A is for aerobics, or how a nerd became an athlete

Were you the kind of kid from high school who was always picked last in gym class?

I was. In fact, my team usually wanted to “trade” me to the other team. That way, due to my lack of athleticism, I could be a drag on my new team.

In one gym class in particular, I wanted to impress my teammate who had just moved into our neighborhood. So I was thrilled when he, as our team’s quarterback, called my number in the group. My task was to dig deep, possibly score the winning touchdown just before the bell rings.

When the ball went up, I ran across the field as fast as I could, grabbed my neighbor’s pass, and was proud to get the ball into the end zone to score! But when I turned around to see the jubilation and celebration of my teammates, all I saw were players from both teams rolling on the ground laughing. Instead of being proud, he was now mortified.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I got to college and found out that Physical Education was still a required class.

“I thought I was finally done with all that humiliation!” I was sorry to a friend.

“Why not do aerobics?” the suggested.

“I don’t want to dance in silly stockings,” I sighed.

“Not that kind of aerobics,” he corrected me. “In a hurry.”

In a hurry? One foot in front of the other? I’d even have a hard time messing it up in gym class.

So I signed up for the class and started running in jeans.

“You know,” I told my friend, who was also taking the class while we were running. “This really isn’t that bad.”

The instructor then gave each of us a copy of Dr. Kenneth Cooper’s book. Aerobics. The more I read, the more absorbed and dedicated I become.

I bought a pair of sweatpants and a pair of Nike’s. Primitive by today’s standards (this was 1975), the Nike was blue canvas on top, with a yellow waffle on the bottom. But after I put them on, I felt like I was running on a cloud.

Finally it was time to take the final exam. Whoever could run the furthest in 12 minutes would be guaranteed an “A” in class.

During the exam, I started to pass my classmates (including my friend) one by one. Finally, with less than half a minute left, all that separated me from an A was a single runner, the best runner in the class.

But he was the type of athlete who ran in shorts, even in the dead of winter (and our university was located in Erie, Pennsylvania, which was plagued by stormy winds and lake-effect snow).

Suddenly, with only a few seconds remaining in the class, while making a sound that resembled a locomotive, I was ahead of the fastest runner in the class. Imagine that, four-eyed old man getting an A – in gym class!

That class completely changed my self-concept. I had never been an “athlete” before. But now, I went through a metamorphosis similar to that of the class fool who suddenly realized that he could be a genius.

It’s hard for me to believe, but looking back, the only college class in over five years of post-secondary education that had the biggest impact on my life was: a gym class!

Since that day in the spring of 1975, I have run more than 35,000 miles (almost 1.5 times around the earth), including running numerous marathons and half marathons.

Also, in the last seven years, I have ridden over 7,000 miles on my bike.

But you don’t need to run. No need to ride a bike.

The key is to find a form of physical activity that you enjoy. So, as the famous American philosopher Michael Jordan advises, “Do it!”

I also follow the simple, easy-to-follow nutrition tips from Dr. Cooper, who wrote the Aerobics book: “Five is fine, but nine is divine.” (Dr. Cooper refers to the number of daily servings of fruits and vegetables.)

Three other nutritional keys:

• Eat food as close to its natural state as possible.

• Avoid foods that are advertised on television. (These are typically highly processed foods that are also high in sugars, fats, and carbohydrates. When was the last time you saw advertisements for carrots on television?)

• Don’t drink your calories. (The calories in liquids often have very little nutritional value.)

For many of the high school jocks who enjoyed bullying me in gym class, very few of them today can walk, let alone run, a mile, I have not been seriously ill (that is, having to see a doctor) in more than 30 years. I do not take medication and I have no aches or pains. In fact, I still feel like I’m in high school!

While those ex-jocks were now huffing and puffing, not only am I in better shape than I was in high school, I also weigh less (with a 31-inch waist) and have more energy and vitality.

And I’d be lying if I said I don’t like the fact that those high school jocks now look so much older than me too!