October Happenings

It’s been nearly two weeks since I posted a blog, quite the change from September. But you’ve missed these, right? Ha. My September goal was to write something each day and take a long break from my novel. These last few weeks have also been quite hectic. I’m not the biggest fan of posting a blog that is more like a “dear diary” entry, but a lot has happened in a few weeks, so I am going to ramble a little.

The last weekend of September I saw one of my best friends get married and reconnected with old friends. That was a beautiful and fun weekend.

At a great friend's wedding. Congrats, Rachel!

I also spent a weekend getting trained in a new fitness program called KettleWorX, choreographed kettle bell routines to music. I am proud to say that I am a fully certified “pass plus” KettleWorX trainer now!

This is my third fitness cert and definitely one of the
hardest to pass. I'm also a certified P90X trainer and
Turbo Kick instructor. 

I spent a weekend night at my favorite haunted house, where (and I don’t mean to make fun) a friend with a heart condition had to be escorted out because it was all too much. That’s not something to laugh at, but damn if I don’t love that kind of intensity when it comes to horror. FrightNight in Forest City did not disappoint this year. (We made sure he was ok. And then the rest of us continued while he sadly sat outside.)

Can you guess who had to sit out? Everyone is ok now!

I saw a fantastic musical at Illinois Central College called Avenue Q that starred a former student who is now a friend and was directed by my boss at the college. I cannot believe the talent of all of our students. So incredible. And if you’ve never seen Avenue Q but have a chance to do so, don’t miss out. It’s hilarious and naughty but has a good deal of heart in between the obnoxious humor.

Most tragically, the son of one of my best friends died. I am happy to have spent some time with her and am happy (happy is not exactly the right word, but you understand) to have been able to go to the visitation and the funeral and see her beautiful family. All of that is her story to tell, and I don’t feel right writing more about it. I just want her to know that it is something we all will never forget, and somehow over time, all will be stronger and closer.

Then I managed to dress us as Hulk Hogan and give my college students a laugh. In one class, the students tried to sneak out cell phones and discreetly take pictures of me. I don’t know why they felt the need to be discreet. I was happy to pose for them! (By the way, I didn’t dress up randomly as Hulk; it was part of an 80s theme day at the college. Not that there’d be anything wrong with that if I did, right?)

My Comm 110 class, several students also dressed 80s
style. That's me front and center. WHATCHA GONNA DO!

And then today is my father’s birthday. My dad passed away four years ago this December. I’ve been using that Timehop app for Facebook. Most of the time, it’s pretty fun. You get to see the silly status or pictures you uploaded on this day for each year in the past that you had Facebook. But recently Timehop has been very sad. I’m seeing all the old status updates I posted about my dad to keep friends and family in touch. Today I saw a post about spending time with him on his birthday. It was the last time I would ever be able to see him on his birthday.

He was basically paralyzed in October of 2010. On October 10, 2010, I visited him in his nursing home. There was no gift to buy; there was nothing he could do anymore. ALS had melted his nervous system, and he just asked me to scratch his face and his arms. He still itched and felt uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do about it. Isn’t that just terrible? Every time I stopped for a moment to rest, he’d cry, “Please don’t stop.” I spent the day talking to him and scratching him. It is probably the saddest yet most rewarding birthday I ever spent with him. And the last.

Today we had a midterm break, one day off from the college. So I devoted my day to revising the novel I wrote this past summer. It’s been over a month since I looked at it. What a much needed break that was! Today, fully refreshed, I started re-writing. It has a new title, more development of characters, a brand new prologue, and a new sense of direction. The meat of the story is still all there, but I’ve cut a lot of the fat out of the story and added some much needed seasoning. Of course, this process is going to take several weeks, but I’m hoping to have one day a week to spend with the story, and I have a new goal of having a full revision completed by January 1.

I envy those who can write a perfect story the first or even second time around. This will be my third major revision, but the first one after such a long break from the book. I’m very excited about what it is becoming.

