Take a Deep Breath

I won't lie. Today's blog is a make up...(I'm writing on Sunday, May 02). This weekend has been especially hectic, and I have to admit I let it get away from me a bit. I have gotten a lot accomplished, including cooking several great meals, getting shopping done, taking the dog to the groomer, church and a meeting after church, a 10-mile run, and dropping and picking my wife up from work on Sunday, (which is the day I'm writing this). I figured the best way to make up for a blog is to tell you what my thought process is when I'm feeling overwhelmed. The tasks and things I need to get done kind of feel to me like when you're playing tetris and the music speeds up and the blocks stack up near the top of the screen. "Ahhh!!"

(As I'm writing my dog is going nuts which doesn't help the anxiety)...Breathe in. Breathe out. Forget about what you haven't done when you wanted to do it and focus on creating a concise plan for tonight and the rest of this week to get everything done. I thought of this when I was driving today and breathed it out. I feel better. It's okay to get off track, but it's not okay to stay off track, so if you're off, then get back on and keep running! Breathe it out and take the necessary steps to make it happen. What I will focus on this week is not trying to stack everything up in one night. Rather, I will focus on getting one or two important and necessary things done each day, and writing those in my to-do-list and making sure I cross them off on the day I set out to do it. I need to get back to the basics by scheduling my tasks as I schedule my workday, meals, and workouts.

Please post your methods and ideas to help us all out with how you deal with your "task-stack"! Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great, productive week!

Living PR

Today was a lovely day in Chicago. So, being that it is my flex/recovery week and I did some yoga and stretching yesterday, I decided to go for a run and started by jogging briskly over to a public track about a mile from my home. I wanted to get some pure running in without having to keep my head on a swivel each time I passed an alley, intersection, etc, so this was perfect. Plus, I never really ran on a track like this so it was pretty cool. When I arrived, some soccer league teams were practicing in the center and random people were doing different things around the field and track. I stretched out and set up my Nike+ for a 5k run on my ipod and went at it. I pushed a bit harder today and was able to finish with a new PR, or Personal Record for my Nike+ system!

Though I am happy about my continued progress with running, I want to share my thoughts about the "PR", not only in running and other sports, but other areas of life as well. My philosophy is about doing my best and trying to improve daily at everything I do. Where I work, my main job is Expo where I get food ready to go out to hungry customers and I am trying to get better and better so that I can handle huge rushes efficiently and effectively and set new "PRs" essentially every day. This is just another minor example. What can you do in your every day routine to set new "PRs"? Maybe you can cook up the finest dinner for your family tonight! Maybe even better tomorrow! At work you can strive to do better today...and tomorrow! You can love your spouse/children/family/friends and show kindness and grace more than ever today...then tomorrow...then the next day! These are just some thoughts to help get your juices flowing. Realize you can be better. As Zig Ziglar says, "In order to do, you must first be." Be your best, and you will then be able to do your best. Be a living PR. Thanks for reading everyone!

"One Dollar, Bob!"

Today my neighbor and friend, Marc, called me to let me know I had one a little contest he and his wife were having. You see, his wife Tania went into labor and today they had their highly anticipated baby girl, "Elli"! What a joyous day it is! Anyway, they had a guessing contest to see who could guess closest to the date of birth, weight, etc, and while many people stuck with a date around the doctor estimated date, I undercut them and picked May 1st. Today was the day and I went with my Price-Is-Right philosophy of "One dollar, Bob!" and won.

As much fun as that was, I want to take a moment to highlight Marc and Tania as an example couple who we have the pleasure to share the building with. Marc and Tania are a younger couple who have career jobs, love each other very much, travel to visit family on holidays, and are very conservative and make sound, calculated decisions which has done them well. Marc is younger than me, but somehow I feel I look up to him for leadership in terms of getting stuff done around the condo, following his demeanor in terms of how he plans and organizes himself and how he treats his wife, and so on. Not to mention he is a cyclist and I dream about having a bike like his one day! Tania is a sweet, caring woman with similar values as Marc, and there is no doubt these two will be Super Parents! My wife and family is excited that we know them and also to be pseudo-uncles and aunties for the new baby!

Praise God that the baby and her parents are healthy on this day and that we will have many future birthdays to celebrate with them on April 28ths to come! Thanks for reading everyone, and keep this family in your prayers!

Cookin' Up Some Love

As some of you already know, I have really gotten away from eating a lot of meats. It is not because I think eating animal flesh is inherently wrong or bad, but I have been learning a lot about how these animals are raised, their living conditions, what they eat, and about the industry as a whole, and don't wish to perpetuate and condone it. Also, I have seen some prices on what meat from reliable, local, humane, and organic sources of meat look like, and though I do plan on buying some "ferrell-to-finish" pork from my cousin Steve who distributes from a local farmer, I can't eat meat like that all the time due to the economics of my situation and I figure I don't really need to beat myself up for some meat. Anyway, I have been eating more beans, nuts, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and mushrooms as primary protein sources, and that's just fine. I would call myself creative and innovative in the kitchen, and often I come up with meals as I am cooking, and tonight was one of those nights. I want to share with you some of my thought processes and what I made not to tout my abilities, but to hopefully give you some ideas on some ways you can add some "love" to your meals!

