Laughter…

In an over-medicated, quick-to-prescribe-pills world that we live in, sometimes the most simple and natural approach can be the best solution for what ails a person. We get so caught up in the numbers and stats that oversight becomes inevitable; the byproduct being side affects which lead us to believe that the next pill will somehow magically become the smoking bullet, the pill to end all pills.

And while all of this scrambling progress leaves us convinced that we are indeed moving forward, there lies an answer that is easy, free, tried and true. It's the healing power of laughter (University of Maryland Medical Center):

Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to a recent study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease."

So what is it about laughter that seems to heal us in a way that pills simply cannot? (Web MD):

We change physiologically when we laugh. We stretch muscles throughout our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues.

People who believe in the benefits of laughter say it can be like a mild workout — and may offer some of the same advantages as a workout."

Scientific studies aside, just think about how you feel when you are laughing. You feel light, healthy, care-free. And more importantly, if you're laughing you are definitely not feeling stressed out, depressed, and unhealthy. The Web MD article goes on to explain how laughing increases/improves the following:

1. Blood Flow
   
2. Immune Response
   
3. Blood Sugar Levels (lowered)
   
4. Relaxation and Sleep
   

So if you've had a bad day and you're trying to figure out what to watch on your Tivo, pick the comedy and do something good for your body!

Til next time…

My new workout shirt…

One of my clients/friends came up with one of my favorite slogans of all time, when during a recent session he cried out plaintively, "F. U. Exercise!" I am so getting that on a shirt. It's my workout feeling put into words: F.U. Exercise.

In his case he was being funny while he was also doing whatever evil thing I asked him to do. But damn if I don't feel that way often. Here's what it's like for me. Exercise is hard and it hurts and it can become one of those big fat "shoulds" in your day, along with gathering stuff so you can do your taxes and eating leafy greens and putting on actual clothes. If I don't get it out of the way early, it haunts me like a ghost dog. "You still neeeeeed to work out, woooooo. You haven't worked out yet, wooooo."

And that's just getting me to do it! Once I start, damn, then I get sweaty and it's painful and some days it provides me with vivid proof that I am a weak fraud and a failure. It requires effort, and being willing to challenge yourself, and a certain willingness to suffer reasonable pain in the moment for a long-term outcome. And you have to be consistent. Damn, I don't like ANY of those things. Why can't there be some long term benefit to laziness and lolling around in bed, hmmm? How fair is that?

That does it: I quit. New blog will be solely focused on sitting in the sun on my balcony in flip flops and an old t-shirt (with FU Exercise boldly on the chest), just doing nothing. The posts will flow from that.

But then, I unfortunately remember that I'm vain and I like the way I look and feel better when I exercise. Sorry, that's part of the motivation here. Oh, and it does give me a post-workout glow-y feeling, and a sense that at least I accomplished one good thing, even if the workout was suckitude itself. (My low standards for myself are truly an asset sometimes. "Eh, you did something - you're good.") And yeah, it's all very nice to be able to carry heavy things and do push ups and see progress on occasion and accomplish things, blah blah blah. I mean, the whole "strong" thing is nice. And I like being an example of athleticism for my kid. Yeah, whatever.

So here's the thing: The other day I suddenly remembered this moment from when I was in college. I will tell you I feel a little bit uncomfortable sharing this story, for lots of reasons, but I will anyway, because that's what happens when I've had hot chocolate late at night. I had been running regularly for a couple years, and was weight training (unheard of for tennis players) and doing old time functional fitness stuff. But despite all that, and the fact that I had a consistent program and all, it still felt like I was just sort of doing my thing, it didn't mean anything really. I was still the same sort of lazy shlump I always was.

So towards the end of practice one day, our coach decided he had to punish us since we lost so badly the day before. He had that brilliant idea face on, and decided that we needed to do fifty 50 yard sprints at the end of practice – (frankly I think he just lost an argument with his wife and was ticked off at everything in life – he did that often) So after a two minute diatribe of how inept and piss poor we were we as a tennis team were summoned to the track.(We lost 6 matches to 3 against the 4^th ranked team in the country!) He and his assistant stood fifty yards apart and started blowing the whistles… This is going to be fun…and then started doing sprints in my usual zoned-out way, and when I was done, I looked around and realized I had finished first. "Did I forget to do part of it? Did I count the number of sprints wrong?" I asked my coach, a little panicked. He shrugged, and said, "Maybe you are just fast."

What the fuck? I'm not fast. Yea a little strong, maybe even quick first step, but never fast! I played sports I usually got picked last for teams because I feigned indifference, and I ran slow, and there is not ONE part of me that is at all physically good at anything remotely resembling a sprint.

Except…maybe actually doing this shit resulted in, I don't know, getting better and FASTER! I was okay at being okay at it. Being, well…good at it? Some of it. Improving Getting fit, whatever that means.

I guess what I'm saying is that moment was the beginning of me changing how I saw myself. Obviously there's plenty of people who are better athletes than me—thousands of them, and I don't like to think about them at all, those bastards. But that part is not very important. It took a little competition for me to see myself as athletic, but competition is only one avenue, and it can screw you over just as easily, if all you are is relative to how you do against other people. (I tell myself this daily sometimes, especially when I lose.) The point here is the yet-again silly realization that doing something actually changed me, and it just took a little longer for my picture of myself to catch up. But I'm glad it did, because I like feeling this way.

I've had lots of moments like this in my life: Caring for others made me realize I'm an a-hole(tough love), getting writing jobs made me realize I'm a writer, and so on. And actually exercising regularly made me realize I can do it, and get better at it. I would like to keep feeling that way, so I have to keep doing it.

Of course I can't help but be amused at the thought, "What if I did count my sprints wrong that day?" Fake epiphany!?…. Either way though, it's been a good thing.

I really hate all the rah-rah total epiphany exercise stuff out there, so I get leery of making too much of anything, especially with all the so called gurus promising your life will change if you lose ten pounds. I'm just saying, for me, this has been an accomplishment, and something that made me and makes me feel better. FU exercise still applies. But I also know that I can't quit and hope that I never do. Because I'm happier now.

Til next time….

“U inconsiderate…Jerk!”

I was having a talk with my son the other day, sitting him down and talking about consideration — how to think of others, and not just yourself. It's a key concept that makes such a difference in life that it's one of the few things I really want to teach my son.

It's so sad because I see so many inconsiderate people around me every day — people, who only care about what they want and don't think of others, don't see things from the perspective of other people. People who cut you off in traffic, who cut in front of you in line, who say rude things, who take your parking spot, who hurt your feelings. I try to brush these things off, but it's unfortunate that so many people are so inconsiderate.

Thing is, they aren't trying to be mean or rude … they just aren't thinking of others. And I don't think they're aware of this. I think they think they're being perfectly fine, and don't think of themselves as inconsiderate.

I'm a good example — I think I'm fairly considerate, but there are plenty of times when I'm inconsiderate without realizing it. I realized when I was having that talk with my son, that I had been rude to someone earlier that day. Then I started to think of all the ways I'd been selfish recently. And I realized that I'm not as perfect as I think.

You probably aren't either. While you might not be the "jerk" I called you in the title of this post, there are very few of us who are considerate without fail. I have an uncle who is the most considerate person I know — he's one of my role models — and he can skip this post. The rest of us need it, I think.

