Athletics, Workouts, and the Like

Athletics have always played a big role in my life. I grew up in a small town (pop. 450), so sports participation was required of most every student, whether we liked it or not. And I liked it. So I played baseball and basketball for four years of junior high (grades 5-8 were considered junior high) and for four years in high school. I even continued into college, playing two years of baseball and four years of basketball at Lincoln Christian College.

Even into my adult life, athletics played a role. I loved the faculty vs. camper softball or basketball game at camp. I remember one year that we lost the softball game. I was hitting and the little 9th grade girl that was pitching kept getting closer and closer to the plate on every pitch. I should have known better, but on like pitch 4 I laid into one. And I crushed it! It was still on the way up when it smacked the pitcher in the head! (She was ok, and I only got a single out of it, got stranded on 2nd base, and we ended up losing by one run. If her head hadn't gotten in the way, I'm convinced we would have won!) I always enjoyed church league softball. Where else do grown, mature Christians make such asses of themselves? But the camaraderie was always the best part of sports. To this day, most of my best friends from college were somehow tied to the baseball or basketball team.

But as I have gotten older, there has been less time for physical activity. I'm busy coaching girls softball teams and girls basketball teams with my daughters. And I just don't have (make?) the time to go to the gym. Besides, I wouldn't know what I was doing at Planet Fitness.

About a year ago, I "met" Tony Horton. Tony is the guy behind P90X and P90X3, two of the programs that have revolutionized home fitness. I looked at myself (as I approached 40) and realized that I needed to do something, so I borrowed P90X from a friend and gave it a try. I enjoyed the diversity of the workouts, but most of them were still too long (60-90 minutes each) to fit into my schedule. But when I heard about his P90X3 video series (every workout lasts 30 minutes), I knew I would have a better chance of making that work. So I bought the DVD set and am working through it as a part of my 2016 goals.

Tony is a great fitness instructor for me. He is uber-competitive (especially when it comes to pull ups) and he's kind of an arrogant jerk. But right when I think his conceit is too much, he drops in an encouraging statement that keeps me going for that last 5 minutes. He is witty and self-effacing, but you can tell that he believes in his program and that it has worked wonders for his fitness. He is a great video coach for me! I'm not sure I would like him as much in person, because I'm pretty sure he would point out just how horrible I am at most of the exercises.

My goal is to make it through the 90 days of P90X3 and then reevaluate what I need to do next. I am terrible at most of the exercises, hate all of the exercises, and am so glad to be challenged every day by Tony Horton.

And I'll ask you, reader. Do you have someone like Tony Horton in your life? It doesn't have to be fitness-related. But do you have someone who is an expert in something that you want to get better at who is challenging you to be better? Do you have someone who doesn't particularly care what you think about them because they see something in you that needs to be brought out? I mean, I never knew what yoga WAS until P90X, and it is now my favorite exercise of the bunch. I am learning and growing and becoming a better me because of someone who I would probably otherwise never hang out with. I think all of us need at least one person like that. Probably more than one.