Cindy's Diary

MUSC Office of Public Relations Catalyst writer Cindy Abole is enrolled in the 2008 Fall MUSC Healthy Charleston Challenge from Sept. 11 to Nov. 20. This online diary is part of a regular entries she will write and share about her journey and progress.

Jan. 5, 2009

“Fall in.”

Its funny how two, simple words, spoken in the right context and emphasis, can either instinctively command a person’s direct attention or place fear and weak-kneed anxiety into an average adult.

I was more in the latter category during the first two-and-a-half months of starting last fall’s session of MUSC Boot Camp. Me and several of my Fall Charleston Healthy Challenge teammates elected to join Boot Camp as part of our weekly fitness regime. I admit I had doubts of my commitment to this program as our class stood at attention on the first day while our U.S. Marine Corps instructors scurried around the gym floor yelling in people’s faces, shouting commands and making most of us feel so miniscule. Like others before me, I had no idea how such a program or body of people would grow on me and help change and transform my life.

For 12 weeks (from Sept. 11 to Dec. 2) I grumbled and ranted as I left a warm bed and out my house lugging a gym bag full of clothes, make-up and other necessities to make it downtown to the 6 a.m. Boot Camp class at the Harper Student Wellness Center. If I was careful, I’d get there before class started in order to avoid the consequences of personal embarrassment and shared punishment for being late (We usually did extra sets of push-ups, star jumpers or side-straddle hops). Like the Marines say, “If one pays, we all pay.”

The program is a highly intensive military-style physical fitness training program that focuses on fitness training, endurance and running. The program was led by SSgts. Ben McKee and Chris Ulcak (Sieben), plus a crew of other Marines attached from The Citadel’s Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program.

For four weeks, I participated in the introductory Beginner Boot Camp session which reviewed basic exercises and running program, which was a precursor to Ultimate Boot Camp. In early October, the group transitioned over to the larger Boot Camp class for the remaining eight weeks. Everyone participated in group calisthenics, body bar and team exercises as well as running activities. The Marines really challenged us on a variety of abilities and challenge levels. Where else would anyone practice their bear crawl, crab walk, alligator crawl or inchworm exercises? For our daily runs, we were grouped by our run time ability or teams. To help promote camaraderie and team building, Healthy Challenge participants usually were placed in the same group. The Boot Camp workouts were designed to promote physical readiness and challenge participants both individually and as a group in an effort for everyone to achieve their highest level of fitness. This is a hallmark of the Marine Corps way of life.
Everyday we would leave the gym with our clothes soaked in sweat and our muscles twitching and aching with fatigue. For participants who wanted a more intense level of fitness training, McKee led an optional Special Ops class that focused on advanced conditioning workouts, running and obstacle course runs.

Among Boot Camp’s first actions was to conduct a baseline physical fitness test (PFT) with participants. The PFT, organized like the military PFT used in all branches of the service, assesses three events: sit-ups, push-ups, and a one-mile run. When I began, I considered myself to not bad but OK shape. I was a high school athlete and worked out weekly at the Harper Student Wellness Center. So when we took our initial PFT on Sept. 9, I was surprised at my poor overall performance. What’s more disappointing was I couldn’t complete my one-mile run and finished dead last at 18:26. I was determined to work hard at every effort and not quit. My class finished Beginner Boot Camp prior to the scheduled four weeks and successfully transitioned over to the main Boot Camp. I couldn’t have done it without the help from several great souls including Beginner Boot Camp mentor Greg Shore, program director Janis Newton and a variety of other Boot Camp disciples who looked after and motivated me. After 12-weeks of three-day-a-week Boot Camp workouts, plus the addition of Joe D. Bands resistance band conditioning on the alternative days, I was seeing and feeling the results. I was losing one-to-three pounds every week and most importantly, inches. We continued to run regularly at Boot Camp sometimes performing various run practices like sprints, Indian runs, cadence and fitness runs, etc. As the days passed, I noticed that I was able to keep up with the group’s exercises and run laps without stopping. With each workout, I was slowly transforming fat to muscle and building up my endurance. Aside from the physical changes, I also was experiencing a transformation inside me through new learning about nutrition and exercise, reading and talking to people. I had grown a newfound confidence in myself. By November, I wasn’t as worried or anxious about the workouts and what our Marine instructors had planned for us during each day’s activities. I was feeling good about my progress and readily expressed it by motivating others at any opportunity. I genuinely cared about my progress was finally on a track for success with my weight loss and healthy lifestyle goals. By Nov. 20, the group performed the final PFT. I totally outperformed my original sit-up and push-up stats multiplied by three. More impressive was my improvement in my mile-run time (11:06). I couldn’t have been more proud of myself.

