Back to the title. I usually try to make the title somehow, relate to the topic of the blog. That is what writers do, correct? "Last Chance," Do those words sound familiar? Ever watched "The Biggest Loser?" They do the Last Chance Workout.
How about the Extreme Weight Loss with Chris Powell? That is a good one. More one on one. But even he, before the clients/participants have a 3 month weigh ins, I remember an episode where he had the client run/jog across a bridge that was about 2 miles in length.
Well, today is the 14th day of our 24 Day Challenge. This means tonight, we will see how we measure up to our very first numbers. How many inches we've lost. But also, this is the day of my 4th workout of the week. Katie beat me by 2 inches last time, but she also got in one more workout. So today, possibly a "Last Chance Workout," or just a regular workout? We'll see. I guess you'll have to check back tomorrow. Plus I'm hoping to stop by the doc's office tomorrow to weigh in.
Well, since it is a weekend and there is a little more time to blog, how about a story? Well, there are lots I could pick from, regarding this brother of mine. I have 2. Both are younger than I. There is Jeff (the one in the US Air Force; blonde) and Kevin is the youngest of us boys (probably the most athletically gifted of us boys, being able to pick up about any sport and be decent, if not good, at it; the Ginger/redhead). The story I have in mind for you, is regarding Kevin. I promise it will tie back around and be related to fitness. Just stick with me. ;)
Well, looking at me, you'd expect my brothers to probably be built like I, but they're not. Nor do they have the hairy bodies, or same color of eyes, or same color of hair. Same sense of humor? Absolutely! Same passion for helping others? For sure. Same love and appreciation of the brotherhood we have? I sure hope so. We all want the best for the other 2 brothers. But like I said, Kevin is, in my opinion, the most athletically "gifted" of us 3. We've all got decent shots/form when it comes to basketball. Granted, Jeff has the most balling experience. Both Kevin and Jeff have the best releases. Both played high school ball, both at Hellgate High School. Kevin's list of sports is a little longer than either mine or Jeff's. He's done quite a bit: flag football, Little Grizzly Football (like a kids' tackle) Baseball, Track and Field, Basketball, even not too bad when just fooling around with Tennis, pool, bowling, volleyball, etc... I am probably missing something. But just want to give credit where credit is due.
I remember a game where I recall Kevin was in the 9th grade. Not a big kid. Average. Probably 5'9" tall, maybe 5'10". Probably around 145-155 pounds. Yep, pretty average. But I believe, without having scientific tests done, I'd say his body fat percentage was hovering around 12%-15%. Not too bad when you consider the eating habits of an average high school young man. But just the level and amount of exercise they were getting in. He'd just finished up a summer filled with AAU Basketball, Basketball Tournaments, Little Grizzly Football and then followed up with a few months of high school football for Hellgate. Did pretty good too. He played corner/wide receiver/kicker. It was fun to watch him. But now it was basketball season. This is our love. This is where our passion was and is.
In this particular game, I don't recall the score, but we were playing a pretty good team. All of the freshmen on this team were bigger than our biggest kids. Not as skilled of ball players, in any way, but bigger, to say the least. They had this one kid, he was a post player. He was probably pushing 200 pounds and easily 6'2" plus. Well, the assignment was that Kevin was guarding him. As you could imagine, the game plan from the other team was to keep pounding the ball in the post, in the paint. Kevin damn sure held his own. Naturally the other kid scored, but not as much as you'd expect.
There was one play in particular that I believe kind of set the tone for the rest of the game. It happened early in the game. We'd turned the ball over. They'd set up their half-court offense and ran the play. The kid who shot the ball, assumed it had went in. So did the rest of their team. Except Kevin's kid and Kevin. They were down low, anticipating a rebound. The both of them were a little distance from the ball in the air. This means that they didn't get to jump straight up to go for the ball. They had to cover a little distance. They went for the ball at the same time and BAM! One of them hit the floor. It sounded like it had some pretty good force to the contact of the floor.
Now, you'd expect, based on size, it was Kevin on the floor. Oh no...it wasn't. The bigger kid didn't go up strong enough. He underestimated my little brother and he paid for it. Kevin got the rebound securely with 2 hands. As well, he came down with it and stood strong with it. He went up with a purpose. It was a good moment. But really, the other parents in the stands were all surprised. Not me. I knew that Kevin was mostly muscle. Even being 155 pounds. He was solid.
Being raised the way we were, we went into the mountains of Montana and cut our own trees, cut them up, loaded them into the truck, unloaded them, split the rounds, loaded them back into the truck, then unloaded them into the woodshed, then hauled arm-loads into the house. We hiked around. We played lots and lots of basketball, shooting hoops, tossing a football around, etc... He was fit. He was solid. He was lean.
There is a difference between 300 pounds and lazy and being 300 pounds, when you're lifting weights and have a good strong muscular heart that is in good shape. Granted, 300 pounds is not my ultimate goal. I remember getting married at a size that I was 326 pounds. Smaller than I was when I was a freshman in high school. But was I fit? No. I could pick up a ball and shoot some hoops, but I was lazy. Didn't work out. Heck, I wasn't even shooting hoops at that time in my life, when Katie and I got married.
How does this tie into fitness? Remember when I blogged a while ago and mentioned about what people say, and it's annoying? "Muscle weighs more than fat."
I understand what they're trying to say. Fat takes up more space than muscle. Yeah, but it doesn't mean it weighs more. You can take 10 pounds of rock and 20 pounds of feathers. People think that a single feather weighs less than a single rock, so therefore, the rocks always weigh more... blah blah blah. Now, I'm not calling this other kid fat. He was far from it. Kevin was more solid. Bottom line. He was leaner. So although Kevin looked a lot smaller, his looks deceived his weight.
But in losing weight and inches, if that is your goal, be sure to keep in mind, the idea is to be leaner than when we started. Nobody wants to lose lean muscle. Lean muscle is essential in burning calories and a good metabolism.
Tune in tomorrow. It might be a short blog, but likely, it'll contain our inches and weight!
Thank you for reading. Remember to share if you like it.
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