Tonight, for dinner we had what I decided to call, "Triple-Bean Roasted Potato Hot Salad". Sounds good, huh? It was!! As the title describes, the main ingredient is love! Corny, maybe, but absolutely true. First, we have had pasta for the past few days, which is great, and I am also known to use whole and cracked wheat as my preferred carbohydrate sources, but today it was red potatoes. I had bought a big bag of lovely red potatoes from Costco last week, I believe, and I checked on the remaining 3-4 pounds and they were starting to soften but had not yet begun to sprout roots, so that was a plus! I washed them and quartered them, then tossed them in olive oil, minced garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, garam masala, coriander, rosemary, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and that's about it, I think. I layed them out in a foil and parchment-lined cookie sheet and roasted them at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes or so. While those were roasting, I minced up 1/2 of a red onion, 1/2 of a bell pepper(I chose a yellow one), quartered up some baby bella mushrooms, and cut up some dried ancho chilies and sauteed them up in some olive oil. When the onions were softened, I threw in some edamame, a can of black beans and a can of red kidney beans along with some thinly chopped spinach, fresh dill and parsley, salt, pepper, cumin seeds, tomato bullion, and a little water and simmered that mixture down a bit. When the potatoes were ready, I threw in half of them (and stored the rest as a side dish for later in the week) and tossed the whole concoction together and served it up with some toasted artisan bread. We enjoyed a nice Riesling on the side and it was a bangin' meal! Again, I wanted to share this with you not as a recipe, but as an example of using what I had on hand. Take advantage of the ingredients you have in your home, and be creative! You will find more and more combinations, and don't be afraid to give something a shot, because even if it doesn't turn out well, you will learn for the next time. And when you cook with love, you can't go wrong! Thanks for reading everyone!

Hope-Full

My mom emailed me today with a great message of hope, and I thought I'd share some with you! First of all, the title to the email was "FW:Encouragement For Your Future". Normally it's easy to shun off many forwarded messages, but I was delightfully surprised to see some nice Biblical quotes and in reading I realized that much of this content is relevant to me and most likely whoever reads my blogs! You can check the entire message by clicking on the title to this link, which will take you to a Dayspring webpage. The message has some quotes on Hope, Joy, Courage, Patience, Joy, Confidence, Courage, and Love, and I recommend it. I want to elaborate more on the message of hope, though.

In these times we are in, things are economically tough across the board. I had a conversation with one of my co-workers, and I was telling her a bit about me in a nutshell as an introduction. Every time I do this, I am reminded of how good things were (economically) for myself and my wife in 2007, hands-down our best financial year (and the year we got married!). Add a flood and the fact that she can't work overtime, etc, and we are "hurtin' for certain". I feel blessed, though, because there are many others that are much worse off, and I prefer to count my blessings. Nonetheless, I am aware of our nation's situation as a whole, and we are all reminded as we see more and more regarding people seeking jobs, people being evicted and foreclosed who can be included in the "newly homeless" category, and people in other unfortunate circumstances. I pray for all of us to see the pinhole of light that is ahead, and to know that there will be more prosperous times soon! We must believe this, even if we can't see it. We must push on and be patient, knowing there are better times coming! One of the verses of hope from the forward my mom gave me led me to the book of Romans, and I want to share some verses with you below. Thanks for reading everyone!

"I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us." -Romans 8:18

"For it was by hope that we were saved; but if we see what we hope for, then it is not really hope. For who hopes for something he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." -Romans 8:24-25

"We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Who's Runnin' With Me?

All I have to say is, "Wow!" This morning I ran in my first official running event, the Ravenswood 5k. I figured this would be a great way to kick-off the season, and I was right. I've been training with the INSANITY program, which utilizes a schedule of intense max interval training, (if you want to know more about that please contact me or click on the ad on the left), and a weekly run. During my runs, I have been using the Nike Plus system, which uses my ipod nano and a transmitter on my shoe to record my strides, maintain my pace, and record my distance. What I realized today is that this was a bit off, and it actually helped me out. I've been seeing a pace of around 7:50-8:00 per mile with the Nike+ system, but my results from the race really surprised the heck out of me. For this race, sensors were attached to my bib which electronically recorded my time by starting when I crossed the start line and stopped when I crossed the finish. The times have been posted officially, and here are my results:

OVERALL: 125/2929, AGE GROUP(25-29): 32/219, OFFICIAL TIME: 20:26, OFFICIAL MILE PACE: 6:35

Wow. To think my goal for the summer was to break 20:00!! Anyway, I am glad to have been a part of this race, but I'd like to share some of my thoughts during the race. The feeling was euphoric, first of all. All the racers, the spectators, the blocked off streets. Even the smell in the air and the moist but temperate climate was great. While I was running, I thought of all of the people that have been supporting me and that love and care about me and my health and success. My family, my friends, and the people that have been in my life. I also had feelings of a much greater sense. I don't do this solely for myself. I love challenging myself to fulfill my own desires, don't get me wrong. But if I can show people on paper what I can do so that it might inspire them to believe in themselves a little more, it's worth it. If I can show the skeptics and the people that think drastic transformations are not possible that it is possible, it's worth it. So you see the numbers. Go to the website and see for yourself: http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?orgID=234623&rsID=91820. Think about the fact that in the fall of 2008, I was 225 lbs, clinically obese smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day and got tired walking up a few steps, and now I'm placing in the top 5% in races...YEAH. I'd also like to point out that I'm taking this coaching thing a bit further and have officially ordered my NASM Personal Trainer certification materials and will be an officially certified Personal Trainer within a month or two. So there's only one question..."Who's Runnin' With Me?" Thanks for reading everyone!