I confess I also had another motivator or “carrot” that helped me through this experience: I wanted a Boot Camp t-shirt. At the end of every Boot Camp class, participants who met the attendance requirements “graduated” from the program and received a t-shirt. The shirt features the MUSC Boot Camp logo and every past program participant proudly wears their shirt throughout camp. Honestly, it became a tangible goal – a reward –as I pushed myself through atypical challenges like morning calisthenics and runs in freezing weather or exercising in the rain (There’s nothing like the feeling the soft patter of raindrops on your cheeks and forehead as you perform sit-ups in the rain.).
So when the time came for all of us to graduate from Boot Camp I felt both happy and sad. I was happy that I completed the program without quitting and getting my t-shirt; and sad that I was really going to miss this routine and everything about the Boot Camp experience. I struggled to find the right answer to this and still can’t get my finger on it. All I can say is that the Marines promote a unique level of esprit de corps and camaraderie that’s unequal to any other military service branch. Thankfully, the Marines have managed to instill that quality through MUSC Boot Camp and build an effective support system or family. And like most families, life is destined to have its good and bad times. But isn’t it easier to go through the tough times with others than facing problems alone?

I can’t remember feeling so connected with a group of people (apart from my own family) as I do than with MUSC’s Boot Camp Family. Boot Camp was an extraordinary experience that I would recommend to others because of the support foundation and challenge. Throughout all of this, I, and I’m sure many others, have developed a newfound respect for our Marines and their Marine Corps brothers and sisters serving around the world because of who they are, what they do, and what they believe in. Finally, I want to thank SSgt. Brad Parr, Sgt. Josh Haumschild, Sgt., Kyle King, SSgt. Jamie Nicholson, Sgt. Andrew Williams, 2nd Lts. Ben McKee and Chris Ulcak (newly commissioned officers as of Dec. 19) and MUSC Wellness Center program director Janis Newton for their leadership, time and commitment to this awesome program.

October 17

Thursdays are always long, tough days in the Fall Healthy Charleston Challenge schedule. Our days begin early and ends late with our weekly Challenge meeting and weigh in, and lots of opportunity for exercise and activity in between.

Five weeks into the program and we’ve finally reached the midway point of the competition. Challenge teams and mentors have done an awesome making their weekly progress on their dieting, exercising and working out. We’ve also learned and absorbed so much new information from presentations on nutrition counseling by Judith Herron, team nutritionist, Dr. Josh Brown, program psychologist and Dr. David Albenberg, program physician. We’ve occasionally been treated to special talks from guest presenters including Dr. David Geir, MUSC Sports Medicine and NFL Hall of Fame Player Joe Delamielleure, founder of the Joe D. Bands Fitness and Flexibility Program who helped bring it to the Harper Student Wellness Center. Joe also is the sponsor of my Healthy Challenge team, Team Joe D. Bands. Another highlight of our meetings are the weekly presentations made by the first class of Healthy Charleston Challenge participants now known as mentors. So far, we’ve heard some incredible, emotional and life-changing testimonies from John Seamen, Nicole Harvey, Caroline Cordrey, Carolyn Smith, Kathy Ahner, Pat Wagstaff, Dave Winchell, Michelle Chavez, Dr. Laurie Zone-Smith and Mary Ann Carruthers – all everyday heroes in this healthy lifestyles and active wellness program

Most importantly, the program’s success couldn’t happen without the passion, enthusiasm and leadership of program director Janis Newton, who has been a constant presence since the program’s launch in early September. Janis’ role seems to have expanded for this second Challenge group since she elected not to be a trainer for this Fall Challenge. Instead, she chose to make herself more available to participants, mentors, trainers and teams as possible while learning to enjoy the team/individual transformations made during this 12-week journey. Janis proudly wears many hats throughout this program – director, coach, instructor, organizer, head cheerleader, sister/ mother, counselor, confidante and friend. She and Whitney Rathbone, program assistant, have got the team weekly weight loss formula, top 15 weight loss and top body fat percentage loss standings down to a science. Within a half hour, Janis and Whitney can expertly spout off the results of teams and more than 80 participants. Impressive.

