The picture you see below and to the left is very important to me. It matters to me greatly. It was taken in May of 1960, a month before my third birthday. The four boys and the man in this picture, along with my mother Melody, are who matter most in my life. I love them..them being my father, Nick, and my three older brothers in descending order. Jim. Tom. Dan. I’m the really short but adorable one in the front, reaching up to block my brother Dan’s face. He deserved it…for nicknaming me ‘The Leech’, a name that has solidly found it’s own place in our family history. I just wanted to hang out with you and the big bros. A lot! All the time! Your every second breathing air! Is that so wrong?? And as much as I love these guys, as good as they were to me as a kid growing up (except for the Leech thing), as excellent men and human beings as they are today…I am totally glad I’m not like them any more than I am. That’s the truth. I know that sounds harsh. I’ll explain my bluntness shortly and disclose to you here and now that I take after my mom. And that makes me really happy! For the most part anyway. Sorry, Mom. I could have been a little taller. Would a towering 5’7″ have been too much to ask for? Mom is a shorty pop at all of 5’2″… with eyes of blue. I am a staggering 5 feet, 6 & 1/2 inches tall! And that’s if it happens to be a really good hair day. Really good.
My father was a pretty good looking guy, in my opinion, and with my mom I think they did ‘ok’ looks wise in the kid department. And although it pains my older brothers to this day that Nick and Melody saved the best for last when it comes to not breaking a mirror (something I keep having to remind them of often it seems…and do), they did acquire some benefits that dear old dad did not bequeath to his youngest. That would be me.
Two of the benes doled out of Pop’s gene pool were his stature and his athletic ability. My father was around 6 feet tall and he could throw a pass, he could catch a bass, and he could kick one’s uhh, hmm….arse in self defense, of course! ( I know. The obvious word would have been so perfect!) My big brothers were all that and then some. They were total studs when it came to football, basketball, baseball and track. I was a total stud at chorus, speech & debate and, of course…the drama club. They were big enough and tall enough to excel in sports, and excel they did. I, on the other hand, excelled at being ‘gnome like’ and singing really edgy songs such as the rebellious Guantanamero and the angst ridden Rainy Days & Mondays in chorus. In the front row. So you could see me. Dan, the shortest of my big bubs is still a good 3 inches taller than I. Tom is about 6’1″ and my eldest bro, Jim, lands somewhere in between those two altitudes. I’m fine with being short. Really. The fog at these levels bothers me from time to time, but for the most part…I have embraced my vertical challenge.
So, why have I bothered to blog about how ‘the other brother from the same mother’ types are more similar to dad than I am? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s all about genetics, mostly anyway! Ok, let’s just say that genetics play an important role in how you turn out and what you are able to do. And seeing as I write a health and fitness blog…it’s all about genetics and how they can affect your own adventure in fitness.
Sensitive as I am to the needs of those of you reading, including my interest in holding your interest, there will be for the first time ever at TedGuiceFitness.com/blog….a ‘part two’! A second show! Another chapter…a Double Dip, if you will! So hang tight with me and look for the other half of ‘Who Are You? It Matters.’ We’ll get to the realities, the challenges and possibilities of the gene pool you’re in and how that affects your own unique journey towards optimum health, peak physical fitness and quality of life on the road ahead. Thanks so much for being here with me at TGF.com. You matter! And I’ll be back shortly (sorry. I had to.) with more. Until then…live robust! My Very Best To You. Ted
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And 3 inches is a very good height to be replied the caterpillar to Alice! Body building is a short man’s sport. Your shorter muscles build out more visibly than a lanky man’s. For aerobics you have less angular momentum to over come.
In the looks department you are very appealing. (As I once warned you to be responsible with your good looks and charm!)
There are differences to allow for in planning a workout and expectations to manage. The motivation to keep working out is the challenge. At some point we all get to an age when we are not going to be bigger or stronger or faster next year. This is when the effort is the most needed. I doubt that your brothers are still more athletic than you are!
I have never been able to achieve the kind of physical size I would have thought would go with the workouts and diet I steadfastly kept. But I am the mouse in my family and I am just the heftiest of the bean polls. I have always worked out for the psychological benefits and they will always have me coming back. I wish everyone had as easy a time with their motivation.
You have a special place in my heart.
Eric
Hey there, Eric! Thanks so much for your very thoughtful and insightful comments. I loves me some caterpillars! Thank you, as well, for your generous comments regarding the 56 year old punum I sport. You are always a gentleman and very kind. And I believe you are spot on in your take on the short and tall aspect of exercise. In both the aerobics room and on the gym floor, and based on my experience as a personal fitness trainer and a group exercise instructor, my thoughts seems to reflect your thoughts almost exactly. You higher altitude types do seem to have more challenges when it comes to achieving the same results as your shorter brethren. Mostly. I did say ‘almost’ exactly.