 

Bake Up Some Goodness

Well, I had my official orientation this morning at Corner Bakery. I have already gotten a chance to work in my new position for a week, and I thought that I was in pretty good shape as far as knowing the basics and getting situated. However, I had a bit more paperwork to finish, and I figured I'd get to enjoy some coffee and meet my new co-workers who also had orientation as well, so I didn't mind going in. As it turns out, I thought it was very worthwhile because I got to learn a bit more about the company and its beginnings, and I appreciate working here even more.

I thought Corner Bakery was just another concept that sprang up from some idea someone had, like many others. In actuality, it has evolved quite a bit to the credit of its customers mainly. Corner Bakery started out as just that: a bakery who specifically made bread solely for Maggiano's Little Italy, a popular Italian dining spot here in Chicago. Apparently, people began to inquire about the bread and wondered if they could start buying it, and it was decided that Corner Bakery would start selling bread and some pastries to the public. Customers then began asking about how they could enjoy a cup of coffee and have a sandwich made on the bakery's bread, and more items were added. Fast forward to today and there are several Corner Bakery Cafes around the City that proudly serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as espresso drinks while still baking breads and other pastries and desserts and including catering for business lunches and other events. Wow. This is a great example about how serving your people and taking care of their needs can sprout and develop into something you never dreamed of.

Honestly, I am trying to help people in my Beachbody business in the same manner. Identifying needs and providing solutions to those needs. Eventually, maybe my business will grow into something great, too! I listened to some good Zig Ziglar today and yesterday, and Zig explained something that seems simple enough but is true.

"Have you ever purchased a bed? A new outfit? An automobile? An insurance policy? A new copier for the office? A training program? A set of audio tapes? A book? Let me submit to you that not any of you [listening to this recording] has ever bought any of these items. What you did buy is a good night's sleep. The way you look and feel in a particular outfit. Transportation. Protection for your family with savings and investment advantages. Increased communication and organization for the office. Added productivity. More information. A fundamental sales program that will help you even more in your sales career. None of us buy products. We all buy products of the products...We don't buy what the product is; we buy what the product does..."

Zig goes on to explain even more, but you get the idea. In the same way, Corner Bakery does not sell bread or sandwiches but rather comfort and service and a full stomach upon leaving! I do not sell and market fitness products. However, I do market the results and promote health, which is truly what people need and want. Outside of the business realm, all of us "sell" our friendship in return for good friendship. We don't "buy" our friends, though, do we? No. What we do buy into is how those people make us feel and we identify our own desire to help them feel a certain way, too. Think about your career, your relationships, and what things you are buying and selling every day. Maybe you can start to think a bit differently, and bake up some goodness! Have a great night everyone! Wish me luck on my first official run (the Ravenswood 5k) tomorrow morning! Thanks for reading!

First Friday

Today caps off my first full week at my new place of employment, The Corner Bakery Cafe. I definitely like the atmosphere, the natural food we serve, and my co-workers. I appreciate the level of professionalism that comes with the experience that this chain has, and it is reflected in the way the operation runs, the management, and the process as a whole. My position is the "Expo", or expedite station, where I can see the orders as the cashiers enter them in, make the soups, oatmeals, parfaits, bagels, etc, but mainly get the dining and to-go orders ready and complete for delivery to the hungry people waiting to eat and/or get back to work with their meals. I have learned a lot so far, and I will only continue to work to improve myself so that I can bring the team up and not slow anyone down.

My managers have given me positive feedback on my progress, but I also have already noticed the methods that they lead us through the day. They take control, are concise in their instructions, but also and more importantly, they give positive feedback on the performance of the team members. Not only myself and the new people, but also the existing staff receive positive, encouraging remarks and some are rewarded for working a bit harder and going above and beyond by getting their meal paid for as well. It is another aspect of leadership I am big on. I believe that we all respond better to positive reinforcement where a good job is rewarded and positive criticisms are made, rather than negative reinforcement where one is in constant fear of being reprimanded or being punitively criticized, which does not yield good results in any situation. So, I will go into today feeling confident and looking forward to another challenging, but rewarding day, and I will try to do my best as always! Thanks for reading everyone! Happy Friday!!

Goodie Bag

Today I stopped off at Fleet Feet Sports in Lincoln Square to pick up my first "packet" of the year. This is a bag with information, my specific number tag for the race, my shirt, and of course, ads from sponsors and other fun materials [for the Ravenswood 5k this Sunday]. I am excited because this is my first official running event ever, and it really sets another milestone in my mind for what I have accomplished and for what I can help others to accomplish by sharing. If you've read some of my previous blogs, you will know that I have some lofty goals for this summer as far as athletic events, and this one kicks it off. As much as I am newly returned to the athletic world after about 10 years or so of living a sedentary lifestyle as an obese individual, I am so excited and anxious for what is about to come. I also am doing new things in terms of my business. I have new coaches/trainees that are getting their feet wet, and I can't wait until they, too, experience more and more success, and I am excited to be here for them. So this goodie bag today represents a lot for me. It's like my Easter basket, I guess. I encourage all of you to get out there and get some goodies this summer!! Thanks for reading everyone!

