Year in review 2008

In January 2008 I opened my eyes not knowing what to expect with the New Year. What should I be looking for? What new projects should I be attempting? I knew that I was going to have the Weight Loss Challenge starting in a few days and I was very excited to get that started but I was also concerned about the economy and what my business would look like at the middle and then end of the year.

Things were going along just fine. I had more people join and the Weight Loss Challenge was going along very well. Then one day after my step class I run into a member and she informs me that a friend had died just the other night. She was hit by a drunk driver on rt67. To say the least I was very said and concerned for the family. After a few minutes I also figured out that the person who died had two children and one on the way. I was told that there was four people in the car and two survived. One was a boy and he played on my son’s soccer team.

I had gone to the school where she taught that next Monday and the mood at the school was very somber. People were walking around in a daze trying to figure out if it was really true. I remember seeing the Superintendant in the hallway and I asked her what if anything I could do. Besides praying for the family the idea of some sort of an event in remembrance of her would be a good idea. At that point my brain kicked in and, in a short period of time, put together a 5k walk run in remembrance of Jennifer and her daughter. Over 500 people ended up participating and it was a success*.

After finishing the Weight Loss Challenge, I found myself day dreaming again and decided to put on a program I called Shape Time (people not quite obese but 15 to 30 pounds overweight). I ran this in July thru August and once again it was a success*.

A few weeks later, while at my son’s track meet, I was watching the kids warm up and noticed that they did not, in any way, loosen themselves up enough to compete at the levels I knew they could compete at. I also noticed that they just could not perform well against people they really should be beating. After my son finished the Junior Olympics I decided that it would be a good thing if I started at strength and flexibility class for kids and run it 10 weeks. Well that seems to have been a success* also.

This next year I am going to continue to improve on these programs with the hope that I can continually help people help themselves.



*success as I define it is helping people change their life for the better.

Speed and Flexibility Camp

One of the biggest problems we have in this society that I see is that our children are very inflexible. There are studies that have been done that say they can prove that stretching adds no more of an advantage then if you were just to do some calisthenics before your event. They say that at the end of a particular event your body has not benefited from initially being stretch and that the difference in performance is nominal.


Whereas I can see that in some events this theory can be true, I tend to challenge it in most sports. My argument is that our muscles over normal use take on a great load (stress) everyday. With that in mind a constant tearing down of these muscles lead to lactic acid development and this causes soreness (D.O.M.S.). Have you ever noticed that a day after doing something strenuous your can hardly move in that same way the next day? Have you ever been to a massage therapist and received a massage on a sore part of your anatomy and then after words felt much better? Have you ever been to a Physical Therapist and received treatments for a joint or muscle you may have injured? What do all of these professionals do and have in common, they stretch out that muscle to remove the lactic acid from that spot.

Now for our children. One of the most important things that they need to do is stretch. My reasons are as follows;1) Allows body to grow in a less stressed state, especially in the joint regions.
2) Allows the body to perform at its maximum, while minimizing the risk if injury.
3) Allows you to sit in much more relaxed stated and takes stress off opposing muscle groups

Let’s look at each one of these separately.

Stretching allows your child’s body to grow in a less stressed state, especially in the joint regions: What I am referring to there are your child’s growth plates. Have you ever tried to put a weed in a confined area and then have it grow? Yes the weed will grow but it will not reach its potential. However, you take that same weed and allow it to grow unrestricted and it will grow to it potential. Our children’s bodies are the same. If their muscles are not flexible they will still grow, of course, but not to their greatest potential.

Allows the body to perform at its maximum, while minimizing the risk of injury:
Now, I am not saying that your child will not have injuries but you would be lessening the risk of injury. Do this with your child. Without stretching have them enter into a competition of some sort and let them perform. Remember how they did and then the next time they enter into it again, now have them stretch. You should see a difference in stride (their gate), Strength, and agility.