What are the consequences of being more considerate? To start with, I think it feels good — we like being kind to others, doing nice things for others, making others happier. Second, it makes our lives better in so many other ways — people will treat you with more respect and kindness, will like you better, will be more likely to want to work with you and be with you. Third, it makes society better — when we all treat each other with consideration, we live better together, we work better together, we cooperate. Sure, there will always be jerks, but if we can make them a minority, society will be better off overall.

At the very least, you can say with surety that you're not one of those jerks. And that's a good thing, right? Here is a list of things that I went over with my son…

1. Admit you're not perfect. I'll be the first to say it: I'm far from perfect. I'm a jerk sometimes. I'm inconsiderate and selfish sometimes. And I don't usually realize it until later. If you think you're not a jerk, at least admit that you are inconsiderate at times. Try to recall those times. Think of how you could have acted differently. This is the first step, and it's an important one.

2. Place yourself in the shoes of others. This is the key to consideration — to consider the feelings and needs and wants of others, to see things from their perspective. Try to think of what others are going through, what you'd want if you were in their situation. This isn't always easy, but it gets easier with practice. And even if you're not correct in your assumptions about what another person wants or feels or is going through … the important thing is that you're making the effort, and it's a transformative one.

3. Act with compassion and kindness. If someone else is suffering, even a little, try to ease their suffering in some way. Treat others with kindness, respect, love. Do it in little ways — a smile, a kind word, a thank you, a hug, doing something to ease their burden, going out of your way to be courteous, holding open a door, letting another person in front of you in traffic. Little tiny acts will make a huge difference.

4. Practice, practice. Old habits die hard, especially ones like this where we rarely think about it. Keep it in the forefront of your consciousness by making every interaction with another person a chance to practice being considerate. Every time you talk to someone, email someone, see someone on the street … make this an opportunity to practice consideration. Practice, and practice some more. That's the only way you get good at anything.

5. Do 5 little things. As a way to practice, make it a goal to do 5 little things each day that are kind and considerate. It doesn't matter what those things are — cooking something for a family member, tidying up a bit, sending a nice thank-you email to a co-worker, lending a hand to a friend, being there to listen to someone's problems … I'm sure you could think of a thousand little things. Do this every day, and you'll soon be a pro.

Let me know what you think… Til next time.

How to Go From Fat To Fit For Good

Editor's note: This is a guest post from Andrew of Go Healthy Go Fit.

The journey of transforming your body from out of shape to fit as a fiddle is a long one with many twists and turns. It behooves you to focus on the end result at the onset of that journey because you may lose motivation as results come slowly. But if you can't visualize the possibility of going from one extreme to another, you won't be able to stay the course.

I know from experience, having gone from being classified as obese at 245 pounds (25% body fat) to now being classified as an athlete at 175 (9.5% body fat).

So how do you stay motivated during the process?

Staying motivated during this process is arguably the most important part of the journey. If you start doubting yourself, you will fall off. So go the other way with it and get yourself pumped up! Here are a couple of tricks that can help you stay motivated:

•    Set goals to reach, like being able to do 10 pull ups
•    Use your favorite movie quotes to motivate you
•    Find a line in a song that sends shivers down your spine when you hear it
•    Write down your progress (your weight, body fat percentage, the amount of weight you can lift for a specific exercise) but only compare it on a long timeline
•    Pick someone with what you would consider to be an ideal body and aim for that
•    Write down the jean size you're going for
•    Create a fitness equation that breaks down, by percentage, what you think it's going to take to get the job done. Here's mine (15% Heart, 10% Dedication, 20% Will Power, 5% Luck, 10% Desire, 10% Reflection, 20% Consistency, 10% Humility)

Whatever you chose to motivate yourself, customize it for you and print it up. You can put it around your mirror, computer screen, in a private diary, etc. This is all about what motivates you, so don't worry about what anyone else would think about your choice or music or movie line, because what they think truly doesn't matter.

Know Which Whole Foods You Can Stick With

I'm assuming that we all know and accept that eating nutrient dense whole foods, green leafy vegetables for example, is a key factor in weight loss and sound health. But you don't hear enough people talk about picking the whole foods that you like. In order to consistently eat healthier, you have to enjoy what you are eating.

However, you can't say that you don't like vegetables! That one just isn't in the cards. So if you enjoy Spinach more than Brussels Sprouts, enjoy the Spinach! Look up recipes that you can put your favorite vegetables in. There are tons of great food blogs out there that showcase their healthy recipes.

Know Which Foods To Stay Away From

Everyone has certain foods that seem to do more damage than others when it comes to their fitness. Processed foods, candy bars, jam-packed-with-sugar-Jamba Juices (yeah, I said it) are usually some of the big culprits. So find out what food or foods seem to keep you from losing weight and only have them on the occasional cheat day, if at all.

This list of foods may change as your goals change. If your ideal look is that lean, muscular/toned Hollywood physique, than I will tell you from personal experience that staying away from carbs such as grains, potatoes and pastas may help you out.

Find Your Favorite Exercise And Own It

My buddy Rusty talks about this all the time. In the world of fitness, everyone always says you should switch it up, and it does help your progress. But if you like a classic and effective workout, such as pull ups, as much as I do, keep doing them until you are a pro! You will be proud of yourself for getting good at an exercise that you enjoy. If possible, try and chose a good compound exercise like bench press, pull ups, push ups, dead lifts, etc.

This Is A Lifestyle Change, Not A Diet

This is a whole new life, not a month long excursion into healthy eating and/or fitness. It's not important if you get it all right off the bat or if you do it gradually, but consistency is where the results reside. Counting calories is not a necessity, but understanding the cost of them is paramount. In your former lifestyle, you ate "X" amount of calories. In this new, healthy lifestyle you will be eating "Y" amount of calories. I had to understand that concept before I saw any gains (or losses for that matter). At least at first, writing down what you eat can help you begin to understand how many calories you should be eating (a.k.a. your caloric deficit).

Same goes for exercising. You've got to be consistent. I know Leo talks about this in The Power Of Less, and he's right on point. Its like the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race. So figure out how many days a week you can go to the gym and stick with it. Then adjust it as your goals change.

Accepting That Your Life Will Change For The Better

Most think that this is an easy part of the journey, but it's really hard… and scary for that matter. Change is always hard to deal with and transforming your physical appearance is no different. My whole life, I was always the token fat funny guy. That's who I was, it was a part of me. During my switch to a healthy lifestyle, I had to come to grips with the fact that I would be received differently by others, which brings me to my next point.

You won't believe the difference in how people listen to you. Before I lost the weight, people would of course hear what I had to say, but they were much more focused on what they were going to say after I was done. Then I lost the weight and I started to notice that people were much more invested in what I had to say. It's amazing to think that a person's appearance can change the way people interact with that person, but it's true.

Never Stop Seeking Out Good Advice

When it comes to the difference between hearing what people say and actually listening to what they're saying, it goes both ways. Being able to open your ears and listen to what others have to say will help you for the rest of your life, especially in health and fitness. Three of the main tools currently at my disposal are in direct contradiction to how I used to think. If I had shut myself off to others suggestions, I would never have experienced the benefits of Intermittent Fasting, Paleo eating, and High Intensity Interval Training.

