Sunday was a very rewarding and fulfilling day for me to be a part of a very special grand opening in the community of Oelwein. One of my “O’Connell Extreme Fitness” classmates, Mandie Stepp and her husband opened their own “OXF” fitness club.  More than a dozen of my OXF friends along with the masters, Russ and Kristi O’Connell visited the new facility to meet people, answer questions and give a little demonstration of some of the things we have learned.

The Stepps have put a lot of work into this project (the Gym is located at the Pamida Store in Oelwein) and it’s obvious to me that their investment is going to pay off.  It’s a really nice facility, complete with weights, bags, mitts and other accessories necessary for people who want to get into fighting shape. In our OXF class, Mandie was always driven and intense. I know as an instructor, she will motivate and inspire people to reach their potential. So far 50 people have signed up for OXF classes in Oelwein and I believe it’s just a matter of time before it truly explodes. Being there on Sunday it was easy to see the hunger and curiosity in the eyes of the people interested in really embarking on a serious fitness journey. I’m sure it was the same look I had in my eyes when Russ O’Connell approached me about joining an extreme fitness program he was starting.  In one year, my life has become dramatically better in so many ways. I wish the same fortune to all of my friends in Oelwein who are making health and fitness a priority.

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Yesterday I got an opportunity to spend a little time with a man who had a great influence on my life. My high school track coach Dick Dotson. Coach was like a surrogate father to me and hundreds of other young men who ran track at Waterloo West High School in the 60’s and 70’s. “Dots” was boisterous, funny, bold and always entertaining. The perfect personality and persona for arrogant, insecure, pimple faced teenagers who thought they had the adult world figured out.  Just when you thought you had the answer to solve the greatest problem in the universe, Coach Dotson was there to let you know in front of all your teammates and friends. “Kid, you don’t know Jack!”

Richard Dotson was a great athlete in his own right, excelling in football, basketball and track at Waterloo East High School in the mid to late fifties and later as an All-American track star at the University of Northern Iowa in the sixties. Growing up on the east side of Waterloo gave coach Dotson heavy exposure to African-Americans, many of whom he developed rich friendships.  This evolved understanding of cultures and lifestyles outside of his own would serve coach well during his tenure at West High during the turbulent and explosive era of busing and integration in the Waterloo School district.

The hundreds of young blacks bussed into West High everyday must have looked like refugees to the white students and teachers. Being black and bussed into an all white school is like entering a foreign country, encountering a different culture with kids who practically spoke a different language. Coach Dick Dotson helped to ease many of the tensions because he worked as an interpreter for both sides. To a young African-American, coach Dotson was streetwise, personable, fair and always accessible. To a young white student, coach Dotson was streetwise, personable, fair and always accessible. In other words coach was the same to everyone.

It’s been nearly 30 years since Dick Dotson last coached at West High. Ironically, my class was the last one to compete for him. Physically, life has taken a tremendous toll on coach Dotson. 19 years ago, coach had a heart transplant. Eight years ago, coach had a kidney transplant and right now he is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for lung cancer. But like any battle worn soldier who has tasted more than his share of victory, coach still has the remarkable spirit that has carried him through his incredible life. Coach Dotson still has his fascinatingly quick wit and personality and he is living and cherishing every moment. And coach Dick Dotson is living proof you should try and make each day count, because you have a chance to make a difference in some one’s life…just like he did with this young, insecure, pimple faced teenage kid a long time ago.

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Our O’Connell Extreme Fitness classes are back in session and today I admit to behaving a bit like a kindergartner. Yesterday on the first day of class I arrived really early to claim the punching bag I will use for the next 12 weeks (I learned my lesson from previous OXF classes that the early bird does indeed get the worm). However this morning when I arrived there was someone in my already claimed spot–but like a dog who had his territory marked I had to let my man know what time it was (sorry friend). I’m always polite in the morning, I think–but like anyone investing that much physically–I can be a little intense and focused.

And now without even giving it a lot of thought–my mind and my heart are focused on being physically fit and healthy. My feelings on the subject actually gain momentum when I start a new exercise class and I am surrounded by like minded people of varying fitness levels working hard. When you are in the proper frame of mind for fitness–there is nothing more satisfying than a good workout that pushes you to the brink of exhaustion. I love to sweat, because it lets me know that I am working hard, putting forth effort and shedding pounds. And at this point in time, I believe that I have built so much momentum toward living a healthy lifestyle that it’s highly unlikely I will reverse course and go back to where I was before. Stagnate and overweight.

Most of my motivation to stay healthy comes from within, but I am also inspired by the people around me. Of course all of my OXF classmates who push me on a daily basis, my friends who share exercise tips and experiences, the people–young and old who I see biking and running–and anyone who is making a commitment to get fit and healthy.  It is not easy, it’s hard work. But we all know the more difficult it is to achieve, the more rewarding it is and the tougher it is to give it up.

