Well, here I am doing as I promised to the few that know what's going on.
For those of you that don't....here's a little background.
On Feb 10, I stumbled on to the Emporia Gazette web-page and found this picture:
http://www.emporiagazette.com/photos/2010/feb/05/10073/
describing the Shape Up for Summer Fitness Challenge. Basic boil down:
Two people would be chosen to receive a series of personal training sessions from Walburn's Fitness and Wellness and Emporia Fitness. The Gazette would then track the finalists' progress in an article every Tuesday.
Since the deadline was within two days (Feb 12) and the contest appeared to have started on the Feb 5, I had very little time to come up with some sort of profound yet meaningful prose(in fifty words or less) to explain why I, James Agin, should be chosen.
Of course I first came up with lines like "Middle manager has issues managing his middle" until I was informed by my boss that I was not a middle manager but "Technical office support" (talk about a real esteem booster there"
So then I thought hey "middle age man with aging middle", until my friends told me that unless I planned on dying at 70 (and never being able to enjoy a late age retirement) I was in no way middle age nor did I even act half my age (thanks guys and gals).
I wracked my brain until it finally came to me. "Hey idiot, use what you do. You're a Quality guy, do something quality."
That's when I came up with The Chart (see photo included).
You see, us quality people love charts. We can tell stories with just a couple of lines and a header. Much like Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother and his Hot/Crazy chart.
So, being the smart alec that I am. I plotted my high school weight, and in increments of 5 to ten pounds, increased it to my estimated weight (yes peeps, I dislike scales) and then back down to a goal weight. Then I created a trend line which shaped itself like a bell curve, erased the data and kept the curve and noted the consecutive weights on the curve.
Now because I'm a real BIG smart alec, I added the notation "Curve represents current shape of belly", scanned and sent it in. I mean hey...it's a chart. Less than fifty words and tells a whole story with out saying much. And ladies and gentlemen, that chart, even just described by text, got some serious laughs. Even from my own children (who laugh at me anyway, so no change there. LOL). A few hours later I received an email asking me to send in some more information:
Your age: I'm 35 years old (36 in April)
How would you describe the shape you are in now? I would say my shape is pearish. But seriously, I'm probably in ok shape for someone trying to quit smoking and overweight.
What is your regular fitness routine? There really is no current routine.
What are your fitness goals? I would like to improve my stamina and lose some of this belly fat I've been carrying around since I started working in the office in 2006. (and it'll definitely help my ability to keep up with my kids).
and of course I sent in a full length photo of my pearish bod.
Then as I update my friends on what I'm doing I get alot of text saying "really? public tracking?" and I said to them all "dude...FREE access to a trainer and motivation!"
The contest advertisement stated that the finalists would be chosen on Monday the 15th. So I patiently waited the weekend out (and with one trip to the bar) and everyone reassured me that the chart was, indeed, a winner.
Monday came and went with no word. Tuesday morning and afternoon came and went and by then I had resigned myself to not winning. Truthfully and surprisingly, I was a little bitter, not gonna lie. But I decided, screw it...I'll buy my own membership next week and do this on my own.
As I got home from work and started getting into some non-work clothes I received a call from an unrecognized number. As most of you know and do yourself, if I don't know it, I won't answer it. However, the person on the other line left a voicemail and it happened to be Cassidy from Walburn's (whom everyone that knows or met him has gushed accolades of his manner aaannnnddd looks. So I'm assuming that he will be Batman to my current Peter Porker) asking for a call back.
Skeptically, I called him back. I mean it's Tuesday the 16th right? The winners should be picked and the paper should be announcing them in the paper that day. Right? I even bought a paper to look and see who had got it. "This has got to be a marketing ploy to get the non winners to the gym", I thought.
Anyway, with out looking at the newly bought paper, I called Cassidy back. And The Chart worked (and the smart alec in me worked as well apparently).
Long story long, I'm one of the two who will be announced in Tuesday's edition of the Emporia Gazette and I meet Cassidy at the Gym to go over the equipment and do a small workout. Read article "Inspiration":
http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2010/feb/18/inspiration/
Hence the meaning of this blog. I will, every chance I get, pop on and update you all on what I've ate, drank, exercised (possibly puked) and any gains, losses and how I generally feel that day. Spring's coming up so expect some of that to be an influencing factor on feeling (read that ladies? perhaps you should pause right there and read it again :) kidding).
The whole point for me is to lose this excess fat tank I'm wearing around my belly and be able to look in the mirror and say "Dayum, I look GOOD" before AND after I get dressed and then wrestle my kids to the ground to show them who the alpha male really is...without winding myself.
I hope it all helps you out as well (or at least keeps you entertained). I'll catch ya tomorrow night sometime after my beginning workout.
