Sgt. Tony's Fitness Boot Camp

The other day, we were having a discussion about creatine, which had been all the buzz in the late 90s and early 2000s. Then I didn't hear much about it until recently. I'll post some articles in the comments you might want to take a look at.

The photos are of a packet of Juven, a product used in hospitals and clinics to speed recovery from surgeries and wounds. But I take it a couple of times a day, just as a matter of course. I mentioned Juven this morning along with the creatine. I'll put a link to the Juven website too.

Take a look, y'all! I'm always on the outlook for stuff that helps keep us healthy and strong!

This was today.

Some day, I'll quit sharing all this with you.

But today's not that day! 😉

Greetings, my friends!

We're BACK!

We were delayed out of both Jacksonville and Charlotte coming home. Instead of an 11pm arrival, it was a 1am arrival. Ashley and I are patient travelers, so it was no problem since we like each other a lot, and like to talk to one another a lot, and we travel with books and such, so we don't mind too much if we don't miss connecting flights. But even then, what are you gonna do? There's a word in Japanese (仕様がない "show-gah-na-ii") that means: it can't be helped, it's unavoidable, there are no options, inevitable, there's nothing anyone can do, it is what it is. It means all efforts to solve the problem have been exhausted. When that happens, we understand, and just deal with it without drama or trauma.

Plus, if we'd been on time, we would have missed meeting Candace in Charlotte!

We'll be inside in the morning for both classes! See you then!

This is Candace. She works in the Charlotte airport. Ashley and I are trekking back to Memphis and had a layover enough to grab a bite. Candace came over to me, I was saving our table and Ashley was in line to get our food. She asked, almost in a whisper, “Excuse me … but … are you Anderson Cooper?”

This was not the first time, but it was the first time in a while. I couldn’t resist having some fun! Candace was adorable!

After that, I asked if she had enough time to go over to Ashley and tell her what just happened. She did, and the clowning continued!

We attended a cool party thrown in Matthew's honor with people he served with waay waaaay back in the day. Old friends, long since retired, came from far and near to celebrate this awesome day!

Matthew's battalion let me hang out with them way back then too. In the Marine Corps, they're known as "First Wave Trackers." The Tracker community is tight and awesome. I met about half of the men who were at the party, back 22 or 23 years ago. And because I've made so many trips to Camp Lejeune, gradually, the Trackers didn't just let me hang out with them, they adopted me!

They have their own particular chant the whole group of them chanted intermittently when someone yelled the verse that starts the chant, and everyone else yells out the refrain. And that's repeated a few more times. I joined right in! I've known that chant for 25 years!

This photo is super hot and I know many of you will struggle seeing it; my go to uniform at home and around the hotel to get ice and illegal drugs is this! The green shirt is what's worn in the Marine Corps' camouflaged uniform. When a little worn, they are incredibly soft and comfortable.

This morning I was on my way downstairs to get us coffee and a little something to eat and bring it back to the room because Ashley will beat me if I don't. On the way downstairs in the elevator, we stopped at a floor for others on their way down. A guy got on wearing this exact ensemble! We both looked at one another and I said, "I like your outfit, where'd you get it?" Everyone in the elevator laughed. A little kid said, "Mom, they've got on the same clothes!" More laugher! I asked the guy wearing the same thing, "Do you also have more green shirts at home?"
"Two or three," he said with a grin. "You?"
"If by two or three you mean 12, then, yes!"

More later!

Good evening, everybody!

Two things:

1. Just a reminder that there will be no Thursday class in the morning, but we'll have class on Friday.

2. I want to say thank you to so many of you who have been excited about what's going on with Matthew. I know you've probably grown weary of hearing me talk about him and everything, but I can't help it! 😇

I also wanted to say a special thanks to the ladies of the 5:30 class who hung around after class this morning to talk to me about it all. I was genuinely touched and was a little choked up telling Ashley about it when I got home. Ladies, my outfit is good to go! All the alterations were done and picked up this afternoon. And I've shined my shoes so much you can see yourself in the reflection! Of course, there'll pictures!!


I love all of you, even you, Angela "Cranky Pants" Edmonds!

We'll see you Monday, have a great weekend!

Y'all, our flight out for Thursday was supposed to be in the late morning, but it has been changed. Ashley and I will leave Thursday morning at 7. So, we need to cancel Thursday's class. I am so sorry. Both classes on Friday are still ON! My apologies.

I've attached this photo for attention. I think many of you have seen it. Matthew sent it to me several years ago when he was a Company Commander. That's him in the red circle. On Friday, he becomes the guy in the front in the red square.

I've been putting ideas together for a YouTube channel I'm starting. I've mentioned it before and you'll hear more about it as I get it up and running. Getting sick came unplanned.

Part of the channel will focus on productivity, including personal and professional productivity. "Getting things done" is accomplished by each of us in different ways. Some people are meticulous planners, some make lists, some make detailed hierarchical outlines with subheadings, and subheadings to subheadings. Some people make flow charts. I often use mind mapping. This is an early mind map I used in writing my dissertation. I usually draw them on blank sketch pads, but this one was made using an app called SimpleMind. There are any number of mind mapping apps.

Establishing habits, schedules, and routines play a big part in our productivity. I've been trying out some iPhone habit trackers. Habits don't have to be huge and time consuming. A guitar teacher I know asks his students to practice the guitar every day for at least 5 minutes. He believes that most people will play for more than 5 minutes once they start. But if it's only 5 minutes, that's good to go!

Irrespective of how you accomplish your goals and objectives, there's gotta be a plan. Even if you change the plan early on, that's fine. A few famous quotes—mostly saying the same thing— about planning come from Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Carl von Clausewitz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Mike Tyson.

The essential truth is summarized this way: "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy." Iron Mike's take is a bit more visual: "Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the face."

Our plans need to be flexible. I know someone who only has a Plan A. They have no Plan B or C or D. If Plan A falls apart, so do they.

When I worked for Toyota Motor Corporation, I learned about Toyota's planning department. They had a 100 year plan that obviously wasn't written in stone ... more like in sand on a beach.

When you look around, everything you see right now started as an idea and a plan.