You Are Your Opponent

One of my favorite shows from last year is back: "Dhani Tackles The Globe" on the Travel Channel. I love this show for many reasons, but the premise of it is cool. Dhani Jones, an NFL linebacker, travels to different countries to explore the land, try the food, meet the people, and to compete in their sports, often times at a professional level. It's cool to see how welcoming people are from different countries, and last year I got to see him compete in rugby, wrestling, and a bunch of other cool sports that I can't even remember the names of. Yesterday, I watched a bit of the first one for this season, where he visits Italy and begins to train for an 80 mile cycling event, where the first 27 kilometers is all an uphill climb to the peak of a mountain! Even as a cyclist, I feel that challenge to be daunting. Anyway, something he said caught my attention and got me thinking. He said something to the effect of:

"...my opponent is not the other team. My opponent is the mountain, myself, and my endurance..."

I paraphrased a bit there, but you get the idea. I recognized this to be true for much of the upcoming events I have signed up for, such as the 5k, 10 mile, and marathon runs, a triathlon, a 100-mile bike ride, and probably a few more on my agenda for the summer. Training for these events is a challenge in itself, and my main opponent is really myself. Think about that and hear it once again: Your biggest opponent is often times yourself. In your fitness, dieting, business, family life, etc. In all areas, you are the one who will determine whether you are disciplined and focused enough to push yourself to finish and perform in each and all areas of your life. It is when you can prioritize and really make the decision to follow through that you will be successful. So beat your opponent today, and get done the things you plan to. And plan to beat your opponent more often than not, and you are sure to win! Thanks for reading everyone!

Got Oxen?

A lot can be said about a leader and what he/she does in order to reach his/her goals and be successful. But there is always more to the story than just the individual. It is the support from the people around the successful person. The family, friends, and co-workers. The "team" essentially. A great leader brings up the level of his team and helps everyone to play well and perform better individually and as a unit. Without a great leader, a team will be mediocre at best. But without a team, there can be no leader. The other night before bed, I read a little bit from the book of Proverbs which is riddled with sayings (no pun intended) regarding honesty, obedience, leadership, fidelity, temptation, etc., and this one caught my eye and I will leave you with it to end this short blog. Think about it and what it can mean in the areas of your life.

"Without any oxen to pull the plow, your barn will be empty; but with them it will be full of grain." -Proverbs 14:4

Thanks for reading everyone!

Don't Change Your Mind

This morning on the way to work, I listened to yet another Zig Ziglar recorded podcast that brightened my morning and my outlook for the day. It was actually a podcast about closing a sale, and one idea caught my attention. Zig said that when someone says "no" they will never change their initial decision. When I heard this I immediately raised an eyebrow. Zig went on to explain. When people say "no", they are making a decision based on the facts that they were given and their opinion based on those facts. However, when new facts/information is presented it is possible for the person to make a new decision based on the new information. When thinking about it this way, it makes perfect sense. Think about it.

Another aspect Zig mentioned is that salespeople or successful people tend to be convinced that what they are selling (or the product/service they offer) is absolutely necessary and that everyone needs or should take advantage of it. I laughed because I definitely feel that everyone can benefit from and need help in the areas of health, fitness, and nutrition, and this is exactly why I do what I do. I honestly feel that health is one of the most important things to focus on for everyone and that good health and nutritional/fitness practices are absolutely essential for living a good life. I often times tone myself down to prevent people from thinking I'm nuts! But I am very serious about helping people achieve their goals, and I won't stop. I try and learn more and more not so people change their minds or buy something. No, that's not the idea. My hope is that people learn something new or make a new decision based on new information that brings out the motivation and/or reasons they need to get healthy for their benefit. Are you looking for new information or more reasons to get healthy? Take a few minutes and look around for new information. Find out why we are the fattest country in the world. Find out why heart disease is the number one killer in America. Find out the truth about how animals are treated like prisoners in concentration camps before being slaughtered and why it is dangerous we eat the product of that. Find out how farmers, animals, produce, and consumers are controlled by the food industry as a whole and how we can all make small changes to eventually make things better for all of us. So don't change your mind. Just make a new decision. I'm here to help. Thanks for reading everyone!

Natural Chiropractic Healing

Yesterday, my mom and I had a great opportunity to meet a mother and daughter team focused on helping people get healthy, just like our focus! Dr. Andrea Noey is a Chiropractor and her mom, Barbara Noey, specializes in colonic therapy. When first arriving, I noticed immediately that they had thought everything through. There were calming, ambient sounds playing and I noticed a soothing, menthol-esque scent in the office. The chairs seemed as though they supported a healthy posture, and everything about the office was set up with great thought for comfort and health, which was cool to me.

My mom works with Barbara at a local school in Bolingbrook as a teacher's aide, and that is how she grew to know her. Apparently, Barbara has seen some changes in my mom, and my mom is constantly talking about how great she feels from working out and applying nutrition and fitness as a lifestyle, that finally the two decided we should all meet to discuss helping Dr. Noey's patients even further in life. We have decided to set up a workshop/seminar soon, and I will post the official announcement in a blog once it is official.

