Living Strong

Article and photo by Bert Sorin, Vice President, Sorinex Exercise Equipment

So, this Wednesday morning, I did the usual:

Eyes open, assess damage. Where am I sore? How's the back? I had a big front squat earlier this week, paying for it now. Only one shoulder numb, well, that's good.

Turn alarm off on iPhone. Check emails to get a gist of what the day has in store while I let my eyes focus. Look over to see my beautiful wife sleeping quietly; although I can't see it, her body is working overtime developing our soon-to-be son. That gives me an extra shot of strength to push through the day, and work hard to improve the life of my family and my company. I bow my head and thank the Lord for my life and blessings. Today is already a good day.

I drag my sore body out of bed, go through a series of sticking and foam rolling exercises on the bedroom floor (hey, recovery is important), hit the shower to fully wake up, and go to the kitchen to start building my breakfast shake. 2 Scoops whey protein, frozen blueberries and raspberries, 1 scoop natural peanut butter, 1 scoop Glutamine, 1/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal, 1 glob of Greek Yogurt, 1 pack of Emergen - C, water, blend.

In the meantime, pop a few fish oil pills and digestive enzymes. Dump the purple sludge down my gullet as I get dressed in my cargo shorts and Sorinex shirt, grab my pre-workout turkey sandwich for later, gave Les a big kiss, and close the door behind me. Dodged the sprinklers on the way to pull the garbage can to the curb, dodged the sprinklers on my way to the truck, vroom, I'm off.

Clicking through XM Radio, Wham! Polk Salad Annie, the Elvis rendition! Awesome. That will get the blood going! Feeling good as I cruise through the neighborhood, my mind wanders to chasing excellence. What can I do today to make my business better for our customers? What can I do to be a better husband, son, and soon-to-be father? What can I do to get stronger, throw further, and be healthier? This is what goes through my mind constantly. I am on the lookout for opportunities for excellence, not only for myself, but for those around me. I want to applaud extraordinary performances, determination, conviction, grit.

As I round the corner and make my way up the "big hill" in our neighborhood, I see two people walking. As I get closer, I see the man has a weight vest on, cool. The woman has something behind her, hmmm. As I get closer, I see that what is dragging behind her is a wagon; in the wagon are her son, and the family dog. A rope is tied around her waist, which is tied to the wagon handle. She is going on a walk around the neighborhood with her husband, child and even the dog to start the day! I get beside her and I see that she has on the same shirt I do. An "Old School" Black Sorinex T-Shirt. You have got to be kidding me! Awesome. I am so proud to see someone who: A. Works hard B. Overcome obstacles C. is resourceful and D. Is family oriented, and is a part of my Sorinex Family!!

She and her husband train at their home, buy quality when they can, but until they can afford the best, they don't let anything stand in their way of success. They are together, they are fighting together, and they will survive. She told me that in a few years she has lost over 100lbs. using kettlebells, barbells, bands and some makeshift toys. She can now swing an 88lb. bell and one arm press her son.

What was the secret ingredient? There are two: hard work and consistency. They had both.

I got out of the truck, took this quick picture, thanked them for their inspiration, and let them go back to their training.