Much Love,
James
For those of you that don't....here's a little background.
On Feb 10, I stumbled on to the Emporia Gazette web-page and found this picture:
http://www.emporiagazette.
describing the Shape Up for Summer Fitness Challenge. Basic boil down:
Two people would be chosen to receive a series of personal training sessions from Walburn's Fitness and Wellness and Emporia Fitness. The Gazette would then track the finalists' progress in an article every Tuesday.
Since the deadline was within two days (Feb 12) and the contest appeared to have started on the Feb 5, I had very little time to come up with some sort of profound yet meaningful prose(in fifty words or less) to explain why I, James Agin, should be chosen.
Of course I first came up with lines like "Middle manager has issues managing his middle" until I was informed by my boss that I was not a middle manager but "Technical office support" (talk about a real esteem booster there"
So then I thought hey "middle age man with aging middle", until my friends told me that unless I planned on dying at 70 (and never being able to enjoy a late age retirement) I was in no way middle age nor did I even act half my age (thanks guys and gals).
I wracked my brain until it finally came to me. "Hey idiot, use what you do. You're a Quality guy, do something quality."
That's when I came up with The Chart (see photo included).
You see, us quality people love charts. We can tell stories with just a couple of lines and a header. Much like Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother and his Hot/Crazy chart.
So, being the smart alec that I am. I plotted my high school weight, and in increments of 5 to ten pounds, increased it to my estimated weight (yes peeps, I dislike scales) and then back down to a goal weight. Then I created a trend line which shaped itself like a bell curve, erased the data and kept the curve and noted the consecutive weights on the curve.
Now because I'm a real BIG smart alec, I added the notation "Curve represents current shape of belly", scanned and sent it in. I mean hey...it's a chart. Less than fifty words and tells a whole story with out saying much. And ladies and gentlemen, that chart, even just described by text, got some serious laughs. Even from my own children (who laugh at me anyway, so no change there. LOL). A few hours later I received an email asking me to send in some more information:
Your age: I'm 35 years old (36 in April)
How would you describe the shape you are in now? I would say my shape is pearish. But seriously, I'm probably in ok shape for someone trying to quit smoking and overweight.
What is your regular fitness routine? There really is no current routine.
What are your fitness goals? I would like to improve my stamina and lose some of this belly fat I've been carrying around since I started working in the office in 2006. (and it'll definitely help my ability to keep up with my kids).
and of course I sent in a full length photo of my pearish bod.
Then as I update my friends on what I'm doing I get alot of text saying "really? public tracking?" and I said to them all "dude...FREE access to a trainer and motivation!"
The contest advertisement stated that the finalists would be chosen on Monday the 15th. So I patiently waited the weekend out (and with one trip to the bar) and everyone reassured me that the chart was, indeed, a winner.
Monday came and went with no word. Tuesday morning and afternoon came and went and by then I had resigned myself to not winning. Truthfully and surprisingly, I was a little bitter, not gonna lie. But I decided, screw it...I'll buy my own membership next week and do this on my own.
As I got home from work and started getting into some non-work clothes I received a call from an unrecognized number. As most of you know and do yourself, if I don't know it, I won't answer it. However, the person on the other line left a voicemail and it happened to be Cassidy from Walburn's (whom everyone that knows or met him has gushed accolades of his manner aaannnnddd looks. So I'm assuming that he will be Batman to my current Peter Porker) asking for a call back.
Skeptically, I called him back. I mean it's Tuesday the 16th right? The winners should be picked and the paper should be announcing them in the paper that day. Right? I even bought a paper to look and see who had got it. "This has got to be a marketing ploy to get the non winners to the gym", I thought.
Anyway, with out looking at the newly bought paper, I called Cassidy back. And The Chart worked (and the smart alec in me worked as well apparently).
Long story long, I'm one of the two who will be announced in Tuesday's edition of the Emporia Gazette and I meet Cassidy at the Gym to go over the equipment and do a small workout. Read article "Inspiration":
http://www.emporiagazette.
Hence the meaning of this blog. I will, every chance I get, pop on and update you all on what I've ate, drank, exercised (possibly puked) and any gains, losses and how I generally feel that day. Spring's coming up so expect some of that to be an influencing factor on feeling (read that ladies? perhaps you should pause right there and read it again :) kidding).
The whole point for me is to lose this excess fat tank I'm wearing around my belly and be able to look in the mirror and say "Dayum, I look GOOD" before AND after I get dressed and then wrestle my kids to the ground to show them who the alpha male really is...without winding myself.
I hope it all helps you out as well (or at least keeps you entertained). I'll catch ya tomorrow night sometime after my beginning workout.
Much Love,
James
No comments:
Post a Comment