The Fastest Way to Fall(9)

In terms of where to start, keep track of what you eat and how much exercise you do for the next week. Here’s a link to the tracking resources in the app. You can send me the results, and we’ll formulate a plan. There’s no right or wrong here.


What questions do you have?


Wes


P.S. Don’t knock white rappers from the ’90s. Where would we be as a country without the dope rhymes of Vanilla Ice? Also, no judgment. I’m writing you back on a Friday night.



From: Bmoney34

To: FitMiCoachWes1

Sent: February 1, 9:34 p.m.


Wes,


I don’t have to diet right away? This sounds like a trick . . .


Where would we be without Vanilla Ice? A profound question. He taught us so much as a nation. I think I like you. Until you recommend kale smoothies. At that point, you’re dead to me. I’ll start tracking tomorrow. You’ll know I’m lying if I say I ordered fruit and yogurt from Dunkin’, right?


B



From: FitMiCoachWes1

To: Bmoney34

Sent: February 1, 9:42 p.m.


B,


Diets rarely work, and I suspect you already know that, but I will help you make choices about food that work for your life. I find it’s better to spend the first few days paying attention to what you already do—it’s easy to ignore what we put in our bodies when we’re not paying attention, so tracking what you eat and how much you exercise now is where we’ll start. As you go, make note of how you feel (i.e., energized, tired, happy, etc.). It will give us a baseline.


Also, you indicated wanting to lose weight on the registration form—many of our clients do, but I want to make sure you know we don’t focus on that with coaching. It can happen when people exercise more and eat well, but my focus will not be the numbers on the scale, but on you moving more and feeling good. This is challenging for some people who have been conditioned to believe that the numbers are the only things that matter—let me know if you have questions.


I look forward to helping you meet your goals, and I’ll remember the thing about the kale smoothies.


Wes


P.S. Who gets fruit at Dunkin’?



I closed my laptop and headed for the kitchen to rinse out my glass. Turned out my new coach had jokes, which was a relief. Filling out the form and that first exchange had given me an idea for my next post, and I returned to my laptop, flipped it open, and began to write. If, on the off chance I one day won the Pulitzer for this piece, no one would need to be the wiser that I started it while a little drunk and in my underwear.





6





“HEY.” AARON TIPPED his chin up as I approached courtside and sat beside him. “We’ve got next.”

Aaron’s wife had been a personal training client, and I always wondered what kind of man could hold his own with Felicia. Turned out, no man ever tried, but Aaron seemed to enjoy being next to her while she bent the world to her will. I’d been playing basketball with him and some guys he worked with for about a year.

I tucked my phone in my pocket. “How’s it going?”

He shook his head and bounced the ball from palm to palm. “You hiring over at FitMi?”

“Last I checked, we weren’t short any high school assistant principals, and I think your wife might kill you if you left after spending all that time finishing your master’s. What’s up?” I liked these games. The guys were laid-back, and it was probably good to hang out with someone other than Cord after we’d spent so much time getting FitMi off the ground. Coaching again had helped, and one of my new clients was kind of a trip—but Cord was right, I wasn’t myself lately, and I hated having him worry about it. Luckily, these guys didn’t know me well enough to ask any probing questions.

Aaron stood, stretching as we talked. “Same old story. Budget cuts. We had this entire new initiative planned for juniors and seniors that was going to help with the cuts we’ve already had to make in the P.E. program.” Aaron paused and waved to Jake, who made his way toward us. “But.” Aaron stopped talking and just made cutting motions with his fingers.

“Talking about your vasectomy again?” Jake set his gym bag on the bench and nodded toward the other guys. “I doubt Wes is any more interested in the play-by-play than I was.”

Aaron flipped him off. “This funny guy.”

“Naya thinks so.” Jake checked his phone and then set it in his bag. I liked him for my friend—nice guy, career oriented, and he was even good with Aaron and Felicia’s kids, which was no easy task, as those kids had energy for days. I had never met anyone worse at basketball, though.

Aaron tossed him the ball, which he barely caught. “I think she means you smell funny. I’d say you look funny, but damn it if you’re not a handsome bastard.”

Jake laughed and tossed the ball back as the players on the court finished their game and our group began a shift forward. We stood at center court, waiting for the last few guys to join us.

“So, they cut your physical education funding?” I palmed the ball. Aaron hadn’t finished his story, but I’d loved my P.E. courses in school. I’d spent as much time as I could with my coach and around the school gym.