I’m sure that I’m not the only one ever reminiscing about how fit and strong I was during college, but the reality is that I am far from being as fit as I was in those younger years. Life got busier since graduation in 1994, with all kinds of changes: my career, new social scenes, marriage, two young boys and family responsibilities. Now at 43, everything is moving quite rapidly, the only thing slowing down is my metabolism.
Over the years, as life takes its course I progressively departed from regular fitness routine. I took up running because it seemed like the quickest way to stay fit and was the only thing that suited my busy schedule. Though I had run a few half marathon races, I just was not feeling energized. I joined the company soccer league, but that didn’t last long because my ACL was torn during one of the games, and the subsequent knee surgery seemed to have put an end to it all. I became even less active than before and was idly waiting for my knee to heal so that I could return to running again. I was getting more sluggish, frequently feeling fatigue and became less motivated to engage in fitness activities. Finally in late last year, the medical diagnosis on my partial vision impairment revealed that I have brain tumour.
Subsequently my energy level was taking a beating from the medical treatment, and at that point I figured I definitely need to seriously commit to a health regimen and boost my energy level.
I started by switching to healthy-eating and getting good rest, but the greater challenge was to find effective exercise program that suits my busy schedule. I was given information on the Turbulence Training which at first sounded too good to be true, about the three days a week of the 45 minute workout routine. But then, I had nothing to lose to give it a try.
I started with the Intermediate Level Turbulence Training. Having been unfit for a while, it wasn’t until the third week that I could perform the entire routine properly. At the fourth week I was able to increase the intensity by adding more weights in the exercise routines. Admittedly, this was the first time in a long time since I did any complete workout using weights and being able to improve my performance week after week. I went from the Intermediate Level to Advanced Level Turbulence training, and was able to try out other variety of Craig’s programs like the 2K3, the Extreme Depletion, and the TT for Abs. Needless to say my fitness routine became productive once again!
Having many different workout programs to choose from really makes Turbulence Training enjoyable and the result is absolutely rewarding. With the daily workout routines already laid out for me I don’t need to spend any time thinking about what I should do. The workouts can really be done within the 45 minutes, which is about the same amount of time I used to spend on running, except this time I really feel my strength and energy level increased. I do spend about half an hour afterward to review my progress and do the appropriate planning for the next days or setting my next workout goals. One very important lesson that I learned during the Turbulence Training process is that personal fitness goal, just as much as any other types of goal: academic or career needs its share of careful planning and managing. If taken lightly like any another leisure activity, it doesn’t take long before it falls by the wayside.
With Turbulence Training I can honestly say that I really feel the recovery and the regaining of my strength. I can actually see myself taking on more fitness challenges. Turbulence Training is definitely something that I can stick with for a long time. Special thanks to Craig for all the valuable tips and motivating quotes during this process.
A summary of the measurement changes
WAS NOW
Weight 170lbs 161lbs
Chest 40” 41”
Waist 37” 32”
Arms 13.75” 14.25”
