Sergeant Tony's Blog

It’s a little misleading.

The 1994 Winter Games were in Lillehammer, Norway. But really they were sort of all over a 75 mile radius of Lillehammer. Kind of like events at a “Memphis Olympics” being held in Dyersburg and Tupelo.

The Vancouver Games haven’t been in Vancouver only, but also at nearby mountains and other venues around Vancouver. So it’s not so much a host city as it is a host area.

One day while I was in Lillehammer for the Olympics, my new friend Doug — who I’d met a few days earlier on the train from Oslo — and I took a bus the 60 or so miles south to the city of Hammer to the figure skating venue. Figure skating is already a very popular event and the ’94 Games had the added drama brought on by Tonya Harding and her thug husband.

This particular day it was just practice for the skaters, but even their practice sessions were popular! I met Nancy Kerrigan there — very sweet and friendly to everyone — and might have met Tonya too. But Tonya was aloof and stayed away from the fans. Plus, she looked like she might’ve been packin’ heat.

I met Katarina Witt, the German Olympic Gold Medalist! (Katarina is maybe the hottest woman to ever lace up a pair of ice skates! I could be wrong about that, but that’s my story!) She was in the stands as a spectator and I just walked up to her and the small group of friends she was with and said, “HowUdooin?” She smiled and immediately called out, “SECURITY!!!” hahaha Not really! She was class and elegance, beauty and charm and invited ME to sit with them! Sweeeeeeeeet!! I was a little star struck, I have to tell you. OK, I was a LOT star struck! (A beautiful athletic woman with depth, passion, and grace … how could I possibly resist?)

After the practice sessions that evening, Doug and I went in search of a bus to take us back to Lillehammer. But somehow my friend from Georgia and I got on the wrong bus. Of course we didn’t know it was the wrong bus until it stopped about half way to Lillehammer in the middle of no where and the driver deposited us out on the side of the road at about 9 PM. How could this remote outpost possibly be a bus stop??

This turned out to be the last stop and the bus was empty except for the two of us knuckleheads. Doug and I desperately tried to explain to the driver that we needed to go on to Lillehammer, but apparently our English and caveman-like gestures made no sense to him. So out we went into “the land of the ice and snow” … and there we stood like a couple of idiots watching the bus drive away.

Oops.

And so there we were.

I started to imagine the obit in my hometown newspaper: “Tony Ludlow, local boy who done good, died in Norway yesterday. Found frozen like a fudgesicle in a forest.”

Standing there in the dark, on the side of a snow covered road, in the middle of who knows where, somewhere in snow covered freezing cold Norway, we tried to come up with a plan. Since Lillehammer was north of Hammer, and there would be no other buses coming, Doug and I figured we’d start walking north. What choice did we have?

We’d trudged along for about 30 minutes in the dark, no houses in sight, no sounds, no cars, no signs of life … when at last we heard the sound of a single car coming up from behind us. I guess we looked lost and pathetic out there all alone walking in the Norwegian countryside.

The car, a Toyota van, stopped and the driver, a middle aged Norwegian man who looked like a Viking, spoke to us in pleasant sounding Norwegian. Inside the van were two other people. Doug and I pleaded, “Does anyone speak English?”

“Oh yaahh, vee kunn owl spekk English.” the driver said excitedly. “Whare du yew gou?”

We explained our predicament and he told us to get in, that they were also going to Lillehammer! WOW! What luck, I thought. A ride back to a warm hostel, a hot shower, and some vending machine snacks for dinner.

But that’s not what happened.

Instead, Eyvandar and his wife Aleund and daughter Hedda took us to their home in Lillehammer and fed us, got us a little drunk and then robbed us.

NO! They didn’t rob us! They fed us until we were completely stuffed. We had reindeer, cheese, breads, jams, beer and a variety of all sorts of things I’d never heard of but found to be really tasty.

Eyvander looked just like your quintessential Viking, needing only a horned helmet and a battle axe to complete the look! Aleund and Hedda, a college student, looked like all pretty Norwegian women, long blond hair, rosy red cheeks, and crystal clear blue eyes. Their home was warm and comfortable and looked like a chalet with exposed oak and pine walls and floors. There was an awesome fireplace that warmed the large room that was part kitchen, part dinning room, and part den. Our new friends asked us questions about America, the Olympics, and what our impressions of Norway were. They were so proud that the world had come to their doorstep!