Make It Fun!

The best thing about getting into shape is that it opens doors to fun activities. You'll get better at sports, feel more comfortable in revealing swimwear, be able to hike up higher mountains, the list goes on as high as your imagination wants it to go. I was so happy the first time I got to the top of Half Dome. I was proud when I did the entire hike in 6 and a half hours. So enjoy yourself, cause it's going to be lots of fun!

Read more great health and fitness posts from Andrew at his blog, Go Healthy Go Fit.

A deeper thought…

I do my best reading and thinking early in the morning – probably why I am an early riser… Anyway, I used to keep an interesting journal (at least to me) and regret somewhat that I've gotten out of the habit. It wasn't your usual "this is what I did today" journal. It was a "Thought" journal.

Writing has always been a tool that has helped me get through several happenings in my life and something that I would strongly recommend especially if you find yourself in a particular circumstance that may be challenging – I think it helps you to keep things in perspective.

Using this technique I have found that it is interesting to look back on how I used to perceive things vs. they way I see things today. After living through the event. At times is seems that I'm a completely new person yet other times my thoughts are only reconfirmed in my mind. There's one entry in particular I've been thinking a lot about lately. I don't remember when exactly I wrote it, or why I was thinking those things at the time. But I would like to put them out here and get some outside thoughts.

I've been writing on this blog for almost a year and one half now, if there's one post I'd like people to read and comment on it's this one. It's a collaboration of thoughts that I've had and the perhaps the comments of others could help explain what I was thinking more profoundly than I. Enjoy.

Many times, people use the word "love" but do not understand what it means. They will say "I love this car" or "I love these shoes", but that isn't love. You don't love those things. You "want" them. You want to own them. True Love is a gift. Sometimes a person might say "I love this girl/boy", but in actuality they mean "I want this girl". Many of the things in this world; money, material power, people; you might want them to belong to you, but that isn't True Love. You don't love those things. You love the idea of ownership of those things. You love what you think ownership will mean to you.

Perhaps having that car means freedom ... or security ... or some other emotional state ... but ultimately it is just a desire for whatever that "thing" means to you. Do you love the girl/boy or do you love what being with that person means to you? True Love is a gift given to others. There is no sacrifice with True Love. Their happiness brings about your own happiness. It is important to be clear on the differences in True Love versus desire for ownership. It is also important to understand that True Love and Romantic Love are different things too. Sometimes they are coupled together, but you can have one without the other. When True love and material desire are against each other, True Love will always win.

For example, if you truly love someone, and they would like something that you own, you will gladly give it to them. True love has no ownership ... it has no self ... no personal desire ... it is only given as a gift. It is not something you want for yourself. There are no attachments, and with no attachments, there is no pain. If your girlfriend or boyfriend leaves you and you have True Love for them, you want only what makes them happy, even if it's not in your personal best interests. Attachments to your best interests aren't as important to you as their happiness. You are happy if they break up with you if it will make them happier. If you just have the love of attachment, or just have romantic love without True Love, then that loss hurts because you are thinking of your own personal loss of ownership or attachment with that person.

True love is obviously not as common in today's world. A person might love their clothes ... or might love an activity like singing, dancing, playing an instrument, photography, martial arts, whatever it may be ... but if their True Love says "I want you to stop those things and move with me to New York" then you will stop them and move. In essence you could have True Love for those activities. A complete dedication to something they really want to do or achieve. People will see that nothing in this world is truly ours anyway. That ownership is simply an illusion of the mind. The only things we take with us from this world are our relationships with others. In understanding the impermanence of things, they remove themselves from attachments, perspectives and position -- they can become neutral. Seeing through the illusion of ownership allows you to give, unconditionally, of yourself to others, and to demonstrate the qualities of True Love.

A Quick Story

Once a woman when having a conversation with her lover, asked:

Woman: Why do you like me..? Why do you love me?

Man: I can't tell the reason.. but I really like you..

Woman: You can't even tell me the reason… how can you say you like me? How can you say you love me?

Man: I really don't know the reason, but I can prove that I love you.

Woman: Proof? No! I want you to tell me the reason. My friend's boyfriend can tell her why he loves her but not you! I need to hear it!

Man: Ok..ok!!! Erm… because you are beautiful, because your voice is sweet, because you are caring, because you are loving, because you are thoughtful, because of your smile, because of your every movement.

The woman felt very satisfied with the man's answer. Unfortunately, a few days later, the woman met with an accident and went into a coma. The man then placed a letter by her side and this is what it said:

"Darling, Because of your sweet voice that I love you…Now can you talk? No! Therefore I cannot love you. Because of your care and concern that I like you… Now that you cannot show them, therefore I cannot love you. Because of your smile, because of your every movement that I love you… Now can you smile? Now can you move? No, therefore I cannot love you… If love needs a reason, like now, there is no reason for me to love you anymore. Does love need a reason? No! Therefore, I still love you…"

"True love never dies for it is lust that fades away. Love bonds for a lifetime but lust just pushes away."

"Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says 'I need you because I love you."

I realize some of that may be extreme, but none of it was thought in an obsessive context. Let me know what you think…

Til next time…

No TIME!

It's a problem that most people face: they want to work on many worthwhile, amazing things, but with all the things they have to get done in their lives, there just isn't time.

My usual response is: make the time. That is usually followed by a client's glare, expletive and then angry face….

But how can you make the time if you just have too many things to do and no time left over? Two ways: cut back on time-wasters, and simplify your commitments.

While functioning as a therapist with a treadmill (personal training) one of my clients was venting and the conversation went something like this…

"I totally commend your approach – I set aside time first thing to do what is important - I look for what is most beneficial in the long term – but I have what may be a female / mother / main career / worker problem…

I am building a new business having given up a large income in a career I didn't like. (The loss of my sister to cancer - aged 43 with 2 young children - made me re-evaluate my entire life!)There are so many things I want to, and need to do – but, when I look at my goals – I have to put them behind my two boys and the family. Let me explain – before I can even consider any plan of attack – I have to:

– Make packed lunches for my boys
– Take / pick them up, to / from school
– Walk the dog
– Feed the fish and the rabbit
– Do the accounts for my husband's business
– See my own customers
– Take my kids to their various activities – piano, guitar, drums, saxophone, Chinese, swimming…
– Do homework, music practice, bathing, reading etc.. with the boys (which don't get me wrong – I love and get great pleasure from..)

But – how am I supposed to find time to carry out what you propose? I have tried, very hard – but things that are important to me and that I put down as my goals end up being sabotaged by the list of things that HAVE TO BE DONE TODAY!"

You'd be surprised at how many times I've heard theses similar word as my clients warm up on a treadmill – this situation is pretty common — her day is loaded with commitments. I'd say she'll have a hard time finding the time to work on her goals until she simplifies things a bit.

Some ideas:

• The kids might be doing too much. My son does the same thing — scouts, sports, church activities, school stuff, etc. — but sometimes it's good to scale back their schedules and have them choose just the things that matter most to them. Kids don't have to have activities every second of the week — some free time is good for them.
  
• Consider prepping their lunches the evening before, to give you more time in the morning.
  
• Consider outsourcing your husband's accounting work. Sure, it may initially cost a little more but she could be making a heck of a lot more closing deals with her clients as her business takes off. It's a good investment.
  
