Remembering Bernice Johnson

When I was 4 years old and living in New York my mother enrolled me into a program that to this day has colored my world and given me a drive that without those experiences I don’t know where I would be today. I ask myself why I do what I do. Where does my drive come from? And who really influenced me? Of course the obvious answer is that my parents influenced me the most but you all know just as well as I that outside influences have a great influence on your upbringing and for 15 years Bernice Johnson Dance School of the arts most definitely effected me and the way I live today.

I remember one of the first times I actually got on a stage in front of people and sang at Lincoln Center. I was 5 years of age and the song I sang was “I’ve got rhythm”. I remember when my sister and I were partnered up and I had to carry her across the stage. I remember the late nights I stayed there dancing away and sweating like there is no tomorrow. At the age of 12 I stopped dancing and did something that changed my world back then and to this day has affected many in a positive way.

At the age of 12 I began to learn how to play the percussion and not just any percussion by African Drums. When I took my first lessons I became hooked and haven’t turned back since. Learning new patterns and rhythms became a thrill to me. Every Friday and Saturday whether rain, snow, in the heat or in the cold I played and learned from the best. All thru that, I did not know it, I was learning some very important lessons about life and hard work. I learned that thru hard work and perseverance one can achieve and become successful in an endeavor even when the world says that it may be impossible. I learn that positive mental toughness is a key to concurring most if not everything life has thrown at us. I learned that family is important and true friendships are forever and not just a flash in the pan.

I would watch BJ (Bernice Johnson) from a distance and see how see acted and reacted in so many situations. To me she was firm but gentle, a leader and always looked up to. A motivator because no one ever said no to her but that they would try and in most cases succeeded at what she wanted them to do. A successful business woman, in my eyes Oprah has nothing on her, nothing at all. She was very patient and knew how to delegate and did that well. She knew talent and knew how to get the best out of everyone she touched. But most of all she was a Christian woman that believed in love and never did she ever give up on anyone or anything, especially me.

I have taken the BJ model and put it into my everyday life and it has made me who I am today. I wish so many of the people I have interaction with on a daily basis could have met her then they would understand why I am the way I am today. She cared about others and not just herself. She did not understand the word no or the words “I can’t” but what she did understand was that you would “try” and try we did. In this society today so many have watered everything down. We no longer hold people accountable for anything. Our attitude has become, “Oh, it’s OK… you tried” instead of,” No, now get back at it and get it done this time.” This is missing in society and because of that America is becoming soft in so many ways. I believe that BJ understood the power of the mind and its ability to overcome any obstacle. We have lost that understanding. We have more excuses now than Carter has liver pills.

As I see it, BJ influenced so many. There were many of her students that went on to professional careers on television and on stage that for me to name them all this blog would go on for another thousand words. I can think of one person that BJ teaching influence and now he is dead but his music and dance will remain with us forever, Michael Jackson. Now I don’t know if she knew Michael Jackson but one of his choreographers, Michael Peters was a dance instructor from BJ’s and helped with choreographing some of Michael Jackson’s greatest pieces. This is the influence her organization and she had on the world.

I think we all can learn a lot from her life. She is missed.

new place for blogs

My blogs can now be viewed at www.wisn.com look under "u local" which will be on your left side or you can scroll down and find my name. Thank you.

Here is the last blog I wrote... http://ulocal.wisn.com/_John-is-back/BLOG/2401059/63262.html?widgetId=363280

Enjoy.

Jorge's obsticle course

I woke up this morning and it was raining out. Boy was it raining out. My grass loved it, my trees loved it, and I really loved it. Why? Well this Saturday was a challenge for the Weight Loss Challenge people and George wanted it as wet and rainy as possible. Why? Today he was going to give the challengers a taste of the military marine style. I loved it! I knew it would bring back good times.



Today there were four stations that they had to complete. Each station was 1 minute in duration and in between the stations there was a discipline that needed to be accomplished before moving on. The Challengers were put in teams of 2 and they were told that they had to use their partners and not leave them behind.



• In station #1: 1 minute of Squat Jumps followed by a Wheel Barrel walk to station #2
• In station #2: 1 minute of Knee Strikes followed by a Shoulder roll to station #3
• In station #3: 1 minute of Punches followed by high skips to station #4
• In station #4: 1 minute of Team sit-ups followed by Bear Crawl to station #5
• In station #5: 1 minute of Squat & Thrust followed by Low crawl to station #6
• In station #6: 1 minute of Sit-ups followed by Shoulder roll to station #7
• In station #7: 1 minute of Team push-ups followed by lung walk to station #8
• In station #8: 1 minute of Elbow strikes

All started and all finished in one piece. Yes it did rain and they were muddy as the pictures show below. Today I will highlight all those that have gone 30 or more pounds in total weight loss in 13 weeks.

