Greetings Bears!

I've come to the end of another successful week of early morning workouts. As difficult as it has been some mornings to haul my big hairy butt out of bed and get to the gym, the energetic and positive feeling I get after my training sessions has made the effort completely worthwhile. There's a psychological benefit to it as well. The stereotypical image that people have of a weightlifter or bodybuilder is typically the man who gets up very early in the mornings and works out before starting his day. Now, I would hardly consider myself a bodybuilder, but it is exciting to consider myself a part of that early morning fraternity. As the weeks and months of my fitness journey have progressed, I've learned to be a bit more dynamic about how I do things and a bit more willing to accept and embrace change.

That having been said, I've recently come to a difficult decision that will greatly affect my fitness quests. I'm giving up the boxing lessons. When I joined the boxing gym, I purchased a 3-month membership just to try it out and see how it would fit into my workout regimen. It has been a great deal of fun and excitement. I've learned a few new things and goodness knows, I have filled a tub full of my sweat during each lesson. However, the financial and time commitment required to keep up the lessons no longer fit into my 'life budget'. The boxing gym is a long train ride from where my life in SF is centered. So, when my boxing membership ends at the beginning of this month, I am not going to renew it. I have decided, instead, to put the time and money I have been investing in the boxing lessons to better use at my weightlifting gym. By diverting the money back, I'll be able to purchase at least more training sessions a month. And the time savings will allow me to focus more time on cardio and calisthenics during my workouts. I've found the positive side of this decision and I am happy and content with it.

My training sessions during this past week included legs on Monday where I once again increased my squat weight. Wednesday gave me a great chest workout where I completed a super-set for my bench presses, followed by three slow sets of flat flyes focusing on form and flexing my pecs during the exercise. Friday saw a powerful triceps and biceps workout. Unfortunately my schedule did not allow for a back and shoulder workout this past week, but they will be made up this coming week. Today, once again, focused on cardio and abdominals.

As I was sitting on the stationary bike, just starting my pre-abdominal cardio workout, I heard someone calling my name. I followed the sound of the voice until I saw my former roommate (who also happens to be a personal trainer) on a treadmill, approximately 15 feet away. Ironically, during the year we shared an apartment, I hardly ever went to the gym or followed a healthy diet. He was making a gesture with both hands that I didn't at first recognize and he was saying something that was hard to hear over the sound of the music. I finally realized he was making a gesture to indicate my body and he was asking me if I had been losing weight. I replied that yes I had lost nearly 30 pounds. He gave me two thumbs up and said that I looked great and he could really tell that I had made some great changes to my body since the time we were roommates. I thanked him and proceeded with my workout with great zeal. I am always amazed at how a small compliment, a small kindness can make such a difference in how one approaches things.

It is fitting that I had just last night finished reading a novel whose main theme was about how actions and kindnesses never stop with the one person you give them to. But that they grow and reverberate over great distances and even time to affect people you may never know or never meet. So, in the spirit of that novel and in the spirit of the kindness afforded me by my former roommate, let me pay it forward to you: Whoever is reading this--whoever and wherever you are, you look great and you are doing an incredible job. Keep up the good work.

Until next time,

Hugs (and licks if you want 'em)

PS Here's a pic of me in my boxing gloves...what do you think?