Sometime after midnight, they drove us to our hostel and as we were getting out of their car thanking them and saying good night, Doug and I saw the most amazing sight! There in the northern sky was the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights! It was absolutely breathtaking!

What an incredible and amazing night! What an awesome unintended adventure!

Doug and I were a couple of lost, cold, hungry, and slightly worried guys dragging ourselves along on the side of the road, in the dark, in a foreign country … and three wonderful people drove up and took a chance on us. With nothing to commend us to their generosity or kindness, they extended themselves beyond anything we could have asked for and then seemed hurt when we tried to offer them money for their trouble. It was no trouble, they protested. It was their pleasure.

There’s an interesting verse in the Bible that goes like this: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

I’m pretty sure that Doug and I were the ones entertained by angels.

Good luck in Vancouver Team Norway! I know there’s a wonderful family back home cheering you on!

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BOOT CAMP DISCOUNTS AND FACEBOOK EXPERIMENT!

The hottest buzz in internet marketing is the use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Beginning right this minute, right this very second, while you’re sitting here reading this on your computer, you Boot Camper Facebookers have an opportunity to help me conduct a fun social networking experiment … AND — get ready for it — YOU’LL GET BOOT CAMP DISCOUNTS!

Here’s the experiment:

For every status update (not writing on my wall) that you make that references “USMC Fitness Boot Camp,” “Sgt. Tony’s Boot Camp,” “Tony’s Boot Camp,” or something similar, you can take $2.50 off your reenlistment fee! Up to $20 off for any given month!

Your status update has to be a specific reference to USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP. So, “I love boot camp!” wouldn’t work cuz there are lots of fake boot camps out there! Any reference to me and my boot camp will work. “Great Boot Camp workout with Sgt. Tony this morning!” is good! “I love USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP!” is good! “I love Sgt. Tony and his Boot Camp ROCKS!!” is REALLY good! hahaha You get the idea! Use your own wording and personality, just include the specifics.

Oh, and for you haters, the reference has to be POSITIVE! “Sgt. Tony is mean!” or something similar, wouldn’t really work! But, “Sgt. Tony is wonderfully mean and kicked my butt at boot camp today!” does!

Have fun with this! Be creative! You can even poke a “little” fun at me too!

And try to restrict yourself to just one of these status updates per day, please. You don’t want 8 status updates in a row going out on the same day! That would not be in keeping with the experiment!

The deal gets better …

If one of your Facebook friends, who isn’t a boot camper, goes to the website (www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com) because of YOUR status updates and contacts me through the boot camp website, you get an additional $5 off your next enlistment for a max of $20, just for going to the website and sending me an email from there. Your friend has to actually contact me through the website, not through Facebook. This will help to measure traffic to the website directly from Facebook.

AND … if someone joins because they learned about us through your status update, your next monthly enlistment is FREE!

You could get up to $40 OFF for one month and the next month after that could be FREE, simply by making a few Facebook status updates!

So get started right now! This also applies to Boot Campers who’ve taken some time off to hibernate for the winter! You know who you are!

Log on to your Facebook account and say something like, “Sgt. Tony is the most awesomest man in Memphis!” And your discounts begin!

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LOSE THE WEIGHT – The Body You Want in July Begins With a Strategy Today!

Take Shape For Life – weight loss program is simply amazing!

The program calls for you to daily eat 5 Medifast replacement meals (soups, shakes, bars, puddings, oatmeal, and even brownie bites!) and one “lean and green” meal that you prepare or have at a restaurant. I had mine at Humdinger’s last night — tilapia, zucchini, and asparagus.

Take Shape For Life …

* It’s simple
* It’s scientific (Johns Hopkins endorsed)
* It takes the guess work out of the process
* It’s goof proof
* It’s very affordable!
* IT WORKS!
* It’s delivered right to your front door!
* You’re not hungry!
* You learn the habits of long term weight loss. No yo-yo’ing!
* And best of all, you get ME as your coach!

You can go directly to the Take Shape For Life website (below) and poke around there. Plenty of detailed information. You can also sign up there as well. Or feel free to call me. 901-644-0145.

Go to: www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com .

If you’ve got questions, join us tomorrow night at 7 PM at Panera Bread for a casual get together and information gathering of Sgt Tony’s Take Shape For Life Battalion. No stress or obligation! Just fun and support!