Rick A. 32.2 pounds
Vicki D. 37.8 pounds
Barb J. 34.0 pounds
Dawn S. 33.0 pounds
Gina S. 30.0 pounds
Cindi Z. 31.0 pounds

The average weight loss is 25 pounds to date.

due to the spring vacation time of the year many challengers did not show up.


Scavenger hunt, weigh-in
And over view of first three months

Well, this week the weather was so nice that we decided to do a scavenger hunt with the Challengers. With this hunt there were three courses. The long course which is 2.50 miles and the second course which is 2.25 miles and the third course is .49 miles. In this game I gave them a maximum amount of time that they could be on the course. For the first course I gave them 45 minutes. For the second course I gave them 30 minutes. For the final course it was 30 minutes. There were 10 questions that needed to be answered and for every wrong answer the penalty was 5 additional reps of each exercise at the end of the game. In the end each person had to add an additional 15 reps to each of the following exercises.

1) 25 push-ups
2) 50 crunches
3) 50 right over left and left over right
4) 50 crunchy frogs
5) 25 crunches on the big ball
6) 25 1/2/3/4
Then just to warm them down, they did 50 hill climbers and 50 jumping jacks.

It was a get time had by all. Here is the best part about it. The long course is 2.5 miles and they all finished it in less than 30 minutes. The short course is 2.2 miles and they all finished it in less than 29 minutes. And the half mile course was also finished in a very quick time. This could not be done at the beginning of the year. These guys are doing really well.

Now, what we also did was take their first measurements and then wait 3 months and then take their second measurements. The results are really good. We measured the neck, chest, waist, hips, arms, legs, and calf’s and the average amount of inches lost is 14 inches and the average weight loss over the first three months is 25.22 pounds per person. They are all well on their way to losing at least 50 pounds in six months. We now have two new participants in this year’s weight loss challenge that joined us late. At this time over the last 3 weeks their average weight loss has been 6 pounds a week.

The one thing that I have stressed to my Challengers is to begin to create long term goals because this weight loss challenge will be over soon and they need to begin to make this their own. We have given them many workouts and now that the weather is getting warmer we are forcing them to start going outside more and look for opportunities outside. Today, as I am writing this, they are running around the 2.5 mile course and running up nature hill. In these next couple of months there will be many opportunities for these challengers to be competitive outdoors with all the running events coming up. Wish them all well.

As a side note… I have my 5k/10k walk run coming up on may 22nd. Come join us and celebrate life. The registration fee is $10.00. The 5k starts at 8:30am. The 10k starts at 7:30am and the 1 mile run starts at 9:30am. You can also walk in these events.

Challenge 3/27/2010 THE HILL

This week at the Parkers Place weight loss challenge that challengers walked and ran Nature hill for the first time this year. The challenging part of this hill is that it is long and at ecery step it gets steeper and steeper. This is a great way to get your heart rate up and keep it up there. Thanks to all those that helped while I was away. Thank you Sue, Jodi and Kathy for your leadership.

By the numbers

Weight Loss Challenge
By the numbers 3/20/2010

This week we had a record broken. For the first time we had a women lose more than 10 pounds in a week. Yes Cory lost 11.5 pounds this week. First time we have had 19 people in the class. This week we had another change in the overall lead and those that were on the bottom are no longer on the bottom. Below are the results:

Name, Initial weight, 3/20/2010 weight, Percentage

1) Vickie D, 208.0, 184.6, 11.25%
2) Barb J, 231.4 205.6, 11.15%
3) Dawn S, 299.0 268.2, 10.30%
4) Bill W, 256.8 230.6, 10.20%
5) Donna H,197.4 179.6, 9.02%
6) Jayne S,211.4 192.6, 8.89%
7) Ann S, 205.4 187.6, 8.67%
8) Lynn D, 249.2 227.8, 8.59%
9) Sue I, 246.8 226.0, 8.43%
10) Gina S, 244.8 225.0, 8.09%
11) Cindi Z,230.6 212.8, 7.72%
12) Rick A, 340.6 315.2, 7.46%
13) James B,389.2 363.8, 6.53%
14) Amy R, 211.6 192.6, 6.52%
15) Christy, D196.0 186.6, 5.10%
16) Cori T, 376.6 361.6, 3.98%
17) Michelle M,238.0 228.8, 3.95%
18) Kay H, 256.8 248.0, 3.43%
19) John L, 240.2 238.4, 0.75%