Allows them to sit in a much more relaxed state and takes stress off opposing muscles: Have you ever seen your child sit on the floor? Have you ever noticed how he/she sits? Take a look at it and you will noticed that most children do not sit straight up but leaning back on the Sacrum (lower spine) then on their Gluteous Maximus. The reason why is because their lower back and their hamstrings are extremely tighten. You cannot sit in this position long. Your arms (what is holding you up) and your abdominals will fatigue quickly and they will begin to shift all around to relieve the pressure. By stretching especially your hamstrings and your lower back, this will allow your muscles to relax much better and allow you to sit properly without having to lean back. Trust me tight hamstrings and a tight lower back can make life very uncomfortable.

With this all in mind I have started a camp for child ages 11 to 13 that helps them in the areas described above. This is a 10 week camp and I meet with them once a week for cardio and flexibility followed by some calisthenics. It seems to be working but I will not know until those kids hit the field of play and perform.

5K Walk Run for life

In our lives we are often moved to ask the question, how can we make a difference? On September 20, 2008, there were 500 people that asked the same question and gave of their time to make their voices heard. This event consisted of three phases. There was the 5k run, the 5k walk, and the 1 mile walk. It did not matter which one you chose to do. Your voice was heard and you helped make a difference because of your participation.

The shirts participants wore said 5k Walk Run for Life the Jennifer Bukowski Foundation and the Courtney Bella Foundation. The back of the shirts read, “Never, Never, Never give up.” (Winston Churchill) There are 500 people who did not nor will they ever. DUI laws need to be changed to protect our citizens but even more importantly, our moral and ethical compass needs to change. We have lost sight of right and wrong. Everything has become gray, and there seems to be no more black or white. We need to revert back to a time when morality was king and wrongdoing was punished to the fullest extent of the law. We need to take responsibility for our actions and mature not just chronologically but mentally.

A special thanks to the Harley riders “The Blue Knights” for showing their support and coming alongside us. Let’s not forget Michael Flemming. All he wanted to do was celebrate the 105th Harley anniversary and he too was tragically killed by a drunk driver. Enough should be enough now. It is time to grow up and learn from these tragic events. “Let’s turn lemons into lemonade”.