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It’s funny how a few days off from the gym can make you feel like a bum after you have made exercise a regular part of your life.  It’s like not brushing your teeth or showering in the morning, you worry about developing cavities or alarming body order.  My regular workout partner Russ O’Connell has been busy working with the new OXF program in Waverly and since my KWWL work week has expanded to 60+ hours I have chosen to skip a few workout days.  I have been getting plenty of exercise chasing football players up and down the sidelines or having volleyball players fall over me(it actually happened) with a 25 pound camera on my shoulder. But the primary reason why I have taken a little break is to recharge my battery for another 12 week O’Connell Extreme Fitness program.

I know it is easy to over do the exercise and fitness thing to the point of burnout. So I believe it is important to keep everything in perspective. One year ago at this time I weighed 245 pounds, this morning I weighed in at 202 pounds(don’t worry the weight is not coming back). Too many people want to lose weight in a hurry, but the thing is those pounds usually come back faster than you lost them. I lost my weight, gradually, through sweat equity and a few less calories a day for about three months.  But I want to tell you even more important than the pounds I lost is my improved strength and energy(and believe me with all of the challenges I am facing with work and my personal life I need it). I am not on a strict diet now and I still eat some of the things I like and I take a much needed break from exercise every now and again because it is important to rest both the mind and body.  But when I am in full exercise mode I get up at 4:30 a.m. five days a week and I workout for 70-90 minutes.

This is the plan that is working for me and I feel very good about my health and my life. I believe it is important for each individual to find the program or exercise regimen that works for them. And I believe it is also important to take a break to refresh and recharge…I can’t wait for my 4:30 a.m. wake up calls to start again.

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Oh how nice it was to be 25 years old walking around with six pack abs, six percent body fat and a metabolism like a Maybach Exelero engine. If only I could be 25 years old forever. I could still eat whatever I want and exercise when the mood hits me.  Unfortunately life doesn’t quite work like that. Father time eventually catches up with the majority of us. Our metabolism slows down to the speed of a lawn mower engine once we pass the age of 25, and the junk food we used to burn off in our sleep begins to accumulate in our bodies like garbage in a landfill if we aren’t on a regular exercise routine.

It’s one of the cruel ironies of physiology and life that as we get older it becomes harder to give up all of those food addictions that we developed in our youth and even more difficult to burn off all of the food that we consume. Most of us just throw our hands in the air and stop trying— accepting the accumulating pounds of fat surrounding our organs and clogging our arteries as the way it’s supposed to be. We even make excuses. We’re simply too busy to exercise or eat properly.

It’s really easy to get overweight and unhealthy. Food with low nutritional value, that is high in fat, cholesterol and sugar is both cheap and easily obtainable. And when you combine that with a lifestyle where there is little or no exercise you have a recipe for not only obesity, but an onslaught of diseases and a lower quality of life. In my case as easy as it was to put on the extra pounds, it has taken a complete overhaul in my lifestyle and mindset to shed the weight and get on the right road to health and fitness.  The older you get and the longer you wait to start exercising—the harder it becomes, but I don’t think its ever too late– If you are not healthy right now you just can’t accept that’s the way it is going to be.

For many years as my own weight swelled from 170 pounds when I was 26 years old to 245 pounds when I was 46, I don’t know if I accepted being overweight as much as I was oblivious to it. I felt like I fit right in with most other adult males 35 to 50 with an ever expanding mid-section. The wake up call for me were all of the health issues I began to develop.  The true motivation for me to change my lifestyle and way of thinking was not to lose weight, get healthier or even look better. My life was slowly crumbling before my eyes and I had to change my behavior. I could no longer partake in a carefree, lackadaisical, take each day as it comes lifestyle. I needed to develop structure and discipline particularly when it comes to my health and fitness. And I have been trying to accomplish this one day at a time

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On Monday morning at 5:30 I was in Waverly where my friend Greg Stockdale has started an “O’Connell Extreme Fitness” program at the “W” on the Wartburg College campus. I was very impressed. The class was full of 25 people, both men and women of varying ages with a strong desire to get fit and healthy. Since Greg is a first time fitness instructor, Russ and Kristi O’Connell are helping out by teaching the first two weeks of classes in Waverly.

Being there on Monday morning reminded me of how really difficult it can be to start a new exercise regimen like OXF. With Russ and Kristi throwing a variety of maneuvers at you every two minutes–a person finds out really early if they have the intestinal fortitude to deal the pain and fatigue that comes with getting in fighting shape. I remember what a sense of accomplishment I felt to just survive those early classes and how good I felt when I began losing inches and pounds.

The biggest step a person can make to get fit and healthy is to show up at the gym. And on Monday in Waverly I was very impressed with all of the people who not only showed up but also survived the very first day of OXF. One workout down, only 47 to go.

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