What's Hot

It's been quite an interesting week and a long, fun, wild weekend to top it off. There were many highlights, but I want to talk about a few new fitness experiences this week. I'm lucky to be working as a trainer at the best gym in America, and it definitely has its perks. I've recently begun my own fall/winter cross-training program, and in order to help make it complete I've decided to include a weekly regimen of personal pilates training as well as yoga. Thursday I had my pilates session, and it was awesome. If you haven't tried pilates, I urge you to do so. Pilates is a total-body experience that I can foresee will help me to stabilize with my core better, improve my posture, and in turn, will help me in other areas of athletics. Yoga has been a similar experience for me, but one major thing with yoga is the mind-body element. Yoga, besides helping with flexibility, stability, balance, strength, and breathing, instills patience and trains your mind as well. Yesterday I tried "hot" yoga, or Bikram Yoga, for the first time, and it was quite an experience. (Click on the title to this blog to link to the studio I am going to.) I urge you to round out your fitness with yoga and pilates, and definitely work with your trainer to implement safe and appropriate routines.

What I really want to highlight is the satisfaction of witnessing my clients' excitement for their own fitness. I mentioned above about perks of training, and I am actually training my pilates instructor in exchange for her service to help me. Awesome deal! Anyway, she is a dancer and is admittedly detrained as far as strength and endurance go. I trained her yesterday for the first time, and we were able to work through her weak points, avoid aggravating old injuries, and challenge her in a different way than she is accustomed to. At parts of the strength segment as well as the cardio intervals, I saw this look of excitement on her face that really pumped me up. She looked so happy to be getting a good workout in, and she really kicked butt, too!

Of course we can translate this into your job/career, too--if your job seems boring, remedial, or unexiting and if you are unmotivated, then adjust your thinking. Try something new and think about the people you are helping. A sales call is not just a sales call. Don't sell products at all. Instead, solve problems. Look at those presentations and consultations as opportunities to help someone reach a goal. You have the chance to profoundly improve the quality of someone's life every day, even if it's not a client or customer. Maybe you can brighten a co-worker's day with a compliment or a show of consideration. Bring an extra coffee back for someone or say hello to the person you join in an elevator, and get excited when they respond! Simple things like these can not only help them but in turn, may help you feel re-charged and more focused and positive throughout the day. Please post your thoughts, have a great week, and Happy Halloween! Thanks for reading!

One Pushup At A Time

It's been a full week since I've shared my thoughts on this blog, and I appreciate the time I've gained as it is needed. That said, this week's message is about making changes--one pushup at a time.

I've been working closely with one of my regular clients over the past few weeks. We've been establishing strength and preconditioning as our focus for this cycle, and the struggle, like many, is in range of motion. Take the pushup: a seemingly basic exercise, it is everything but. Executing a single pushup demands upper body strength, shoulder girdle mobility, core stability and strength, balance and coordination. Many people can start and finish a pushup or do a half range-of-motion version, going halfway to the floor and back, but it is a full range-of-motion pushup that I'm really after in a solid test. Going back to the client I began talking about, she is the same way...or has been for the past few weeks. She has been working diligently outside of sessions and trying her best all the time. It is truly the hard work put in outside of our training sessions that has really been paying off. The other day in our routine, my client did one, two, three, four...and more...full range of motion pushups! She stopped around five or so, took a break, then did some more. The realization of this milestone drove her to try to keep doing more! I know it was awesome for her, but I have to admit I had to hold my excitement in myself.

I am finally to the point now in this business that I am witnessing more and more results which means I am doing my job! What I also know from experience is that the mindset changes are the biggest and most profound. Positivity and confidence is replacing negativity and apprehension, and those are just a couple examples. For me, it will be a constant challenge to get people in the game and keep them there, and for all of us in fitness, business, and in life, we must continue to conquer these challenges and realize our own milestones, one pushup at a time. Have a great week, everyone, and thanks for reading!