• If the pets are taking up a lot of your time, consider not having any. Pets are another complication that might not be worth the time, for some people. Before pet owners write in with outrage, please understand that this is just something to be considered. I'm not saying people should never have pets. Some of my best friends are pets!
  

There are probably other ways she can simplify her commitments, but you get the idea. Nothing is set in stone. Even meeting with clients, even picking up the kids, even doing certain things with them … these are not necessarily set in stone. For example, my light bulb moment came after our son could make his own breakfast and lunch, when he could bathe, dress and clean up after himself has greatly simplified both his mom's and my life. There was a lot of teaching involved, but well worth the investment.

Your life will be filled with different commitments, but the important thing is to make a list of all of them and evaluate each and every one. Which are most important? Perhaps my client decides that spending time with the kids and clients are most important — keep those. Eliminate the others, as much as possible, over time. It's possible — I've done it and many others have as well.

Once you free up the time — use it wisely!

Another thing to consider is how you spend the rest of your time. Do you watch a lot of TV? Do you surf the Internet a lot? Spend time with different online social networking — forums, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, and so on? Playing video games? You might consider cutting back on these time-wasters to make time for your goals. I know when I cut back on TV, it freed up a lot of my time.

We're all busy. We all have a lot of things to do. But if your goals are really important to you, you can make the time. Simplify your commitments, and cut back on time-wasters. You can do it!

Til next time…

Liv’n Life…

WE ARE ALL, RIGHT NOW....RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT....LIVING THE LIFE WE CHOOSE.

Interestingly enough...this choice is not a single, monumental choice. No one decides, for example, "I'm going to move to L.A., and in five years I will be a trainer for the stars." Or I am going to marry a dreadful person and we will live together in a loveless marriage, staying together only for the kids." No! You must understand that choices are made on a daily, hourly, moment by moment basis.

Do we try something new, or stick to the tried-and-true? Do we take a risk or eat what's already on our dish? Do we ponder an adventure or do we stay at home? Do we indulge our heart, or cater to our fear?

SO THE QUESTION I ASK YOU IS: Do you pursue what you want or do what's comfortable?

Til' next time…

Oh… a few more thoughts.

"We act as though comfort and luxury are the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about."

- Charles Kingsley

"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be YOURSELF!"

-Alan Alda

Festering Fears…

I was reading recently and ran across a passage that struck a chord with me … the main character is avoiding thinking about increasingly urgent letters from banks and creditors, trying to push these worries out of her mind:

"I'm well aware that at the back of my mind, thumping quietly like a drumbeat, are the twin horrors of Guilt and Panic….. If I let them, they'd swoop in and take over. I'd feel completely paralyzed with misery and fear. So the trick I've learned is simply not to listen. My mind is very well trained like that."

This passage struck a chord because I've been there. I've had those horrors of guilt and panic at the back of my mind, many times.

I've done it with debt —trying to ignore it, not wanting to face it.

I've done it with my health, knowing I was growing overweight, not wanting to think about the things I was eating.

I've done it with drinking, knowing it was bad for me, but trying not to think about it, sipping away.

I've done it with projects that I knew I should be working on, but didn't want to think about them … because I was afraid, for some reason, to face them.

This may sound all too familiar, having fears lurking in the deepest, darkest corners of your mind. Fears you don't want to face and try to push back, closing your eyes so you don't have to see how horrible they are?

If it does, I highly recommend you face them now. Be bold and brave. Bring them out into the light of day. It's an amazing relief when you actually do face these fears. They actually turn out to be not so bad, not so overwhelming or intimidating. It's a huge load off your shoulders — when you're liberated from your fear!

So What Are Your Fears?

I don't mean fears like the fear of height or spiders or public speaking … although you should face these fears too … I'm talking about fears that you know you should face but just push back anyway, not wanting to deal with them. Think about it right now — what has been lurking at the back of your mind?

Is it debt or some other financial problem? Not wanting to face retirement planning, or creating a will, or getting insurance?

Is it health? Overeating? Junk food? Sweets? Smoking? Lack of exercise?

Maybe it is relationships? A bad relationship? Guilt over something you've done to someone else? Not spending time with a loved one? Not dealing with a festering relationship problem?

Is it work? Perhaps a project you've been procrastinating on. Something you've been hiding from everyone else? Something you might have lied about?

Maybe it is clutter. Do you have piles of papers and stuff all over your house? Are there things in your home you've been leaving undone?

It could be anything — something you know you should deal with but don't want to think about. If you identify it now — that's the first step, and it's an important one.

Bring the Fear Into the Light
Fears have power over us not because they're so horrible — even if some of them might be kinda bad — but because we allow them to hide in the darkness and intimidate us. We are paralyzed by these fears. As a great man once said, "we have nothing to fear … but fear itself".

The solution: shine some light on the fear.

The answer to the problem of darkness has always been light. Bring the fear into the daylight, and it won't be so powerful. Sure, the problem will still exist, and it may be a difficult problem. You'll still have that debt to deal with — but it will simply be a matter of cutting back on some expenses so you can make bi-weekly payments on your debts, until they're eliminated. That's not so terrible when you think of it that way — a series of actions that needs to be taken.

So you have to start by shining some light on your fear — and do this by sitting down and thinking about the problem. Write it out. Make a list. If it's debt, write down all your debts and get the amounts owed. If it's health, write down exactly what your health problems are, in detail. It may seem silly to write down problems, but this is how you shine the light on them: by taking an honest look at them.

If you have problems even taking a look at the problem, ask yourself this question: what's the worst thing that could happen?

Often it's not that bad. If it's debt, the worst is that you'd have a large debt to pay off, and it would take a long time. Or maybe that you'd have to file for bankruptcy — which isn't as bad as you might think. I've had relatives that filed for bankruptcy, and gasp, they are living normal lives right now.

If the worst-case scenario really is bad, seek help. Talk to someone about it — a friend or family member, or someone online even. This is another good way to shine some light on the problem — share it with someone else.

Make a Plan of Action
Once, you've taken a look at the fear, make a plan to take action. You overcome the fear with action. When you take action on a problem, it's not so bad — it's just a series of steps you need to take to solve the problem. You aren't paralyzed anymore when you start to take action.

Make a simple plan, on a small sheet of paper, to solve the problem. What actions are needed? Make the steps actually actionable — instead of "cut back on spending", write "make a list of expenses that can be eliminated" or something like that. Instead of "start paying off debts" write something like "set up automatic payment for Visa card".

The plan will kill the fear. What a plan will do is to take something that is scary and unknown, and turn it into something concrete, solvable, doable. Then all you have to do is take action. Take the first step on your action plan, and do it. (start today if possible.) This action will be the final nail in the coffin of your fear. Once you're taking action on the problem, the fear stands no chance, because it's no longer something lurking in the dark that you can't conquer — it's just a few items on your to-do list that you can knock off in less than an hour each.

"You must do the things you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Festering Fears….

It's good to learn to recognize these fears and to become aware of them. They really have power over us when we allow them to fester in the dark, when we do our best not to think about them.

When you notice that you have one of these fears, shine some light on it by writing it down, talking to someone about it, writing out a plan, and taking action. It's not impossible — it's doable.

