Showing up is no longer my problem--I only wish it were. I am a 69 year old 70% disabled veteran of the Viet Nam era who sprayed dioxin for the government. An air conditioned cockpit kept me out of a lot of the pollution, and I am a lot luckier than many on this board. I have an endocrine disorder that has been diagnosed as diabetes but is not a classic presentation of the disease. For instance, the other morning I woke up with a blood glucose of 95, which is excellent control. I did a mile on the road, and during cool down my BG was nearly 150. The mile was slow, because I am badly deconditioned. There are lots of excuses like peripheral neuropathy and intermittent claudication for the poor conditioning, but I have finally realized that I am going to have to work through the problems pretty much on my own, because the VA doesn't seem to have anyone knowledgeable in my particular condition, especially in this area. I have been told that it is impossible to work through intermittent claudication, and since I profess to have done so, what I experienced was not intermittent claudication. Since the VA thought it necessary to do a fem-pop (femoral-popliteal) bypass on that leg shortly after my experience, I suspect that my experience actually was intermittent claudication. My present problem is that I have been on lipid lowering medications for over four years, and I recently noticed an alarming loss of strength and continuing muscle soreness. Imagine my horror when I found out that the medication that the VA had been giving me suppressed the production of human growth hormone (HGH) and I was slowly wasting away and replacing muscle mass with fat. I have turned from a fairly impressive Marine mesomorph into a classic endomorph who can't lose weight on 400 calories a day. Yes, I said 400, and I weigh my portions, so I am pretty sure that is accurate. I start to have cardio rhythym problems before I lose any weight. So the school solution is to add burn, and I have chosen to do that with resistance training. Light weight, very high reps, and I will keep checking in with my progress. I volunteer with the Coast Guard, and my present goal is to pass the Coast Guard PFT test. As an Auxiliarist I am waivered, but in order to augument (like as crew on a small boat or cutter) I need to meet active duty standards; so I too am working on Showing-up in Shape.
Originally posted by LISAJACKSON: I have carried five children
I’m confused by your statement. It can mean a number of things. For instance, you carried 5 children so: a) you should be exempt; b) it’s much harder to get/stay in shape; c) if you can do it then a 20-something male sure as hell should be able to.
At any rate – Recruiters are and should be responsible for assuring that their poolees are conditioned for bootcamp. A soldier, who is home on leave, goes into my gym regularly with a few people getting ready for boot. I admire his dedication and hope the people he is helping appreciate it.
And I wholeheartedly agree that you should not set your goal at the bottom. Military and law enforcement training is serious and extensive, inclusive of much more than just physical training. By showing up in shape you have a better ability to focus on other pertinent aspects of training and will be better for it.
Originally posted by Skyray: .... As an Auxiliarist I am waivered, but in order to augument (like as crew on a small boat or cutter) I need to meet active duty standards; so I too am working on Showing-up in Shape.
I admire your dedication and desire to excel and improve. Especially given your health issues. People like yourself should be an inspiration to others.
Thanks for the orchids. After I figured out what was going wrong, I don't consider it an option. Right now I am in that grey area between cardio and resistance training. A typical evolution is forty-five reps of twelve pound one arm bench presses alternating arms every 15 reps then finishing with 15 situps holding the weights to my chest. I ain't trying to excel and improve; I would just like to get somewhere near where I was. I was the smart-a$$ who when the physical training coach said attempt three pull ups, I did twenty in an L-hang. I may not ever get back to twenty pull ups, but I guarantee that I am going to improve from the present zero.
One thing that intrigues me is that I showed up for boot in July of 1960 without ever thinking about conditioning. Are the kids of today so deconditioned that they have to get in shape for boot camp? You advise the congress, what can I do to help with this problem?
Kids are indeed so deconditioned that they need to get in shape for bootcamp. Physical training at the school level is way down from what it used to be. And kids are not getting out and doing physical activity. Kids come home and veg in front of the TV, play video games or hit the internet. Parents don’t care overmuch because they too are out of shape.
Congress is addressing these issues thankfully. The food served at schools is becoming much healthier and activity is up. Fast food and other restaurants are serving healthier food, eliminating trans fats. High fructose corn syrup is not as prevalent. It’s easier and more affordable to find healthy foods.
So the fault largely rests with parents. The government can only do so much without people claiming government overregulation.
While we are making strides to get things accomplished it’s very much a work in progress and I’m afraid always will be.