I’m really excited about Take Shape! The success that those who are on the program have had has been awesome!

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MAKING A FACE!

Several of you need to move up in your weights. Many are using the same dumbbells that you started with. MOVE UP! You should be making a face during the last few reps of most of our exercises. So it’s time to increase your dumbbells!

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Be bold, my friends! Keep your eyes on the life you want.

Don’t settle!

To your continued good health and fitness!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/

Winston did NOT look like what he said he was.

He looked like a cross between Michael Clarke Duncan (the actor from “The Green Mile”) and L L Cool J.

I met Winston in a sporting goods store where we were both looking for warmer gloves. The ones I was wearing weren’t getting the job done and his looked too small and even less effective than mine.

I struck up a conversation with him and that’s how we became friends. That’s also when he told me what he was.

Winston was a member of the Jamacian Bobsled Team.

Both of us were in Norway for the 1994 Winter Olympics. He was there to compete and I was there as a translator for the Japanese Olympic Planning Commitee. (That’s a story for another day! And a dandy story it is too!)

Over lunch Winston and I talked about the Olympic spirit. The world had descended on Lillehammer, Norway and the little town was completely electric! I’d never seen anything quite like it. In the restaurant where we were eating you could overhear excited talk in a dozen different languages.

By 1994 the Jamacian Bobsled Team had become famous because of the movie “Cool Runnings,” a mostly true accounting of how the team came together. So Winston and his bobsled team were minor celebrities in a sport where no one really knew the names of even the world record holders. Not surprising, our lunch got intermittently interrupted by autograph seekers. (Just to be clear, they wanted Winston’s autograph, not mine!)

Winston seemed to be amused by all of the attention and told me so. “They want my autograph and my team will probably finish dead last!” he said with a chuckle.

“Winston, if you already know this, that you’re going to finish near the bottom, why do you work so hard and sacrifice so much just to come here and finish last?” I asked him.

What followed was one of the finest lectures I’ve ever heard. Winston waxed eloquent on the purity of sport, the desire to excel, and the honor of representing one’s country. As a Jamaican, he explained, there were few opportunities to represent his country. As Americans we almost take it for granted the many varied ways we can represent our country on foreign soil. For Winston and the other members of the Jamaican Bobsled Team, it was a delight and a deep honor to wear the flag of their country and to compete in a sport that is unnatural for Jamaica.

Then he said something I’ve never forgotten.

“Tony, you see … only a very very small percentage of the athletes who compete in the Olympics will win a medal. Many countries have never had a medalist, ever. Yet they still come. So in a way, we are all losers. But because we compete, because we work hard, because we do our best, and because we get the honor of representing our country, we are all winners!”

And every one of us who’ve ever lined up at the START LINE, knows — no matter what place we finish the race — the exhilaration of crossing the finish line!

Remember your first 5K? Your first 10K, Half Marathon, Full Marathon, triathlon? Remember how you felt when you crossed the finish line, arms raised in triumph and joy!? Remember?

My non-athlete friends and family don’t understand. Many times they’ve asked me about a race that I did and wanted to know if I won it. And when I explained that I didn’t, that I didn’t even come close … they looked at me as if to say, “then what’s the point?”

The point?

Just what Winston said. “we work hard, we do our best … ”

We challenge ourselves and live with a sense of adventure and triumph … no matter what place we finish! The Finish Line! An experience that our couch riding friends will never know.

And in that sense, dear friends, if we line up … we are ALL winners!!

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Sgt. Tony’s “Combat the Fat ” Weight Loss Challenge 2010

This is a brand new challenge that most of you can enter! The challenge begins March 12!
Details are on the blog! http://usmcfitnessbootcamp.com/blog/

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SCHEDULE CHANGES – BOGA ANNOUNCEMENT – LOCATION CHANGE FOR 0645 & 0830!

The 0530 class will meet every Thursday inside the gym (the one we always use). We’ll do the “Boga Workout.” If you’re new to that workout, it’s a combination of Boot Camp and Yoga! You’ll need your dumbbells and mat.

The Tues/Thurs evening classes are on hiatus. We’ll crank them back up soon … in April. Stay tuned!

Also, because of circumstances beyond my control, beginning this Friday, February 19, the 0645 and 0830 classes will meet inside until the end of March.

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LOSE THE WEIGHT — The Body You Want in July Begins With a Strategy Today!