And when you've done that, you'll feel light, relieved and happy.

Til next time…

Trends…

For every overrated trend, there is an underrated or otherwise under-appreciated aspect of diet and fitness. Let's take a look at some lesser-known, under-the-radar entities that may be helpful.

The Mediterranean Diet: Why this way of eating isn't the standard pyramid is beyond me. Year after year, study after study this pattern of eating comes out shining and yet still doesn't seem to catch on.

Side Planks/Tabletops:
This exercise is phenomenal for engaging the abdominal muscles and for enhancing stability. It is especially helpful for those with bad backs as this won't allow you to use your back to aid breathing.

Apples: Yup, plain old apples are loaded with flavanoids, quercetin, pectin and other flavanoids. They are not as sexy as the Goji or Acai berries but they are still an underrated food.

Foam Rolling: More and more gyms carry these fascia release devices but through my observation, people still don't use them. When used correctly, foam rolling can help reduce trigger points, improve tissue quality and enhance mobility.

Matcha Tea: This powdered form of green tea is one of the highest grade teas available - packed with antioxidants and chlorophyll. It is also versatile, making a great addition to smoothies and bars.

Wall Angels: This is an exercise that most people should do - especially if you sit at a computer most of your day. Standing up - back against a wall - head, shoulder blades and tailbone touching the wall, back of arms against wall at shoulder level, bent 90 degrees - slide arms up while keeping them in contact with the wall - without arching back or letting tailbone lose contact with the wall. Repeat for 10-20 reps daily. This will help stretch some likely tight muscles and help strengthen the deep and underused muscles in the upper back.

Vitamin D: In the news quite a bit, but again doesn't have the sex appeal that a fat burning supplement might. It is also overshadowed by fish oil supplementation. There is a compelling reason for most people to supplement with this vitamin/hormone - especially for those in northern climates.

Deadlifts: The hardcore lifters wouldn't dream of excluding this all-around gem of an exercise but it is surprising how many people eschew it - even personal trainers. It does take more practice to perfect and form is more crucial on this one than most others, but when used properly, it doesn't get much better as an overall strength builder.

What diet and exercise-related trends to you feel deserve more recognition? Now lets look at what I feel are some of the most overrated exercise and diet trends, I feel a disclaimer or two is in order:

I'm in favor of anything that helps people become healthy or fit. The word "overrated" needs to be taken into context and is certainly open to interpretation.

Just because I deem something to be overrated does not mean I don't think it has merit. I may feel something is "overrated" simply due to the amount of hype it gets or to the degree that its proponents revere it.

With those 2 things in mind, let's get going.

Balls, BOSU's, balance boards, Oh my!:
Walk into any gym facility and you are bound to see trainers and other gym goers alike performing squats, pushups and other circus-like maneuvers on balance implements. The truth is, plain old squats are far more functional and effective for the vast majority of people. These tools should really be used sparingly.

Acai Berry Juice: You may have had some salesperson tell you of the magical powers possessed by this exotic berry. When tested for polyphenol content, Acai rates below concord grapes, red wine and blueberries. Stick with a variety of fruits and veggies here and save your cash.

Yoga: I usually get ripped for this one but there is a geographical influence here. See where I live, Yoga reigns supreme and don't try and tell anyone differently. The truth is, Yoga can be helpful for many, but indiscriminate flexibility is not always the ideal prescription for everyone. If you have time left after weights, cardio and specific mobility work - or you are training for something that requires being in one spot for an hour - knock yourself out!

Antioxidants: Especially when taken as supplements, vitamins C, E and Beta Carotene have proven utterly disappointing for preventing disease. It seems the whole, nutrient dense foods win out again.

Detox and Cleansing: I can't see any justification for it - especially the more extreme ones. Eat healthily most of the time and there is no need to "cleanse" away your dietary sins. If you haven't been eating healthily, start eating healthily instead of subsisting on spiked water.

CrossFit: CrossFit is a very intense training method that combines Olympic lifting, body weight and gymnastics-type exercise with little to no rest. Barbells, boxes, gymnastics rings, big lifts, no machines...love it. Arbitrary and extreme programming, no concept of progression, flimsy certification process, inadequate screening... not so good. Go with a coach/system that addresses the aforementioned.

Nitric Oxide Supplements: When browsing a supplement store last week I noticed a lot of shelf space dedicated to Nitric Oxide and other blood flow enhancers. Many bodybuilding sites and other supplement gurus tout its benefits, but when put to clinical trials, NO has no effect compared to a placebo on body composition, insulin, carbohydrate uptake or muscle strength.

The Biggest Loser:
The fact that the reality (let's call it "unscripted") show is in its 7th season tells me that it is more popular than it should be. You could make the argument that people will be inspired by the show, but I would argue that it sets people up for unrealistic expectations. The premise of the show is completely flawed - promoting a "lose scale weight at all costs" mentality.

Do you have any exercises or trends that you think are either over or underrated? Please let me know.

Til next time…

Nag, nag, nag…

"How you could you eat that junk? It's so bad for you!" (nag, nag).

"Don't you know those fries will give you a heart attack?" (nag, nag).

Your friends nag you, your family nags you, your doctor nags you, the health newsletters, websites and magazines - they all nag you, and of course, your personal trainer nags the heck out of you, to stop eating all those BAD FAST FOODS. But does all that nagging you and bad-mouthing the fast food industry really help anyone stop?

It doesn't look that way. The fast food industry is thriving, even in the bad economy. The Chicago Tribune recently said that McDonalds is "recession proof."

As one of only two companies to turn a major profit over the last year (the other being Wal Mart), McDonald's is laughing its way to the bank. In fact, McDonalds plans to open 1,000 new stores this year.

I was driving down I55 a few weeks ago and pulled over to use the rest room at McDonalds on a Saturday morning (there's a McDonalds conveniently located immediately off almost every exit up and down the full length of Interstate 55).

The parking lot was full, it was standing-room only inside and the lines snaked around into the seating area! You'd think Brad and Angelina were there signing autographs or something. Nope. Just a regular weekend at breakfast-time.

I was shopping in Wal Mart the same week and I almost passed out when I saw (smelled, actually) a McDonalds… INSIDE THE WAL MART! Also, with lines.

Yep. It looks like your friends and family's nagging you to stop eating fast food, and all the messages of the health and fitness industry to get people eating more "health food" are not working!

So what does work?

The results of a new survey from the behavior and psychology section of the journal, OBESITY (Feb 2009) provide some answers:

Researchers at the University Of Minnesota School Of Public health surveyed 530 adults about their attitudes towards fast foods.

They found that people already know fast food is unhealthy. (like, no kidding!)

The primary reasons they eat it anyway are because of the perceived convenience and a dislike for cooking! (I'd add another: they think fast food is always cheaper than healthy food).

So, said the authors of this research paper, nagging people to eat more health food and warning them that "fast food is going to make us fat and kill us" is not the best approach.

What's the right approach?

Focusing on teaching people how to make healthy eating fast, convenient and easy, because those are the reasons people are choosing fast food in the first place.

So what's holding us back from implementing or taking this advice?

Well, I think that most people can't get over the ideas that they "just cant cook" or that cooking is "too time consuming" or that healthy food "tastes like dirt" (as if McDonalds is gourmet food!)