In Pounds lost our top 5 are (11 weeks)
1) Dawn S 30 pounds
2) Bill W 26.2 pounds
3) Barb J 25.8 pounds
4) Rick A 25.4 pounds
James B 25.4 pounds
5) Vicki D 23.4 pounds

Challenge 3/20/2010

There are now 19 people in this class the most people I have ever had in 1 class

This week’s challenge consisted of running and weight training. Some of the challengers have reached a point in their new fitness life where running is a possibility where as others have not yet gotten there because of physical issues.

In this challenge there were 5 people per team and there were 4 teams. Each team had to have 2 people that were designated weight lifters and the other three people runners. In this relay the first runner had to run 200 meters and pass it off two weight lifter person two. Once the 50 reps of shoulder press were complete, then person two passed it off to person three who ran 200 meters. Once they completed their 200 meters, person three passed it onto person four who then had to do bouncy ball off the wall 100 times. Once person four was done with that, then person five ran 200 meters. Once that was complete then person five passed it onto person two who then did chair squats, once person two finished 50 of those then they handed it off to person one who ran 200 meters. Once that was complete they handed it off to person 4 who did bent-over rows with their head on the table. Once 50 of those were complete they handed it off to person three who then ran 200 meters. Once they completed that they immediately handed it off to person 5 who finished by running the last 200 meters. Pictures are below of each discipline. In the end Rick’s group won in a time of 7:31 minutes. But all did well.
Running at the start

Shoulder press...

Running 200 meters

Bouncy ball of the wall 100 times

Running 200 meters...

Chair squats 50 times

Running 200 meters...

Midrow 50 times with head on table

Running 200 meters...to the finish

WLC weigh-in 3/13/2010

This week was another good week at WLC. We now have 7 people over 20 pounds in 8 weeks. We now have 19 challengers. We also have another lead change. Here are the numbers.

Name Initial weight 3/13/2010 LOST
Rick A 340.6 318.6 22lbs
James B 389.2 360.8 28.4lbs
Vicki D 208.0 185.4 22.6lbs
Lynn D 249.2 231.2 18.0lbs
Christy D 196.0 186 10lbs
Donna H 197.4 178.6 18.8lbs
Kay H 256.8 249 7.8lbs
Sue I 246.8 226.4 20.4lbs
Barb J 231.4 206 25.4lbs
John L (new) 240.2 237.4 2.8lbs
Michelle M 238.2 227.8 10.4lbs
Amy R 211.6 198.8 12.8lbs
Dawn S 299.0 272 27.0lbs
Jayne S 211.4 193.6 17.8lbs
Gina S 244.8 225.0 19.8lbs
Ann S 205.4 186.4 19.0lbs
Cori T(new) 376.6 372.8 3.8lbs
Bill W 256.8 232.8 24.0lbs
Cindi Z 230.6 211.2 19.4lbs

We have two new challengers John L. and Cori T.

Weight Loss Challenge Jeopardy

Weight Loss Challenge 3/6/2010
Jeopardy Challenge

The purpose of this challenge is to test their knowledge when it comes to nutrition, working out and realistic life. There were multiple choice questions and true and false questions. The winner was decided by the amount of questions they got right. If there was a tie… the tie was broken by some physical activity (in this case a shuttle run). This challenge did go to a tie breaker and James and Sue won running the 36.11 seconds. The losing team had to do 2 sets of chair squats with explosions (30 each set and only a 1 minute rest in between). Trust me it is hard than you think especially after working legs to day before.



The Weigh-in

This week we had a change in leadership. Everyone did really well but the top three have changed. Here they are in descending order. What you see below is there over all loss after 7 weeks.

16) Kay 6.2lbs 2.41%
15) Michelle 8.6lbs 3.61%
14) Christy 9.6lbs 4.90%
13) Amy 12.8lbs 6.05%
12) Gina 17.0lbs 9.94%
11) Bill 18.4lbs 7.17%
10) James 28.8lbs 7.40%
9) Lynn 19.4lbs 7.78%
8) Donna 15.5lbs 7.80%
7) Ann 16.2lbs 7.89%
6) Jayne 16.8lbs 7.95%
5) Dawn 25.8lbs 8.63%
4) Cindi 20.2lbs 8.76%
3) Vicki 19.4lbs 9.33%
2) Rick 32.0lbs 9.40%
1) Barb 21.8lbs 9.42%

Welcome John L. to the Weight Loss Challenge his initial weigh-in weight is 233.5lbs. Welcome to the first day of your new life.