So far, my team, Team Joe D Bands, is doing well since the program kicked off on Sept. 11. During the first week (Sept. 18), the top three teams were Boot Camp, (led by trainer Sgt. Ben McKee), 49 overall pounds lost, 2.6 percent average weight loss; MUSC Weight Management, (Matt Harriott), 46.6 pounds lost, 2.3 percent avg. weight loss and Access Healthcare-Downtown (Tracy Ray), 35.8 pounds lost, 1.84 percent avg. weight loss. The Joe D. Bands team came in the middle of the pack (sixth place) with 28.8 pounds lost and 1.62 percent avg. weight loss. Big individual weight loss winners were Ben Weinstein (Boot Camp), 14.2 pounds; Melissa Guggisberg (Access Healthcare-Downtown), 11.8 pounds; Daniel Gross (Fit Quest), 10.6 pounds; followed by our team’s own captain, Nick Clekis (Joe D. Bands) 9.2 pounds. Total weight loss for all 10 teams during week one was a staggering 306.9 pounds.

By week two (Sept. 25), Boot Camp held the lead with 77.8 pounds lost, 4.0 percent avg. weight loss; Weight Management, 70 pounds lost, 3.54 percent avg. weight loss; and surprisingly, Joe D Bands, 54.6 pounds lost, 3.06 percent avg. weight loss. Our team was so excited about this news and energized with our progress from sixth to third place. Total weight loss for the teams during week 2 was 519.3 pounds. Individual accomplishments went to Ben Weinstein (Boot Camp), 19.4 pounds, 6.75 percent body fat lost; Whit Kinder (Adventure Teamworks), 15.6 pounds, 5.47 percent body fat loss and Nick Clekis (Joe D. Bands), 15.2 pounds, 6.33 percent body fat loss. Total cumulative weight loss for week two was 519.3 pounds.

For week three (Oct. 2) progress continued with Boot Camp, 97.6 pounds lost, 5.12 percent avg. weight loss; Weight Management, 83.6 pounds lost, 4.19 percent avg. weight loss; Charleston County Parks 60.1 pounds lost, 4.04 percent avg. weight loss. Team Joe D. Bands came in fourth place, 71.2 pounds lost, 3.97 percent avg. weight loss. Individual winners are Ben Weinstein (Boot Camp), 24.2 pounds, 8.40 percent avg. body fat lost; Melissa Guggisberg (Access healthcare-Downtown), 19.4 pounds, 5.77 percent avg. body fat loss; and Leo Windham (Access Healthcare-Mount Pleasant), 19.1 pounds, 7.57 percent avg. body fat loss. Overall weight loss for week three total was 669.1 pounds.

Week four (Oct. 9) Boot Camp continued their lead with 107.8 pounds lost, 5.64 percent avg. weight loss; Weight Management, 97.6 pounds lost, 4.88 percent avg. weight loss; and Joe D. Bands, 81 pounds lost, 4.62 percent avg. weight loss. Individual winners include Ben Weinstein (Boot Camp), 24.2 pounds, 8.40 percent avg. body fat loss; Leo Windham (Access Healthcare-Mount Pleasant), 21.6 pounds, 8.51 percent avg. body fat loss; and Melissa Guggisberg (Access healthcare-Downtown), 21.0 pounds, 6.24 percent avg. body fat loss. Cumulative weight loss for week four was 771.3 pounds.

Week five (Oct. 16) leaders are Boot Camp with 129 total pounds lost, 6.82 percent avg. weight loss; Anderson Insurance, 89.8 pounds lost, 5.82 percent avg. weight loss; Joe D. Bands, 93.0 pounds lost; 5.34 percent weight lost; Weight Management, 101.8 pounds lost; 5.05 percent weight lost; Individual winners are Ben Weinstein (Boot Camp), 28.8 pounds, 10 percent body fat loss; Leo Windham, 27 pounds, 10.64 percent avg. body fat loss; Daniel Gross, 25.2 pounds, 8.48 percent avg. percent body fat loss. Overall weight loss for week five is 903.3 pounds.

Teams are competing for several prize packages provided by Challenge sponsors. Winners in this competition will be determined based on percentage body weight lost by the entire team and individually. First place team prizes — $100 cash (Anderson Insurance and Jason’s Deli); a Gold Pass annual membership to Charleston County Parks; cooking class (Culinary Institute of Charleston/TTC); and Pilates Training session (MUSC Pilates Studio). Second place team prizes—$50 cash (Anderson Insurance and Jason’s Deli) and a Gold Pass annual membership to Charleston County Parks.

