“It’s about changing your lifestyle” : Staying Fit Then And Now Part 2

Fred Opie covering Hobart's Marc Moore in  the 1984 Manhasset High School's Lacrosse Day of Champions 1984

While playing for Syracuse, I took the game of lacrosse very seriously which meant that while friends from high school took it easy over the summer with partying and seefood diets (eat whatever you). I had to make different choices.  For example, I got up early and went for training runs or did the same in the evening and carefully chose what and when I ate. I would coordinate with staff at my high school to get access to the weight room, and I did lots of wall ball to improve my stick skills. Today I am just as serious about my writing and teaching but more importantly about my fitness. Some say I don't have enough time to work out. I say if you are too busy to workout you are too busy! I also say, look at your older family members and say do you want to look like them when you are their age? Tomorrow I will share some strategies I have employed to reduce my waistline. 

Food and Fitness: http://www.foodasalens.com/search?q=resolution

My Hard Work and Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22hard+work%22

How to Improve Your Stick Skills: [Watch 4 min 2 sec] http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-i-developed-my-lacrosse-stick.html

Review of The Lacrosse Feature Film Crooked Arrows: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-of-first-feature-film-about.html

Winter Workouts

Mike Woicik ran the strength and conditioning program at Syracuse when I was there as a lacrosse player in the 80s. Mike told me how he has run into former SU athletes and NFL players that he worked with during his career and that they were so out of shape that he did not recognize them. I’ve had similar experiences with former teammates. Mike explained, “It’s about changing your lifestyle.” Is comment made me reflect on what I would be doing in the winter off season when I was a college player. I got up in below freezing New York weather and went for training runs. At that time few understood the rigors of playing a Division I sport. I would coordinate with the basketball coach at my high school to get access to the weight room and a place to do wall ball. 

Syracuse Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Tom%22

Food and Fitness Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=fitness

Lacrosse Wall Ball Routines:

http://television.insidelacrosse.com/tag/how_to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiwZV_a2EfY

Kyle Harrison on the Training Table

Kyle Harrison right in his home Hopkins white jersey, Courtesy of JHU

Kyle Harrison displaying his grilling skills, Courtesy of Kyle Harrison 

This week on the podcast host Fred Opie interviews John Hopkins All-American lacrosse player Kyle Harrison.  He talks about what it takes to be a great player, becoming a father, the next US team tryouts, getting ready for the season, changing his eating habits as he gets older, and how much sleep he needs. The interview is part of the series training table which looks at players, fitness, and food. Listen to Hopkins lacrosse stories and at the end professor Opie’s tips for being a better student.

Listen to the podcast now: https://soundcloud.com/thestudytable/the-training-table-kyle-harrison

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/FrederickDouglassOpie?ref=hl and Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrFredDOpie

Kyle Harrison Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=kyle

Listen to Our Podcasts and More: http://www.fredopie.com/

Kyle’s Website: http://iamkyleharrison.com/

Winter Workouts Part 2

Photo: Walter Payton running “the hill” in Arlington Heights, Illinois

What drove me to run in the cold, lift weights, and work on my stick skills as a Syracuse lacrosse player over winter break were stories of athletes like Larry Bird and Walter Payton. Bird, the story goes, would be out on the court in Indiana heat waves shooting jumpers for hours alone. Similarly during the off season with the Chicago Bears, Walter Payton ran steep hills religiously near his Illinois home about 20 times a day wearing specially made training shoes. So as I said in part one of this series yesterday, in January when I was playing college lacrosse, I would be working my butt off right now and eating wisely in hopes of earning a starting position when I returned to campus. I figured if I worked harder than my teammates and opponents I would have the edge. I continue the habit of working out four times a week but now it’s with weights and biking, and it’s for one hour instead of two. My habits have also stood me well as a prof, author, and blogger. The English writer Charles Reade said, “Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny” 

Hard Work Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22hard+work%22

Food and Fitness: http://www.foodasalens.com/search?q=resolution

How to Improve Your Stick Skills: [Watch 4 min 2 sec] http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-i-developed-my-lacrosse-stick.html

Fall Ball and Battling Depression

Practice photo from on Coin Field, Syracuse University 1984  

Fall ball in lacrosse parlance is the time in which college players compete for starting position in the spring regular season. In the fall of 1983 I was over confident that I would start as I stepped on the campus of Syracuse University (SU). I was a two time junior college All American and had the playing experience of a big fish in a small pond. I was out of playing shape and over my head.  Today I look in shape to most folks, but playing shape is another level of fitness. Do to knee surgery and overeating I lost my normal quick first step and the footwork essential to defending an offensive player.  After Doc Baker cleared me to play, I returned to the field but during one on one drills guy flew by me like I was a Barak Obama cut out in front of the White House!  In the fall of 1983 I started a battle with depression for several long and dark months which the overcast weather in Syracuse did not help. I doubt however if many people at the time knew it. Depression is serious and I suggest anyone dealing with it seek professional help. It's not something you can just tough it out like athletes are prone to do. 

Syracuse Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Tom%22