Keith Zwahlen

It was brought to my attention that a dear friend of mine has passed away. Over the last year I have had a lot of issues in my life but compared to Keith... I have had no problems. You see, my friend Keith had Cerebral Palsi (CP). I remember him in High School. He play with me in the marching band, he was a very hard working guy. Nothing and I mean nothing came easy to him. Guys we take so much for granted... Imagine going thru your whole life fighting and battling a disease that in the end you will die from it's complications.

To me and so many other people Keith (aka Pete) was just another person and when you talk to him he just conveyed himself as a normal person and you know what... you believed he was. Imagine going to band practice and marching for 5 or 6 hours. Imagine playing an instrument while marching in cold or hot weather. Or standing at attention for an hour so that someone can inspect your uniform. For the average person that would be hard. Well Keith did it and enjoyed it. I had and will always have a lot of respect for him.

I remember going to Atlantic City with Keith because The Lakeland Regional High School band was playing and this was really big to us. We just didn't do well... I believe we won. There were so many times, while in high school, when we would be in a marching band contest and I remember all those wins and all those good times after. Pete, I never told you this but you inspired me to do as well as I did my senior year in track, and now if I could give you anything, it would be my perfect Senior year season. Thank you Pete.

I remember graduation and when you went up to get your diploma if you recall... you were the only one that got a standing ovation. The whole class, all 300+, were proud to know you and your accomplishments. You walked up there so proud and we were proud of you.

Pete, I know that your final years were not good ones. I know that life got really hard for you. I know that you felt as if you were dealth the "crapy hand of life", but just know that I truly love ya guy. I am sorry that I did not have much contact with you after gradutaion, but you have been on my mind. You will always be on my mind. Thank you for your friendship. May God rest your soul. See you on the other side Pete.

The Weigh in 2/27/10

Ok today lets do this a little different. I will give you their rankings in decending order. it will consist of their percentage of weight lost and total weight lost since the beginning 1/9/10.

1) Rick A 9.40% 32lbs
2) Vicki D 8.75% 18.2lbs
3) Dawn S 8.63% 25.8lbs
4) Cindi Z 8.24% 19lbs
5) Barb J 8.21% 19lbs
6) James B 8.17% 31.8lbs
7) Jayne S 7.28% 15.4lbs
8) Ann S 7.28% 14.8lbs
9) Bill W 7.01% 18lbs
10) Donna H 6.99% 13.8lbs
11) Lynn D 6.34% 15.8lbs
12) Amy R 6.14% 13lbs
13) Sue I 6.00% 14.8lbs
14) Gina S 5.56% 13.6lbs
15) Christy D 4.08% 8lbs
16) Michelle M 3.27% 7.8lbs
17) Kay H 0.78% 2.0lbs

Most of them are doing really well... We have some though that are really struggling with the Nutrition thing as you can see. This wekk will be their week to get on the board and begin kicking their habits... Stay tuned!

The general workout

Doing a shuttle run and leaving it there. All the challengers did not want to lose so they all left it here at Parkers Place.




Now "LET THE WORKOUTS BEGIN..."





In the end all were glad they did it. They all have come so far. Even in just 2 months. Yes it has been 8 weeks now. We have done 7 weigh-ins and all are in double digits now.

nutrition and Weigh Loss

60% of our fitness can be made or broken by our eating habits. Here at the weight loss challenge we come along side the challengers and help them with their nutrition by providing them with good health alternatives. Here Nancy is share some ideas on a way to get the vitamins and minerals in your system in a healthy way. This could also be used as a breakfast substitute.

Running Shoes... What to wear?

(This is only 3 pairs of the 5 pairs of shoes I currently have. At one point I have over 10 pairs.)

What is the one thing that shoe companies have in common... To sell as many shoes as possible and at the highest price possible. All over America I see new shoe companies popping up all over the place stating that they have the "LATEST IN TECHNOLOGY" when it comes to running shoes. When in the end... They don't. It is just another way to squeeze more money out of the consumer.

90% of Americans do not compete at such a high level that they need really expensive shoes. All you really need is something that is comfortable and durable. Without getting into specific brands this is what I look for...