Near the end of our visit, Barbara gave us a tour of the office, and we learned a bit about colonics, which is a bit new to me. Colonics is a type of therapy that uses a method to basically rinse your lower intestine out with a very clean and sterile, comfortable machine. Barbara mentioned that people come in and many are repeat customers. She also mentioned the need for proper nutrition because the need for this type of therapy is much greater when people consume a poor diet, and we really want to help these people to learn more about proper nutrition. "We will take their money, but we'd rather they live healthier" is a paraphrased quote from what Barbara and Dr. Noey basically stated. Besides the colonics and chiropractic rooms, they also have a sauna, foot baths, and a few other rooms.

Natural Chiropractic Healing is an all-around great place operated by real people who have a genuine interest in helping people getting healthy. I highly recommend visiting Dr. Noey for a consultation, and look out for the fitness workshops coming soon! Her office is in Crest Hill, IL, and check out her website in my links or click on the title to this blog to link directly to her site. Thanks for reading everyone!

A Birthday "Fit" for a Mom!

Today my mom turned 67. I went out and visited her, my brother, and my dad, and we were able to spend time together as a family for lunch which was great. I am so proud of my family and the love that we share, and I am happy because a united family nowadays is rare. The love from God shines through, though, and I owe a lot of that to my parents. As all families do, we have had our share of rough times, and surely there are greater challenges up ahead which we will deal with the best we can. My mom looks so good, and she is so full of life at this age. She has survived breast cancer, two knee replacement surgeries, brain surgery, and a slew of other illnesses and operations. But still, her faith in God and her love for people in general give her an unbelievable attitude and passion for life that I strive for and model myself after.

After lunch, my mom and I visited her friend Barbara and her daughter, Dr. Andrea Noey, a chiropractor/colonics daughter/mother team! I will talk more about this in tomorrow's blog, but our purpose was to meet and touch base with them regarding setting up an initial, then possibly a monthly seminar regarding Team Beachbody and fitness and health solutions to help her patients achieve greater health! What could be better! Keep an eye out for an announcement soon on our fitness workshop/seminar. Working with my mom and building a life based on helping others is a dream, and I am so happy that things have happened the way they have. Overcoming obstacles and facing the challenges we have faced has led us to this point, and for that I wouldn't change anything. Happy Birthday, Mom! Thanks for reading everyone!

Supplements Vs. Whole Food Nutrition

Below is a player for the call from Saturday, April 17th, actually. I am posting it as a "make-up" blog for the 16th. I briefly discuss the principles behind the controversy of the nutritional value of supplements vs. the whole food nutrition. Bottom line: whole foods are ALWAYS a better way to get the nutrition you need although there are certain circumstances where supplements are necessary, such as in people with nutrient deficiencies, etc. Another announcement is that I will be postponing the usual call, and will possibly move it to a weekday evening, perhaps even making it a monthly call. Please feel free to contact me with your ideas! Thanks for listening and reading!

Got An Extra 8 Seconds?

Today I went back to the pool for another drill and self training swim session. I began my drills as I had last time, although I was a bit more comfortable initially than last time, no surprise. I added a couple more drills, and then did a couple lengths with no fins on to finish up. Constantly conscious of what I was doing, I kept identifying more and more ways I could improve for next week, and I will I am sure. Add to that my Insanity endurance training program which rocks, a few strength workouts, and my running and cycling, and I am sure to be in tip top shape over the course of the summer. "Dig Deeper" is the theme of my Insanity program, and if you are doing the program, you know Shaun T is constantly yelling this at us. It is true--most of the barriers we often face in fitness and life are created and housed in our mind. If we can dig past this and find some extra strength, drive, motivation, etc inside ourselves, we will push harder and do more. Thinking once again of tonight's swim session, afterward while changing in the locker room, I couldn't help but overhear a couple guys talking about some runs and triathlons coming up for them. At one point, I deduced that they were discussing a 5k run because of the times they were referring to.

"One time I ran an 18:08...I was kicking myself because I almost broke 18:00!"

"You think you had an extra 8 seconds?" the other guy responded with, referring to the trivial pursuit of the flat 18 minute time.

"Everyone's got an extra 8 seconds..."

This is the statement that really got me thinking. In a sense, there is always just a little bit more we can do to push past what we feel our limits are where great things happen. Not just in sports, but in daily routines, workloads, hectic errand scheduling, etc. Push past what you think your willpower is and you will do it. But again, find the things and people in your mind that are most important to you, and make those things what drive you to do what you feel you are not yet capable of, and you will find yourself capable of the impossible. Let no one tell you something you want is not within reach. I believe there is a Chinese parable that says,"Man that says 'it can't be done' should not interrupt man doing it." Dig Deeper People! Thanks for reading!

Philosophy 101

Tomorrow is my last day at my current job. I want to talk a bit about why I'm making a choice to change. As I keep working to evolve my coaching business with Beachbody and as I begin the 2-month crunch toward my NASM Personal Trainer certification, I'm actually making a lateral move into a similar job in the same industry I'm in now. The question will arise, "Well, if you're doing the same thing, why not stay where you are already comfortable?" The true answer is really this: It's not me; it's them. I was actually excited for the outlook of the opportunity to serve more people and push hard to help this company succeed this summer. But, as it would appear from changing standards on portion sizes, erroneous charges on previously "free" items, and lack of labor support, the actions of the company tell me that there is no longer a desire to show or bring the customer value, but rather to take the existing customers and squeeze every last penny out, which may boost profits initially but to me would seem to drive them to find a better value at a different establishment elsewhere in the upcoming future. This, to me, is something I can't hang my hat on, and call me old-fashioned, but I would like to be able to tell my friends and family to come visit me at my job and that we'll take care of them. However, I really don't believe that to be true anymore. So, I will choose to work at a new place to see if their philosophy is driven by the people they serve or themselves, and I hope it is the former because I would like to have fun and believe in what I am doing so that I am motivated to do the same with my business. I choose not to be complacent in a miserable, unrewarding work environment anymore.

