Sgt. Tony's Fitness Boot Camp

10/22/2026

Good evening, everybody!

Ashley and I have made it back alive and mostly well! We'll see you guys in the morning!
Special thanks to Andrew and Richard for their leadership while we were gone! Thanks, guys! We both appreciate it so much!
I'll have some Japanese coins with me in the morning for anyone who might want one. If you have kids at home, these make for good connections for the big wide world out there. Remember, I was only 7 years old when the Japan bug bit me!
See you soon!
Tony

10/20/2026

Greetings, my friends!

Ashley and I thought you guys might find this interesting. It deals with South Korea's body image issues, but it also applies to Japan to a lesser extent.

One thing that is similar: my Japanese friends wouldn't hesitate to tell me I've gained weight, but they would never say I look sad and ask me if I'm OK. As Americans, we're just the opposite, I think.

At about the 14 minute mark, they talk about the "skinny fat" person. That's a good discussion. There's another part about the use of the BMI, which you know I think is terrible. Insurance companies latched on to it in order to give them reasons to disqualify people. But the BMI is awful if you're even moderately athletic.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/3006288039715577

10/12/2026

Konnichiwa, y'all!
We are having a great trip! I only wish I felt better.
I'm especially happy that Ashley really loves being here. It's one thing to want to visit some place, it's another thing to enjoy being there. We are in our third city and this one might be our favorite so far. Takayama is much smaller than Kanazawa—only about 86,000 people.
I have to tell you about what happened to us today. We left Kanazawa by train bound for Takayama with a brief stop in Toyama to change to another train line. We arrived in Toyama at 12:59 and our connecting train would be leaving at 1:08.
The doors opened on the train we were on, and we sprinted with two backpacks each, about 25 pounds or 30 pounds all together. We ran down the platform about 50 yards, dodging people like NFL running backs! Then we ran down the stairs. Got our confusing tickets out, figured them out, and then blasted through the turnstile. We ran to the next flight of stairs and ran up those ... only to discover another flight of stairs! It was 1:07. Up on the platform, where we thought we could catch our breath, a station worker looked at us and pointed down the platform about 75 yards to a train on a different platform we didn't even know existed. We had less than one minute to run 75 yards with 25 pounds on our backs and in our hands! We stepped onto the train and the doors closed immediately. In fact, the doors bumped Ashley's backpack as we practically threw ourselves onboard. We were both out of breath and both a sweaty mess. We looked at each other and Ashley said, "Thank goodness we do that boot camp thing!"
We had an hour and a half to recover when we got to Takayama to discover that Ashley had made reservations at a hotel only two blocks from the train station!!!
Our hotels in Tokyo and Kanazawa were very Western. This one here in Takayama is not!

10/11/2026

Hello, my friends!
I trust you guys are being good while Ashley and I are away! Most of you are also Facebook friends with us through our personal pages, so I won't give you more Japan info than I'm already posting there.
But I thought I'd tell you all that we have done zero push-up since we landed in Tokyo last Monday ... or was it Tuesday?
BUT ... we have averaged over 13,000 steps for an average of 5.6 miles every day!
My hamstrings were tight before we got here, but now they are ON FIRE!
And then Wednesday, I woke up with a nasty cold and a rash we boys like to call "jock itch." I know that's all too much info, but I want you to know how embarrassing it was for me to go to the pharmacist and ask for both cold medicine and rash medicine. See ... when the white guy starts talking to the pharmacist, everybody quits talking and they all lean in to hear what I'm asking about. 🤣
Today, Ashley and I spent some of our most tranquil moments on the grounds of the Oyama Shrine, a Shinto shrine. The weather was perfect with plenty of shade and a refreshing breeze. Japanese people mostly identify as both Shinto and Buddhist. And if they become a Christian, they just add Christianity to the mix. The best Christians I knew in Japan were also amazing Buddhists. Anyway, the grounds of the Oyama Shrine were amazingly peaceful and just what we needed. I taught Ashley how to "pray" at the shrine: you stand before the opening of the shrine where you'll find a money box. You toss your money in, usually 100 yen per person (less than a dollar each) then you bow slowly twice, clap your hands slowly twice, pause ... and deeply and slowly bow once more.
I don't know if that is helping my cold or not. I refuse to be sick after waiting almost 30 years to return. I'm just going to suck it up and power through.
My thanks for your continued support and for Richard and Andrew's leadership. Thank you!

10/03/2026

This is an excellent summary of all the things we're trying to do on the Quarterdeck! (Tip of the hat to Andrew Forsdick for passing it on to me!)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdwsWNGxMYD/?stkn=NHBjNzA1cng2YXY5

10/01/2026

Hey everybody!
Ashley and I leave early Monday morning and will be back on the Quarterdeck on Friday the 23rd.
Our schedule while we’re gone for both classes will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Andrew Forsdick will be at the church at 5:30 on Tuesday and Thursday to open the gym and stretch before doing cardio. No class on those days.
My thanks to Richard Bourland and Andrew for your leadership while I’m away.
I want to thank you for the wonderful way you have helped financially as Ashley and I get ready to go to Japan. Some of you paid me too much for t-shirts and some paid for multiple months and others have made donations out of the goodness of your generous hearts! 🫶 Thank you so very much! And thank you for your kindness and support! I haven’t been back to Japan in 28 years and so this is pretty special for us! 🥲
See you tomorrow morning!

10/01/2026

I think some of y’all been training with Brian!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18VRHPXAp3/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/30/2026

It's Heavy Weight Wednesday tomorrow!

09/29/2026

Greetings, everybody!

I've never done this. But I think you'll understand why. If it's possible, and if your fees are due, could I ask you to take care of that as soon as possible? As you know, Ashley and I are leaving for Japan next Monday. One of the reasons I haven't been back in 28 years is because it's an expensive place to visit. Some of you who've been to Japan know what I'm talking about. Thanks, everyone.
Our schedule while we're gone is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Andrew will open the gym at 5:30 on Tuesday and Thursday, since he was already planning on running those days. So, if you'd like to meet and stretch and then do cardio in the neighborhood, Andrew will be there! (Thanks, Andrew!)
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around being back in Japan. I can't even imagine what it'll be like.

Thank you so much for your help and support!

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