The overall winner will receive a week’s adventure vacation by Fit Quest (female) and tickets to an NFL football game along with a signed football by many NFL Hall of Fame Players (male) courtesy of Joe D. Bands. The race continues. Let the best teams/individuals win!

Monday, Oct. 6

There are two things many of us Healthy Charleston Challenge team participants worry about when it comes to staying active and increasing our level of exercise throughout these past five weeks – injury and sudden illness. I’ve recently been struck with the latter and have struggled to return to my daily fitness routine and staying on schedule. I’ve also learned that more Healthy Challenge compatriots and Boot Camp team mates have been recently hampered with injuries.

Should one exercise when they’re sick and when can you be too sick to exercise? I’ve researched this online and learned about this topic from various resources. The Mayo Clinic staff recommends that individuals use common sense when it comes to illness and encourages everyone to listen to their body. If you’re not feeling well but want to exercise, Mayo experts suggest reducing the intensity of your workouts. They also categorize sickness by symptoms above and below the neck. If one has symptoms of sneezing, a stuffy nose, watery eyes and sore throat, it maybe okay to workout on a moderate level. If your symptoms fall below the neck such as chest congestion, cough, tightness in chest, nausea, stomach ache and fever, postpone your workout for at least a week or until you’re feeling better.

As for injury, it goes with the territory. If you exercise regularly, an injury can be inevitable. This is especially true for a majority of people who may not be used to daily workouts and strenuous exercise. Anything can happen from a muscle strain to a torn ligament or severe sprain. What is important is that once you feel you are injured, stop the activity immediately and quickly get it checked by a doctor or specialist. Never try to work through the pain.

I’ve found that one of the toughest challenges during this down time is the mental part of dealing with illness and injury, especially in a fast-paced, competitive program like the Healthy Challenge. It can be frustrating when something like an illness or injury, although temporary, can unexpectedly knock you out of you routine and make you feel worried and even guilty about justifying the need to be comforted during illness. It’s a time when it’s easy to gain weight and deviate from our diets. It’s hard to be patient and good during this period. Remember, most of us are living the daily mantra of calories in and calories out.

All of us should remember to put our health first. In reality, injury and illness is a temporary state and that we should allow our body time to stop, rest and heal. During this period, it’s important to follow the doctor’s orders and eat balanced, nutritious meals. And when you’re feeling better, you may need to change your focus by making some adjustments and trying other activities to stay busy and active. If you can’t perform your normal routine, try something that exercises an alternative part of the body or provides less impact like swimming or water aerobics. Give your body a chance to heal so you can feel better and get back to your goal for wellness and success.

Saturday, Sept. 20

I was actually excited about the 2-mile Wellness Run/Walk in downtown Charleston. The event marked not only my first time participating as a runner in an a race event, but also was reflective of the my progress as well as other MUSC Healthy Charleston Challenge members and Beginner MUSC Boot Camp participants made through this wellness journey.

Our Joe D. Bands team decided to meet as a team prior to the run/walk. Some of us, like team captain Nick, brought along his family to cheer us on and participate. It’s was a beautiful, cool Lowcountry morning – slightly overcast but promising. Just prior to the start, I was intrigued by the morning’s energy that seemed to culminate around the race’s starting area – it probably originated from the anxious, excited crowd of 300-plus runners and walkers, who were readying to take their mark. I pondered how a short running event such as this would actually end in less than an hour and marveled at its reality. I also tried to capture our team’s enthusiasm on my camera phone.

As the race was underway, I found myself pacing with my fellow Boot Camp friend, Maureen, who like me, also is a beginning runner. We made our way at a slow run down Courtenay Drive and Bee Street and part of Morris Street before slowing to a fast walk down St. Phillips and picking up the pace again at the race’s one-mile mark by Vanderhorst Street. I give a thumbs up to my friends, Kim and Troy, who are encouraging me as they work the event’s water station. Heading down the home stretch on Bee Street, Maureen and I were met by Boot Camp mentors Greg, Pat and Karen, who pushed us to a sprinter’s pace toward the finish line. With my body feeling spent, but I was encouraged by voices in the crowd who were cheering my name and pushing me forward. The effect was both energizing and exhilarating. I recorded a time of 33 minutes for my first run/walk performance. I was exhausted and breathing hard but I didn’t care. I finished my first race and that’s what counts.

