So, I finally figured out I wasn't going to do it on my own. I'm not qualified to know what to do anyway (any more than I am qualified to prescribe my own medications). I'm not smart enough, diligent enough or committed enough to pull this off. It took a while, but I got there.
And there, waiting on me to get there, was the most perfect trainer for me that I could have imagined. Please meet Tylor.
He's the perfect trainer and a great guy.
He used to play professional baseball, which is an asset on two fronts. First, my shoulders and elbows are horribly weak, and baseball players know about that stuff first hand. Tylor knows exactly where to pull, push, stretch and poke around those areas. It's all the same stuff needed to throw a baseball across the diamond and get the out at the plate. Second, I love baseball. I could never play it, but baseball is the only sport I ever had any real interest in. I would love to have been able to step up to the plate and hit the ball - even just once.
He's a Canadian, and is stereotypically nice, easy going and fun to be around. For a jock, I really enjoy his company. I was sort of hoping to find someone with more of a medical or physical therapy bias. A friend of mine uses just such a trainer, and is very happy with him. But Tylor is a better match for me because he is the perfect balance between fun and intimidating. From an accountability perspective, I really don't want to get cross threaded with him.
And he gets it. He gets my humor and my situation. He knows I don't really want to be there, but need to embrace wellness and strength on a physical level. He doesn't dumb down our workouts or pull any punches when I slack off. But he makes the process enjoyable at the same time. At least subjectively, this is very important. I was really dreading starting a workout regimen at the gym. He has made the experience more than tolerable - even pleasant.
Overall, he's just what I would choose for a trainer. He's smart enough, engaging enough, mean enough and cute enough to keep me in the game. And he doesn't like tofu and bean sprouts either. He's got me eating good stuff that I like on a nutrition program that isn't a burden.
Wow. Why did I wait so long to track this guy down? I can't believe I actually feel this way, but I'm really excited to see what happens over the next few months.
(Since I basically just wrote a commercial for the guy, I guess I should add that he is at Anytime Fitness on W. Hefner Rd (Hefner and Rockwell). If anyone locally needs a good trainer, look him up. I'm sure he could use the business as much as you could use his special expertise. If he can make me excited to go to the gym, he can do about anything. Don't tell him I said that though. He'll raise his prices.)