Work And Play

Yesterday many of my colleagues participated in the Men's Health Urbanathlon, a athletic event featuring runs and city-themed obstacles. I am still coming off of the Marathon from last week, so I did not participate this year, but a bunch of us went out last night to hang out and consume a few alcoholic calories...ok a bit more than a few! I'm still a newer member of the team at work, so this was the first time I've really hung out with people outside of the gym. My wife came out with me, and we all had a great time. Are you the type to hang out with people you work with? If not, why not? Most likely we all spend more time with the people we work with than our own families, so it is actually very important to nurture interpersonal relationships outside of your normal work environment. Not only does it help build bonds of trust and provide more insight, it's fun, and it will make your workday and professional relationships better as well. Work hard, play hard, and have some fun!

That's it for me for today, and this is the official end of the "daily dose". Moving to a weekly blog most likely with perhaps a few extras during the week, depending on what I think is relevant to share. I'll be changing the name of the blog and maybe even the look, and I welcome any suggestions. Thanks so much for reading, responding, and for making a commitment to yourself, your health, and your life!

Moving Forward

One of my clients gave me a valuable piece of feedback yesterday. He told me that from trainers he's worked with, I have helped him to progress. "You force me to progress," he told me. Apparently, other trainers would have him perform the same exercises at the same weight each time. That may or may not be exactly true, but surely it explains how he didn't really see much results. What I aim to do with all of my clients is to challenge them each time, whether that means more weight, a few more repetitions, or simply by tweaking exercises with small progressions in complexity. His partner even made a comment about seeing more muscle and how my client appears to be getting stronger. He certainly is on paper! If you are struggling to make improvements, I urge you to continually challenge yourself. Regarding weight training, shoot for a number of repititions, but don't stop! Most people stop at a specified number such as 10 when they might have been able to push out a few more. Those extra repetitions to failure are what will help your body the most to increase endurance and strength, allowing you to progress all the time. When it seems your progression is slowing, known as the "plateau effect", it's time to take a break in your routine and adjust your focus for a period of time. Switch up your individual exercises as well as your overall approach, and you will go through the process again and see more and more consistent results. The most important thing is your attitude. If you are optimistic and ambitious, you will surely have greater results and success. This obviously translates to your life outside of the gym as well, and it is one of the only things a trainer or someone else can't provide for you. Moving forward, keep...well...moving forward! Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

Gearing Up

Planning for fitness training can seem like more work than the actual fitness routines themselves. I am planning to begin my offseason training starting this coming Monday, and I'm making sure I'm ready. I've already started tracking my nutrition and macronutrient breakdown to see how close I am to the desired ratios and levels I had planned. Also, I've been putting some foam roller time in as well as rest and sleep, all of which seem like sedentary activities, however they are actually more important for rebuilding, repair, and recovery than anything else. I've ordered my appropriate supplements, and now all that's left is getting the individual workouts designed appropriately and with a level of relevance. I suggest for all of you the same: plan well, plan early, and schedule everything. You will be happy you did because you will find it is much easier to stick to a plan than it is to "wing it" or to get it done in the last minute. Sounds like this advice could surely translate into your other activities and endeavors in business and in regular everyday life, doesn't it? So gear up, everyone! Thanks for reading, and have a great day! Happy Friday!

Offseason Training

For me, my first running season is officially over. The marathon was awesome, and this week I've almost felt ill from the aches and pains and weakness while my body worked to recover and rebuild. I'm feeling more energy back today and got in some foam roller work and 20 minutes of a great yoga class. I feel so excited actually for the changes about to come. I am designing my own offseason training program which, in many respects, will be much harder and more grueling than the peak of this running season. I am planning to utilize all 7 days, with 2 days devoted to active recovery such as yoga, pilates, and corrective exercise and flexibility. I will program for myself as I am my own client. After all, if I can't stick to a program and be accountable, how can I expect that from my clients?

What does your career/job entail? Do you have clients? Do you sell products? What types of things do you promote, and are you an active participant? Do you believe in your product and use it? What do you consider your season, and how are you training and developing for it? This could apply for your job/career, sports, personal athletics, financial goals, etc. Think about it. What is your plan, and how has it worked for you? If you don't have a plan or goals, then aren't you just spinning your wheels? Why get in the car without a destination? Think about it. Get excited for your upcoming season and the offseason where you will be getting "back to the basics" and working on mastering your craft! Have a great day everyone, and thanks for reading!