Prologue: The morning of the race, I was flipping through a running book I got from the library and read about television talk show host and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey’s inspirational story about how running changed her life. Like many people, Oprah turned to running, first as a way to lose weight, relieve stress and incorporate regular exercise into her life. Although she had a famous personal trainer, Bob Greene, to help her meet this challenge, she still had to put forth the physical and mental effort, plus commitment that anyone involved in weight loss and lifestyle change must do. In spring 1993, she began her running program very slowly and progressed from a run/walk program on a 3-to-4 consecutive mile pace. Oprah was guided by the mantra: “The more weight you lose, the faster you run. And the faster you run, the more weight you lose.”
Four months later and 40 pounds lighter, Oprah ran the America’s Finest city Half-Marathon in San Diego and completed it running it in 2:16. She built her focus and endurance from that first win to run a half-marathon and other road races. By October 1994, she reached the high point of her training by completing the Marine Corps Marathon (26.2 miles) in Washington D.C.
Greene said of Oprah, “She could have quit months before the marathon. She certainly had enough legitimate excuses. But she didn’t. I like to think her progress and her commitment will show millions of other people that they can improve their lives, too. Maybe they won’t run a marathon, but they can run a 5K. Or they can lose the weight they’ve been wanting to get rid of. It’s just so inspiring to watch someone transform herself and that’s what Oprah has done.”

Thursday, Sept. 11

Today marked the third day of MUSC Beginner’s Boot Camp and our class is slowly adjusting to this morning fitness routine. It still feels a little odd going to bed at the same time as elementary school kids and rising, like I like to say, with the birds. Sgt. H, our PT (physical training) instructor, has been leading us through a routine of stretching and exercises. Our class meets weekly for 12 weeks on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I learned that physical fitness is very important to the Marines and that they must maintain a higher fitness level than any of the other military branches. Marines are required to pass a Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test (PFT) twice a year to assess their fitness level.

Our class focuses on proper form and execution for push-ups, crunches, leg lifts, side straddle hops (also known as jumping jacks), an numerous other exercises that I’ve never heard of before. Another key element is daily running to help build agility and endurance. Today, we evaluated our current level of fitness by performing timed push-ups and crunches each within a two-minute period.

I reported a miserable 15 push-ups and 18 crunches and ran a 16:13 minute not-quite-one-mile – a paltry baseline performance. Let me say that I’ve not run since high school and can honestly vouch that it is not my forte. After this morning’s excitement, I couldn’t wait to hit the showers.

My office day was pretty routine. I limped along completing a couple of scheduled interviews while striving to drink my 8-10 glasses of water for proper hydration as instructed by Sgt. H and my team trainers, Ron and Todd. I’m one of 13 members on the Joe D. Bands Challenge team.

By 5 p.m., I was ready to attend our first Healthy Charleston Challenge weekly team meeting and anxious to meet other members of my team. Program organizers Janis and Whitney did a fine job planning this initial gathering and introduced a team of new program supporters including a physician (Dr. Dave), nutritionist (Judith), psychiatrist (Josh) and program trainer (James), plus the help 27 experienced mentors who completed last winter’s program.

At our team table was our Joe D. Bands trainers, Ron and Todd, and team mates Katherine, Nina, Ed, Margie, Ronnie, Kathy and Nick, voted team captain. Our mentors are Greg, Michelle and Pam. Several of my team participate in the Beginner’s Boot Camp and the alternative Joe D. Bands morning workouts where we were first introduced. I can’t say enough about having the support and camaraderie of our team mates, especially mentors. Their knowledge and experience will be invaluable to each of us throughout this fitness and weight loss journey.

A highlight of the educational meeting were testimonials given by several personal success stories. John and Nicole are two Winter Healthy Challenge mentors who wanted to share their stories of their journeys to weight loss, healthy living and success. As each individual told their story, I was in awe of how their winter successes continued on and improved almost six months later. “The program helped save my life,” said John, with both conviction and emotion about his 44 pound weight loss and borderline struggle in starting blood pressure medication.

Our first meeting couldn’t have ended any better. The encouragement through these inspirational stories and presence of real-life heroes were what we needed for each of us to get this 11-week, life-changing effort going.

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