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Archive for January, 2010
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
 When I first started working out I was embarrassed to tell anyone about it. I was a shrimpy, skinny wisp of a kid, the classic “98 pound weakling.” I certainly identified with the skinny guy in the Charles Atlas ads of yesteryear.
My greatest wish was to be big and strong and have muscles like the athletes and bodybuilders I saw in the magazines. But I felt I could never tell anyone or admit this because I was such a runt. I was so NOT what I wanted to be.
Even as I be gan to make progress and look better, put some meat on my frame and improve my physique, I was still really self-conscious about my body or anyone saying anything about it. I guess I had a lot of baggage from years of hating the way I looked. But as my physique filled out, my confidence grew and I began to feel better in my body. I began to learn to take compliments and not freak out if anyone noticed that I actually had biceps.
 It can be daunting to admit to others that we have a passion or a goal to improve our physique, but there is great power in sharing this information. Find someone you can share this goal with and have them support you as you make progress. Telling someone of your passion gives it life and vitality, making it even more real. Then you can use this boost to continue to move forward toward your goals.
 The world if full of stories of little guys who went on to great things and huge muscles. Everyone started somewhere. Be proud of your passion for fitness and bodybuilding, or whatever your sport may be, and walk proudly through the gym knowing that you’re on your way.
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Monday, January 25th, 2010
We’ve all sat in committee meetings feeling like our time was being wasted. Poorly run meetings can be the bane of one’s existence, and often the outcome of a group decision can be far worse than something created by one person. Too many cooks really can spoil the broth.
Many of the great ideas in the world have come from the inspiration and creativity of one individual. A lot of the great show ideas have come from a brilliant concept that sprang from the mind of a talented artist or musician.
However, there are times when a good collaboration can take a good idea and turn it into something much better. One creator makes the basic soup, but then some talented “tasters” make suggestions on how to improve the flavor.
 I have found that my work benefits significantly if I have someone to bounce ideas off of and who can bring their own smart creative ideas to a project. This works best with someone who understands me and “gets” the way I think and work.
I’ve been very lucky to have some incredibly talented and gifted people to work with over the years. During the many years that I was writing shows for Irmo HS in South Carolina I worked with the talented Lauren Metts who was brilliant with dance, color, and concept development. These days I have great partnerships with both Mary McWilliams and Greg Basham, among others, who contribute smart ideas from their creativity and years of experience. And Clif Walker has a way of taking my music and adding the percussion layer to the music to create something 200% better and more musical.
I suggest that you find a person or two who you can work well with and who understands the way you work and the way you think. These kinds of collaborators can be invaluable to the success of any project and will help to add those special details and ideas that you may not have thought of when in the middle of a project. Make sure you let them know how much they mean to you and how valuable their contributions are. Then keep sharing and improving all of your work with their help.
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Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
The day comes when you realize that you can’t eat like you used to. Growing up I had the metabolism of a Learjet. I was skinny as a rail and could eat as much as I wanted. Before you roll your eyes and curse my “good luck,” remember that everything has its dark side. Although it was fun to not worry about counting calories, I also agonized over being so skinny.
Try as I might, I could not gain weight and I hated how I looked. I wanted to be beefy and athletic looking, but I was skinny as a rail. Of course, the day finally came when two things happened. One: A terrific personal trainer taught me how to eat correctly, and I started to make more progress in the gym. Then my metabolism slowed down as I got older.
 Like this Lockharts cartoon, we one day realize that our body is not acting like it used to and it is time to reassess the situation. Though we may be frustrated at the change in our metabolism, we need to make it our friend and learn to work with it.
WebMD defines it this way: “Your metabolism, experts say, involves a complex network of hormones and enzymes that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently you burn that fuel.” So it determines the rate at which you burn calories, and thus the rate at which you gain or lose weight.
The best way to boost your metabolism is to exercise. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have on your body the faster your metabolism will be. Every pound of muscle in our bodies is said to burn 35 calories a day, while each pound of fat is said to burn only 2. So the more muscle you have on your body, the more you can eat!
The other way to boost your metabolism is to eat more often. Having more frequent, smaller meals all throughout the day keeps your metabolism even and running. Long delays between meals will slow this engine down, plus usually will lead us to make less smart choices with our meals. Eat a healthy snack or meal every few hours all throughout the day instead of two or three very large meals. I try to eat every 2 to 3 hours all day long, but these meals are smaller and healthier. Always include some protein in each “feeding” to keep your metabolism humming. This requires some planning and diligence, but it’s worth the trouble.
Learn to work with your metabolism and you’ll make more progress toward that lean, more muscular physique you desire.