And of course, all of the influences and happenings that occurred this month: You’ll see that they have made some kind of impact on the story. I’m not saying Hulk Hogan is a character, but there is nostalgia and a love of past heroes. And there is death and tragedy, but also escape and hope.

Thanks for being with me on this journey, friends. 

The Best Fitness Class is . . .

For those of you who have been reading this blog, I like to write a lot about accomplishing goals and striving for success. I'm also sharing little short stories and creative writing pieces at times, as one of my goals is to practice my writing. Fitness, however, is a huge part of my life, and I want to share some fitness motivation with you. And as a teaser, if you keep reading, I'm going to tell you what the BEST fitness class is!

No matter what you do in life or what you want to accomplish, I have always encouraged others to incorporate fitness. It sharpens the mind. It energizes us, we feel better, and we sleep better. When all of that happens, you find that you have more energy and greater focus for the other things you wish to accomplish. There’s just no excuse not to do it! And if you want to tell me that you’re too busy: foolishness! I can promise you that I'm pretty busy too. But I find time to brush my teeth every day because that’s important. You can find time to exercise too. Because it's important!

I love some time on my own in a weight room or out on a run, bike ride, or hike. It’s good to have that meditative, independent time. But what I want to do here is encourage you and challenge you to get involved in group exercise. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my fitness.

In group exercise, I’ve made new friends and found many new mentors and inspirations. I’m motivated by the great music and the fun atmosphere. I learn more about fitness and technique all the time. And I work harder and make the most of my time. You can get a great workout on your own, of course. But you will be motivated MORE, learn MORE, and have MORE fun in a fun setting with other participants chasing a goal similar to yours all the while being led by a motivated and trained fitness leader. My point: You get MORE out of group fitness!

I’ve been a certified fitness instructor for over three years now, and I work at a facility with dozens of great classes. So what should you try? And what’s the best? Let me tell you about a few of my favorites. These are some of the classes offered at the fitness center where I teach.

BODY PUMP: This is a full-body strength class that uses barbells and dumbbells. It’s fantastic for toning, weight loss, strength, and endurance. The moves are matched to music, and it’s always a motivating and rewarding class!

P90X LIVE: P90X LIVE is the group format of the classic home DVD series. Like Pump, you’ll get an amazing strength and endurance workout. It’s not choreographed to music; it’s more of a boot camp (do this one move for one minute), so if you prefer to work at your own pace but still have a motivating group environment, it’s a great option for you.

BODY COMBAT: What a great martial arts inspired class! You punch and kick your way to a leaner body with the spirit of a fighter. Moves are choreographed to music, but they are easy to follow and learn. You’ll feel like Rocky at the end of a workout!

TURBO KICK: Like Combat, it’s punching and kicking, but if Combat is the main fight, then Turbo is the victory celebration after the fight! It has a lot of athletic moves and a rave-like feel. There's a ton of variety to the choreography and you will never be bored. This class is all about energy and creating that party-like atmosphere.

BODY FLOW: It’s the ultimate yoga + Pilates class that leaves you feeling calm and refreshed. You’ll stretch the body and strengthen the core and end with meditation and relaxation. It’s an absolutely beautiful workout-- good for the body, mind, and soul.

RPM/Spinning: Who doesn’t love a bike? Now, add a fun instructor and high-energy music and take a spin with a group of motivated people! You’ll use resistance to burn mega calories and strengthen the body all in a fun and challenging atmosphere.

There are a ton of other classes, but I won’t lie: The above are my favorites to take. I teach P90X and Turbo Kick, but respect all of the classes. I recently got certified in KettleWorX and look forward to adding the uniqueness of kettle bell training to my workouts too.

Now, what’s the best?

The answer is simple. The best fitness class is the one you do. We all take pride in our individual interests, but egos aside, what matters most is that you are active. If you take a class, you’ll learn new things every time you workout. It’s not just working out; it’s an education too! And when you’re surrounded by other people and a motivating instructor, you will find yourself working harder than if you were on your own.

