If you travel west on Palm Drive at 6 a.m., the absence of street lights creates a dark and eerie landscape. You then turn south down a dirt road and drive the obstacle course that consists of pot holes big enough to swallow a small car. Arriving at a normal looking home, you park on the side and exit your vehicle.
Suddenly your ears are assaulted with a cacophony of wails that are certainly the screams of pain emanating from the garage at the rear of the property. You are drawn to the building and upon opening the door your eyes are assaulted with glistening light bouncing off of metal. As you focus closer, you see a large woman lying on the floor. Another woman, sweat dripping off her body, is brutally stretching extremities into positions that seem abnormal to the large body. Your mind will begin to wonder just what you are observing. After observing all the sights and sounds, you will eventually realize that this is my house of horrors!
This recruit has stepped up my exercise program. Three times a week I attend the Warrior of Wine Boot Camp at Schnebly’s Winery. On the two additional weekdays, Oshun, the trainer, comes to my home to train me.
The glistening light bouncing off of metal that you will observe is created by the florescent lights hovering over all of the gym equipment we own. I stated before that I have no excuse not to exercise. My rear garage is equipped with a professional treadmill, elliptical machine, rowing machine, spinning bike, regular bike, abdominal bar, exercise ball, free weights and a home gym with leg presses, curls, arm pull bars and more. I also have a pool. There is no excuse and Oshun has begun to torture me with this equipment.
Prior to Oshun arriving at 6 a.m., I begin by spending twenty minutes on the treadmill. Once she arrives, the pain begins. The screaming you hear may be from me pushing myself to my limits in repetitions of exercises or as Oshun stretches my body into positions that seem impossible. “Picture your heel touching your butt.” she says as she has me on my stomach and presses my foot up to my behind. With great effort on her and my part, it touches my butt, stretching my muscles while I yell in pain and joy. On my back she presses my outstretched leg up towards my head. During all of this, she keeps telling me to breathe which is difficult as I tend to hold my breath to endure the stretching. On the first day in the pool, Oshun was instructing me, “Jump up high in the water and cross your thighs like a ballerina! Not your legs! Your thighs! Come on my ballerina!” I laughed out loud as this obese woman will never be a ballerina but she got her point across and I worked hard at crossing my thighs.
Personal training is a sacrifice. Getting up at 4:45 a.m., five days a week is a very big commitment that I have made. Pushing my body to the extremes has been intense.
Personal training has been a true dream of mine. Oshun has made it a possibility and, even with the pain involved, I am enjoying every minute of it.
This recruit has completed one week of five days a week exercise and I am here to tell you that contrary to my own belief, I did not die. This recruit is still kicking and willing to continue on this very physical journey to a healthy lifestyle. Next week I must concentrate on rekindling my efforts to healthy eating.
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