Take Shape For Life — weight loss program!

Take Shape For Life is an awesome plan!
The program calls for you to daily eat 5 Medifast replacement meals and one “lean and green” meal that you prepare or have at a restaurant.

* It’s simple
* It’s scientific (Johns Hopkins endorsed)
* It takes the guess work out of the process
* It’s goof proof
* It’s very affordable!
* IT WORKS!
* It’s delivered right to your front door!
* You’re not hungry!
* You learn the habits of long term weight loss. No yo-yo’ing!
* And best of all, you get ME as your coach!

Last week we had our first get together of “Sgt. Tony’s Take Shape For Life Battalion” and it was awesome! Everyone has lost weight! It was like being at a revival meeting hearing everyone “testify!”

You can go directly to the Take Shape For Life website (below) and poke around there. Plenty of detailed information. You can also sign up there as well.

Go to: www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com .

If you’ve got questions, let me know.

I’m really excited about this! The success that those who are on the program have had has been awesome!

———————————————-

SNOW DAYS!!

In the event of snow and/or ice, we will follow Memphis City Schools. If MCS shuts down, we will stand down.

If the snow comes while MCS is on a holiday break, check the blog on the USMC Fitness Boot Camp website where I’ll post my decision at 0500 of that day.

Also, if MCS shuts down in the morning and we stand down, but the streets clear and are fine by the afternoon, I’ll post my decision regarding the evening class on the blog by 1600 (4 PM).

If MCS hasn’t made a decision by 0500, I will decide and post that decision on Facebook and on the blog page of the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP website.

Q: “Tony, what if the Memphis City Schools have a delay in their start (like starting 2 hours late) what will we do?”
A: “We will meet as usual! We will be rockin’ and rollin’!”

I will also post the announcement to the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP group on Facebook.

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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! I can communicate snow day decisions through that group too!

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. That’s an ad for prospective Boot Campers! You knuckleheads already know how awesome it is!

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BOOT CAMP SWEATSHIRTS

The black and gray zippered hoodie have arrived! Embroidered BOOT CAMP sweatshirts are the way to show your coolness! Sizes are available in S to XXL!

Get yours ASAP! $35 each or two for $65!

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FLEET FEET IS HIRING!

If you’ve thought that Fleet Feet Sports would be a great place to work, now’s your chance – great pay, excellent benefits, fun co-workers, and the best customers in the world! Drop by the store for more info.

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Be bold, my friends! Keep your eyes on the life you want.

Don’t settle!

To your continued good health and fitness!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/

Sgt. Tony’s “Combat the Fat ” Weight Loss Challenge 2010
Utilizing “Take Shape For Life!”

Are you…

- Tired of feeling sick, tired, depressed, and fat?

- Tired of being overweight and unhealthy?

- Tired of your doctor telling you to lose weight?

- Tired of being embarrassed to wear a bathing suit?

- Tired of being embarrassed to tuck in your shirt?

- Tired of making excuses for yourself?

- Looking to extend your life and your love for life by
becoming the person you know you can be?

Benefits of the Challenge:
- Access to the USMC Fitness Boot Camp. (A proven program of effective exercise)
- The opportunity to use the Take Shape For Life weight loss program featuring the Medifast meals. (A proven program of weight loss)
- Support and special coaching for those who choose to use the Take Shape For Life program.
- Years added to your life!
- A happier, healthier you!
- Everyone can WIN!

About the Program:
- Entry Fee:
Active Duty Boot Campers: $400.
Non-Boot Campers: $500. The entry fee Includes USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP membership for three months.

- Length of the Challenge: Friday, March 12, 2010 to June 11, 2010.

- Commitment Contract:
* As a Combat Challenger, you will commit to attending a minimum of 3 Boot Camp workouts per week beginning the first week of April. OR commitment to a minimum of 3 workouts/exercise sessions of your choice per week for those unable to participate in USMC Fitness Boot Camp.
* Participants are highly encouraged to use the Take Shape For Life program featuring the Medifast meals (approx $300 for a four week supply) for the duration of the Challenge.
* Participants will sign a contract committing to adjust their diet and exercise plan in consultation with Sergeant Tony.

- EVERYONE reaching their target weight at any point between March 15 and June 11 will receive $300 of their entry fee refunded!
Those who do not reach their goal weight by June 12 will not receive a refund.