One of the common themes I write about when it comes to achieving goals is this: it’s often the positive influence of others that really help you succeed. The same is true for fitness. Try different classes and find a format that you like. You won’t like them all, and that’s ok. That’s why we have so many! There is something for everyone. You’ll find encouraging instructors and supporting participants like yourself, and when you put that together, you will get better results and will learn to enjoy exercise.

Do you have a favorite class? Why do you love it? Let me know in the comments. 

On writing, and a re-introduction to the blogosphere

I’ve had several journeys with blogging. My first attempt was a blog devoted to politics, and I’m still surprised at the number of views the blog received and the number of real friends I made (and lost) due to those discussions. While I’m still politically active and always open to a good face to face discussion, I deleted the political blogs. I was tired of fighting, tired of ignorance. There are only so many bigoted people in the world that I can deal with at one time. So I focused my energy on my other life passions.

And I do have several. Teaching is #1. I’ve been a teacher for 14 years now, 10 of those at the high school level where I taught all sorts of English classes, from American literature to creative writing and everything you can imagine in between. Now I teach communication classes at the college level, an intro to comm class, public speaking, intercultural communication, comm theory, and more. It’s fantastic.

My #2 passion is tied between fitness and martial arts. I started training in the martial arts over 20 years ago, and I’ve created and taught a variety of programs. I currently host a karate club at the college where I teach. Fitness to me is like breathing—I have to have it every day. After taking dozens of classes and doing home DVD programs, I became certified in a few programs and teach 4-5 group fitness classes each week. Those are also fantastic.

It’s not fair to say my #3 passion is writing. I can’t give it a number. You see, I enjoy reflecting and writing on my passions, so writing is like the skin that holds all those passions together. Without my ability to write, I’m not sure those passions would fully exist. So let’s just say that writing is also a huge passion.

This summer, I finished writing a novel and am in the process of sending out queries and looking for an agent. I’ve written a lot before: other novels, short stories, poems, news articles, theses, and more. I’ve published many articles in magazines (and got paid for it, yeah!), but I’ve never tried to publish fiction. Even though I’ve completed works of fiction before, I never thought they were good enough for mass publication.

Until now.

 I’m fired up, and since finishing a book this summer, actually letting friends read it, and revising, revising, revising, I’m ready to add “author” to my resume. I’ve outlined 3 more books, and hope to write a couple a year. I’m an optimistic person, a go-getter, no doubt. I don’t mean to be arrogant, but I’ve always believed passion and persistence pay off. Of course, one needs patience too. The longer I wait to hear back from my queries (and I’ve only sent a few so far, and only just last week), the more I think about the kind of author I want to be. I’ll keep re-reading and revising my current book as long as I need to do so, and I’ll keep writing other stories until I find an audience.

So that’s why I’m returning to the blogosphere. I’m going to share my writing journey and hope to connect with others who have similar goals and experiences. I’m going to share some writing, much of it old and terrible (can’t share the new stuff yet!). I don’t want to self-publish. Call me greedy, but I want to see that printed book with my name on the side at my local bookstore. That’d be cool!

If you browse through older posts, you’ll likely see a lot about fitness and some about teaching. Hey, like I said, those are my big passions and I have to write about them, even if most of what I have written is personal and has not been shared yet.

I’m going to try and share a lot more. I’m going to try and read a lot more too. So blogosphere—who’s writing and trying to publish? And how’s that going?

Since this is a blog of re-introduction, I’d like to include a little informal bio below. Check it out if you’re curious about my background. Ignore if not, and that’s ok—I’d still like to hear about your writing journey.

-          I graduated from Illinois Central College in 1999 with an Associates of Arts & Sciences (this is where I now teach!). From ICC, I transferred to Eureka College and graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a secondary education certification (summa cum laude).

-          I started my teaching career at Metamora High School where I taught high school students for ten years, from 2001-2010.

