Sergeant Tony's Blog

Get naked.

Now go stand in front of a full length mirror.

What do you see?

The majority of us will see flaws. We’ll see the imperfections. We’ll see the things that need to be changed, supported, reduced, enhanced, shifted, lifted, or eliminated.

Few will look at their naked image and not have some desire to make an alteration.

If you’re one of those who look and see things that you want to change, more than likely the change you want can be achieved through smart dietary habits and exercise. If you’re looking for that six-pack and it’s hiding under a down comforter … diet is going to be the key to getting reacquainted with those abdominal muscles hiding under a layer(s) of fluff.

If you want to make changes in your life, sometimes you have to see the stark reality of a situation before you’ll be empowered to change. Standing in front of the mirror might be that reality check. If you want to make a change in what you see, you can. It’s possible. It’s doable. It’s achievable. It’s attainable.

For the small price of self discipline, you can have change. Nothing too harsh or hardcore. But determination, maturity, honesty, and commitment is all you need.

And you need a plan.

If you need an eating plan, I’ve got one.

If you need an exercise plan, I’ve got one.

But nothing will work if you don’t.

So take a look at your naked image. You can probably change what you see. If you really want to.

Some of you have been carrying around the same unneeded, unnecessary, and unwanted pounds for a long long time. Aren’t you ready to let them go? Some of those pounds are putting you at risk. Some of those pounds are not only weighing you down literally, they are also holding you back personally.

And I’ve heard of some people whose weight became detrimental in their professional and vocational lives too.

How you feel about yourself effects everything in your life.

Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.

I’m being your best friend right now. I’m attempting to tell you some hard truth. Sometimes having the life you want is a matter of losing the weight that you don’t want. Some of you are frozen in a place of discouragement and disgust because of your weight. The connection we have with our self image and our weight can’t be overstated.

I want you to be free! I want you to be healthy! I want you to live the kind of life that you’ve always wanted and dreamed of.

Yesterday a friend and I had coffee. She wanted to tell me something that would be hard to say and she wanted to meet face to face to say it. Something very hard to tell me, she said … but something she was sure I needed to hear. It had nothing to do with her weight or mine.

What she told me wasn’t so much about me as it was about her. Without an agenda, she told me things so serious and deep that I couldn’t speak. Her words touched me in a way that I can’t explain. And I’m not being melodramatic when I say that. It was to me … sacred. Truly and most profoundly … sacred.

I sat mesmerized and silent as I listened to her like I’ve never listened to another human being in my life. I’m not sure that I’ve ever been so affected by something shared with me. Spellbound and speechless, I was unable to make a sound as she spoke. It would take a long long time to process everything she said. And in the things she said I saw a shadow of myself. In her triumph I saw a glimpse of my own.

Many of you know that six months ago I tore my right quadriceps tendon playing in a tennis tournament. 2009 had already been one of the hardest years of my life and now a major knee injury was going to require major knee surgery.

My orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Robert Miller, had to cut me open, attach sutures to my severed tendon, drill holes in my bone, run the sutures through the holes, tie them down, and then staple me back together.

Sounded more like carpentry than surgery.

My terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year was getting worse. (My apologies to “Alexander” and Judith Viorst)

For the next three months I was on crutches with a straight leg brace that extended from my upper right thigh to my ankle. I couldn’t bend my right leg at all. Do you know what you CAN’T do when you can’t bend your knee at all?

The easier question is: do you know what you CAN do when you can’t bend your knee? Not much. Not much at all. You can’t drive. You can’t sleep. You can’t go to the kitchen and get something to eat. You can’t take a shower. You can’t, you can’t, you can’t … ad infinitum, ad nauseam.

And going to the bathroom required me to learn a brand new set of gymnastics routines that are sure to become an Olympic event.

As the days wore on I got depressed (did I mention that 2009 had already been a miserable year already?) and I got fat and out of shape. Your muscles disappear quickly when you don’t, or can’t, use them.

None of my pants fit — not even my “fat” jeans — and I was disgusted with myself. I was a fat, depressed, out of shape, crippled man.

While you slept, I sat in my recliner with my leg propped up, trying to sleep in that straight leg brace. But unable to. And in the darkness the demons visited. I had never weighed this much or been this low in my entire life. Ever.

I saw no light at the end of the tunnel … as the seconds ticked by in the middle of the night, night after night, I saw only darkness. Darkness everyday.

The more weight I gained, the more depressed I got. The more depressed I got, the more I ate. And exercise was out of the question. The mental and emotional boost that you get from exercise wasn’t mine to have.