Eligibility:
- You must be at least 21 years of age.
- You must need to lose at least 10 pounds according to the recommended weight listed in the Height/Weight Ratio chart below or be obese or overweight according to the BMI chart.
- You must make the 3-month commitment to diet and
exercise. Use of Take Shape For Life is not required, but it is HIGHLY encouraged! This program is a results oriented plan that works!!! I’ll be happy to describe the program in greater detail. Just let me know.

Are you ready to “Combat the Fat”? Are you ready for a new and improved YOU?

If you want to go ahead and order your Take Shape For Life meals, go to http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/

Order a 4 week variety pack to get started. You’ll get your food in 3 to 7 business days. Let me know if you have any questions about ordering.

Height vs. Weight Ratio Table
Women
Height Healthy
Weight Range
4’10″ 109-121
5’0″ 113-126
5’1″ 115-129
5’2″ 118-132
5’3″ 121-135
5’4″ 124-138
5’5″ 127-141
5’6″ 130-144
5’7″ 133-147
5’8″ 136-150
5’9″ 139-153
5’10″ 142-156
5’11″ 145-159
6’0″ 148-162
Men
Height Healthy
Weight Range
5’2″ 131-141
5’3″ 133-143
5’4″ 135-145
5’5″ 137-148
5’6″ 139-151
5’7″ 142-154
5’8″ 145-157
5’9″ 148-160
5’10″ 151-163
5’11″ 154-166
6’0″ 157-170
6’1″ 160-174
6’2″ 164-178
6’3″ 167-182
6’4″ 171-187

Ray was a real estate attorney. Vic was a crew member on a river boat. Both became my friends when I was 10.

I moved into the same apartment complex where these two characters lived. Since there were no yards for me to cut, I cleaned apartments to earn spending money. Vic and Ray were my first two clients.

They took me under their wing because they said I was a “cool little kid!” Vic was a muscular 6’3″ with blond hair and the profile of his Scandinavian ancestors. His girlfriend thought I was “cute.” (Very perceptive woman!)

Ray, dark hair, average height and build, could have been a network anchorman. He was a pretty boy with perfect hair, gleaming white teeth, and constant energy! And there seemed to be a steady parade of beautiful women hanging out at his place! He was GQ before I knew what GQ was. Always dressed like he was at a photo shoot. (FOP would not do for Ray. He was a Dapper Dan man!)

The real appeal of these guys was not real estate closings or Arkansas River barge traffic. The real appeal was that Ray was also a professional magician and Vic was a former Navy Seal. Ray could make things disappear and Vic was prone to jump off the roof of the two story apartment complex into the pool.

Vic taught me how to snorkel and the value of spit in your diving mask. And he regularly put me on the back of his motorcycle, or in his small airplane, and tried to kill me. (Ten minutes into my very first plane ride he purposely stalled the engine, sending us into an immediate and, I was sure, fatal dive! Ten minutes after that he flew us UNDER the Arkansas River bridge!)

Ray took me to the magician’s guild meetings and introduced me to local illusionists. That group was the most eclectic gathering of people I’d ever met. From them I learned the value of mistrust! You simply could NOT trust those people. If one of them gave you something, it would probably blow up, shock you, scare you, bite you, electrocute you, or turn into something else that would harm you. I loved those people!

Ray’s place was full of magic props and wizardry. His apartment was like going to Hogwarts. And Vic’s place could have been a special ops supply shed, full of cool gear and gadgets that Jack Bauer would have envied!

These guys were perfect role models for a boy, I thought. They were accomplished adult men having fun and living life to its fullest! Before I met them I associated adulthood with the end of fun. That somehow becoming an adult also meant becoming uninteresting and boring. There was nothing uninteresting or boring about either of them!

I learned valuable things from Vic and Ray. Vic taught me the importance of expanding my volume of life experiences. “Ignore the fear and do it anyway … watching is for chumps,” he’d say. And from Ray I understood that things are not always as they seem. “Misdirection and distraction will take your eyes off the real trick, Little Man.” he told me.

The older I got, the more I appreciated the impact that my two friends had on me. The Marine Corps was an environment full of Vics and I felt right at home there. And Ray’s lessons were invaluable, especially when I moved to Japan, where nothing was as it seemed to these Western eyes … but everything meant something … and nothingness meant everything.