That said I'm not going to nag you, scold you or try to scare you out of eating fast food. I'm not going to lecture you about health food (not today, anyway). Nor am I going to bad-mouth the fast food restaurants.

I'm going to lead by showing you just how easy and convenient it is to eat healthy and nutritious food and make it delicious.

Here are a few meal ideas (for starters) to prove my point.

3-MINUTE APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL

* natural oatmeal (like Quaker old fashioned rolled oats)
* natural (unsweetened) applesauce
* cinnamon
* for protein, serve with scrambled eggs or egg whites on side or stir 1-2 scoops of vanilla protein powder into the oats

I eat this almost at least three times per week. It's faster, easier and cheaper than going to the donut place or getting sausage, cheese, bacon breakfast muffins at the fast food joint! (And, you don't have to wait in line, either!)

10-MINUTE LAZY PERSON'S CHINESE STIR FRY

* Brown rice
* frozen oriental vegetables
* chicken breast, grilled (try foreman grill)
* light/lo-sodium soy sauce

This takes 30 minutes, however, if you get a rice cooker and make a giant batch, you can have your rice on standby for instant eats and this will take less than 10 minutes.

It doesn't get much easier than that. (I like those Chinese veggies that come with the little mini-corn-on-the-cobs)

2-MINUTE BLACK BEANS AND SPICY SALSA

* black beans (15 oz can)
* Medium or hot salsa
* 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic or chopped garlic to taste
* salt and pepper to taste

This one takes you all of 2 minutes to make. No cooking required! And it's good! It's vegetarian as listed above, but if you're a carnivore like me, just add a chicken breast or lean ground turkey.

 

Best part: this is all inexpensive food! Oats, rice, beans… doesn't get much cheaper than that - buy your healthy staples in bulk and the cost per serving is probably less than Mickey D's! (yes, even the "Value" meals)

These kinds of recipes are easy to find and I'll share some more in future. (You should read~Larry is writing an eBook in the near future)

So not only can you look more muscular and leaner… fit into those clothes you were hoping to for this summer… be healthier… and save money too.

Til next time…

21st Century Workouts

One of Albert Einstein's student assistants once asked him, "Professor Einstein, what test are we giving the students this week?" Einstein replied, "The same test we gave them last week."

Bewildered, the student assistant replied, "But Professor Einstein, we already gave them that test." Einstein patiently answered, "Yes, but the answers are different this week."

 

The one thing that I have learned being in this business and still remains true about the fitness profession is that things are constantly changing and changing fast.

Traditionally - fitness programming has been nothing but the cross-breed of a bodybuilder and an endurance athlete. We just did body part routines and steady state exercise. And it worked great because in the past, the gym members had a relatively active lifestyle and added to that lifestyle by joining a gym...

A traditional one hour program consisted of a 10 min warm up, 50 mins strength training (muscle group split) and usually 30+ mins cardio on "off-days". These people would come to the gym every single day for 90 mins or so.

But just like all businesses and services need to evolve over time - the fitness profession needs to evolve. Currently we are in the middle of an obesity epidemic (who ever thought we'd need to create FAT LOSS programs ten years ago?)

Today's client has changed – the gym may be their ONLY physical activity. Seriously we have clients that their entire physical activity is the gym a couple of hours per week.

Today's client arrives in worse shape than levels seen even 10 years ago. We have tracked the body fat of every single member that has ever joined our gym over the past nine years. The average body fat percentage of a beginner is about 6-7 percentage points higher than when we opened, and their functional movement screen score is about 4 points lower.

Today's clients lives have changed. Today's clients goals have changed (speed training programs for kids? Youth fitness? Type II Diabetic 12 year olds!).

It's essentially a new client and the fitness profession needs to evolve -- and quickly...

We can no longer offer solely strength and cardio -- the modern fitness professional focuses on seven key areas:

• Mobility and Movement Preparation: activate muscles, stretch tight muscles and improve movement.
  
• Corrective Exercise: Do you know anyone who has ever had a shoulder injury? I'm sure you do - it's one of the most common musculoskeletal problems of today. Let's start implementing some basic strategies to make the body resilient...
  
• SPE (speed, power and elasticity): We need to develop power and speed in ALL populations. Power is lost faster than strength -- let's develop it through sound training practices.
  
• Core Training: Despite what some writers would have you believe - direct core training is necessary- the science validates it. And today's core training is about stabilization and dynamic stabilization -- not thousands of crunches in an "ab class".
  
• Resistance Training: Still the most important part of a program -- but we need to focus on function, linked system strength and real world strength - not necessary isolation. Science has shown that a higher frequency exposure to training each body part, and a multiple exposure to rep ranges outperforms the old-fashioned "once a week, three sets of ten" approach for today's client.
  
• Metabolic Training: 21st Century cardio - the ability to do higher levels of work - and sustain that output over time -- not just the ability to work at a level where you can "hold a conversation"
  
• Regeneration: If you have a training strategy - you need a recovery and regeneration strategy. Life is too demanding to just assume that not coming to the gym is optimal for your results. We have too much science available to ignore.
  

And by the way - you need to get this done in maybe three hours per week....

In addition - the traditional tools of weight stacks and treadmills are fast becoming obsolete. We need to embrace bodyweight training, The TRX, The X vest, the ValSlide and Sandbags alongside dumbbells and kettlebells to reinvent our training programs and provide what the modern day trainee NEEDS.

The game has changed.
The client has changed.
The goals have changed.
We need to change.

Are you ready for a really good and efficient workout?

Til next time.

Are you willing?

Sometimes a 6 minute video can make life so clear - perhaps this will help you as much as it has helped me. Please let me know... Til next time.

“Friggin” Limits…

I have gotten out of the habit of writing on my blog of late. I lost some of my zeal while I was working at the Tour of California - we were pretty busy with the record breaking crowds and had some pretty long days – but then I got some career altering news while working in Modesto about the community center I help to run.

You see, when you are worried about collecting a paycheck you tend to focus and prioritize differently – but I suspect the nearly 1.5 million that have lost their jobs over the last few months understand that statement better than I. For me the truth is that no matter what happens, focusing on things that are out of your control tends to derail my thoughts and what I'm open to. It's as though the thoughts create a state or mindset where you actually create what you don't want to have happen – in essence it's self fulfilling prophecy. You get so concerned about the "what if" that you don't see the real opportunities that are being unveiled before your eyes. So in an attempt to get my head on straight I thought I would go back to the basics… And you know what I realized; I have been overlooking so many new opportunities since I returned from California because I was worried that I wouldn't be employed in a few months.

Truth is that it doesn't matter where I work; it is that I do work – and do something of value that I love. By framing my work life in those terms – I've got plenty of choices – I'm very lucky and blessed.

I suspect that we can all agree to some extent that if you're truly passionate about something, productivity becomes largely irrelevant. You become naturally motivated and naturally driven, but that's not always enough, is it?

There's something else and it's keeps most of us from pursuing from what we really want. It's the same thing every time …And it all comes down to one word: Limits. I was limiting my thought process when I was thinking about my current position. What's really fascinating is how much we avoid doing what we love because of these arbitrary limits.