Hello depression and gloom and self loathing.

This went on for weeks.

Then I got a phone call from my son Matthew, who was stationed in Quantico, VA at the time.

He’d had a dream the night before. In his dream he was cheering for me as I was about to cross the finish line of the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii … when I’m 80 years old!

“Dad, you looked like an 80 year old badass!” he said.

Well, that changed everything.

Suddenly I had a vision of an 80 year old me kicking some serious tri-butt!

But I wasn’t going to become an athlete again by wallowing in self pity and despair. The only way I knew how to dig out was to dig in. I had to redouble my efforts to get out of this hole. I had to get out!

I formulated a plan.

I spent three agonizing hours EVERYDAY taking the brace off my leg and forcing my knee to bend. I had no muscle strength to bend it, so I sat on the floor — no easy task — and put a towel around my ankle and heel. I painfully tried to bend my knee by pulling the towel toward me, sliding my heel along the floor, working hard against a tendon that was working harder to keep my leg straight.

I was also going to PT three hours a week and having the physical therapists force new degrees of knee bend. This usually brought tears to my eyes and left me covered in sweat and exhausted.

I had to learn how to walk again. I had to learn how to climb stairs again. Then came weeks and weeks of leg muscle building exercises, agility exercises, balance exercises, stability exercises, stamina training, torture, and pain. I worked hard. Very hard. I took control. And the harder I worked, the more I was able to add to the list of things I COULD do!

I lost the weight (over 25 pounds) and got stronger. I was determined to be the most motivated and determined patient that my surgeon and PTs had ever seen. I was committed to getting back to the activities I love in record time. I was determined to reclaim my life! I was determined to become the man who could become that 80 year old badass that Matthew had seen in his dream!

Last Saturday I ran two miles outside for the first time since September 22! This morning I ran with the 0530 class for the first time too!

Yesterday Dr. Miller confirmed what I had worked for; I was in fact his most committed, hardest working, and most successful patient ever. “None of my patients have ever worked this hard at rehabbing a quad tendon repair nor made this kind of progress,” he told me, looking over his glasses with a broad smile on his face. (That’s for you, Nancy!)

Yesterday my Physical Therapists shook my hand and said goodbye to me. I was done, all done! I had graduated from PT, weeks ahead of schedule, they said!

As of today, I’m on my own!

I have been cleared to slowly resume my activities: running, cycling, swimming, and even tennis! I’m determined! I won’t let fear keep me from going for it! I have an appointment with an 80 year old me!

“It’s not how you start, but how you finish … everybody gets knocked down … how quick are you gonna get up?”

How about you? Are you ready for a change in your own life?

Can you be honest with yourself?

Can you see a vision for your life?

Can you get an image of what you want to look like physically? (Weight lost, smaller size clothes, stronger muscles, optimal health).

Can you make a list of the things you’d like to do?

Are you determined to change … or will you just settle?

Will you find the courage to be an agent of change in your own life, or will you simply come up with more creative excuses for why you won’t reclaim YOUR life?

You can do it. I promise that you can!

A dear friend saved my life yesterday by telling me something I needed to hear. Maybe something I’ve said here will save your life too.

“Life is mostly froth and bubble.
Two things stand like stone.
Kindness in another’s trouble.
And courage in your own.”
~ Adam Lindsay Gordon

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RAMPED AND AMP’ED IN APRIL!

Next month will be pretty special at USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP as we ramp things up!

We’ll be returning to the U of M for monthly “Mt. Fuji” workouts at 0530!

We’ll be going into the “new” gym once a week for our special workouts … the ones we did before the church remodeled. (Remember the “rifle drill?”)

These are awesome workouts!

The Tuesday and Thursday evening classes return!

April is also “Bring Your Friend To USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP” month. Your friends can come and try it out for a week at no charge and no obligation! And the person who brings the most friends during the month gets $100. (Not 100 dollars worth of “Boot Camp Bucks!”)

You’ll hear more! I’m back! And I’m bringin’ it!

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BOGA Expands

By popular demand, in addition to the 0530 class tomorrow morning, BOGA will be on tap for the 08:30 AM and the 5:30 PM classes on Friday!

All BOGA workouts are inside.

BOGA is 22 minutes of hardcore Boot Camp + 22 minutes of Power Yoga = BOGA

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

You could lose 20 pounds by June!

The secret behind weight loss is more about diet than exercise.

