Day 1

The Person:  Jeffrey Bowers, Director of Advertising Sales for Denver Life Magazine
My Vitals - Age: 36 years old;  Height: 5' 9";  Weight: 209lbs;  Body Fat index: 34% ... not good.

The Place:  Nick's Pro Fitness in Evergreen, CO  (www.nicksprofitness.com)

First Impression:  Upon entering the gym where Nick's "Conditioning Class" takes place at the club, I immediately notice that there are no flashy, neon lights. There is no bass-thumping music blaring over the speakers. There are no brightly-colored stepping platforms or giant blow-up balls sitting around the perimeter. There are NO shoes or socks allowed on the floor (I quickly adapt and leave my brand new, bright white Adidas socks and new Brooks Cross-Trainer shoes outside the door like a rookie!). And there is definitely no high-energy, happy-go-lucky, pony-tailed instructor with a headset microphone standing on a pedestal and leading the class! Nope. This is a serious room with white walls and dark green carpet. And it is HOT! Nick keeps the room around 92 degrees for optimal muscle performance, I guess. Or it's just to make us sweat more. Either way, it is very easy to sweat in there. There are large, mosaic tile tablets with inspirational sayings hanging high on the walls (albeit in a foreign language, but I'm sure they're inspirational!!). And there is Nick Kapande. Dressed in black shorts and a black tank top, Nick is the leader of the group. Nick is 48 years old, in incredible shape and is all business.

Results of Day 1:  As I write this post, my arms and legs are shaky and my stomach muscles are completely non-existent. It is already 2 1/2 hours AFTER the completion of the workout! Instead of just hopping out of my car with gusto when I got home, I had to kind of roll out of the car slowly and uneasily and use hand-grips I never knew existed on the door frame. Thank you, GM...you are my hero tonight. As for the diverse group of people who have also voluntarily signed up for this grueling class, the one word that best describes them is: LOYAL. These people are some of the most dedicated and disciplined individuals I have ever seen at a health club. A large majority of these people have been coming to Nick's for several years! On purpose, no less. And it shows. They are inspirational to work out with, and to watch...which I was able to do frequently when my muscles were burning too much to continue the long sets of each exercise. Every one in that class has a positive attitude and they want each other to succeed. They will become my best support group, and I will need them over the next six weeks as I take on this challenge to lose body fat and get in shape.

Jeffrey Bowers
Director of Sales
Denver Life Magazine