As you have noticed, I haven't mentioned the name of the place where I work now. This is unimportant, and actually I do not wish to slander the people or company I work for. No, this blog is not meant to slam anyone, but rather to offer you insight into my character and maybe to bring to light a situation you might be in so that you might not be afraid to try something new in your job, your health, other relationships, etc. I actually wish the best for everyone I have worked for and with, and I appreciate the opportunity to work for my previous employer and I do sincerely wish them all the best in the future. We are all learning and evolving, and to wish bad on anyone would be to wish bad on my brothers and sisters, and that I simply cannot do. There's no right or wrong here, people, just emotion and foresight. So I hope you might learn something from the experience that I have shared; I know I have. Thanks for reading, everyone, and have a great night!

Go Mom!

Today I was talking with my mom, and she told me about her recent trip to buy newer, smaller clothing, and that she feels so great as she approaches her 67th birthday. I asked her to write her story out, and for tonight's blog, I am going to post it below. Go Mom go!

"I got involved with Beach body around September/October of 2009. I was really disgusted with my weight and the way I felt about myself. I was inspired by Team  beachbody program and with encouragement and reading testimonies of my coach and other testimonies, I decided to delve into this completely.  I started the program with the first DVD of "Tony and the folks" because I thought that would be appropriate for me as I am a senior citizen.  I did it for a couple weeks but it did not give me any challenge, so I decided to start the "Slim in six" series. I did the six weeks of "start it up" and then moved up to "Ramp it up". Kept working on it for a while, it was working but I needed to put more emphasis on my middle abs, since it seem like my baby fat (after having children) never left me, so I had to do something. I received Power-90 for Christmas. I started that in January and I fell in love with the workout program. Started working on the Power-90. Tried to work out every day, but sometimes missed a couple of days.

When I first started beach body, I weighed 164 lbs, had a waist of 44". Clothes did not fit well. I had to buy pants that had elastic, because fitted pants did not fit well. My size was Misses16-18 pants, Blouse 16 or XL.  I ate basically a rounded meal, but every now and then I had fast food for lunch (Junior whopper, fries and coffee/diet coke) Also ate ice cream sometimes and dessert/cake etc. After I started working out, I gave up McDonald's and other fast foods/donuts etc. Ate healthy food, more veggies, chicken, ground turkey i/o ground beef. I always ate "Daal" legumes (my heritage). I recently introduced Shakeology. My daily meal plan is Coffee and multi-grain slice of toast, 1 egg or 1/2 cup oatmeal with low fat milk, Salad and left over dinner(rice, veggies, chicken curry or daal for lunch, snack, string cheese, carrots, wheat thins, tea etc. and Shakeology with banana for dinner.
I finally decided to go shopping for new clothes. I bought 3 slacks, a pair of boot leg jeans, and dress slacks. None of them with stretch elastic. And they all fit perfectly fit. The size was 12. can you believe? I was so excited, I wanted to scream with excitement but I was in "Kohls". The tops I bought were all "L".  I am down to 152 lbs, 39" waist.
I will be 67 on April 17, 2,010. I feel better than I have felt in a long time. I am so empowered by beach body that I wanted to tell the whole world about it, and actually when people tell me about how "awesome" I look, I tell them about beach body.
Team beach body has changed my outlook on life. I feel I have evolved and have been transformed into a new body, mind and spirit. I feel like I am on top of the world and no one can bring me down. I am starting a new phase in my life on this birthday. This is beginning of a new chapter in my life with healthy family, body mind and spirit. I have always had strong faith, and I know that my life belongs to God and my body is a temple and God dwells in it, so I want to take care of it.

I thank God for directing me to my new path of holistic healing." -Rose Nickles

Thanks to my mom for sharing her story. Hopefully it will inspire some of you to begin writing your stories. Please contact my mom by clicking on the title to this blog and linking to her official Beachbody Coach page! Thanks for reading everyone!

What Do You See?

This morning as I walked to the train on my way to work, I listened to a Zig Ziglar podcast about how you see yourself. Zig explained how for a number of years he was overweight and only saw himself as an overweight individual. He tried different diets and fitness routines, but even if he lost weight, he soon found himself back to the overweight individual, or "fatboy" as he put it. I believe most of us can identify with this vicious cycle, and not only with weight, but with success, addiction, and a slew of other issues that seem to fit us. You see, it is how we see ourselves that must change before we can truly transform into the person we know we are deep inside. For me, once I saw myself as a healthy, athletic individual and truly began to believe that I could be this through P90X and following the program, I realized I could, in fact, become this healthy, athletic individual, and now I am, and as my understanding of what this means continues to evolve, so do I.