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Monday, January 18th, 2010
 We lost a member of our family last Friday. Sally, our beloved Bichon Frise, is not with us and we are missing her terribly. Two days before Christmas I took her to the vet because she was breathing a little strange and I didn’t want her to get sick over the long holiday weekend. After a set of X-rays and a harrowing drive to the specialist, our fears were realized. Sally had a malignant tumor in her abdomen which had spread to her lymph nodes. Three weeks later she was gone.
How much love can you give to one of God’s creatures in three weeks? Goodness knows we tried to find out. Suddenly dealing with the loss of a companion we had shared our lives with for 9 years was earth-shaking. Never one to be cuddly, Sally did stay a little closer, sit a little nearer, and enjoy belly rubs and head scratches more than ever.
Sally lived for food and her day revolved around mealtimes. Usually around 5 pm she would start her vigil, laying near her bowl and occasionally clanking it to make sure we hadn’t forgotten her. Even on walks she spent her time searching for food, even dining on dried earthworms on the sidewalk. This grossed me out to the very end. The vet said it likely wouldn’t hurt her, but she could clear a room the day after a rainstorm!
 Sally loved to run after a ball or toy and bring it back. I never saw her happier than she was at David’s house in Atlanta, chasing a ball all the way down his incredibly long hallway and bringing it back over and over and over again, almost to the point of exhaustion. In her last days when she could not run back with the ball without stopping and coughing, we knew it was time.
I never saw a creature be as enthusiastic as Sally was when Lee got home. As soon as the garage door started up and his car pulled into the driveway, she would start to bark like a three-alarm fire and not stop until he finally stepped foot in the door. She was just that excited to see him. In fact, Sally always wanted to meet everyone. No matter where or when, she would walk up to anyone with her tail wagging and want to say hello. And everyone always loved Sally. She was always a favorite at the groomers or vet. Everyone fell in love with Sally and her gentle soul.
 Sally could be stubborn, and there were days that I got my full cardio routine in just by putting her out and in and out and in. She loved licking things, especially my salty head after a workout. You could practically see her eyes roll back in her head as she relished licking all over my closely cropped haircut. It took great fortitude to sit through those “back of the ear” licks, but I did it many-a-time for Sally. It made her so happy.
She hated getting her picture taken, as the flash always scared her. (This went hand in hand with her fear of lightening and fireworks, which kept us home many a 4th of July and New Year’s.) In fact in her very first picture taken by Lee she has her eyes closed…she blinked! I’ve included a few pictures with this post, including the last two taken, one with one of her favorite toys, and another with her looking out the door (one of her favorite pastimes.)
 We really miss you, Sally, your loving wags, your crazy sounds, your loving licks, and your sweet disposition. I think that Gus misses you most of all, as you were his constant companion. You were the perfect calm soul to his enthusiastic cuddle. Thanks for all the joy you brought to our lives. I love you, Sally.
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Thursday, January 14th, 2010
Some very successful band programs can seem to get “stuck.” They perform very well and are successful at contests, but they don’t seem to be going anywhere—they’ve lost some momentum. Ironically, this problem is sometimes caused by their success!
 To keep moving forward you have to have a vision of where you’re going…and you have to be facing in the right direction. Some bands have had so much success that they tend to spend a lot of time looking back upon all of their accomplishments at the expense of spending that time thinking of where they are headed.
This of it this way: If you’re driving a car you need to be looking where you’re going. And actually you need to be looking a good distance down the road for greatest safety. But imagine if you were driving down the road but looking only in the rear view mirror! You could see where you have been, but quite likely you’re going to drive off the road or crash into something! You have to be looking forward to get anywhere.
Every band program must have a vision of where they want to go. Every band director and his staff should spend some time thinking forward. Where will the band be in one year’s time? What are the goals for the next 5 years…..what does the band look like in 10 years? Every band (and every person, actually) should have a vision for the future.
I suggest you write this down in concrete language and share it with your band family. Maybe in one year you want to have 5% more members taking private lessons. Maybe in five years your goal is to perform a certain level of concert literature, hire a composer to create your own marching show music, or have new band uniforms. The goals are completely up to you and your staff, but you must have them to get there!
If you’re taking a trip you need to know how you going to get where you’re going. If you just get in the car and start driving you’ll certainly end up somewhere, but most likely NOT where you really wanted to go. Create a map of where you want to go and you’ll get there in the fastest fashion…and probably enjoy the trip much more!
Allow me to take this analogy one step further. If you’re going on a trip you will travel best if you “travel light.” If you’re lugging along a huge amount of baggage it will only slow you down and might sidetrack you all together. This gets us back to those very successful band programs. It’s wonderful to have a very successful history, but don’t let it weigh you down as you move forward. I have worked with many bands that were so busy looking at trophies and discussing triumphs at contests of the past that they were essentially sitting in the driveway in neutral. Band parents can be the worst at this, so share your plans and excitement with them also!
