Welcome to the First Day of Class 2008

It is great to know that you are taking a step toward a healthier future.  This “lecture” was written on January 1, 2008, the first day of this semester.  If you would like to go directly to the details of the Free Class, please click here.

Like some of you, I woke up this morning with a bad headache. No, not because I was hung over, but rather because I must have been dehydrated from not drinking enough yesterday or perhaps too much sodium in the Louisiana Shrimp Casserole that I had made for dinner. Whatever the cause, it made getting up early this morning and making some changes to my website and committing to “teach” all the more daunting. But for many years I have wanted to do this and I wasn’t going to let the anxiety of getting started or my pounding head keep me from what I knew I had to do.

What prompted me to take on another commitment in a life already breaking me down with stress? I will always remember the results of a college aptitude test that indicated that I should be a brick layer or a minister. I don’t have the physical stature to be a brick layer or the knowledge of scriptures to be a minister to the spirit. But in a sense, a teacher is a minister and in my case, my vocation is ministering to the needs of your body.

I was further prompted to teach when a dear friend who, when I explained my idea to her, said that I was a “natural born teacher”. I have in fact taught twice before in my life. My first teaching job was at the Marymount School in Barranquilla, Colombia and it was one of the most rewarding and fun things that I have ever done. My second teaching job was at the American School in Guatemala City, Guatemala and that experience was equally, if not more rewarding.

Since those glory days of my youth, I have turned my attention from “ministering” to the mind, to focusing my attention on improving and optimizing the health and fitness of the body, both by coaching individuals and high school and club runners, being a personal trainer for more than a dozen years and now with my Howtobefit.com website.

In this evolutionary step in my life’s journey, I will be able to touch the lives of many, many people on a daily basis and their commitment to change will have to come from within, since I won’t be able to “take attendance” or grade papers and may in fact be “lecturing” to an empty classroom on some days.

Tomorrow, I will post a class structure and suggested course materials, none of which are required since this is a free class and what you get out of it is based on what you put into it. I have already put six articles on my site so that you can start reading today if you so choose. You will find the articles in the header on this page entitled, “Take Charge Of Your Body For Life“.

Whether you are a visitor seeking help and guidance or you are already committed to making a change in your life, I welcome you and look forward to hearing from you and knowing that you are taking the first step this year to take charge of your body. Class details are available at the top of the page listed under “Free Class”.

Please feel free to contact me at any time at howtobefit@aol.com for more information.