Aquajock
Cathlete
I just got back from my younger brother's wedding (which, just in passing, was a New Orleans work of art in the classic style), and I confronted some very stark reminders about what can happen to the human body when it is allowed to fall into disuse. My father has been overweight most of his later adult life (trunk-area overweight, the worst kind to have), has difficulty walking without his knee brace; his legs muscles are weak, he has Type II diabetes (which almost killed him earlier this year), and all in all struggles simply to contain the damage that the aging process wreaks on the body. And he's one of the healthier ones on my side of the aisle. My mother and older brother, both of whom too have struggled with overweight most of their adult lives, easily weigh in at about 300 lbs each by now, and each of them could not walk more than a few steps without needing to sit down. After two lifetimes of rejecting the need to stay active, the prospects for turning their respective Titanics around and getting fitter and leaner appear dim; in fact, I'm surprised neither of them has had a significant medical episode recently.
That's my gene pool, and I was overfat and sedentary in my younger years (and was never allowed to forget it). The initial steps in my journey towards truly unified fitness I've written about many times before, so I won't address them again here. But I am absolutely convinced that because of Cathe Friedrich, I have managed to avoid my family's destiny and in fact go to the opposite end of that universe.
Cathe's exercise drills are remarkably effective, especially with her emphasis on power performance, plyometrics (which introduced me to my legs after overrelying on aqua training), intensity, impact (not a dirty word in my world), and method(s) of organization. I always know that when I get a new production there will be something, usually somethingS, that will propel me to a greater level of fitness.
Cathe's production values are unparalleled. From the selections of music to the studio aesthetics, from her choice of background performers to her groundbreaking use of DVD technology, from whatever to what-have-you, I have always known a Cathe purchase was an incredible bargain.
Cathe's personal style and on-camera affect, a unique blend of friendliness, maturity and no-excuses challenge, has always been such that I actually look forward to being pummeled by her workouts (and my own distorted mish-moshes of her workouts) even after a long day of work. I could never, ever hang long with a home-ex workout where I simply didn't connect with or care for the instructor's style, and consistency being the alpha and omega of a fitness program's success, that Cathe is a person I want to return to has made all the difference.
Every now and then even I need a smackdown to remind me why I do this. Why do I work so hard in a sit-and-click world? Well . . . I saw the answer this weekend with dear old Mom and Dad and Bro. This is nothing less than survival for me, folks, and all I can say is, "There but for the grace of God and Cathe go I."
Week in, and week out.
Thanks, Cathe, for all that you have done for me. I will never lose my sense of loyalty and gratitude to you.
Annette
That's my gene pool, and I was overfat and sedentary in my younger years (and was never allowed to forget it). The initial steps in my journey towards truly unified fitness I've written about many times before, so I won't address them again here. But I am absolutely convinced that because of Cathe Friedrich, I have managed to avoid my family's destiny and in fact go to the opposite end of that universe.
Cathe's exercise drills are remarkably effective, especially with her emphasis on power performance, plyometrics (which introduced me to my legs after overrelying on aqua training), intensity, impact (not a dirty word in my world), and method(s) of organization. I always know that when I get a new production there will be something, usually somethingS, that will propel me to a greater level of fitness.
Cathe's production values are unparalleled. From the selections of music to the studio aesthetics, from her choice of background performers to her groundbreaking use of DVD technology, from whatever to what-have-you, I have always known a Cathe purchase was an incredible bargain.
Cathe's personal style and on-camera affect, a unique blend of friendliness, maturity and no-excuses challenge, has always been such that I actually look forward to being pummeled by her workouts (and my own distorted mish-moshes of her workouts) even after a long day of work. I could never, ever hang long with a home-ex workout where I simply didn't connect with or care for the instructor's style, and consistency being the alpha and omega of a fitness program's success, that Cathe is a person I want to return to has made all the difference.
Every now and then even I need a smackdown to remind me why I do this. Why do I work so hard in a sit-and-click world? Well . . . I saw the answer this weekend with dear old Mom and Dad and Bro. This is nothing less than survival for me, folks, and all I can say is, "There but for the grace of God and Cathe go I."
Week in, and week out.
Thanks, Cathe, for all that you have done for me. I will never lose my sense of loyalty and gratitude to you.
Annette