Why You Can't Is Why You Need To

So many of not only my clients but people in general have objections. Objections as to why they can't do things. Think about it--how many times have you said, "I can't go out because I have work in the morning." You have made work a priority, and there are clear reasons why. What if you said, "Screw it--I'll call in...let's party!" There would obviously be serious repercussions to this behavior, especially if you decided to do this type of thing all the time, wouldn't there be? How come, then, do we make so many excuses about why we can't get to the gym to meet with a personal trainer for a session or somehow include fitness into our day? Why do we make excuses about eating whatever because it's so hard to eat healthy. Is is really that hard or are you just making excuses to stay within your comfort zone? Are you afraid to succeed? Are you afraid you won't be accepted? What's really going on? All of these reasons you create in your mind--stress, no time, work, social life--are all of the same reasons you need to make health and fitness a top priority. To reduce your stress, help you become more efficient and thus giving you more time, to have the energy to go out and bounce back from a grueling week or weekend--are all things that are often solved by living a healthier, more active lifestyle. So why can't you make it happen? Most likely it is precisely the reason you need to make it happen. Give me a call and let's work through your obstacles. Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

Form=Function

Many of you don't know this, but I wasn't always a fit, health-minded individual. (Ok it was a joke-almost all of you know this!) Let me rewind for a moment, though. In high school, I gained interest in drafting and architecture, and that is initially what I decided to pursue in my early years of college. I began at UIC in the Architecture program, and one of the major things that still hovers in my thoughts is "form=function". Truthfully, I didn't really grasp this concept until much later, and although it sounds simple, it is the continual thought process that evolves, grows, and keeps re-defining itself in my mind. Think about a church. If you take a look at many different blueprints/floor plans, you will see many that resemble a cross. There is usually a main building bisected by another where the sanctuary is. (This is a basic design, but it makes sense.) Much of the architecture in Chicago and around the world resembles thought processes regarding function and environment, reflected in the design. Think about the Willis (Sears) Tower. Like many of the buildings designed by the influence of the time, the lines of the building lead up, with windows, vents, and other crossing patterns. The function of the building is to house many different offices efficiently and effectively, and you can tell from the outside that it is a basic grid-like pattern. Look on google maps at Chicago itself. Isn't it, too, a dense grid of streets, blocks, and structures designed to house and transport a multitude of inhabitants? Makes sense, right?

Think about your body and daily movements. What types of movements do you do? What types of movements is your body designed for? What types of things are you doing to promote what your body was designed for? Additionally, what activities or non-activities are you performing that are a detriment to your function, and are you properly trained and fueled to efficiently and effectively perform your functions? Think about it. How do you look? Sedentary, overweight and obese individuals don't look like they do because they perform athletic activities, and they surely aren't the product of healthy eating. If you eat and practice to be a couch potato, your body will reflect it. Likewise, think about football players for instance. Football is a complex sport, having different position players performing different tasks. Offensive linemen are massive, strong, and tend to have a high percentage of body fat, which makes them slower, yes, but much more difficult to get around and move, making their form effective for their task. A wide receiver looks much different, and the best ones tend to be tall, lean, flexible and fast, allowing them to become good at long routes, jumping, and reaching to make athletic catches.

My point is this--if you want to look different, think of what activities you want to perform better, how you'd like to move, and what benefits will come from being able to perform a certain way. It's okay to want to look a certain way, but knowing what you'll be better at and striving for that instead of just saying, "I want to look good naked," or something like that will be a much better benchmark of achievement. Have a great day, everyone, and thanks for reading!