THE FINAL WEIGH-IN AND MY THOUGHTS

It was filled with much anticipated drama. Who would lose the most? What lives would be changed? What would the final numbers look like? What would be the next step?
This year was so much different than last year. Many of the challengers were here to finally change their lives for the better. All of them told me that they had tried everything else. They tried the diets. They tried the gyms. They tried joining other places. But all that happened was that they ended up back in the same position they were in before they started. They would lose 50 pounds and then gain 60 pounds back. Up and down, Up and down.
Then something happened in their life, Parkers Place Weight Loss Challenge. This was not like any other challenge. How many weight loss places tell you that FOOD IS GOOD? How many other places give you one-on-one personal training for no additional cost? How many other places give you nutritional classes and advice for no additional cost? How many other places give you psychological classes and advice for no additional cost? How many places give you challenges and group workouts and weigh-ins and prizes? How many other places would hold you accountable without digging into your pocket?
The 16 people I had this year were great. In the end 15 finished and finished strong. My top 5 people lost an average of 90 pounds and all 15 finished with an average of 70 pounds. This is just great. However, they have only just begun.
The fanfare is over. The accountability is still there but not as intense as it was when they were part of the challenge. In so many ways you want to relax and go back to the way life was prior to the challenge. Guys, YOU CAN’T! Your old life is how you got to the way you were prior. Don’t go back. It took you six months to get to where you are right now. IT WILL TAKE YOU LESS TO GAIN IT ALL BACK. Now comes the struggle.
I started in the martial arts in 1986 (tae kwon do) and in a very short period of time I had gotten myself to the level of red belt with two stripes. I knew that I had only one more stripe to get and I knew that I could get it easily. I remember taking that test and thinking that once again I blew everybody away. Some people were their just to see what I was going to do next. By this time (1988) I had tried out for the USA Karate team and made it. I was trying out for the Olympics (that summer) and looking forward to it. I had this in the bag. My physical ability was so far superior to anyone there they had to bring some third degree black belts just to spare against me.
After taking the test I felt great. I knew I had it made. That next Monday I received a call from my sobonim (teacher) and I just knew he was going to praise me for how I preformed. He did quit the opposite. He said to me, “Kevin, if I told you that you preformed badly and that your forms were terrible I would be lying to you. You are very strong and physically my best student. But you are lacking in one area that we need to develop and is the most important area in the martial arts, your mind. Mentally, you are still a white belt and we need to mature you before you can go on any further. For this reason, I am not going to allow you to pass thru to your next stripe.”
I was devastated. I was appalled. I was speechless. How dear him do this to me. What was he thinking? What did I do to him? I gave him my all so far and this is the thanks I get! Well at this time I had a decision I had to make. I could quit, go to another place, or go back and prove him wrong. My decision was to go back and prove to him that he was wrong and for the next three months I worked hard and concentrated a lot on the mental aspects of what I was trying to accomplish, my black belt. That summer I had the opportunity to try out for the Olympics in karate and did well. I went to the nationals and finished undefeated in the round-robin tournament never ending in the loser’s pool. What an experience. I just knew that I was going. Well I was not picked to go and I was once again I was devastated. When I asked the officials why I was not picked they told me that they wanted a more experienced fighter and they knew that I was not a black belt as of yet. BUT I WON THE DAMN TOURNEMENT AND I WAS NATIONALLY RANKED!After a few more months of let downs the light had finally went on. I really wasn’t ready. My mind had not caught up with my body and I needed to get it there. I began a regiment of mental preparedness and praying at least once a day and keeping my emotions in check (not experiencing highs and lows as much). I began to give back instead of take. I stopped looking for the lime light and help other people achieve and getting my joy at other people achieving their goals. One year later my teacher, once again, called me and told me that he had seen a remarkable improvement in my maturity and now I was just not ready to take the third stripe test but take my black belt test and that I should be preparing for it now. I took it and passed (1989). I have not been the same since. What I learned in that space of time was priceless and something that I will never forget.
To my weight loss graduates, all this time you have worked on the physical and for the longest time I have been trying to help you work on the mental too. Many of you just did not get it but I believe someday you may be getting it. You can lose 100 pounds but still think of yourself as that fat person or when life gets tough or you feel as though you are not being treated fairly, you may want to revert to going back to the way you were. This is the true challenge. This is your next challenge.
You need to know that the way you were you are no longer. You are a different person now. You are fit, and much stronger. Now let’s begin the process of understanding and growing mentally so that at the end of the day you would have achieved your final goal, a new life.

The Final Challenge!!

Well it is here. The final challenge, and it was a good one. The challengers had to fill a hole 10' X 10' X 4' deep with dirt then once that was finished they then had to take over 5 tons of rock and thro them into a a Brinkman Truck. Now that I made it sound simple, let me put things into prospective. It took them 1 hour and 30 minutes just to get the dirt put into the hole and then another hour to get the rocks on the truck. To say the least they were a little tired but it was well worth it.

Brinkman Pools and construction sponsored this challenge and I want to thank them for it and their generous gift to all of the challengers.

The week that wasn't

This week there was no challenge. This week was a week for giving back to the community. As you can tell Pewaukee is really under water and we decided to go and help with the clean up. My prayers go out to all that live in that area and all of the other areas that have been flooded.
Next week is the final challenge and we are looking forward to a great time. Stay tune for next weeks activity.

5K Yellow Brick Road Run

Well this is the event that they have been waiting for. All of the challengers ran in their first 5K (3.1 miles). The goal for them, as it should be for anyone who runs it, is to just not finish but do better than you did before. This race for these challengers is their first and they should use this as a benchmark for later races.
The challenger’s times were:
Sue 39:07 Mike 50:01 Kathy 42:16
Craig 50:01 Donna 40:19 Tina 46:48
Doreen 40:35 James 36:07 Mat 28:47
Cindy 26:14 Richard 42:15 Jon 41:00
Nicole 53:05 Vicky 38:10

Many of the challengers have asked me about an exist strategy and now this is when it begins. In my next few blogs I will be giving them some ideas that they can use for the rest of their adult lives.

The two pictures are of Cindy and Sue (the birthday girl). Congrats to you all for your beginning accomplishments.