So I challenge you when you are getting ready in front of the mirror: What do you see? Do you see a mediocre individual who suffers from the same issues day in and day out? Or do you see someone accomplished, responsible, educated, wise, and successful? Please begin to see that you are the latter, and you truly will become this. Also, I strongly recommend that you subscribe to the Ziglar podcast and be sure to download all of the past recordings and listen in. This is free, and if you want to invest in some great audio, buy some of his stuff. He has been an inspirational voice for me, and I know I am better for learning from him and other greats as well. Anyways, see something better in yourself today. Tomorrow. And in the future. Thanks for reading everyone!

Taxed

Like many of you, I've been facing a tight money situation lately, and though I am optimistic that my situation will improve, I have been avoiding dealing with various fears of what lies ahead. Being the second Sunday of Easter, in church today we went over some scripture and our meditation dealt with the happenings after the rising of Jesus. There were three aspects we reflected on: those who are fearful, those who are confused, and those who have doubts. Obviously, we all could fit into any one or more of these groups at a given time, but today I most strongly saw myself as having some fear. I normally passively stay in my pew when there is some interactive content or extra activity, but today I chose to light a candle to address the fear that I have been having, and I made a decision that I would take more action and trust more in God and my family for support so that we may get to the better times through faith. Also, this evening I finally sat down, gathered up my paperwork, and filed our taxes for 2009. With days to spare, I faced my fears of what might be revealed and/or simply facing the tedious task of filing taxes. To my delight and amazement, we will be getting a return that far exceeds what my expectations were, and more importantly, we will be able to catch up on some bills and possibly get ahead in other aspects. I have a renewed faith in the future and my fears will soon subside and I will be able to accelerate myself, my family, and my team into this summer with a great deal of hope and faith for the future! Praise God and thanks to everyone for continued prayer, support, and...thanks for reading!! Have a great week everyone!

Perspective

This morning I dropped my wife off at work and headed to the lakefront for a morning 10K training run. It was a bit chilly, but I was glad to see the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. I ran along the trail, and as I did, I marveled at the beauty of the city and the lake. The sky seems bluer, the air fresher, and the skyline more majestic than I had remembered. Is this the same city as last year? Of course it is. I am different. My perspective has changed. How I see things is constantly evolving, and I appreciate life so much more now that health is my new addiction. I wish I could share some of the rush that running for personal records every time has given me. I am new to running, so really, every run has been a personal record, (or PR as it is referred to by runners). I wish others could sample some of the bliss I felt after the run during my cooldown as I breathed fresh air and faced the sun as I stretched with some yoga. Feeling the warmth of the sun on my face with my eyes closed as I relaxed and absorbed the moment was utterly euphoric this morning. I hope these descriptions may help you to experience some of the peace among all of the chaos in your life, because the peace is there. The hope needs to be there for you, and the hope is what will inspire you to better days. Nothing is impossible everyone. Thanks for reading and have a great Saturday! Also, please take a few minutes and listen to the power call from this morning! (posted below)

Safety In Health

Yesterday when I was walking home from work, everything seemed normal. I turned on Pandora on my phone and started jammin' and began my short trek toward Clark and Lake and began to plan the rest of my evening. While crossing Wells, the light had turned green and the little green walking man that symbolizes it's safe to cross the street was on too. There was a lady walking about 10 feet ahead of me, and a Chrysler sedan was waiting to turn while we crossed. I have no idea what this guy was thinking, but as I crossed I noticed the car beginning to accelerate a bit too early, and it even seemed as though he didn't see me at all! I realized if I didn't move any quicker I was going to get hit, right-of-way or not, so I quickly jumped forward and avoided being hit. Of course, I turned in the direction of the car, and he must have seen me in the rear-view because he briefly stopped. I avoided the accident, so I turned and continued on my way although I was definitely pumped a bit with adrenaline at the near hit. The funny thing is that I realized what I would have been the most upset about is the idea I might have been injured and would need to skip a workout or two and pause my endurance training. This made me real upset!

I then thought of what allowed my escape. What if I wasn't as healthy as I am? What if physically I wasn't as athletic as I am now? What if my mental clarity and alertness wasn't where it is today? What if I was any less healthy? I may have been hit. And if I was hit, I may have been hurt badly. Kind of makes you think, doesn't it? We really are benefiting in more ways than we think just by being healthier and living better. Besides the obvious sicknesses, diseases, and medical conditions we can avoid later in life, think of the accidents and incidents of injury we can avoid by being healthy today! I'll leave you with that for this Friday night, and let that be another cause for your motivation! Thanks for reading everyone, and join us tomorrow morning at 9:30 am for the Power Call!! Check out the call info in yesterday's blog "Antioxidant Crunch".

Antioxidant Crunch

Today's blog will be short as I am planning to begin my first of many visits to the park district pool to work on some swimming drills. That said, I have decided to use "Antioxidants" as the theme/topic for this week's power call on Saturday morning. As you may or may not know, we are starting a series on nutrition, and I realize that there is much we all are still learning. One of the big words everywhere nowadays is "antioxidants", and some of us use the term without knowing at all what it means. Some of us think they are miracle vitamins. Some of us think they are actual food. Some of us just have an idea that they are in pomegranates, etc. Well, I hope that some of this trivial information will be reconciled and more discoveries made as well. Please join us on the call and bring what you know so that we may all learn more. Below is the info. Please call in and participate! Thanks for reading...and calling in!

Power Call Info:
"Antioxidant Crunch"
Saturday, April 10, 2010
9:30 A.M. CST

call in number: 1-712-432-3100
Conference Code: 314779

Good Questions!