It really is amazing to me because it seems like we all have nicely organized boxes of preplanned excuses. We convince ourselves that the reasons for not pursuing the things we really want are actually legitimate. Most of the time, they're not. Most of the time, shrugging something off as "impractical" or "too whimsical" is really just an avoidance of the truth.

What all of these limits really come down to is the difference between surviving and living. We end up going through the motions instead of moving through life deliberately. Part of my "enlightenment" over the past week or so I would rather choose the deliberate path.

So this is one of the basic exercises that I use when I feel like I need to push myself past a plateau or road block:

• First, I write down all those really important things that I want or really need to do, but have been avoiding. The key here is to leave enough space after each goal for the next step.
  
• Second, I write down all the reasons/excuses I'm not taking action toward making those goals, needs, wants or desires a reality.
  

I have found that if you take a close look at all of your reasons for not taking action. That many you list are just not legitimate. This process allows you to question if they are real obstacles, or if they are imaginary. For this to work you have to be brutally honest with yourself about what you want. It doesn't matter if other people don't think it's practical; what matters is that you want it.

Once you have that down in print the third step is to give yourself permission to completely abolish these imaginary ceilings. There are no ceilings; the limits of your imagination are the only boundaries.

Okay so that's the first part. The second part is moving beyond those limiting patterns. I believe that most if not all limitations are based on patterns. For example, when I write, I have a pattern of thinking that an article should be written a certain way. I know that when I've written an article that had a good response – I become conditioned to write that way in the future. If I see something become so popular on a social media site; I start to think that I should try to emulate that format now. I also have a pattern of thinking that in order for an article to be worth reading, it needs to be a certain length. That if an article or one of my blogs is beyond that certain length, people won't read it, because it's too long or too time consuming. But when I take a step away from all this I find that what all of these patterns come down to are limits.

There is no question that patterns may be necessary for noticing trends and seeing what's desirable and undesirable. And that recognizing patterns in popular pieces of writing, while studying other successful writers, may help one to become a better scribe. And that by seeing the patterns of greatness that we can emulate, may help us to better our own style. Copying patterns is one of the greatest reasons we've succeeded as a species.

But like most great things, patterns have their limitations. If you become too conditioned, you become fixed and immovable. (I need to stay in the Recreation business –that is all I know how to do) You become conditioned to having a certain reaction to a certain stimulus. You see that you failed in the past, so you fear failure in the future. You notice that that failure happened while trying to pursue something impractical. Now you've developed a pattern of seeing "impractical" endeavors as doomed for failure.

Can you see where all this is headed?

It's easy to get yourself stuck in following patterns because you're afraid of unknown responses. You've seen things go wrong before (or you just have some social conditioning that it's not a good idea), so you hold yourself back from doing what you really want to do. You sell yourself out because you're stuck thinking the loop is an accurate representation of reality.

Well, guess what? That loop is just a tiny figment of your imagination. A minute fragment of an event stuck on repeat that has long been extinct (hello, it happened in the past). Life, on the other hand, is more than just a pattern. It's dynamic. It's alive. It changing and it's constantly in flux.

If there is any enemy, it is the groundless divisions of the possible and probable. If there is anything we should limit, it is how many limits we let seep into our lives.

Its sad thinking that some people keep doing what they've been doing, never really living, because they're afraid that they might be wrong. They're afraid that their pattern, their idea of what's real, might actually be broken. Their limits might be mentally conjured specters. And the lives they lived might have been a lie.

So the question is … What patterns are you unconsciously repeating that are holding you back?

I know that no matter what decisions are made and how they might affect my career at the JCC, I know that looking at my skills and abilities in a broader light and not limiting myself to any specific industry - there seem to be many more opportunities that may just fulfill or trickle my inner Buda.

Let me know what you think…. Til' next time.

What happened?

Greetings... I've got a story for you to read from the Wall Street Journal - Peggy Noonan reported on a tragic event last year from San Diego and the Marines investigation.

http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html#printMode

Humm... when are we going to hold our politicians and american businesses to the same standard? Accountability? Responsibility? Change? I remember those words during the campaign... What happened, or were we just hopeful.

Til next time.

My trainer kicked my a…

The other morning my son and I were sitting around waiting for me to take him back home for his week of school - he spent the weekend at my house. We had about an hour, and I was itching to work out. I turned to him and said, "Do you wanna to train me?" (I've got some fitness equipment at the house and unfortunately for me it is conveniently located near the TV.)

"Uh, sure!" he said. As he put on his hiking boots.

I jumped rope to warm up while he pondered the workout. "Wow, it's hard to think of stuff to do," he said. "Yeah, my job isn't so easy a monkey could do it," I replied grinning. "Okay, put down the rope," he commanded.

"Do two push ups, two punches on the heavy bag, and two squats with this kettlebell," he told me. "How cute," I thought. "Two reps. Guess, it won't be a tough workout." I did my push ups, ran to the bag, hit it, and did my squats. "What's next?" I asked.

"Now do four of each thing," he said. "Ruh roh," I thought, realizing evil might just be genetic. We did six reps, eight, ten, then eight, six, four, and back to two. By the time we finished I was sweaty, happy, and totally gonna make my clients do the exact same thing. Maybe a monkey couldn't do it, but my nearly teenage kid came up with a kickass program. "Now let's do a lap around the block," he said. (Shit! I thought)

He ran alongside me in his size 10 hiking boots, managing to both keep up a good pace and talk without stopping the entire time. I was impressed by that alone. "Phew! I'm getting tired!" he said. "Yeah, it's hard…" I started to explain, but then he instructed me to run with high knees, then kicking my heels towards my butt, in the process also buying himself a break. "Brilliant," I thought.

We went back into the home gym, and he told me to do overhead presses with the 25lb Kettlebells. "It's so funny, you are suffering and I'm just standing here," he said. I welled up a little. "You are a real trainer now," I told him.

He had me do two more exercises he made up that I will totally use—one thing with bicep curls and squats, and a sit up with the medicine ball that is really good—and he encouraged me to go faster. He even friggin' giggled a little. "You get such a funny face when you lift weights," he laughed. "Shhhh. You can't laugh at the weightlifting face," I said, even though everyone else does. Then he stretched me out ("okay, your fingers are little ants, and the food is right there, just out of reach. Run towards the food, ants!"), then I suggested we end the session with Queen and Aerosmith blasting from his I-Pod. He concurred, and then it was time to take him home. It was one of the few workouts of my life that was over much too soon.

I don't know if this is one of those stories that is cute to me because I love my son more than anything. But when I got into fitness, I thought maybe it would help him feel athletically capable in a way I never was as a kid, because he'd see me exercising and feel like he could do it too. Fast-forward, and I guess I now know it has less to do with him observing me and more to do with this all being part of his life. He's drawing program design from his sports experiences, time spent playing with me in the gym, and the little bit of P.E. he gets at school and scouts. I ought to put him on the payroll. Heck he only charged me three dollars! Hope word doesn't get out about that, he's totally undercutting me there, and he's a good trainer.

The other day he told me he was going to teach himself volleyball and practice until he gets good so he can beat the guys that say he can't play. He said it matter-of-factly, not angrily. He is starting to get complete confidence in his athletic abilities. Last week we found out that he made the school team!

