Week One

MY EATING HABITS ARE IN FOR A SHOCK

BY MARK CLEM

The first session will start as soon as I read and sign the following:

- Agreement and waiver  letter from The Spec outlining conditions and release if I'm  injured 
- Two questionnaires from my trainer (10 pages). Any "yes" answers and I'm off to the doctor for a  letter. I got some yes answers. 
- Consent letter from my family ddoctor. Good to go. 
- Consent letter from my cardiologist. Good to go. 
- Consent letter from  my orthopaedic surgeon. No weightlifting over the shoulders and no  squats. 
- Consent letter from  my neurologist. No heavy weightlifting while standing. 
- Consent letter from  my urologist. Prostrate will probably shrink with the rest of your body. 
- Consent letter from  my wife. Where is the will? 
- Consent letter from  my mother-in-law. How much are you leaving my daughter?

Both my editor, Florence, and my trainr, Mark Young,  want to know what my specific fitness goals are. Each time I attempt to write them down, I end up with "A Bucket List" like Jack Nicolson and Morgan Freeman — yet not as expensive to do. In business and possibly in life, you should set goals that are quantifiable, measurable and attainable.

My short-term goals (next 10weeks) are first, to run the final four miles uphill (heartbreak hill) with my wife at this year's Boston Marathon (it’s her first anniversary as a breast cancer survivor). I want to be able to run 11-minute miles for four miles and then collapse.

My other goals are to lose 20 lbs., lose four inches off my waist and get rid of my back pain (not my mother in law, that's neck pain).

My long-term goals (2009 and beyond) are to get back to the 36-inch waistline I once had. To lose 35 pounds would get me to a weight that I can't remember what it feels like being at (my wife has a picture for reference). And to get through my "Bucket List."

A mid-term goal is to be at the Boston Marathon again next year, do heartbreak hill again and to cheer on June Bobolo (a fellow Spec Fit winner) in her quest to complete the Boston marathon.

For my first meeting with trainer Mark, I wore my best gym outfit, which happens to be my only gym outfit and is what I sometimes wear to cut the grass in the summer.  Mark and I set the goals for the 10 weeks and he made sure they were realistic.

My eating habits are in for a shock, so many fruits and vegetables I will become a rabbit, at least a regular rabbit. He had this machine which measures body fat by shining light through your body. No matter how high he turned up the light it never came through. It said I had 27 per cent body fat and that I should be at 14 per cent. I thing the batteries were low in the machine.

Next we did the assessment exercises. My left arm and left leg failed some strength tests so he punched me in the left shoulder, twisted me like a pretzel and yanked on my left leg for a minute. When he retested me, the left arm and leg were suddenly stronger and more flexible than the right.

Mark is a certified witch doctor and that is his nick name for the next 10 weeks, The Witch Doctor.

Since we are both named Mark, we thought that for the next 10 weeks we would be known as M2 for M squared. It sounds better than M&M, which I can't eat anymore.
We are going to meet twice a week and I need to get three hours of good exercise per week in addition to the two hours with Mark. I need to keep a diary of every time and every thing I eat and drink, which Mark will review each time we meet.

I can hardly wait to see what happens when Mark doesn't like what he sees in the diary. I know it's going to hurt and motivate me not to do it again. Looking forward to next week

MY GAME PLAN FOR HIM
BY MARK YOUNG

After speaking with Mark Clem briefly on the phone the other day, I can tell you that he is nothing but ecstatic about his opportunity to participate in the Spec Fit project. He informed me that he's never won anything before, so I am absolutely stoked to be his first "win.”. He really seems anxious to get started and begin his training.

However, what stuck with me most about Mark is that he did something above and beyond what we’d expected. In February, Mark submitted his application to be one of our training cadets for 10 weeks. However, he didn’t stop there. 

Instead of resting on his backside and waiting to see if we’d select him, he decided to do it anyway.  He didn’t know if he was going to win, and it didn’t really seem to matter. Mark had committed to making a change one way or another — and that is what separates him from most people. If you want something, you just have to go and get it … and he did.

Mark joined a fitness bootcamp class that not only increased his physical conditioning but more importantly also showed just how much he deserves to be a part of this project because he has decided to make a change with our without our help. 
Now that I’m on board, I can only hope that my individualized program will take him to the goals he can’t even imagine right now.