 -        While at the high school, I pursued more education and graduated from Bradley University in 2008 with a Master’s degree in Liberal Studies, a very cool program that combined science, psychology, literature, law, communication, and religion—it was like an advanced gen ed program but you had to connect all of the subjects.

-          After that (something was wrong with me, I know), I went for a second master’s degree. In May 2011, I earned a another Master’s degree specifically in Speech Communication from North Dakota State University

-          I have studied abroad in Tokyo, Japan at Sophia University, and I STRONGLY believe no college education is complete without a study abroad experience.

-          I’m now beginning my 14^th year as a full-time educator. I’ve taught dozens of subjects including English, American literature, journalism, creative writing, and so much more! This is my 4^th year as a full-time professor at ICC.

-          You can’t teach public speaking and not do it, right? I love inspirational events, and I have been hired as a motivational speaker, performing at all-school assemblies and special events for multiple central Illinois schools and organizations.

-          I’ve won a few awards for teaching, which of course is cool but I have a lot more I want to accomplish. My first award was the Golden Apple Award in 2001 for the best student-teacher from my college; thirteen years later, I won Advisor of the Year for 2013-14 for my work with student organizations at my college.  

-          I also love fitness! I am a certified Turbo Kick instructor and P90X Instructor, and I teach about 4-5 fitness classes a week just for fun at our very own ICC CougarPlex.

-          I started the Cougar Karate Club last year on campus, a free martial arts club our students. I’m also a martial artist. I’ve earned a 4^th degree black belt in karate, and I enjoy sharing that passion too.

-          I run a college food pantry and am always shocked at the number of people who need help. It’s a great joy to provide that help.

-          This last May, I completed the Master of Online Teaching program and am now an official Master Online Teacher. I prefer face to face classes, but I also take pride in improving the online environment. Teaching and learning online is inevitable in today’s world, so I’ve tried to learn more and make it better!

-          And like most of you I’m sure, I cherish my family and friends (and I’d include pets in that statement too—2 dogs and 3 cats make my small home a big zoo some days!) above pretty much anything else.

-          And of course my next big goal is to be a published and successful fiction writer! (And maybe some more non-fiction and memoir too!)

If you’ve read this far, you must be a good friend. Or my grandmother. Or just a really cool dude. Thanks.

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Advice when starting a new fitness program

For those you beginning our boot camp, or anyone beginning a new fitness program, I wanted to take a moment to provide some encouragement.

Everyone has a fitness story, but it’s our stories that shape our identities. I was always a martial arts guy, but I was not always in shape. In fact, after years of teaching martial arts, I was heavier, about 20 pounds more than I am now.  I realized the error of my ways: I was not incorporating variety into my fitness. I was doing the same thing all of the time, and eventually we plateau, or even get worse.

So I made a change and did two things. First, I started taking group fitness classes because I wanted to be motivated, and I knew having people around me would provide that motivation. Second, I invested in home fitness, so even on my busiest work days, I would have no excuse to not do something.

I loved one exercise class more than the others and became certified to teach it. I now teach Turbo Kick, a high energy cardio kickboxing class with a variety of athletic moves all done to music, three times a week at ICC’s CougarPlex in East Peoria. Teaching, I find, helps keep me accountable.

Additionally, I found a chain of home fitness programs that I fell in love with so much that I now “coach” home fitness programs, which means that for people unable to go to a gym (or simply not interested), I provide a format to motivate them at home. It’s simple: we create an online group, like this Facebook page, and we post our daily workouts and encourage one another. It’s another way to stay motivated and accountable when you can’t always get to a class.

During the journey, I’ve learned a few things, and I hope to always be learning. Although I said some of the following in tonight’s class, I really want to emphasize it. This is my advice—and my compliments—to all of you.

1. Take risks. Never be afraid to try something new (as long as it is safe), such as a boot camp, a fitness class, or a home fitness program. The people who play it safe are not the people who achieve the best results. And of course you are taking a risk in signing up for the boot camp, so congrats to you!