Off The Wall

Wow. I now understand what "the wall" really means! Yesterday during the marathon, I felt really good through the majority. The long race seemed like an athletic tour through the city, starting and ending in Grant Park and taking us through North Side neighborhoods, south through downtown and continuing through Pilsen and all the way to U.S. Cellular field and back up. It was a gorgeous day, starting out around a comfortable 70 degrees or so and getting hotter by midpoint in the race. I was happy for this because I've been training and competing in hot weather all summer, so the feel was similar. I felt extraordinary through about mile 21-22. Around that point my hip flexors and lower quads started to spasm a bit and I knew I was on the verge of hitting the wall. I slowed down, walked through gatorade stations, and even stretched out a bit. My goal moved away from a certain time and closer to finishing without hobbling through the finish. I now also understand the term "marathon shuffle," as this was the best way to describe how many of us were moving along. The shuffle was just over a speed walk, but too limited in range of motion to be considered a run or jog. I came in at 4:10:00, and I am satisfied to have finished and for having all of the support from family and friends as well as my clients to help me motor on through. That said, I am glad for the experience as it was humbling to experience the cramping, pain, and limitations that presented themselves. I now understand more about the conditioning that will help me in the future, and I am confident I will be able to avoid meltdowns in the future.

Much of the marathon experience translates to every day life. Moving at a pace slower than you'd like to because of crowding is much like being on a busy expressway or getting through a project limited by factors out of your control. We must learn patience and humility and do what we can, not always exactly what we want to. Also, hitting the wall happens all the time in life, doesn't it? Financially, economically, physically, mentally, emotionally, and in other ways, too. But it's not whether you hit the wall or cruise through that matters. It's really about dealing with the wall, bouncing off when you can and recovering to finish your challenge and/or task. Respond to your experiences both negative and positive, and in the end, we all learn more from setbacks and failures than "winning" with no hitches. Usually it's only when we learn and grow through failures that we can truly accomplish what we've set out to do. How does this apply with you? Have a great day, everyone, and thanks for reading!

Crowd of Cheers

Well, I finished. I was shooting for a finish time between 3:30 and 4:00, but I finished at 4:10. Not bad, really, but I worked through some injury and cramping and made it happen. In my head, I thought of all of the people supporting me and looking to me for support. It is because of all of you that I am able to push myself further each day, and it is why I will continue to strive for greater and greater accomplishment. As a trainer and coach, I am focused on holding myself to a higher standard. I can only expect someone to follow direction if I learn myself to set a great example. None of us are perfect, but that doesn't mean we don't try to get there. At points in the race, there were crowds of spectators who were residents, friends, and family members of the participants. I ran and ran, and I thought about those spectators. They came out to support people they cared about. Thinking deeper, I realized that I help to promote health by training and coaching these same people that the crowds were cheering for. Since it is my mission to promote healthier living to everyone, these family members were effectively cheering for me! This made me smile, and I really felt the cheers personally and felt great throughout the race because of it! Think about the people you serve and care about. How are you making a difference for them? Realize that as you better their lives you are actually improving the quality of life for not only them but also indirectly for the people that love and care about them! Get excited about it, and thanks for making a difference! Thanks for reading!

Cheer Me On

Just this morning I got an email about a new iphone app upgrade. The Nike+ Gps application which I currently use allows me to track my run pace, distance, and even my route plus more. The upgrade includes a feature called "Cheer Me On" which allows me to post on Facebook when I begin a run, and when friends comment on or like my status, I will hear cheers in my headphones. Pretty awesome! Please cheer me on when you see my post tomorrow during the marathon. I can't say enough about support, and I need it just as much as you and everyone else. Support the people that support you...that's called a team! Thanks everyone for your support, and thanks for reading!

Doing A Great Job

I had the pleasure of meeting a family member of one of my clients yesterday. My client is a grad student currently and she brought her mom into the gym with her to work out while we completed our training session, and I was sure to introduce myself at the front desk. "You're doing a great job," she said. "She's doing all the work!" I replied, speaking about her daughter. I did feel glad to receive a compliment, especially from a parent. But what it says to me is not necessarily that I'm implementing superb technical strategies, but rather that my client has been positively responding to my style of coaching, and that we have truly established a bond. For training to work, any type of training--whether it is personal training in a gym or home setting, group training, boot camp, even your normal job training and class education, there needs to be a connection, and you need to believe in who is teaching you and be able to commit to the game plan. So the seemingly simple compliment to me is really a sign that I am getting through to my client, and what that ultimately tells is that she will be successful because her mindset is right. Mindset...my favorite word, right?! Seriously, though, it is all about mindset.

