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The Atlanta Marathon is not for wimps. With the chilly temperatures and rain (can you believe it has not rained in months and it pours the day I decide to run 26.2 miles!!

Well, I dug deep and used that commitment (was it just coincidence that there was a Marine Corps recruitment poster I saw on the way to pick up my packet?) that I learned in the Marines and I stuck it out.

And guess what? Despite there being no crowds to cheer, the rain, the lack of supplies (where were those yummy gels that they had at the ING Georgia Marathon) and the chilly weather, it was an AWESOME race. And I shaved a ton of time off my ING race time — a full 35 minutes faster!!

Now a few days rest and I will get back to it with training for the ING Georgia Marathon in March.

Not sure of what group fitness options exist for you in Douglasville. OMG — there are soooo many!! There are great running clubs, walking clubs, group fitness classes, and a ton of other options.

Think about what you enjoy — what is it? Do you love great vistas and views and enjoy taking pictures — then get out and hike with a group of friends. There is no rule that group fitness needs to be a fitness class, is there?

I mean if you enjoy a fitness — by all means! There are tons of good ones in Douglasville. Look around you. There is spinning if you like to challenge yourself and need a little spark to your exercise bike routine. There is yoga or “yoga-inspired” type classes if you feel frazzled and need something to destress and relax.

The point of group fitness is to meet the needs of a group of people so it will NEVER be EXACTLY what you need — you will have to bend a bit. It will not be at the exact moment you want to exercise, it will not be the exact moves that are the optimum for your body. But accept it. Allow yourself to TRY IT. I think you will find that there are LOTS of great options for group fitness in Douglasville — so get out and try one — the group spirit may be just what you need to inspire you and change up your cardio a bit.

Are you hitting the gym a few times a week and still not getting the results you want??

I see a lot of people at the gym I train at here in Douglasville doing the same thing over and over and then whining that it must be their body or something. Ummmm, no! It would be your workout. Your body is the most complex scientific machine around and yes, there are lots of things we do not know about it. But we do know, that it responds in a specific way when give the correct stimuli.

For weight management or weight loss, it is a simple equation (calories in – calories out = calories gained). So if your body does not burn off more calories than you eat, you gain weight. There are many ways to stop that. One is more cardio. If you do hard cardio for 45 minutes every day, your body will respond. The second is strength training. Sorry, but everyone needs strength training. Cardio, fitness classes, walking – those are all good for being active, but to build muscles you need to lift heavy weights. Building more muscle on your body will not “bulk you up”, it will give you that fit, tight look that you want. And last but certainly not least, you can’t eat whatever you want. Well, if whatever you want is vegetables, fruit and whole grains, then munch away. But working out does not give you a license to pig out. Sadly most of us in our workouts only burn a couple of hundred calories (not the 700-800 that you may be calculating) A couple of hundred calories a day means about 1/2 to 1 pound weight loss a week without eating more. So don’t wreck your hard work at the gym with a bad diet.

For those of you who are more worried about building a lean physique (6-pack, tight tummy, lean body, cut biceps, etc) — all of those things come from strength training. Trust me I will all I had to do was go for a run to get a ripped body, but it is not the case. That tight lean look whether you are a man or a woman comes from lifting heavy weights as well as reducing your body fat so those muscles can be seen.

So to wrap it all up, if you are working out consistently and doing a good solid workout while you are at the gym that includes strength training and cardio, your body will SHOW IT!! END OF STORY!!

Happy Birthday to all Marines everywhere as we celebrate the Marine Corp birthday today!!!

As a proud prior Marine, I wish all current and prior Marines everywhere a very happy birthday

Semper Fi !!