1) What does the shoe look like: Can I wear it outside without attracting too much attention to me.
2) How heavy is the shoe: When I put it in my hand it should almost feel as thought I have nothing in my hands. Heavier is not better. The shoes today are being made lighter which will take the strain away from the legs for those that run long distances.
3) Does the shoe have arch support: Most shoes today don't. Especially the really high priced ones believe it or not. I have found that the lower more economical shoes have enough arch support for my needs and most of Americas needs.
4) Is it the latest make in the market: If so I put it back. Today's shoes are not made well and are just too high priced.
5) How much does the shoe cost: Have you ever found that a 25 cent pen , in most cases, out lasts a really expensive pen? Well the same with shoes. The more expensive is not better in most cases it is the opposite. You can get shoes for $45 or $50 dollars that will wear very well and out last your $125 pair of shoes.

Did you know that even the athlete that competes on the highest level possible doesn't even buy their own pair of shoes. And those are usually custom designed for them. Take your track runners, especially your elite sprinters. You would think that they would spend $1000's of dollars on shoes. Nope... not even close... THEY ARE FREE. You spend more money on your shoes then they will ever.

My point is this... If they are not spending a lot of money on their shoes and they wear them much more than you will ever, why should you spend a lot of money on shoes. My experience has shown me that the shoes that can be bought off the rack at your local Kmart is just as good as going to a shoe store and buying those $150 pair of shoes and in the end much more economical.

Life and its problems...

"Kevin, You just don't understand... I have so much going on right now I don't have for myself. I have a family crisis that needs my undivided attention. My mom is on her death bed and my finances are in trouble. I don't have time to think about fitness!!!"

I have heard this so many times, that I can recite it by memory. I understand stress more than you think. I have dealt with more stress over the last 12 months than most have dealt with over their lifetime. What I have found out guys is this... You need time for yourself. You need time to rewind. You need time to refuel yourself. What better way of doing that then working out. But before we look at that, let's look at some other possibilities.

You could...
1) constantly complain about your problems to everyone. At first it may get you sympathy but in the end those same people will begin to rebel against you because they will sense the same old same old coming from you. At first you may feel good but in the end you will becomes a burden to those people or you may begin to get frustrated that what once made you feel good no longer does.
2) drink yourself into a stupor. Now do I need to go here. There is nothing good about this. All you are doing is feeling sorry about yourself and remember alcohol is a depressant so you will get even more depressed.
3) you can eat. Some people call this comfort food. Well, at first it is but then a few weeks later when you look in the mirror, what do you see... more of you. Then you get really depressed because you are bigger than you were just a few weeks ago. Which can cause a whole other group of health problems.
4) you can workout. Now I am not talking about Olympic training type workouts. What I am referring to is something in the morning or during the day that will give you the ability to just spend time with yourself and give you body something good to remember. Working out is a great stress reliever. I know that in my life every time I get stressed I find myself fighting the urge to hide or eat or complain and find myself going to do even just a little workout. After I am done with it... It is not that the problem has gone away.... It is however, that I can think thru it much better... and in some cases find out that in the end everything may just be OK.

Put 30 minutes aside for yourself... you won't regret it. That I guarantee!!!

challenge 2/20/2010 Step

The purpose for this challenge is to see how long you can continue to step up and down on an 8 inch box at various speeds. It starts out at 126 beats per minute and increasing speed every 5 minutes and in most cases ends up at 184 beats per minute after about 30 minutes of stepping. Cardio endurance and consistency is the key and they all did very well. Here are some pictures of this challenge. The winner ended up at 184 beats per minute.



Kevin keeping the step time and pace

It's OK girls... you gave it your all just try and do better next time

Second and third place winners Jayne and Vickie. Sport Authority Gift cards for you both.
Your eventual winner at 184 beats per minute. She was even talking while doing it. Good job Christy.Enjoy your gift cards.
Great Job to all who participated...

this weeks weight numbers

Well they had a good week... Some set backs... but the level of activity is going up or at least staying constant. Here are the numbers