How are you implementing your goals and dreams for 2010? Were you timid and fearful when you wrote them? (Didn’t write them??? What are you waiting for?) Have you been distracted by fearful shadows and too little courage to be bold?

Why not dream big? Why not swing for the fence? Why not take your eyes off the illusion of the temporal and boldly step out in the direction of living with fearlessness and passion?

What do you want your life to look like in a year? In three years? In five? What steps are you taking now to ensure that it looks that way?

Seriously. What are you doing?

I had a dream of living in Japan when I was only 6 years old. But it took time to get there. It took a plan. By the time I moved to Tokyo I was a full grown man, married, with three little children who were 7 years old, 4 years old, and 15 months old. I was out of the Marine Corps by that time and this wasn’t a military move. This was my dream. Tons of people warned me about doing it. They said that taking my kids out of their culture, language, and country, away from their family and friends, would ruin them. They said that I was making a mistake. People told me that I was being reckless, foolish, selfish. Dreams are for people who sleep, not for the reality of the real world, I was told. Neither of my parents were supportive. The nay-sayers said my kids would be damaged, stunted. There were statistics, they said. Studies.

They were wrong.

Ten years in Japan didn’t ruin my children! You don’t have time for me to boast about my kids! The oldest two are college graduates, married, and successful in their careers. And the youngest is about to take on the world! You can see pictures of my “damaged” kids on my Facebook page.

Most people will dream small, if they dream at all. Most are afraid to fail, or afraid to succeed. Most put too much weight on the opinions of others, living their lives on a short leash by committee permission.

Ease, predictability, comfort, fear, materialism, boredom, social convention, feebleness of resolve, laziness, and routine will suck the life out of your time on this planet. And you’ll hardly notice it happening. The infection of mediocrity will set in without detection, never tripping the alarm.

We get one shot. One life. And wasting time — living a “default life” on someone else’s terms — sounds like monotony and misery on the slow-motion lockstep march to unhappiness, irrelevance, and the grave.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that breathing is living. Neither is “living” vicariously through someone else.

Be bold, my friends! Keep your eyes on the life you want.
Don’t settle!
Don’t settle!
Don’t settle!
And don’t expect everyone, or anyone, to approve.

Bottom-line, this is YOUR life! Yours! Live it on your terms!

Live it like you own it!

Because you do.

Thanks Vic and Ray … wherever you guys are! I hope you’re still crazy after all these years!

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SCHEDULE CHANGE – BOGA ANNOUNCEMENT!

The 0530 class will meet every Thursday inside the gym (the one we always use). We’ll do the “Boga Workout.” If you’re new to that workout, it’s a combination of Boot Camp and Yoga! You’ll need your dumbbells and mat.

And until further notice, the Tues/Thurs evening classes are on hiatus. We’ll crank them back up soon … probably in March. Stay tuned!

———————————————

LOSE THE WEIGHT — The Body You Want in July Begins With a Strategy Today!

Take Shape For Life — weight loss program!

Take Shape For Life is an awesome plan!
The program calls for you to daily eat 5 Medifast replacement meals and one “lean and green” meal that you prepare or have at a restaurant.

* It’s simple
* It’s scientific (Johns Hopkins endorsed)
* It takes the guess work out of the process
* It’s goof proof
* It’s very affordable!
* IT WORKS!
* It’s delivered right to your front door!
* You’re not hungry!
* You learn the habits of long term weight loss. No yo-yo’ing!
* And best of all, you get ME as your coach!

Last week we had our first get together of “Sgt. Tony’s Take Shape For Life Battalion” and it was awesome! Everyone has lost weight! It was like being at a revival meeting hearing everyone “testify!”

You can go directly to the Take Shape For Life website (below) and poke around there. Plenty of detailed information. You can also sign up there as well.

Go to: www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com .

If you’ve got questions, let me know.

I’m really excited about this! The success that those who are on the program have had has been awesome!

———————————————-

SNOW DAYS!!

In the event of snow and/or ice, we will follow Memphis City Schools. If MCS shuts down, we will stand down.

If the snow comes while MCS is on a holiday break, check the blog on the USMC Fitness Boot Camp website where I’ll post my decision at 0500 of that day.

Also, if MCS shuts down in the morning and we stand down, but the streets clear and are fine by the afternoon, I’ll post my decision regarding the evening class on the blog by 1600 (4 PM).

If MCS hasn’t made a decision by 0500, I will decide and post that decision on Facebook and on the blog page of the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP website.