It’s really just common sense and aesthetics! Taller in height gets you longer limbs with which to push or pull…which requires more time and more energy expended to pump out a rep or a set. You also have more ‘space to fill’ because your spaces are longer and require more muscle to fill them. Tall guys are always asking me how they can fill in and build muscle onto their frames. And you ask often about filling in your arms, legs, and in the number one most requested position…your calves! I feel for you blue sky guys because it can be frustrating, especially when we take a look at pro bodybuilders on the scene today. Sure, there are plenty of us shorty pops on stage and showing big muscle. But what I find significant and more common these days, is the very real increase in the number of taller bodybuilders who fill the posing strap with incredibly huge, serious, and short dude challenging muscle mass! Ahhh…the wonders of modern science and chemistry advance hormonally to even the fields…right, wrong, healthy or not. Also, and here is the ‘almost’ part, you taller gents do seem to excel in sports such as track and field, basketball, baseball, swimming, volley ball, etc.. Sports in which your stature and longer limbs are an advantage. And sports of which I have not a clue. So, there you have it over us…but you can forget about gymnastics and jockeying. They’re ours!
Last, You are so very correct in saying that it is the motivation to keep working out that challenges most of us air breathers. To keep on keeping on, to get through the gym doors and hit the weights consistently, to attend an exercise class 3 times + every week, to not sabotage our fitness goals by putting them low on the priority scale…all can be great challenges. Very soon, and to entice you back, I will blog in depth about what it takes to stay on track with our physical fitness programs and toward our goals. I’ll examine both the physical and emotional aspects of exercise and consistency, and lack thereof, including what you so aptly sight as the psychological benefits that always keep you coming back to the gym. And that you do, Eric. You keep coming back…and I both see you and admire you so much for that. Stay tuned, Eric. Much more on all this soon. Thank you for the reminder and inspiration to go further on the subject of exercise motivation and inspiration. You are certainly all about that…and more! My best to you…Ted
It’s nice to see you writing like this.
**And I’ll be back shortly (sorry. I had to.)**
You crack me up.
Well, thank you Paul! It’s very gratifying to know that I crack you up and that you enjoy my writing style. People have said to me, and more than one, that I seem to just write down whatever is in my head at the moment and very much like the way I talk. You may have taken note previously of my ‘wordiness’ and I have no doubt I have been the donor of a few editing headaches to my web God, Ken. (He’s a very patient man, thankfully!). In the end, I have relaxed about my tome’s a bit more and settled into what fits my insides with my writing. Based on the positive responses from people I know, admire and care for (you happen to be one of them, if I haven’t told you so), it seems to go over well. And I finally feel at home, capable and comfortable with my style of the ‘what you see is what you get’ method. My goals in writing are to be authentic, knowledgeable, open, sensitive, embracing and inclusive, provocative, responsible, humorous (I am, right? I mean..you DO think I’m funny? You did mean that crack you up stuff, correct? Throw me a bone..I am fragile. right.), loving and as human as I am…bumps and all. Those also happen to be my goals in life. Some days that can be a tall order (you asked for that), but mostly, and if I simply remember who I am…it comes blissfully easy. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Paul. My best to you always…Ted
(note to self: See! Paul can get his point across in just 3 short sentences. But Nooo, not Ted! He has to ramble on and on and…well, you get my drift.)
Part 1-A of my earlier and soon to be 2 part blog post on TedGuiceFitness.com. An email from my Mom, who turns a ‘still kicking butt and taking names…with lots of love’ amazing 82 years old in a little over a week. She actually reads my blog. I am 56 years old…and I am both touched and honored that I am still ‘her little boy’. Thank you, Mom…I love you very much! T
“Well my little boy you never seem to disappoint me. You have quite a way with words and seem to get everything down just right.
This is such a good history of the family told with some humor and some serious stuff. All I can say to you is thank you for being my son.
Love you dearly. Your short Mom I am 5′ now because I.m older”
Me too, Mom…Me too. T.
Thanks for the insight about the family. Your humor and honesty blended together make for great reading. Keep it up….you’ve managed to put a smile on this ole girl’s face this morning. XOXO
D
Thank you so much, Donise! And you always know how to make my day. Ole girl? Heck..we’re just getting started, Tawanda! You go Hottie Girl…show ’em what you got! A big hug to you..and lots of love. Thanks for reading and commenting always…Ted