2. Incorporate variety. I’ve even known people who run daily and have run for 20 years suddenly pack on a bunch of weight. The reason is that the body gets used to doing certain things. Many people tell me they do not work out because they are always “on the move” at work. Same problem. We need variety, and you will get it in this boot camp, but when the boot camp finishes, think about goals for the future and be sure they include variety in fitness.

3. Eat smart. I do not like the concept of a diet. I’m sure some of you have been on a diet, but frankly, I do not like it. The problem with diets is that we will eventually go off them and get right back to where we were. So we eat smart instead. Generally, always eat breakfast, eat several small meals instead of 2-3 large meals, and take it easy on desserts and fried food (I do not cut them out from my “diet,” but I limit them to absolutely no more than once a week).

4. Be patient. Results do not happen overnight. Many people get frustrated if they are not seeing weight loss in a week or two. That’s not the way smart fitness works. Do, however, take your measurements, at least waist size and weight. Measure every month, but no more than that.  You will see progress, but be patient. It’s easy to get frustrated and then give up, but the one guarantee I can provide is that if you give up and do nothing, then you will definitely not see any results. 

So that’s a brief intro to me and some of my advice. 

In the meantime, show up and keep moving. The results will be there, but be patient and enjoy the journey.

Feeling angry or feeling fit?

Yesterday, I had a marathon of grading and of end-of-semester of planning and spent six or more hours in front of my computer. It’s to be expected and not abnormal at this time of year, but with my other daily obligations, I was simply in a grumpy mood.

I wasn’t mad at any particular person or event, but my mood shifted. I realized my mood changed because I was not able to exercise. My sedentary day affected my mental state of mind. Not working out now negatively affects my mood, and my experience yesterday led me to think more about anger, which is the theme of today’s post.

I have come to one absolute conclusion: If you feel angry, frustrated, or upset on a fairly regular basis, you absolutely must incorporate daily fitness into your routine.

It is inexcusable to take one’s anger out on his or her spouse, children, co-workers, anyone or anything. Part of human nature, however, is that we do become angry, some more frequently than others. There is a solution, a solution so simple: daily fitness. 

There’s only one place to get angry and feel good using that anger: working out. We can use frustration and anger to better ourselves by working harder, whether that is running a bit faster or doing extra repetitions of some exercise. Fitness provides a natural outlet and a healthy release for anger, and the more you incorporate fitness into your routine, the less anger you will feel at home or at work.

My point here is simple and two-fold. First, if you ever feel angry or frustrated and do not work out, then make a change! You will be surprised at how your mood improves, and your friends, family, and colleagues will certainly appreciate a more positive you. Additionally, you will be improving your health and fitness, and we know the benefits with improved physical fitness are virtually limitless.

Secondly, if you do exercise fairly regularly but still find yourself getting angry and frustrated, it’s time to change your fitness routine. Variety is the key to results in the fitness world, but variety is also the secret to maintaining a positive state of mind and eliminating anger and frustration from one’s life.

So how do you start? First of all, I would never encourage people to buy a treadmill or similar machine for their home. Thinking that you can get fit with one machine and one routine is like thinking you can eat well by eating the exact same cereal brand every day for the rest of your life. I don’t know about you, but I can’t eat the same cereal for more than a week. I need variety, and home exercise machines quite frankly lead to boredom. It will only be a matter of weeks before you find that machine covered in dust.

You need variety and fun. That’s why I teach the fitness classes I do, which have brand new routines and moves every two months. That’s why I encourage the home fitness programs I do: you get a variety of workouts that have a start and stop date, and then you can mix it up and do something different.

I am at a point now where I feel angry when I cannot or do not exercise. To me, that’s an accomplishment. My mind and body know what it takes to feel better. 

Today, I also had a marathon of grading and I’m preparing for summer classes, but I made a simple goal: I would exercise today no matter what. And I did. And the negative mood I felt yesterday is history. I feel energized, positive, and ready to inspire a brand new batch of students tomorrow morning.