Actually, this same client asked me yesterday, "When you were losing all that weight, did you ever hit a point where you stopped or gained some of the weight back?" She was referring to the plateau that many people seem to hit in weight loss before they reach their goal. Mindset. Although weight loss slowed down after I reached a healthier body composition, I didn't hit a training plateau, mostly because I stuck to the plan and didn't compromise a thing. I also explained how I kept challenging myself, intensifying workouts and sticking to a consistent and appropriate healthy eating program, and I am at a healthy consistent weight of around 150 lbs (although I was at my lightest around 143-145...crazy!) The question of how hard it is arose, and I explained that now it has actually become easy--not only because I've established a lifestyle for myself, but that I need to hold myself to a much higher standard if I expect my clients to reach their goals and follow my lead. Mindset. Being a trainer and an influential individual actually makes it easier to discipline myself because what I think about on the treadmill, pavement, or cross training is not myself getting better, but all the people who are seeing results and success and who see me as their motivation. So, I'm doing a great job only because all of you are doing a great job! Happy Friday everyone, and thanks for reading!

Do Your Homework!

Being a member of a fitness club, you have many options on how to go about getting in shape and maintaining your level of fitness. Some elect personal training as a vehicle to guide and motivate them through this process, which is smart. Even personal trainers seek knowledge, advice, and training from other colleagues and health professionals. Anyway, some of my clients see me sporadically, while the ones benefiting the most see me once, twice, or even three times a week, it is not really what we do in our sessions that are yielding them the results they seek. Granted, when we are getting in structured workouts multiple times per week and have more face-to-face time, we should expect a greater level of guidance, corrective work, and regular progress, however, if a client is only "showing up" one to three hours out of the 168 total that make up a week, the level of results (or lack there of) will tell the story itself. Just like if the only time you care for your overall health and condition is when you are with your physician, you will surely be in trouble! However, if you are an active participant in managing your health and fitness as you should be, the results will come. Completing suggested assignments such as tracking your food intake and working to tweak your diet, performing exercises and workouts given by your trainer, and also learning more about health in general and steering clear of the usual obstacles and foreseen roadblocks between you and your goals. Sounds hard, but understand you must make changes if you want to expect results. It starts with you, and if today is an improvement from yesterday, tomorrow will surely be an improvement upon today. Robin Sharma says it like this, "If you improve by 1% each day, then at the end of 30 days you will have improved by 30%!" That makes sense and it's easier to do a little at a time than to expect huge leaps and bounds. It just won't work. So listen to your trainer, everyone, and do your homework! It's what you are doing outside of the gym walls that will ultimately help you reach your goals. Some of my clients have already experienced this, (and one in particular has inspired this blog today! Thanks for doing your homework Mike!). Have a great day everyone, and thanks for reading!

On The Wall

It's official! Okay, so no biggie...I've been a personal trainer here at Equinox since July but I'm finally on the wall. Here at Equinox, we have a wall where there are basically 5x7 profiles of all of the trainers and until today, I haven't been featured. Clients and other members have asked me, "why aren't you on there yet?" "I know, I know," I would say, "soon!" Almost every day I would take a look while reading and re-reading other profiles, getting a sense of the other professionals I work with, their specialties, base of knowledge, and philosophies. How great it is to be grouped with some of the most educated professionals in this business! Anyways, it does seem a bit more solid, and you probably can name moments in your life where things seem a bit more stable to you. Maybe it is as simple as having a name tag made or seeing your name in print. Whatever it is, relish that moment. Be proud of your accomplishment--then build on it and really make a name for yourself! Because it's not about what you know or even how many people you may know. It comes down to how many people know you, and more importantly, how many lives you've had positive influence in. If your name comes up in someone's success story, for instance, that is one step closer to greatness! Help someone out today and start making your way up the wall! Thanks for reading!

Day 367!

