MFS Academy: Meet Tracy Carswell

                                                               

"Where's the driver?" a passerby screamed hysterically at Tracy Carswell. Tracy, dazed and wandering on foot north on 85 south answered, "I am the driver." "You survived that?" Tracy continued to walk, lost and aimlessly, along the road in his bloodstained, silk shirt. People began to stop and gather. They summoned rescue squads to the scene. As the paramedics arrived Tracy rebuffed them. He refused any of their services. He told the EMT's that he didn't need his blood pressure checked. They insisted that he might be in shock. He just wanted to be somewhere else.

It was June 4, 1994. Tracy was a successful mortgage originator. He was heading down I 85 S to close another mortgage deal. He had just passed the Jimmy Carter exit and was approaching the Pleasantdale exit when he heard a loud scape ricochet down the side of his car. "Grinnnnnd." As he attempted to figure what it was he thought at first that he had a tire blow out. Things were happening in immediacy. Then his car began to spiral. He quickly realized what was happening, but it was too late. An 18 wheeler had scraped its fuel tank down Tracy's car and over his head. Then Tracy's car was turning in front of the truck. Tracy knew that he had to get out. At some point he got out of his car and started to walk. He doesn't know how.

                                                             
Tracy got home and within a few hours was back in the emergency room, unable to move. The shock had  begun to wear off. He was now feeling the assault his body had engaged earlier in the day. The doctor gave him pain meds and Tracy was then back at home for months. A guy that used to be outgoing and kind, slowly became a monster -- irritable, quick-tempered, and extremely difficult with which to live. He lost his job and dealt with the agony of physical impairment.

He was ready to regain his life, but then he was walloped with migraines that made him unable to begin the climb back to life. It took more time, but finally a medicine was prescribed to him that eased the pain, Lisinopril.

After months, the doctor told him he would have to have surgery on his back. If he would have the surgery, said his doctor, then he could repair his body over time and get back to being himself.

This surgery seemed like the answer, but again almost too late. His body had grown weak. His attitude was counteractive. He didn't have strength or motivation. He had also added 80 pounds to his skeleton in the months of inactivity. The surgery on his back was a success. He began to move around. He played golf and made a goal to go waterskiing by the following summer vacation.

He felt like maybe he was beginning to wake from the ongoing nightmare. He went in for a physical and was told that his cholesterol and blood pressure were too high. The doctor told him that he would have to begin taking a series of medications to prolong his life. Lipotor being one to lower his cholesterol. He knew that this was a slow death sentence. He was still too young and had survived too much to start taking medications now. He knew that high cholesterol and blood pressure could be controlled with weight loss and exercise. He rebuffed the doctor's prescriptions and vowed that day to take charge of his health.

 He started by reducing his food intake and eliminating the foods that were bad for him. Then he had to learn what foods were actually good for him to eat. He added those to his diet. Slowly he tried adding walking. After a while he ran just a little distance. Just one step at a time. As he started feeling better he learned and tried more exercises and strength training.

                                                             

Fast forward. Now he is my trainer at MFS Academy. He is agile and flexible. He is strong. He understands the fight against weight gain and medical issues. He is now 80 pounds lighter and his life has changed! He is a gentle giant that is motivating and encouraging. He listens. He wants to know what you want your body to accomplish for you. He supports you to get there. He has endured medical issues and weight issues.

 He is 50 years old and in the best shape of his life! He has dedicated himself to helping others find their way to healthier lives. He wants for you what he has found. He makes the process of getting stronger and leaner something to look forward to and enjoy. He is the new weight loss expert at MFS Academy. He specializes in tremendous weight loss in people over 40. He takes the guess work out of it for you. He has already wrestled weight gain and won.

His services are available at the studio privately or in a group. I know that they offer services even online. I will have to find out about those for a later blog. You don't have to do this alone anymore. Thanks, Tracy! See ya on Saturday morning!

                                                        See Tracy and Me "Hanging Out"

                                                        

                                                      

                                          



My Fitness Solutions: On Vacation

Life is about balance. All year I work really hard trying to be the missing link for students who are struggling to learn. My colleagues and I are dedicated to trying to give the students at our school, whose learning is charged to us, the best possible education. I have always loved working with the students who find school difficult.

                                                 

But now it is July. . . It is summer. I have left the borders of Gwinnett County and headed first to the beautiful state of Colorado. I left my regular life behind and took off to have some fun! Believe it when I tell you teachers really like to have fun! When I left I also left behind my structure for fitness. I am on my own out here to choose my meals and my exercise.

It really hasn't been hard. I made a commitment to my health before I left. Making that commitment to my health doesn't change because of location. The best investment that I can make is my own health. Taking charge of my health allows me to be a better teacher, mom, wife, daughter, aunt and friend.

Being dedicated to my health makes life better. While out here in Colorado I have been able to do so many things without worrying about my health or fitness. I have walked miles to see ruins, swam in hot springs, climbed and gone on hikes. I did make some intentional decisions while I was out here.

I have gotten up early every morning and walked somewhere to see the local sites. Then I have run back at a moderate pace. This was suggested by Fadi, at My Fitness Solutions to get my metabolism going each day.  I did find a gym and went to work out. I did all the things that my trainer, Rebecca told me I could do.  She is a stickler about strength training correctly! I had a pretty good workout, but it wasn't nearly as intense as when I workout with Rebecca.

