We asked the Fit to Live team to keep us posted on what they are up to. Check out these posts from Dennis' MySpace blog.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Thanks... I appreciate all the positive emails, calls and hugs. Being involved in the "Fit to Live" show has been a wonderful experience. With all the undiagnosed health problems they both revealed and helped to solved, I can truly say that they saved my life.
Friday, January 11, 2008: Why Me?
I've had a number of the people in my life ask why I choose to do the show. It's out of character and certainly not something anyone, including my wife, thought I would ever do.
Well…
I'd been doing standup comedy for a few months when I got the chance to appear at the world famous Hollywood Improv on my 45th birthday. A week later I was watching a video of the set, and it opened my eyes as wide as an Anima character. I had no idea I looked like that. In a room full of people watching the video I actually said out loud "who is that fat b*stard?" and meant it.
Yes, I'd seen pictures of myself, but I'm the Dad, which means I'm usually taking the pictures instead of being in them; and if I am in them, the kids are the center of attention. Yes, I'd seen my reflection in the mirror every morning, but who ever really looks at that? You focus on shaving or brushing your teeth, not on what your body looks like. I knew I'd avoided taking the kids to the pool because I didn't want to take my shirt off. I knew I'd had to turn down chances to do some Boy Scout and parent activities because I wasn't in shape to do them. But seeing myself standing alone in the unforgivingly bright stage lights in front of 200 people with nothing but a microphone stand to hide behind left nothing to the imagination. I even saw that guy in the video resting his arms on his belly like a shelf. I can't imagine a more jarring wakeup call.
A few days later I was looking for comedy club postings on an entertainment website and I happened to see an ad describing a show for people who were willing to be challenged with getting themselves in good enough shape to save their own lives. They weren't looking to turn thin people into underwear models, or marathon runners into tri-athletes; they were looking for real people who understood that they needed to correct years of neglect and get to a place where they wouldn't be overwhelmed by life's challenges. With the birthday comedy set fresh in my mind I responded to the ad, and figured they'd never pick me.
A week later the production company representative asked me to come to their office. We talked on camera for a while; they had me do some basic physical tasks, like pushups and sit-ups, and then had me run up six flights of stairs. I thought I was going to die. Pointing a video camera at a red-faced sweaty fat guy who can't get a breath is just plain mean. I did have a second epiphany moment while trying to catch a breath at the top of the stairs. I couldn't stop thinking about what I would do if I had to carry the kids up these same six flights. We'd all be doomed. I went home a little wiser, and still thinking there was no way they'd pick me out of all the people they were interviewing.
They did call me back a few days later and asked that I visit their doctor to check my general health. They took blood, did a basic physical and put me on a treadmill. I asked the doctor how long it would take to get my heart rate up and he said about 15 minutes. I knew I was in sad shape when it took less than five. I'm pretty sure I saw him looking out of the corner of his eye to make sure the deliberator paddles were charged.
With all the signals around me saying I needed to make some changes, I actually started eating salads for dinner and taking a walk at lunch, and I lost a few pounds before they called to say I'd been accepted. Thinking back I'm not only shocked that they accepted me into the project, but just how little I knew about what I needed to do to make any progress. I figured a salad for dinner would help, but hey… what about that dressing? I figured a leisurely walk in the afternoon must be enough to count as exercise. Well, Dr. Peeke cleared up those misconceptions pretty quickly… but more on that later.