Today marks the first day of year 2 of this blog! Thank you all for reading and for all of your support and comments to this point! That said, I just got done publishing the last three make-up-days of blogs. Why had I been putting it off? I don't know. What I do know is that I've made a commitment to write these for myself and for all of you who benefit from my thoughts now and again, and I don't plan to let you down. I am, however, considering making this a weekly blog soon. As my business as a trainer has been ramping up, I have dedicated more time to helping people one on one. Also, I realize that some of my blogs may have felt a bit "watered-down" content-wise. I may seek to create a weekly blog to recap events, thoughts, and concepts, and add-in a few random and special ones here and there. I will look to do this soon as I have officially achieved the one-year mark for this daily blog! I enjoy getting my thoughts out and inspiring all of you who read this to make improvements in your lives and possibly helping you touch the lives of the people you care about indirectly. Please comment below with any feedback regarding my blog, suggestions, and/or your thoughts about the frequency change. After all, it's because of you I stay motivated, and because of the support I get that I am able to succeed. Thank you all so much, and have a great day! As always, thanks for reading!

Don't Call In!

"I want to tell you, " my client started, "I was going to call in and cancel this morning's session. Then I thought, 'If I cancel today, I'll most likely see myself not coming back.'" Wow. Yesterday one of my newer clients told me this after admitting she felt like she had a slight cold. I applauded her for still coming in, and she not only completed the workout, she actually improved her numbers! She was so happy she made the decision to come in and do her best, and you will too!

Often, especially concerning fitness, we may feel like "calling in" and skipping workouts. Do you ever feel better that you did? Unless you are injured or severely ill, you should show up and give it your best. This is the simplest thing to accomplish on a given day, but usually it is the hardest thing for people to do. Why? Sometimes it's laziness, and sometimes although we think we've committed, we've really just entertained the idea of getting in shape or doing something well. When you truly commit to something, you will not let anyone or anything stop you from performing the activities necessary to reach your goal. Think about this in other areas of your life: Do you call in to work for non-legitimate reasons? Do you call and cancel social engagements with friends because you "don't feel like it"? Ok, every once and a while we value that "me" time, but if you are a successful person you don't have any reason to do this. I'll admit, sometimes my head isn't always 100% "in the game" but I've learned that if you just "show up" and start [your workout] you'll usually surprise the heck out of yourself and often you will improve! Plus, you'll feel so much better about following through with your commitment. This same principle will carry over into your career and social life, and in turn, you will become a highly motivated, responsible, and effective individual. It starts with today. Tomorrow it will be about tomorrow, and so on. Don't call in today, get your workout in, and follow through! Tomorrow do the same! Have a great day, everyone, and thanks for reading!

One Week Left

One week left. The Chicago Marathon is on Sunday, 10-10-10. Two years ago when I was 225 lbs, a half-pack/day smoker and Mr. Unhealthy, if you would have told me I'd be running in a marathon as a personal trainer, I would have laughed you out of my house. This is huge. It is the culmination of my running efforts this season, which by the way, is the first season I ever really ran for sport or fun. Beyond any and all changes I've made physically, truly the changes that have happened internally have been much more profound. Fitness and health is way more about attitude, motivation, and perseverance than anything else. And by committing to something as meaningful as health, I have really been able to apply the same principles of discipline and hard work into other aspects of my life, and taken it further. I have found my self infecting people with the "health bug" that I have. It's quite contagious! It seems in the midst of the economic chaos, disasters, family issues, and everything under the sun, people have found solace in fitness and nutrition, and that's a great thing! Once we get ourselves on the right track with our body, we will no doubt be on the right track mentally, and better equipped to handle whatever life will throw at us next. In the middle of so much difficulty I have experienced personally, I am grateful to God for the opportunities that have opened up. Recognize that it is not about simply wishing things were better. Confront your difficulties/obstacles and make concise decisions on how to handle them, and you will be surprised at the great things that will happen as a result. For me, changing my health has not only meant changing my life, but it has also meant that people I love and care about have had their lives changed for the better as well. My whole family has gotten healthier and more health conscious as a bi-product of my own health revolution, and now I am making a living helping others do the same. Please say a prayer and/or join me at the finish line this Sunday in person or in spirit. I appreciate the support I have received, and I thank you all for being part of my success! Thanks everyone, and thanks for reading!