Q: “Tony, what if the Memphis City Schools have a delay in their start (like starting 2 hours late) what will we do?”
A: “We will meet as usual! We will be rockin’ and rollin’!”

I will also post the announcement to the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP group on Facebook.

————————————————–

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! I can communicate snow day decisions through that group too!

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. That’s an ad for prospective Boot Campers! You knuckleheads already know how awesome it is!

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BOOT CAMP SWEATSHIRTS

The black and gray zippered hoodie have arrived! Embroidered BOOT CAMP sweatshirts are the way to show your coolness! Sizes are available in S to XXL!

Get yours ASAP! $35 each or two for $65!

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FLEET FEET IS HIRING!

If you’ve thought that Fleet Feet Sports would be a great place to work, now’s your chance – great pay, excellent benefits, fun co-workers, and the best customers in the world! Drop by the store for more info.

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Be bold, my friends! Keep your eyes on the life you want. Don’t settle! Don’t mark time!

To your continued good health and fitness!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/

Boot Campers, we’re a “GO!” for 0530. Inside. See you there!

Memphis City Schools are closed. USMC Fitness Boot Camp standing down. We were ambushed! I never saw this snow coming!

If you’re stuck at home and looking for a home workout, do “Sgt. Tony’s Hundreds”

Pretty simple.

100 push ups
100 squats
200 situps/crunches

You can break them up into 4 sets.

“GET SOME!!!”

This week I finished watching Season One of the TV show “24.”

Yes, that’s right, season one. From 2002. I’m obviously late to the 24 party.

In addition to the action and the fast paced drama and the cliff hanger endings of 24, you learn something from this show that goes beyond those things.

If you look.

What you learn is that everyone at all times is experiencing life … all at the same time. We know this intellectually, of course, but the dramatic portrayal of that fact makes for a very strong impression. You’re reminded that one moment for one person that is full of joy, is for another, full of pain.

Life in microcosm. Simultaneously. In real time.

Watching 24 you see everyone’s reality. You understand what motivates a person at a given time. You understand that what seems like recklessness, or cruelty, or neglect in a person is in fact, none of those things. By a knowledge of their circumstances, responsibilities, and the demands and expectations placed on their lives at a given instant, we understand them and sympathize with them.

Knowledge gives you understanding. And with knowledge, things are explainable. Things are forgiven.

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen Covey presented concepts that, at the time of their publishing in 1989, were new and interesting and compelling. They still are.

The 5th Habit, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood,” may be the lesson best illustrated in 24.

On the night that my father died, ten years ago January 22, I had lain next to him earlier that evening. For three hours I just laid next to him … telling him stories. He’d lost his ability to speak, so I told him stories, mostly about the two of us when I was a little boy. Stories that made him smile and stories that at one point caused tears to run from the corners of his eyes …

It was late when I kissed my father on his forehead and left him to go get something to eat and to get some rest. It had been a very long day. An emotionally draining day. I’m sure that you know the kind of day I’m talking about.

But fifteen minutes after I left his side, I got a call to return quickly. My father was slipping away.

I turned around and drove as fast as I could to his home … only to find my family crying … and my father already gone. He was still warm when I held him for the last time, crying on his neck. I was so overcome with grief, I immediately left his house, got into my car … and drove. I had no destination. I just drove.

At some point I found myself at a stop light and hadn’t noticed that the light had changed. I didn’t move. The person behind me impatiently started honking his horn. I was frozen. I hadn’t noticed anything. Didn’t hear anything. I had no memory of even how I’d gotten there. The driver behind me angrily and quickly pulled around me. And as he sped by, the young man in the passenger seat yelled obscenities at me. And then the two of them disappeared into the night.

I was too numb to be angry. I thought, “if they only knew … they’d have been kind and patient with me.” But they didn’t know.

What if we treated everyone with an assumed knowledge of the grief or sadness that they might be bearing? What if we took the lesson of 24 and knew that it’s likely that our fellow man, presently in our way or not moving quickly enough, or not bringing our menu fast enough, or not acting in a way that suits us or makes sense to us, is in the clutches of some unseen sadness or dilemma. Maybe their struggles are consuming their thoughts. Maybe their burdens are so heavy that they’re barely able to go through the motions of their daily responsibilities. Maybe their heart is so broken that it’s robbing them of their vitality, their glow, their joy. Maybe their troubles seem to be erasing any hope in the life they are leading. Maybe they are numb. Maybe they are trying hard just to breathe.