A testimony from Amy Beth Dudley!

“I started Take Shape For Life on 2/13 and so far I am down a good 10 lbs. For the past few years, I have been struggling with food sensitivity and wonder what I could do to cut down on that problem and get healthy (aka lose weight and get moving). Well, TSFL is the answer!! I haven’t had any troubles so far and have enjoyed the program. My life is beyond hectic but even with all my eating out, I have been able to keep on track and stay healthy and lose some weight.”
~ Amy Beth Dudley amybethdudley@yahoo.com

And this from Melissa Speck:

“Take Shape For Life” has proven to be a very rewarding experience in my quest for weight loss and healthy living. I am a 34 year old mother of three young daughters, and I decided to take that necessary step in finally losing those extra pounds! I began the TSFL program in January, and 3 1/2 weeks into the program I had already lost 12 pounds! TSFL is a fool-proof, no brainer weight loss program that is extremely easy to follow.

The program allows you to eat their meals throughout the day, including a lean and green meal of your own, so I never felt as if I were “starving” or hungry.

I am currently transitioning into the re-introduction phase of a wider variety of foods. During this phase I am continuing with the program’s bars, shakes, and soups, but I am also eating fruits, vegetables, sandwiches and lots of healthy proteins. I have kept those 12 pounds off, and have lost an additional 3 pounds! TSFL has had a positive impact on my life, allowing me to attain
my healthy lifestyle goals. If it worked for me, it will work for you!!!” ~ Melissa Speck

TSFL works! This is the program I used to lose the weight I gained after I had knee surgery.

After my own personal success with this program, I became a health coach for TSFL. That’s how much I believe in it!

You can go directly to the Take Shape For Life website (below) to get more information. You can also sign up there as well.

Feel free to call me if you’d like more info. 901-644-0145. I’m Amy Beth and Melissa’s coach! I’d be happy to be your coach too!
Go to: www.combatchallenge.tsfl.com .

Those in Sgt. Tony’s TSFL Battalion will have a meeting tomorrow night at 7 PM at Panera Bread, Poplar/Grove Park. We’ll be in their side room.

If you’re interested in TSFL you’re welcome to come too. You can feel free to talk to me or anyone else who’s in the program. You won’t be asked to join or anything like that. So, no pressure at all!

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Sgt. Tony’s Return to Running!

I am planning my return to running in the first annual Freedom Run 5K on April 24.

This is a new race sponsored by the Navy – Marine Corps ROTC unit at the University of Memphis. This is the unit that my son, Matthew, was the Commanding Officer of last year. And our own Pat McGhee’s son, Christopher, is a member of.

I will be a “beginner” runner, so my pace will be slow. Won’t you join me? Maybe run with me and keep me company? Run past me and make fun of me?

Never run a 5K before? Wouldn’t this be a perfect FIRST 5K?!!

What should you do to start? If you are brand new to running, I’m going to post a training plan on the Boot Camp blog with a training plan for running your first 5K! Look for it!

I’d love to have a big group of us turn out for this run.

http://5kfreedomrun.racesonline.com/

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BOOT CAMP DISCOUNTS AND FACEBOOK EXPERIMENT!

So far this experiment has been pretty amazing!
Here’s how it works!

Make a Facebook status update and get a discount!

For every status update 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 or to me specifically by name.

So, “I love boot camp!” won’t work cuz there are lots of fake boot camps out there!

“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!

You get the idea! Use your own wording and personality, just include the specifics.

Restrict yourself to just one of these status updates per day. You don’t want 8 status updates in a row going out on the same day!

The deal gets better …

When 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!

Your friend has to actually contact me through the website, not through Facebook. This will help to measure traffic to the website generated from Facebook.

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

Already FOUR of you have qualified for $40 off for April and your May enlistment is FREE!

So log on and get started now!

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RACE JUDICATA

Race Judicata is scheduled for Saturday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. The race will take place at Jefferson Davis Park, located at 51 North Riverside Drive and there will be food and music following the race. Check-in starts at 8:30 a.m.

The race is open to the public. Runners and walkers are welcome!

Strollers welcome! Food and Music Following the Race!

Race Judicata benefits Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS). MALS provides free legal service to the elderly and low income families. For more information about MALS, visit: http://www.malsi.org/

To register or donate and see more information, such as the race route, please see visit our website:http://www.racejudicatamemphis.org/

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Be bold, my friends!

“It’s not how you start, but how you finish … everybody gets knocked down … how quick are you gonna get up?”

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/