Here is my trainer, Rebecca at My Fitness Solutions

When I was at the gym in Colorado, I missed having someone there. It is harder to workout and try to navigate strength training and weight loss without the help of a personal trainer. When I work out at My Fitness Solutions I know I am going  to workout for 1 hour. I will work out hard, but the workout is results driven. The guess work is taken out. There is no feeling of wasting my time or maybe trying some  exercise that will flatten my tummy that I read about in a magazine.

I have continued to try to make healthy food choices. This is stressed by the staff at My Fitness Solutions. I am still eating protein and vegetables. I am developing an aversion to starchy, sugar filled foods. It gets easier each day to not crave the fried foods or the chocolate.

Life is short, but life can be really good. Make the right choices for your own health every day, no matter where you are. If you struggle like me with these decisions get the help of a trainer at My Fitness Solutions. It makes life easier.

My niece has goats. They keep jumping the fence when I leave so we leashed them up and took them with us on my morning walk.

For now I am still on vacation. I am having a blast being active with my niece and nephew! Tomorrow we keep it going with an early morning 3 hour horse ride! Gotta keep moving.

Peachtree Road Race as a Touchstone for health

What is your touchstone? The Peachtree Road Race is one of mine. Everyone needs touchstones that come annually throughout the year. These traditions give you a chance to reflect on the past year, be thankful for today and set goals for the year ahead. Having touchstones lets you evaluate and - get a redo if you need to.

This time last year,  I was in tremendous knee pain. I followed the Peachtree Road Race with multiple visits to the orthopedists and 4 months in physical therapy. I really didn't know if I would be able to run distance again.

It started in April 2010, when I was running the Talledega Speedway half marathon.
"Skrink, pop." The bones scraped. The knee lunged away from my skeleton. I lurched forward, found my balance then gimped on the outside of my foot to try to somehow forcibliy align my knee with my body. I was on mile 7 on the Talledega Speedway running with 6 miles left to go. I went from an all out sprint to a stutter, to a walk, to a hobble.

Since I hate to miss a good time I followed this half marathon with another the following weekend. Then I just kept running until the Peachtree. After that point I was ready to give in and yell, "Uncle!" Then I ended up going to all the medical professionals to help me fix my knee.

Since then I have had to readjust what I thought was un-adjustable. When the physical therapist told me I would have to stop running everyday I looked at him as though he had just told me I wasn't American. I just couldn't take that news. I had been a runner for decades. There were weeks when I easily ran every day, well, just because I could.

He made a very poignant point with me. He had a paper clip. He started talking and bending that paper clip back and forth. I hate when it looks like people have evidence that they are right, and I am wrong. He said,"If you keep doing the same thing over and over, something has to give." Then of course, the paper clip broke and my chin hit the floor.

I took this news and stewed on it a few days. Then I decided that maybe he had some knowledge about what he was saying sense he was a professional and I was still limping. I quit running everyday and started cross training. I never run 2 days in a row now. I mix it up. I go out with friends and we  ride  bikes or swim. I started strength training at My Fitness Solutions, with Fadi and Rebecca. All of this has been so great for me!

I competed in my first triathlon and won my age division. (Old girls, but Stella still grooves!) I am new to the strength training, but I am learning so much, so quickly, that is good for my body. All those questions of going in a gym and not knowing what to do, how to use what equipment, or how to really eat well for my body are being answered. These questions are being answered quickly and with results! I am putting in the sweat and okay some pain, but I am seeing a leaner, stronger me!

Today I celebrated because I ran the Peachtree and had my best time in a while. I finished it in 1 hour and 5 minutes. That is right at 11 minute miles. That is okay for me. I am aiming to be strong, not fast. God blessed me with health and friends with which I was able to share the  experience again. The best investment I can make is in my own health. By investing in my own health I can be better for the other important people in my life for longer! I can be active with them and have fun!

I am looking forward to the year ahead as I anticipate the next Peachtree. I am working to get stronger! I am looking forward to working out with Fadi and Rebecca at My Fitness Solutions. In the next year, I should learn how to take care of my body and meet some physical goals that I didn't know how to meet without guidance and expertise. I have some additional triathlons and a marathon on the horizon. The goal is to be able to come back next year and be strong enough to enjoy the race again! Happy Fourth!

The Taper: Peachtree Road Race

It is taper time. Tapering is the period before an event where an athlete just rests. We are born to move. Our natural inclination is to run and run hard. When we train for fitness we lace up, sweat and train hard every day. I have recently added strength training to swimming, biking, and running. All of this puts adequate stress on the body. Before an event an athlete lets the body regenerate and recover. Training regularly is stressful on the body and when you have an event, like the Peachtree Road Race, you want to be in "racing form." You want to show up rested and fed a bit of carbs, but not too much as to lose your fitness edge. It is almost ceremonial how an athlete knows how to prepare the body for an event and get in "racing form."

Racing form comes from horse racing. Before betting on a horse the gambler would check the form, or piece of paper that described how the horse was running. If the horse had competed well it was said that the horse was "on form."

I have another idea about how tapering works for horses and athletes. Athletes and horses get accustomed to working or stressing their bodies. Your body expects it. You become dependent on that burst of energy. Ask any committed athlete and they will tell you that when life catches them in a snare and they can't workout they miss it. If you take a race horse off of the track and he just grazes he begins to pine for a hard run on the track. He will hoof at the ground to let you know he is ready. He will take shorts gallops around the pasture. His body wants to run.

Runners are like this too. If you take us off the track or trail for a few days we also begin to miss it. We begin to process the energy and strength that we have bottled up to prepare to run. We want to run just like a race horse. Here is to happy tapering for the Peachtree Road Race!