Sustainability | Climate Change | Life in the Sea to Sky + Victoria

This post is the second in a series of entries on my journey back to excellent physical fitness. You can read the first post here.

It is a week before the Olympic Flame comes to Whistler [February 2010]. I am determined to start a new and challenging fitness program as soon as possible, Olympics be damned. I’m not sure if it was the influence of living in a very athletic place, or just the fact that I was more than ready. What I do know is that I was going to make this happen.

I call the number that The Russian has emailed me, as per his minimal, yet direct, instruction. I giggle at the directness of this, and can just tell this is going to lead to all kinds of good things. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous. My colleague who had recommended the class had also mentioned that he’s picky on who he takes.

I read “challenge” into this (where I probably shouldn’t) and am therefore determined to be selected. This doesn’t mean I formulate a plan, however. I just dive right in.

“Hello,” a heavily Russian accent says to me.

“Hi, Sasha. My name is Naomi and my colleague recommended your class. She says its challenging, and that’s what I’m looking for.”

“This isn’t some weight loss class – this is the real thing,” Sasha says. “We take Olympians, housewives, anyone who’s committed to fitness, and we take them to the next level. I don’t advertise my class, I have over 300 members in the club, and have a one month waiting list.”

Holy shit, I think. This is EXACTLY what I want.

“If your coach doesn’t show you results in three weeks, you need to fire your coach, ok?” says Sasha. [I laugh my ridiculously loud laugh at this] “We work out with a medicine ball two nights a week for an hour and a half, and then do boxing on the third night. You need to go to a physiotherapist – I will give you a number – and then you go and see him. Then, we will chat about where you are at, and I will begin you on a custom program.”

I say – “This is great. This is exactly what I want – I’m looking for a challenge and I want to improve my fitness. I want to be as fit as I can be – that’s my ultimate goal.”

The Russian talks about getting me down to an ideal weight (125lbs) and that it will take six to eight months to do this (which is exactly what I think it will take, given that I used to be a fitness instructor), and concludes with this, “We like people with personality. We don’t care what you wear, if you f*cking swear, or grunt in class, excuse my 500 words of Oxford English. You got it?”

Me: “Oh, I have personality. Don’t worry.”

The Russian: “Oh, I can already tell.” Then he laughs this hearty laugh, and says, “Make the appointment for physio then call me.”

I like how every conversation ends with instructions. I make the physio appointment. It is for right when the Olympic Flame is coming through Whistler. I don’t care – this has become about me, and something that I am not going to give up. The desire to be fit again has become a priority, and I want to begin as soon as possible.

During my physio assessment we go through all the typical movements that will happen in class (the physio I see also take the class). I’m not so coordinated with the medicine ball, and I don’t enjoy seeing my own image in the mirror. How have I let this happen? I push the thought aside and concentrate on good form. I am determined to change things. When I leave the appointment I am mortified by how sore and weak my legs are.

However, I am also happy, because I feel like I am taking small steps in the right direction. I call The Russian the next day to tell him of my appointment. “Oh, we’ve already spoken in depth about you,” Sasha says. (I like his efficiency).

Me: “When can I begin? I know you have a month long waiting list. So – a month?”

The Russian: “No. I like you. You can begin whenever.”

Me: “Thank you! See you on Monday.” [It’s Friday]

I’m in! And so it begins.

Tagged as: Health + Wellness, Personal Sustainability, Siberian Sandbox

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This post begins a series of entries on my journey back to excellent physical fitness.

I moved to Whistler almost a year ago, in order to become the Sustainability Coordinator for the Resort Municipality of Whistler (our local government). This was especially exciting for me, as I was already a fan of Whistler2020, the community’s sustainability plan, and this was my opportunity to work with it up close and personal.

Exciting career move, new place, beautiful setting, once in a lifetime event coming (the 2010 Olympic + Paralympic Winter Games), and … no social network. I would come to learn how difficult this would actually be as the year went on.

It has been a year to reflect and focus on myself, in a way I had been unable or unwilling to do when in Victoria. Personally, I’ve always thought that exercise is not optional. However, I had been treating it that way since my mid 20s. This was highly unusual for me, as I had been a certified fitness instructor, and had been accepted to kinesiology programs at the University of Western Ontario and McMaster. I had once envisioned this as my career.

However, for a myriad of reasons (some of which I will elaborate on, as I write about my journey) I find myself in a physical condition I never wanted to be in: overweight.

The statistics in Canada are startling. According to Statistics Canada, as of 2004,  “23.1% of Canadians aged 18 or older, an estimated 5.5 million adults, had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, indicating that they were obese. This is significantly higher than estimates derived from self-reported data collected in 2003, which yield an obesity rate of 15.2%. Another 8.6 million, or 36.1%, were overweight. This is a national epidemic, and you can find more scary stats and associated health risks at http://www.obesitycanada.com/.

Suffice it to say, this is a category I no longer want to belong to.

February 2010. The Olympics are bearing down on this community like you wouldn’t believe, and I am up for another challenge. I find myself considering my New Year’s resolutions and how I am going to keep them. I am the type of person that likes to make resolutions – I am target and goal driven, and I like to see results. When asking my friends what their resolutions were, one particularly resonated with me – a good friend wanted her health back. Yes, I know, this is probably the most popular and least stuck to of all resolutions. But it resonated with me – in the same way that doing my day job does. And that is significant, because I have sacrificed and worked hard at achieving career success.

I knew that this resonated with me because I have finally come to terms with the fact that I deserve to treat myself with the same level of care and attention.

A colleague was working late one night and she told me she was waiting for her exercise class. I asked her to tell me about it. She said it was difficult. I said I was looking for difficult. She says she’ll send me the website info and I can consider it – her trainer is picky and there is a one month waiting list. I say – send me the info.

I look up the website and decide this is just the type of difficult challenge I am up for, and I send an email inquiring how to join.

Enter The Russian.

Our first conversation went like this:

Me: I want to sign up for your class. What do I have to do?

The Russian: call this number, I will tell you what to do.

And so I did. I will continue to update you on my progress on this blog. So check back often, as I have a lot to write about.

Tagged as: Health + Wellness, Personal Sustainability, Siberian Sandbox

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