So, how do you feel?

Big goals start with small steps

It is not easy to completely change one’s lifestyle and accomplish major goals. Consider the following example: Do you wish you had a savings account of $10,000?

Now I wonder, how many of you have a savings account of $10,000? It takes time and at first it seems impossible. However, like every major goal, it starts with small steps. How many years have you been working full-time? More than 4? Do you realize that if you committed to saving just $50 a week that in four years time you would have built a savings account of over $10,000? Imagine keeping that habit for 30 years: you’d have $80,000 plus interest in your savings account!

The thought of saving for that amount of time may seem very difficult, but it starts with baby steps. Commit to saving $50 a week for 10 weeks. At the end of 10 weeks, ask yourself: How hard was that? Ok, now commit to another 10 weeks. Then another. Then another. As the years pass you by, you will have a generous savings account and the peace of mind that comes with such security.

Of course, I am no finance expert. I write this blog to primarily encourage fitness. We know that we should be active over our lifetime, but it is often hard to know how to begin and even harder to stay committed.

So start simple. Make a promise that you will be active for 60 or even 90 days. Make a calendar, keep track of the days and workouts, and celebrate when you hit #60 or #90 or whatever your personal goal is. Then reflect on that journey: do you feel better now? Do you look better? If so, then make a commitment to do another 90 days.

Just like saving money over a lifetime, you will be creating the body, the health, and the energy you have always wanted.

Change starts with a simple commitment not a lofty promise. Commit to a 60 or 90 day program.  It won’t be long until you have realized you have changed your entire life for the better.

You can make your own routines for the number of days you commit to, but mix it up: include different types of cardio and a variety of weight lifting or strength training exercises.

Even better, commit to a proven program that guarantees to produce results. Today I realized I completed day 51 of the 90 day program P90X2. It does not even feel like 51 days. I already know that at the end of this 90 I will commit to another 90. And another. And it will be an incredible lifelong journey, initiated by a simple commitment to exercise for just the next 90 days.

The “Sexy and I Know It” Attitude

Here’s the thing about working out: You don’t have to lose 50 pounds or be some skinny model to feel good. Once you start exercising regularly, you feel better about yourself. You confidence, your self-worth, the way you feel about your body: It all gets better no matter your size.

In fact, I do not recommend beginning a fitness program with the hope that you will drop ten sizes. I do not want people to give up eating and starve themselves. I simply know you will feel better.

Even in your first few weeks, you will feel better about how you look. You will smile more. You will smile more at yourself in the mirror no matter your size. You don’t have to be skinny to feel this way.

Science supports this feeling through the study of endorphins. Keeping your heart rate high during cardio workouts for an extended period of time produces a natural high. You feel better about everything. You will even get to a place where you will want to work out to keep that feeling. Just like someone addicted to a drug, you will want to keep that high, but you will be doing it in a healthy way.

If you do not exercise now, the idea that you could get addicted to exercise may sound ridiculous. People scoff at the idea of having to workout.  But trust me, that will change.

I admit I enjoy the pop culture song “Sexy and I know It.” What I like most is not the music; I like the attitude. It does not matter what you weigh or what size jeans you wear. What matters is how you feel.

So ask yourself, “do you feel sexy?” If the answer is “yes,” then good for you! If the answer is anything other than yes, then it is time for a change. Start a fitness program, but don’t start with a huge goal of losing 50 or 100 pounds. Start with a simple goal of wanting to feel better.

I do not exercise to look a certain way. Our weight and muscle tone will fluctuate through life, and if we are obsessed with a number or a size, we will always be unhappy. I exercise because I want to feel better mentally. You can set goals to lose weight and gain muscle, but start simple: go for 5-10 pounds, for example. Your bigger goal should be to feel better, and you will feel better, no matter your weight.

You will dance happily to “Sexy and I Know It” and you will feel awesome. And that’s why we do it.