Rick A Started at 340.0 and as of 2/20/10 he is 310.8 for a total loss of 29.8lbs
James B started at 389.2 and as of 2/20/10 he is 360.8 for a total loss of 28.4lbs
Vicki D started at 208 and as of 2/20/10 she is 192.2 for a total loss of 15.8lbs
Lynn D started at 249.2 and as of 2/20/10 she is 237.8 for a total loss of 11.4lbs
Christy D started at 196 and as of 2/20/10 she is 187.4 for a total loss of 8.6lbs
Donna H started at 197.4 and as of 2/20/10 she is 182.4 for a total loss of 15lbs
Kay H started at 256.8 and as of 2/20/10 she is 253.4 for a total loss of 3.4lbs
Sue I started at 246.8 and as of 2/20/10 she is 231.4 for a total loss of 15.4lbs
Barb J started at 231.4 and as of 2/20/10 she is 214 for a total loss of 17.4lbs
Michelle M started at 238.2 and as of 2/20/10 she is 230/8 for a total loss of 7.4lbs
Amy R. started at 211.6 and as of 2/20/10 she is 200.2 for a total loss of 11.4lbs
Dawn S. started at 299 and as of 2/20/10 she is 275 for a total loss of 24lbs
Janye S. started at 211.4 and as of 2/20/10 she is 198.8 for a total loss of 12.6lbs
Gina S. started at 244.8 and as of 2/20/10 she is 234.8 for a total loss of 10lbs
Ann S. started at 205.4 and as of 2/20/10 she is 193 for a total loss of 12.4lbs
Bill W. started at 256.8 and as of 2/20/10 he is 237.6 for a total loss of 19.2lbs
Cindi Z started at 230.6 and as of 2/20/10 she is 210.4 for a total loss of 20.2lbs

Each and everyone of them are doing well. I am not as concerned with the numbers as I am the activity and gaol setting. Thru the process of creating and then achieving their goals...ultimately the weight will come off.

On too many occasions I have had people try and concentrate on the weight number and pretty much determine their day on how heavy or light they are. Guys you cannot live and die by that number. What should be important to you is the level of activity and whether or not you are on the right road to achieve the goals you set for yourself. Trust me as you start going down that path... the weight will fall off.

The hardest thing that the weight loss challenge contestant have to concur now is the 2 and 3 month blues. Most people at this time start letting life creep back into their schedules and begin to fall off of any program they start back in January. This is the time not to do that but revisit why you began the journey in the beginning and then keep on keeping on.

Good luck guys...

Exercise

“ I want to exercise, but I just don’t want to hurt.”

Well then you need to know that you don’t really want to exercise. What you really want to do is mentally exercise. Let me be more specific…

For argument sake let’s say that there are two types of exercise, physical and mental. Physical exercise can be defined as running, jumping, etc… something that is going to leave you very sweaty and tired and wishing that there was a better way, less painful. Mental exercise, for our discussion, is all the above but not to the point of tiredness or getting sweated up. It is for the “feeling mentally better” aspect not the feeling physically better aspect.

As a personal trainer I have come to a point where I disassociate myself with people who just want to mentally feel good. Why? Well, it is because these people never really amount to much nor achieve anything that gets them to another level physically. As a trainer, you want the person whose mind is already there and now it is time for the body to catch-up. This person is fun to work with because they know what it is going to take for them to get to the next level and that is why it is a joy to work with them.

Guys’, “real” working out is not joyful. At first it is painful, but in the end the benefits out way the struggle you went thru to get to where you are at now. So go exercise!

Are fathers important

There have been some people that have said that the role of a father can be played by a mother. Is this true? I tell you that they are not right. Fathers are important.

Now I am not a psychologist, nor am I a family counselor, but what I am is a person who has seen how important the role of a father is to their family. Whereas the role of a mother is primarily geared for nurturing, the role of a father is to protect the family goals and help bring up the kids to be model citizens. The problem is not that fathers are not existent. The problem is that “good” fathers are few and far between.

Statistics have shown that those family that have a stable family, their kids tend to do much better in society (school etc). There seems to be less stress on each parent because the burden of the family is distributed evenly amongst both parents and not just one. The kids tend to be less spoiled and more grounded. Now don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of dysfunctional families out there and even some families that both parent have done or are trying to do the right thing and their kids still turn out screwed up. There are two sides to this coin. However, your kids will have more of a fighting chance if fathers step up to the plate and there is strength in numbers.

The problem that I see with fathers today is that they do not take responsibility for their role in the family and they let society dictate to them who and what they are. There lies the big problem. Society will never give anyone a far shake especially fathers. Fathers, we need to step up to the plate and take back our families away from society. Let’s hold ourselves to a higher standard and thru that our families will thrive and be successful.

2/13/10 Challenge for WLC

Let the workout begin...

waiting for the rest to get back so we can start the workout...

Yes it is 7 degrees out... but if you dress warm enough you can at least get a few miles in.

yes it is cold out but worth it... in the end