Complete Your Task

Today was a busy day. I had two great training sessions, a 3-hour class, did my weekly shopping and errands, and even did some interval training on my new Schwinn Spin Bike(thanks Marc and Tania!). Then I carted Jasmine off to Aurora for a bachelorette party, and I decided to spend a few hours visiting my buddy down in Plainfield and to get my car worked on(thanks Scotty!). Among other issues, I knew my brakes haven't been touched in almost 3 years. Though I use a lot of downshifting with my braking, I had a feeling it was about that time. And through a friendly barter agreement, I'll be helping Scotty train at home in return for his auto consulting and repair work. So Scotty began with the brakes since it was definitely the activity that would take the longest. Wow did it ever...the rotors were basically fused to the piece they were mounted to, so it was a painstaking effort to get each one off. Scotty even had to drill through 2 screws on each hub, and that wasn't exactly a quick thing. After a few hours and a couple brews with some of his friends, we were on the fourth and final wheel.

His buddy brought a tool that he said could help out with the removal of the two problem screws, so we decided to give it a shot. Sadly, during the attempt, the bit to this tool actually broke off in the screw hole. Scotty tried several times to drill through it, but he couldn't budge the hardened steel piece. We then tried everything else to see if it would still loosen up. No dice. He worked and worked to get it off, but it didn't seem like it was going to happen. We even recognized the fact we tried a special tool as a "shortcut" and it turned out to extend the time it would have taken. I am usually all about fighting through, but it had been a while, and not only did I not want Scotty to kill himself over it, but I was going to have to get home soon, too. He told me he wanted to try one last thing. He found a small mini-grinder tool, plugged it in, and got to work. The sparks flew, and let me tell you--this grinder was tiny. He worked and worked, and after a while, he actually was able to get this thing loose! He did it! He told me that he "wasn't going to let me leave unless he know the job was done right." (may have paraphrased there, Scotty) Immediately I recognized that he was right and he was actually playing out the classic analogy.

Folks, we all have times that we feel we've tried everything or simply found yourself exhausted while trying to complete something. How many times have you quit? How many times have you finished? How did you feel? We need to fight through and do ourselves right by staying on task and completing it. Please share a time in the comments when you did this and it payed off. Thanks for reading!

Breaking It Down

My brother has been living with us this past week and will be for a while. He just started a career in the logistics field, and has been learning the game through his employer. He was explaining that he is learning to think differently about things. "Take this Cholula bottle..." He went on to explain the fundamentals and economics of shipping raw materials to centralized locations where products are then manufactured and/or assembled. "This cap is from wood, the bottle is glass, the label is paper and ink..." So he now sees a product and is continually thinking of it in terms of the materials and substances that make up that finished product. From there, he can figure out what has to happen, and this thinking is giving him a better idea of his market and how all of it comes together. The interesting thing is that I have been taking classes through Equinox to further my understanding and knowledge of the body, exercise, movement, and how it relates to personal training. In the same way, I am thinking a bit differently. "How does the client move? How should he/she move? What movements and abilities are necessary to this individual in life and in the sport(s) he/she plays? When I know some of these answers and a bit more, I can take the finished movement and even complex exercises and break them down into individual and simple movements. From there, we can progress exercises until the goal is achieved. Ultimately, my brother and I are both taking finished products/results and breaking them down more simply and working from there. It's very interesting to see the parallels that we are working in, even though these two fields couldn't be more different.

In your job and daily activities, what are your goals and what do you need to happen to be successful. Take the end result or your goal and break it down backwards and see if you can't simplify things a bit. People often get overwhelmed in a variety of ventures simply because their minds are clouded with complexities. Clear your mind and thoughts by breaking these complexities down into their simple parts, work on those parts and put them together. This may take a short or long period of time, but you will have a better understanding and most likely will come out better skilled than if you just tried to complete the complex version of whatever you are doing. Please share a unique example of when you did this, how your thinking has changed, or even what your action will be from here to help you reach your goal. We could all use more perspective. Have a great day everyone, and thanks for reading! Happy Friday!