outgoing personality with a GREAT sense of humor!
* Genuinely likes people, hiding behind a sadistic facade.
* Humble, modest, caring, and sensitive (ok, ok, whatever)

You get the idea.

If you know of someone who would be a good fit, please forward this on to them and direct them to the website:www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

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DUMBBELLS

Most of you need to move up. If you’re a woman and you’ve been doing BOOT CAMP for more than 3 weeks, you should NOT be using 5 lb dumbbells anymore. Use 8’s or 10’s or more! If you’re a man you shouldn’t be using 10’s anymore.

Women usually top out at 15’s or 20’s. Men usually at 25.

You should be making a face, a grimace, during the last few reps of most of the exercises. It’s proof of your work AND it’ll keep you looking younger and hotter!

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USMC FITNESS BOOT CAMP CLASSES

At Christ Methodist
0530 Monday through Friday
0645 M-W-F
0830 M-W-F
5:45 PM: M-Tu-W-Th, (5:30 PM on Friday). M-W-F are weight days, Tu/Thu are cardio days.

THE TUESDAY EVENING CLASS MEETS AT ST. MARY’S TRACK.

At Evergreen Presbyterian
0530 Monday through Friday

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ST. JUDE HALF MARATHON TRAINING ON SATURDAY!

1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) Training for the December 6, 2008 St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon continues this Saturday at 0800 at Shelby Farms! Meet in front of the Visitor’s Center! My wife Wendy will be leading the run this Saturday! We’ll be going 2 hrs and 20 minutes.

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FACEBOOK

Find me on Facebook and make me your friend! (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=629618416)

I’ll make you mine! Then join the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP Group!

While you’re on Facebook, you might see an ad for USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP pop up. Do NOT click on it! Facebook charges me for every time someone clicks on it. The ad is NOT for you knuckleheads!

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“Mean people pay more!”

~ Sgt. Tony, 51 year old athlete and adventurer

To your continued 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