| What
does it mean to be an actor? How do actors do what they do? How do
they deal with the frustrations and rejections? This is the story
of my personal experiences in Los Angeles. Along the way I'll share what
I've learned.
Where Did I Go?
I've been incredibly busy the past few weeks in a number of areas. I'm in rehearsals for lead roles in two plays and memorizing lines, shot a nice supporting role in a short film, have been auditioning, taking classes, and working, and blah, blah blah. Because my plate has been so full, I've been skipping my exercise routine (among other things). I started this routine a few years back when I was preparing for the role of "Lt. Joe Cable" in South Pacific. I'd always been in pretty decent shape (having grown up on a working farm) but I wanted this guy to look like a marine. I got a buzz cut and started a pretty heavy workout routine with a trainer, usually starting at 4am. Combined with a very strict diet, I lowered my body-fat by several percentage points and gained at least 12 pounds of muscle in 12 weeks. Since then, I've relaxed that routine and diet a bit (4am comes really quickly if you go to bed at 11pm after a rehearsal). My usual ritual these days is to rise about 5:30am, get dressed in a sleepy stupor and then start my exercising. Three days a week, I run about 3/4 of a mile to the gym, work out for 45-60 minutes and then run back home. Three other days, I run about two miles. One day a week, I skip it all. As part of this routine, I also have a low-fat, reasonable-carb, high-protein, 5-small-meals-a-day diet. This is especially important for me since I have a tendency to skip meals sometimes or to not eat enough to sustain my body weight. Believe me, it's really frustrating to work out and to not see results because your body is feeding off your muscle (leaving your fat, of course). When I stopped exercising, I also became less diligent about my diet schedule. I still ate three meals a day (and sometimes overdid it a bit) but hey, taking a break from a routine is a good thing. Change things up a little. Well, today I started back up at the gym and, as part of my usual ritual, I weighed myself. I knew I'd lost some muscle mass but, whoa what a shocker! In three weeks, I've lost a bit more than ten pounds. Yikes! I'm guessing a lot of that was muscle. Needless to say, I am back on my exercise and nutritional schedule. Geez. If I stopped for a couple months, I wonder if I'd disappear altogether? WEIGHT LOSSAUDITIONACTINGACTORAGENTCLIENTHOLLYWOODLOS+ANGELESCALLBACKSOUTH PACIFIC
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I wish I had the desire to excersise more. AT 42 years of age I am starting to get a little full around the middle.
Posted by: Marsha | July 19, 2006 06:19 AMAt almost 26, I'm taking my lazy bottom to the gym because Lean Cuisine isn't doing it.
Now, to find a Los Angeles gym that has ample parking.
Posted by: durante vita | July 20, 2006 05:00 PMI know how you both feel. It's certainly not easy to get up and go exercise but I will say that I have never regretted having done it. Something about it clears out your mind -- great for getting out of a funk.
Posted by: Trevor | July 20, 2006 05:45 PMYup. The gym is a great way to clear the mind. Of course, when you have no power (at home, or the gym) it makes it a bit harder to go. :)
Posted by: Nicholas | July 21, 2006 10:11 AMTrue! We just had our first "brown-out" here today. It's the first time my new electrical surge protectors/batteries were put to the test. My computers and I were very glad I had 'em!
Posted by: Trevor | July 21, 2006 11:15 PM