March 23, 2008 * Final Lesson

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
- Woody Allen

When I think of Sunday mornings, eggs, hash browns and coffee (18% cream and two spoons of sugar) come to mind. If it’s too cold outside, or a winter storm pulverized the city the night before, all day, guiltless web surfing will suffice. Since January 13, 2008, I’ve had to battle these temptations, these habits of greasy joy. Nothing that occurred in the gym was as formidable a foe as my old habits. So I close this blog with a few life lessons gleaned from 3 months of battling, well, myself:

• Join a class to break a habit (or learn a new one). The public pressure alone will get you moving.
• Make your commitment public i.e. a blog.
• Use every resource at your disposal to increase motivation and interest i.e. blogs, bookstores, on-line videos
• Incorporate the lesson/instructions into your weekly grind.
• Sign up for another class BEFORE your current class ends.

On that note, I look forward to seeing my boxing pals on April 6, 2008… Boxing Level 2.

March 16, 2008 * 9th Lesson

“I’d never hit a woman, but I’d shake the $!*# outta one”
- Chris Rock

I hit a woman today. And then I apologized. But in boxing, saying “sorry” isn’t considered chivalrous or good manners. And so, with each apology (there were many), my sparring partner pleaded with me to:

a) hit harder;
b) stop apologizing.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to slug a woman in the jaw. My next sparring partner was our boxing instructor - Jonathan Bochner. But I couldn’t hit him either. Not for niceties, but rather for fear of what the consequence might be. And again, I was reprimanded for being too gentle.

Perhaps I should register for seniors Tai Chi.

March 09, 2008 * 8th Lesson

And then came the medicine balls. Back and forth they flew the air. Our instructor conjoling us to launch ‘em at our partner’s chin, replicating jabs and “straight rights“. You do this for 10-15 minutes and your arms start to feel like cement cylinder blocks. Why oh why were we being put through this medieval volley-ball game?

And then came the punching bags. With each combination, I hit the bag with a force I could only envy a few days ago. My arms felt light, so the jabs were released with zest and snap. My straight-right turned the heavy-bag into a wild pinata. And so, the healing power of the medicine ball touched on an old self-help cliche: To grow, you must push yourself beyond your comfort zone(s).

Which reminds me, I need to sign up for Boxing Level II.

March 02, 2008 * 7th Lesson

After boxing, the wife and I jumped into our automobile and headed for St. Jacobs. We saw road apples and Old Order Mennonites zipping around on their buggies. Unfortunately, the closest we came to speaking with an “Old Order” Mennonite was a salesperson in a Levi’s outlet. I guess you can say she “fell off the derech”.

As for boxing… let’s just say my waist can’t do what my instructor commands it to do. I’m going to apply some WD-40 to improve the torque.