Would we judge them if we knew those things? Would we label them if we knew what had enslaved their minds?

What if there was a good, though unknown to us, explanation for the behavior we don’t like, understand, or approve of? Wouldn’t we be patient and kind? Aren’t we at our best when we are patient and kind to others … especially to those who seem least deserving of those things?

I think we would be long suffering and accepting. I think most of us would be tolerant and forgiving. If we knew.

Today … pretend that you know.

Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.

And I just started Season Two last night! Thanks Lexie!

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SCHEDULE CHANGE – BOGA ANNOUNCEMENT!

The 0530 class will meet every Thursday inside the gym (the one we always use). We’ll do the “Boga Workout.” If you’re new to that workout, it’s a combination of Boot Camp and Yoga! You’ll need your dumbbells and mat.

And until further notice, the Tues/Thurs evening classes are on hiatus. We’ll crank them back up soon … probably in March. Stay tuned!

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LOSE THE WEIGHT — The Body You Want in July Begins With a Strategy in January!

Take Shape For Life — weight loss program!

In a nutshell, Take Shape For Life is an awesome plan! The program calls for you to daily eat 5 Medifast replacement meals and one “lean and green” meal that you prepare or have at a restaurant. It’s simple, easy to do, scientific, takes the guess work out of the process, goof proof, affordable, and it works! And it’s delivered right to your front door! And you’d get ME as your coach!

You can go directly to the Take Shape For Life website and poke around there. Plenty of detailed information. You can also sign up there as well. Go to: www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com . If you’ve got questions, let me know.

I’m really excited about this! The success that those who have started the program has been awesome!

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YOU’RE INVITED

Tomorrow night we’re having a very casual support group meeting of those of us who are in the Take Shape For Life weight loss program. We’re meeting at 7 at Panera Bread next to Fleet Feet Sports across from the church. (In the side room) This will be a fun and encouraging meeting. If you’d like to come and get some information about the program, or if you just want to talk to me or any of the others in the program, you’re welcome to come!

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SNOW DAYS!!

In the event of snow and/or ice, we will follow Memphis City Schools. If MCS shuts down, we will stand down.

If the snow comes while MCS is on a holiday break, check the blog on the USMC Fitness Boot Camp website where I’ll post my decision at 0500 of that day.

Also, if MCS shuts down in the morning and we stand down, but the streets clear and are fine by the afternoon, I’ll post my decision regarding the evening class on the blog by 1600 (4 PM).

If MCS hasn’t made a decision by 0500, I will decide and post that decision on Facebook and on the blog page of the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP website.

Q: “Tony, what if the Memphis City Schools have a delay in their start (like starting 2 hours late) what will we do?”
A: “We will workout!! We will be rockin’ and rollin’!”

I will also post the announcement to the USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP group on Facebook.

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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! I can communicate snow day decisions through that group too!

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. That’s an ad for prospective Boot Campers! You knuckleheads already know how awesome it is!

————————————————–

BOOT CAMP SWEATSHIRTS

The black and gray zippered hoodie have arrived! Embroidered BOOT CAMP sweatshirts are the way to show your coolness! Sizes are available in S to XXL!

Get yours ASAP! $35 each or two for $65!

———————————————-

FLEET FEET IS HIRING!

If you’ve thought that Fleet Feet Sports would be a great place to work, now’s your chance – great pay, excellent benefits, fun co-workers, and the best customers in the world! Drop by the store for more info.

—————-

A JOB SEEKER!

A new friend of mine is looking for a new position after a little time off and a relocation to Memphis from Atlanta.

She has an MS in Organizational Change Management but would like to start as an Administrative Assistant to get back in the flow of office policies and procedures, strategic and performance management etc.

She says, “I’m seeking a Full-Time Administrative Assistant Position, where I can apply my customer service, administrative, multitasking, and communication knowledge, skills, and abilities. I am focusing on companies where I can advance. I am a dedicated and reliable leader with customer service experience in a highly energetic corporate environment. I am an adaptable, achievement oriented person who works terrific in teams and independently.”

Let me know if you have any leads for her!

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Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

To your continued good health and fitness!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145
www.usmcfitnessbootcamp.com

http://www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com/esuite/home/combatchallenge/