"Pain is the feeling of weakness leaving your body."
I am not so sure about that.
My trainer told me that it would take about three months of 6-7 day/week work to get me past the initial "wake-up" Phase 1 of Middle-Age Boot Camp - Getting Fit For Life With a Touch of Grey.
I do not know what Phase 2 is but I can fit into my 20 year-old Brooks tux.
He agrees with my view that physical training is to fully enjoy and participate in life, and not for its own sake. He also understands that physical training is partly mental training in discipline and maximum effort. I need the external discipline.
I am about 2 months in. I am sore and tired every day. My lower back is hating me, crippling me, and my multiple right shoulder injury (body surfing after hurricane on Martha's Vineyard + skiing tree injury + past bad-technique weight-lifting) is a constant dull ache. It's all good but I dread picking up anything from the floor. I do Mon, Weds, and Fri with him, and the other days mostly aerobics and crunches per his instructions. Move vigorously every day and walking doesn't count. He increases my weights each week and takes pleasure in my progress. Or pretends to.
I've lost 8 lbs while gaining some strength and muscle mass and a bit more endurance on exertion. He expects his people to follow his spartan training dietary regime, min. carbs except blueberries/strawberries or a half apple, 3 or 4 small proteins during the day, vegs as desired. I still have a slight inner tube which may be a permanent part of my anatomy. Do I enjoy this discipline and exertion? Not really. Like everybody, I like to do "whatever I feel like." However, I like challenges and tend to rise to them. That's how I have achieved my modest goals in life thus far so it has always worked for me.
He pushes me to the breaking point. I know it's for my own good and that doing "what I feel like" rarely has good results in life. Squats? How many kinds are there? Sheesh. I hate them all. Pain.
Difficult aerobic endurance on days "off" is a tough challenge for me. 10 min elliptical, ten min bike, ten min rowing machine (no rest time, all with resistance), then around it again. Then you are supposed to be able to walk. No, I still cannot do ten min on the elliptical rapidly, at the 6 setting. I am in terrible condition I guess - but I can walk all day long without steep hills. Hiking uphill for a couple of hours fatigues me and I do not want to accept that.
My darn siblings hike up the White Mtns. almost every weekend, swim miles, and run half-marathons. But they are nuts...or maybe not. None of them even contemplate retirement and neither do I.