I'm not a big fan of assessing how well somebody is going to do based on an initial discussion, but I will say that Mark certainly has the deck stacked in his favour. He's got an enthusiastic trainer (that’s me), a supportive (and very active) wife and a city-wide support network to cheer him on (that’s you).

Keep your eyes peeled for the next 10 weeks. I think this is going to be a whole lot of fun.

Those who know me best know that I’m very detail oriented and have a Type A personality. To say that I’m bordering on obsessive compulsive wouldn’t be much of a stretch. As such, I have a strong desire to systematize everything so that is exactly how we’ve designed our Nutrex Solutions training model.

Now before I begin my diatribe, I do want to say that I realize this post may seem as dry as the Sahara to some, but rest assured that the fun and excitement will ensue in future posts. I just feel that this needs to be said up front so you know the game plan fromDay 1.

Our system for creating results looks a little bit like this:
- Assess to get a baseline: Measure every important variable to determine a starting point. You can’t plan your trip without knowing where you’re coming from. In Mark’s case, we took his weight, body-fat percentage, measurements and various other postural, strength  and flexibility measures.
- Set goals: Knowing your destination is equally as important as knowing your starting point.  Otherwise you’re just driving around aimlessly. You could be spending a lot of energy, but if you don’t have an end point you’ll probably end up right where you started in the first place.

To set goals we determine specific, measurable and realistic goals.  Most importantly, we like to create a timeline for those goals. After all, a goal without a deadline is just a dream.

Mark has decided that his goals for the next 10 weeks are to lose 20 pounds, shrink his waist by four inches and reduce his back pain. I think that these are all very realistic goals and that his sense of physical and emotional wellbeing will also skyrocket.

However, against my better judgment, Mark has informed me that he would like to run the final four miles of the Boston Marathon alongside his wife in a few weeks.  While I think this is a noble goal (it is very admirable that he wants to cheer on his wife), I think his history of chronic knee pain and a total of NINE previous arthroscopic knee surgeries should preclude him from undertaking this goal.  Whether he listens to me or not is another story.

- Create a plan: It is my job to determine the best course of action to get from point A to point B. 
From an exercise standpoint, Mark and I will be meeting twice per week, and I’ve asked him to keep up with his other sporting activities including tennis and cycling for an additional three hours of weekly exercise.

Nutritionally speaking, my initial focus with Mark is going to be meal frequency. Ideally, my goal is to have him eat within an hour of waking and to prevent any more than three hours from passing where he doesn’t eat something. 

To use an analogy, the metabolism is like a fire, and you don’t want to leave it without fuel for so long that you let it smolder out.  Adding frequent logs to the fire keeps it burning strongly, which results in a metabolic inferno that burns calories all day long.

Another major detail is that I’ve asked Mark to stop his daily consumption of five glasses of orange juice that results in at least 500 additional calories per day or 182,500 calories per year. While I highly recommend consuming all fruits and vegetables, fruit juices often offer too much in the way of concentrated calories and sugars.

- Execute the plan: If creating the plan is my job, then this is the part our dear friend Mark Clem will be responsible for. His adherence will determine his success or failure. However, with you, the readers, and me, apparently the “Witch Doctor,” he’ll have no choice but to put forth the hard work and bring home some incredible results.

- Reassess: Over the course of the 10 weeks, we’ll have periodic reassessments to make sure Mark is on track toward his goals. By using a diet record (which I’ve asked Mark to keep) and tracking every workout, we’ll be able to refine and revise our plan to ensure the single best possible outcome for him.
Stay tuned.

Comments

[Marjorie Krouse]

Way to go Mark, we know you can do it especially with J behind you. We will be tracking your success.
Bob & Marjorie Krouse

[AL Young]

concise, realistic and measurable goals . work hard and have fun guys!!

[Dave]

Everyone at Rosedale TC are pulling for Mark to meet his goals! Mark's achievements will be an inspiration to us all.

[Sara]

I think this is an interesting blog and I'm interested to see if Mark succeeds. I'm also interested to see if the trainer could change Marks habits. You are what you repeatedly do.
Good Luck to both Marks.