My mother and I were dying to see a movie and although I thought that Pulp Fiction was a brilliant film, I was not in the mood for the violence in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. Instead we went to see The Time Traveler’s Wife.

Time is something that I have not been able to grasp onto lately. The children are growing like weeds and even though I long ago gave up on trying to get the recommended eight hours of restorative sleep, I still do not have enough time in my day to accomplish everything I would like to.

Wasn’t it just yesterday that I wrote about joining Eric Bullock’s boot camp and now tomorrow is my last day. I did it! I got up at 4:45am and went to boot camp five days a week for one month. Ok, maybe I missed one day but that was just because I broke my toe the day before. My new strength got the best of me as I zealously tried to make a goal while playing football barefoot with the boys, minor setback.

So what can I report from my experience? Well, I know that my family enjoys my elevated mood level as do I and I am loving my new strength. My daily tasks have gotten so much easier for me and I am less tired.

As I ran through the ranch fields the other day I felt as though I could have run forever with the morning sun warming up my body. I listened to the song “Hallelujah”, by Rufus Wainwright, and tears came to my eyes. Life was good.

Yoga helps me to recharge my spirituality and brings peace to my hectic life but I have enjoyed mixing my training up a bit with the daily strength and conditioning classes. I have learned that through a healthy diet and proper cross training I am much more tolerant and present with my children.

Just the other day I took Axel and Tucker to our favorite park that looks like the field in  the PBS show Teletubbies. We played football and explored the man made tunnels for hours.

As we sat in the middle of a tunnel Tucker asked if we were really in Teletubby world and Axel and I smiled at each other with our  secret. I suddenly felt sad that I had wasted so many precious moments with my boys by being too fed up and tired to play with them. I happily soaked up their love.

As my last week of boot camp comes to an end I wonder if I will miss this new schedule of waking up before the crack of dawn.  I have no doubt that I will enjoy the extra sleep but I will most definitely miss the consistent training.

It has been very rewarding for me to mix up my life a bit and commit to a goal and now I feel prepared to take it to the next level. I am excited to see where all of this will take me and I look forward to letting you in on all the secrets…except for the photos.

(working out as the sun comes up)

In the past month, I have likened myself to Jim Carrey’s character, Carl Allen, in the movie, “Yes Man”.  As soon as I made a conscious decision to open myself more to my spirituality and physicality, opportunities have been knocking on my door and I have been saying yes to everything that comes my way. In just two weeks I have attended a four hour seminar on The Anatomy Of A Yogi, I have observed the opening ceremony of visiting Tibetan Buddhist Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery and watched as they meticulously began their mandala sand painting and I have experienced almost two weeks of Boot Camp.

In my first week of boot camp, my trainer Eric, did my body composition report. It was slightly unnerving to get my rolls measured but I walked out of his office impressed by his passion for strength and conditioning and excited to begin his training sessions. He also enlightened me on the dangers of dieting and how diets negatively affect our metabolism helping me to understand the dangers of not eating right.

When I joined boot camp I had no idea where it would take me. I only knew that I was ready for a change in my body and in my life. In a short period of time I already feel more vibrant and fit. It was not so easy to adjust to a 5:30am work out and I am still struggling with it. I do feel more energetic during the day but by the time the afternoon kicks in I am exhausted.  Taking cat naps at red traffic lights is not the safest way to rest but it does the trick.

The most noticeable change, since I started the camp, is my mood elevation. The kids are very happy that I am more tolerant and fun with them. As for my physical change, my body seems to be adjusting to the training as I no longer scream when Wade touches my aching muscles. My new strength appears in the strangest places like when I threw Tucker while we were playing in the pool. We were both shocked at how far he flung into the air. I had to apologize to him and explain that I didn’t know my own strength anymore. Brevitt and Axel, eyes wide open, were on me like white on rice. Mommy was a super hero and they were all over it.

I actually have grown to enjoy working out under the stars with Eric calling out the exercises. I figure I can handle any pain for thirty to forty five seconds. As I burn my muscles into exhaustion I repeat the names of the thousands of squats that we have to painfully endure and make comments to myself:

PRISON SQUATS: Maybe we should put Eric behind bars so we don’t have to do these anymore

BULGARIAN SQUATS: Those Bulgarians must have nice glutes

WHITE OUTS AND GATE SWINGS:  Squat and sink, squat and sink, squat and sink.

When he calls out the names of my least favorite exercises, such as the Jump and Stick and the Scissors Kick, I mentally retreat thinking negative thoughts filled with explicit obscenities directed toward Eric. I eventually come to my senses and remind myself that I am not getting up early in the morning for nothing and that I had bloody well better stick to the program and change my attitude.

The addition of calisthenics and strength conditioning into my daily life is changing me in more ways then I ever could have imagined. I feel good that I am being proactive about my health and I am determined to make it through the month.

Eric, I promise that I will try not to get there later and later every day. It is difficult to get up in the morning for a normal person and especially difficult for a chronically late dolt like myself.

Perhaps tomorrow I will bring my boon box and play the cadence songs that my father use to sing to keep his daughters moving as we hiked in the mountains.

JODY CHANT (SOUND OFF 2):

Am I right or wrong?

You right!

Am I right or wrong?

You right!

Am I right?

You know I’m right

So tell me!

You right!

Health Benefits of Exercise and Physical Activity: Brought to you by the Department of Kinesiology and Health at Georgia State University:

• Reduce the risk of premature death

• Reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease

• Reduce high blood pressure or the risk of developing high blood pressure

• Reduce high cholesterol or the risk of developing high cholesterol

• Reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer

• Reduce the risk of developing diabetes • Reduce or maintain body weight or body fat

• Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints

• Reduce depression and anxiety

• Improve psychological well-being

• Enhanced work, recreation, and sport performance

(sun hitting Mt. Sopris)