At midnight September 7, 2005, I settled into the cockpit of a twenty-foot rough-water racing shell, put my back to a pair of nine-and-a-half-foot oars and pulled the first stroke of what would be 42,000 strokes on a non-stop trek from Albany, New York to the United States Military Academy at West Point, completing 100 miles on a rough and windy Hudson River in less than twenty-four hours-without rest or sleep.

At West Point, I was greeted by my cadet daughter Caroline, and the rowing crew, with the crew captain presenting me with an honorary Army Crew T-shirt, and saying, "In recognition of your incredible feat on the river; that is an inspiration to the entire West Point crew."

The Albany Times Union called the effort "spectacular," quoting my guide, rowing coach Scott Runkell as saying, "The experience of watching him row for 24 hours, hour after hour without stopping changed my life. The man is 70 years old."

Alright, you say, incredible, inspirational, spectacular-what does that have to do with me losing weight and getting into shape?

The answer can be summed up in one word: Motivation. The illusive and often inexplicable reason driving you to do something positive in spite of your instincts to lay back, take it easy and do absolutely nothing at all.

For me, it was easy. I had a seventeen-year-old daughter entering The United States Military Academy at West Point. She was going to be challenged-mentally and physically. So I wasted little time segueing from expressions of exultation and jubilation to matters practical and beneficial. "How many push-ups can you do?" was my first little query. To which she playfully responded, "Daddy, how many can you do?" Bearing in mind that example is the father of inspiration, I dropped and dutifully gave her fifty. A short time later I gave her 13 pull-ups, then a hundred sit-ups. A day later I ran a mile or so with her, and my soon-to-be seventy-year-old body didn't drop dead in the process. Indeed, I was getting stronger by the day. And so was my daughter.

We were motivating each other while following the West Point guide to physical fitness that urges cadets to apply the principles of FITT to their individualized fitness program. Which is to say: Train with Frequency and Intensity for an ample amount of Time, while incorporating different Types of exercises into your program for best all-around results. These four steps are easily adaptable to your personal strength and stamina. Simply choose exercises you like, then, starting with your feet, travel up your body and end with a brisk facial massage, tailoring the principles of FITT to accommodate your individual needs along the way.

And above all, remain consistent and unfailing. Resist the temptation to skip even one workout. Do something every day. Life is movement, and you want to be what is most alive.

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posted at 04:05:55 PM