Merritt Clubs Blog

My ALIVE client had exercise experience being a former high school/collegiate athlete, but many parts of his body were on a program of their own! He wanted to decrease the aches and pains he had developed from his past and continue to stay active as much as possible. The low intensity workout in his regular visits to the gym and less than healthy eating habits were not benefiting him, so he signed up for the ALIVE program. I was excited to work with him in the ALIVE program because many of the exercises were ones I use with my clients so they were familiar to me. I had concerns about how he would do working out on his own, and deal with the change in eating habits. To make the weekly exercise progressions smoother, he used a weekly cheat sheet we put together from the information in the program. I have been totally impressed how hard he has worked on all of the exercises -even when I wasn't there! (We did modify any exercises that may have caused him problems w/ past injuries.) The eating has been a tougher challenge, although he has changed more to the supportive eating and does love the cheat day. The supportive eating is real food and easy to put meals together. The program seems too easy at first, and then it gets more challenging as the client learns to figure some of the fitness stuff on their own, and then it is do-able. After two weeks on the program, he saw a loss of 6 lbs! After six weeks, 17 lbs down and definitely feeling stronger! Less aches and pains! I would say he is on a better path to fitness for him! It's so exciting to see the program work so well! I'm looking forward to seeing how he does in his last two weeks and comparing the final numbers against the beginning numbers! But I can already see the difference and so can others! He's ready for round 2 and I'll be there pushing and cheering him on! GO!!!GO!!!GO!!! COME ON!!! YOU CAN DO IT!! KEEP GOING!!--sometimes he calls this harassment or torture (it's "training!") :-) Guess you would have to experience the ALIVE program and the results from it to understand.

In life, we don’t always know what comes next. Time is everything and with every second we are faced with obstacles and opportunities. One of my favorite quotes I use often is “one inch at a time!” I am a firm believer that if you are true to yourself anything is possible and with each and every inch comes the satisfaction that you have of accomplishing your goals!

This past week a friend mentioned a 5K he was participating in on Sunday. Lately with a full scheduled and hectic life, as I am sure everyone can relate, it’s been pretty challenging to take time to train or even run a race. At first I declined the invitation to join him, but later decided that I needed and wanted some “me” time and what better way to do so than running in the “Tim Walsh Benefit Run.”

On Wednesday, April 20th, Tim Walsh, the track coach at Francis Scott Key High School in Union Bridge Maryland, was involved in a near fatal collision when he was struck nearly head-on by a dump truck. He was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center following the crash. He suffered numerous injuries including two broken legs, a broken left wrist, two completely shattered knee caps and severe tendon damage to his left hand. Tim has been transferred to Kernan Rehab Hospital where he is currently recovering. So, taking the time to walk or run and enjoy the gift of being alive is what it’s all about, especially with this race. So the plan was to enjoy the day, meet some new people, run a leisurely 5K race and have an overall great experience!

But then…On the ride to the benefit, the natural inspiration of two coaches from Pikesville High School began to shine through. It became a little bit of a friendly challenge with a small statement…“today’s not the day for my 6 minute mile but this guy… maybe.” As I mentioned, I haven’t had much time lately to train or run in a race, so I was a little bit unprepared to challenge myself in any way. But, what do you know; I came in third in my age group and won a metal!

Whether you are training for a particular event or just want to get out and have fun with the family, one thing is for sure: It is very rewarding to know that no matter what life brought my way on this particular day, I was able to show my support for Tim and his recovery. Best of all, I got my workout in, did it for a good cause and received a little reminder letting me know that “I still got it!”

I would like to give a special thanks to Tim Walsh and wish him to a speedy recovery. I would also like to thank Running Maryland for setting up the race and a very special thanks to the coaches at Pikesville High School for the words of wisdom along the way, pushing me to set a goal and reach it! Thanks again for the kind words and helping me decide to run my heart out! It was worth every second!