Near the end of our session, I told him that he had designed an awesome workout, and I wanted to use it with the people I train. "Would it be okay if I credit you?" I asked with a serious face. He looked up proudly, flushed, and looked down. "Well, sure, it would be great," he said shyly. His grin was huge.

Funny, I miss him and I can't wait for our next session.

Til next time…

Change...

This week has been "interesting" - especially with my clients - seems everyone has a new goal in mind... This can be a very good and productive thing but sometimes we need to gain insite and motivation from those who walked before us.

"You can't change your life or your business this year with the same mindset, habits and ideas that you had last year. " Stop doing what took you to the level you're at, and start doing the things that will take you to the next level"--James Malinchak

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”--Maria Robinson

The same thinking that has led you to where you are is not going to lead you to where you want to go"--Albert Einstein"

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek".--Barack Obama

Just a few thoughts, til next time....

Amgen Tour Of California-stage 4 Snow Footage

People ask me what it is like to work the aTOC - figured I'd give you a different view - it snowed the day before the stage was too start - they actually had staff on the hill the night before plowing some parts of the road - by the time the athletes got their it was in th 50's speeds down the mountains topped out at 58 mph!

Is it time to value growth???

Here's a hypothetical for you...

What would happen if we realize and understood that in order to be happy, we made a conscious decision to value growth?

It would require us to change our mindset and see life as a giant experiment in learning, and no matter what befalls us, we would have to ask ourselves what kind of growth is being called for.

It seems to me that if we were to value emotional and spiritual growth, life's ups and downs have would have more meaning; instead of bemoaning our fate, we could use every opportunity to become more of who we were meant to be.

For you, that might mean becoming more assertive; for me, trusting more. But for both of us, whatever hardship we're facing can become an occasion for growth.

Can you look at your life and see if you are being called on to stretch beyond your current limits? And more importantly can you see the challenge as a chance for growth?

Til next time....

Jeeze... It's been a great day here in the Midwest, at last look the red line in my thermometer was just under 60 degrees. Not bad for a February in Chicago - plus there is a southwestern warm(ish)breeze. The thirty plus days of snow cover is almost a slushy grey memory and the lines to my neighborhood car wash is over a block long....life IS good.

But alas I made an error and turned on one of the cable network newscasts.. argh.... If you listen to the talking heads on the flat screen, one might be tempted to just hide under the covers and not venture out until mid summer. There is no question that things are uncertain about today's economy, but so much of it is out of our control and I see so many people walking around scared and not smiling instead of taking a deep breath and enjoying the day.

I heard a phrase the other day "living in the lake of lack" It was in reference to folks who are so afraid of what might be that they stop living... they start hording - they hoard their time, their money even their thoughts just in case.....

Now I'm not going to sit here and suggest that you should be foolish with your time, energy, ideas and or money, but to live like the other shoe is about to drop squarely on your head doesn't seem to be that wise choice either.

So I am going to tempt fate - I am going to change my mindset - as a matter a fact I've been implementing the principles I've out lined below for the last year or so - and sure enough it seems to work. It's changed how I look at life - So, if you are feeling the pressures of the day I suggest you try one, two, all or any combination of these and see if your life goes in the direction you want it to go. I know it these principles seem to work for me...maybe it will help you too.

Are you short on time?

If that’s the case, give away some of your time. Take time to give to others. You don’t have to dedicate 90% of your day to serving others - that’s not what I’m saying. Just find that balance between giving and receiving. Find an organization or a person that you really love and volunteer some of your time. Give your time away.

Don’t feel loved?

You’ve got to give some before you get some. Give away some hugs. Go out right now and give 5 people you know a big hug. I guarantee right after you do this, you’ll feel great. You’ll feel like a million bucks! Why? Because you feel loved. And you can only feel loved when you give that love to others. Go out right now and hug 5 people! Besides, people will think you are crazy and sometimes that IS fun!

Short on Cash?

Give some away. Yes, you heard me right. I’m not saying you should sell the farm, far from it. But you may consider giving money to a charity, giving money to a friend who needs it, or even giving money to a panhandler in the street. Givers gain.

Are you stuck?

Do you want to get unstuck? Help others first. Think of someone you know that is having a similar problem. And think of a way that you could help them based on what you know. Write down what you plan to do to help this person and then go out and do it. I’m telling you this works! When you help others wholeheartedly, help will always come back to you.

Lacking self-belief?

Yup, you know it. You’ve got to give it away! If you lack self-belief, then give away that belief to others. What do I mean? Find someone you know who is lacking in self-confidence or in self-belief and give them a boost. Spend some time with this person and feed their mind. Tell them how much you believe in them. Tell them how successful you see them becoming; how you always knew they could make it. Tell them how proud you are of them. Fill their mind with positive ideas. Instill belief in others and belief will come flowing abundantly to you.

Short on ideas?

This happens all the time at work and maybe why this just might be my favorite - well other than hugs of course! If you’re short on creative ideas, give them away! Give others creative ways to increase business, find a new stimulating career or improve their health. Give ideas away and ideas will flood right back to you.

With all of these tips, you have to start with where you are. You can’t give what you don’t have. But be willing to give what you got from where you are and I promise you - abundance will flow into your life and all of the sudden the world doesn't seem like such a scary place.

Til next time.... Now, I've got to go dust off my grill and stink up the neighborhood with the smell of BBQ!

Breaking Unhealthy Habits

At this time of year, people tend to be losing track of their New Years resolutions. The reason is most likely due to a person’s everyday habits. Some work well, like making sure you brush your teeth when you get up and before you go to bed. Others are not so good, like missing a meal and then binge eating later in the day.

No matter what your bad habits are, the only way to achieve true success is to make sure you break those habits permanently.

Here are some of the most common bad habits I see my clients making on a daily basis, just to name a few:
Can’t stay away from fast food
Can’t stay away from alcohol
Watch too much TV
Spend too much time on the web
Most people don’t realize the true damage they inflict upon themselves. A research study from the University of Alberta shows that while people know about the obvious bad habits, such as smoking, they don’t truly understand the problems associated with binge eating, for example.

Unfortunately, there is virtually no information being publicly announced regarding the true detriments of something like overeating. Sure cigarettes have warnings and we see commercials everyday that stress the downfall of not kicking the habit, but think about it.

Many smokers smoke because they are truly stressed out from being workaholics. In America this is considered to be an honorable trait. AND many people smoke because they think it will keep their weight in check. So they rationalize by claiming that by doing so they are adding at least a little benefit to their lifestyle.

Let’s take another thing we all know to be true but completely ignore. How many times have you heard, “I am just getting a base tan so I don’t get a sunburn.” Like we all don’t know that ANY long term exposure to the sun is bad. SO we make it sound good by saying we are preventing the ultimate poor choice of getting sunburned?!

The bottom line is that many times the rationale is socially acceptable. But that still doesn’t make it right.

So, WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

Many times adding a positive change will truly take care of ridding yourself from the negative. For example, if you cut down on TV… you probably will cut down on snacking. If you start a running program, then if you smoke, you will probably quit or at least cut down. They simply go hand in hand, right?

The bottom line is that you need to recognize what the bad habit is that is causing you to not succeed. Now pick something that will replace the bad habit or at least make the bad habit more
challenging to be appeased.

Then and only then can you eliminate the things that sabotage you. When that happens… the skies the limit!

Til next time....