I suggest that you keep those trophies and memories around to inspire you, just as you DO need a rear-view mirror at times when driving, but spend your time looking forward and thinking of your goals for the present. The history of excellence will be the wind at your back that gives you strength and vitality as you push toward even greater accomplishments and great musical experiences in the future!
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Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
There is always someone who looks better, has bigger arms, better abs, or more perfectly shaped pecs. Don’t get caught up in the comparison game. Everyone is on their own path and all that matters is what YOU have done with your body.
Each of us starts from a different place and with different gifts. Some of those huge muscle guys in the gym showed great potential for size and strength when they were very young. We can be jealous of their genetic gifts, but it’s counter-productive to dwell on this. No matter where you started, you have something that is to your advantage. Everyone has a body part that responds well to training, plus we each have plenty of other gifts and talents not related to our physique. Your body is part of who you are, but not ALL of who you are.
What matters is the progress YOU have made with your own physique. Take pictures from time to time so you have a clear reference point for your progress. The mirror can be an unreliable meter for our progress because we see ourselves every day and even tend to not see what we’re actually looking at. (Some days I look in the mirror and see Arnold, and other days I see that shrimpy kid from Junior High.)
Stay focused on your own path, and use those that have already accomplished more as sources of inspiration. What matters is what you have accomplished and the progress YOU have made. Be grateful that you are healthy, in the gym, and able to improve your body. Then get busy!
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Monday, January 4th, 2010
When people ask me the best way to improve their Marching Band, I tell them to improve their concert band. Better musicians who play their instruments with great skill are the best way to improve the sound and effect of any marching program.
But ask me for the Number TWO way to improve a marching band and I’ll tell you to create and support a Winter Guard program.
 So many times I sit at marching band competitions in the Fall and think “IF ONLY” this group had a good color guard. A talented guard can cover up a multitude of problems or deficiencies. And the easiest way to create effect in a show is to utilize a talented guard.
I had a band one year that was one of my weakest groups. We played okay but it was not a strong set of musicians or marchers. But I had Lisa Andriese as my guard instructor and the guard was one of the best in the state. At one point in our show the band literally stood in place for at least a minute and a half while the guard ran and danced and performed all over the field. Not a single judge commented or even noticed this, and at the moment when one judge finally said “I think it’s time for the band to move”…well, that’s when the band DID move. I felt like a genius of show design, but the real geniuses were Lisa and her talented guard girls.
Winter Guard is the time when skills are taught and improved, and the guard members get valuable hours of rehearsal and performance time under their belts. Winter Guard teaches PERFORMANCE in a way that it’s hard to accomplish with just the Fall guard. Each member is right there, “In the face” of the audience and they must learn to project and perform.
It can take a lot of planning and some extra fund-raising, but any resources put toward the Winter Guard will benefit every single member of the band. Hire a terrific guard instructor, spend time helping them find rehearsal space, give them the funds they need, and then watch your marching band improve by miles!
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Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
The mirror can be your friend or your enemy. Bodybuilders use the mirror to gauge their progress. Although sometimes accused of being narcissistic because of the time spent looking at their bodies in the mirror, bodybuilders actually use the mirror to simply monitor their progress. (The man on the street is often not aware of the subtleties and details of the physique which the bodybuilder is checking for.)
The mirror is also a very helpful tool during a workout to check form and keep oneself safe and on track. There are a number or exercises which I perform better and with more proper form if I watch myself in the mirror.
(While at the gym, always take note of where you are standing in relation to your fellow gym members. Someone may need to see themselves in the mirror as they are exercising, so pay attention and move out of the way if you’re blocking someone’s view.)
 As this cartoon illustrates, we don’t always see what we are actually looking at in the mirror. It’s common for the mind to play tricks on us. (This cartoon plays on common gender stereotypes, but I can attest that men can have the same dismorphic view of themselves in the mirror as women!)
Some days I look in the mirror and see a huge bodybuilder, while other days I see the skinny kid I was in 7th grade. This is why I suggest you take photographs so monitor your physique. Looking at yourself in a photo is often the best way to “step outside” your body and get a realistic view of your progress.
Also, let me warn you that not all mirrors actually reflect back a perfect image of yourself. I have been in plenty of gyms where mirrors are actually warped or bent, or have even been installed at an odd angle, giving you a slight “fun-house” reflection. Also always take into account the effect of lighting on the image in the mirror. Be careful to monitor this situation so that you don’t overact to what you think you see.
Let the mirror be your friend, and use it to help with your workouts. But be leery of giving the mirror extra importance or power. It’s just a tool and can sometimes fool you. Let it help you keep those barbell curls in strict form, then move on knowing you have done all you can to improve your health and physique.
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