Recently some of my newest team members, Bernie and Ann Harvey, sent me a few great questions. I know there are some of you out there with similar issues, and I wanted to share these and my responses and advice for tonight's blog. (These questions/answers are paraphrased and not necessarily verbatim to address you, the audience, more globally).

1. I have noticed when I work out, I am in my redline zone, or near my Max HR. It only comes back down once I have stopped working out. Is this okay?

Remember, it's about health first guys. Stay safe but still push yourselves by working out (especially regarding cardio workouts) in your aerobic thru your threshold zone. To put this into numbers, I would recommend you work out somewhere between 60 and 80 percent of your max hr. You will notice over time, even as little as a few weeks, that you will have to push harder to stay in this zone which will indicate you are becoming more fit and building your endurance. 

2. While doing certain core/ab exercises, my lower back burns. Is this normal? Should I replace those exercises?

Your lower back burns because though your abs may not be tired, your opposing back muscles are weaker and need to get stronger for you to strengthen your entire core. Over time, you will notice this burning to subside, indicating that your lower back is getting stronger, and you will progress more with your entire core including your abs. Further, keep working out with the entire P90X system to target all of your muscles and your body as a whole will be much stronger and you will get the results you are after. My weakness was my hip flexors. They would start to burn and break down way earlier than my abs would, but over time they got stronger and I was able to progress much further.

Well, I hope this Q&A session helped all of you! Thanks to Bernie and Ann for asking them, and congrats to them for BRINGIN' IT!! Thanks for reading everyone!

Double Life

Earlier today I was watching a recording of "Life", a beautiful nature series narrated by Oprah Winfrey. Yesterday, actually, I blogged about something from this series regarding Spider Crabs and how they shed their old skin and move on to a bigger, stronger shell and how that relates to you and me and our journeys in health and life. Today I watched a show about reptiles, and Oprah narrated a short piece on amphibians.

Amphibians, as you may or may not know, actually are a bit different from fish and reptiles, but they also share qualities of both. The origin of the word "amphibian" is actually from Latin for "amphibios", "amphi" meaning both or double, and "bios", meaning life. Two lives. One animal. Amphibians are born in water, similar to fish. When they hatch, they resemble fish (think tadpoles) and swim, breath, live, and eat in water. The most significant change in their lives is marked by their change from a water-based creature to an air breathing animal, often times growing legs, breathing air, and hunting, eating, and sleeping on land. (There are a wide range of amphibians, and all don't live the same, but follow me on this example). They have lived half of their life knowing one way. Learning new things. Then they are forced to adapt and change, or they won't make it. They learn new things. They grow limbs. They take on new challenges, obstacles, and adventures, and they succeed in life! Oh what we may learn from this simple example from nature! Think about this. And if you are struggling to make necessary changes in your life, remember the amphibians. Grow new limbs. Take on new challenges. Learn more and learn often and you will create a new life for yourself! Thanks for reading everyone!

Break Out Of Your Shell

It is still Easter week, so we are constantly reminded of resurrection. Resurrection in the religious sense, yes, but also how it applies to us. Last night, I received an email from a co-worker who had fairly recently contacted me regarding how he may be able to get healthy and fit, but he hasn't done anything with the recommendations and/or offers of support I extended him. So in last night's email, he asked me a follow-up question regarding a product recommendation, and I was surprised but excited that he is taking another step towards ultimately deciding to commit to his health and progress with a home fitness solution. At work today, he mentioned that in church on Easter, he was reminded of resurrection, and he thought of himself and how he should resurrect his health! This is a great thing! Apply what we are learning in our religions in our daily lives! This is really the point, isn't it? I mean, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may learn to sacrifice. And he was resurrected so that we may learn from the promise of a new day! Hallelujah!

Earlier this evening, I was watching a recorded show called "Life", a nature series narrated by Oprah Winfrey. In this particular show, they were showing spider crabs and how they travel to a particular location to molt and mate once a year. These crabs need to do this because they have been growing larger and more importantly, have been growing a larger shell underneath their current one. So they will actually crawl backwards out of their current shell and leave it behind! This shell will eventually harden and become their new body and they will return to the deep and continue on with their new life! I found this is a metaphor for what we need to figure out how to do to resurrect ourselves and our health. We are living and growing inside day to day, and there comes a time when you will feel it is time to make a change. This is the time when you need to crawl out of that protective shell you have known in the past. Break out of your current shells and learn how to grow in health, in wealth, in life. Think about this. I am here for support and coaching when you are ready, and if you are already on your way, KEEP PRESSING PLAY and keep developing new shells! Thanks for reading everyone!

Rise and Shine

Happy Easter! I've been up already for a while, and my mind has been buzzing so I couldn't fall back to sleep. Last night, my family and I watched "The Blind Side" while eating dinner. This was an amazing true story of courage, faith, compassion, sacrifice, and love. If you want to find out what the movie was based on or a synopsis, look it up or rent it today. I don't want to get into the details of the movie, but I do want to talk a bit about the words I just mentioned.

Courage. Faith. Compassion. Sacrifice. Love. Powerful qualities to have, don't you think? As we are in a new Easter season, we are faced with the story of Jesus and how he possessed these qualities. One of the most difficult things to do is to maintain these things in our lives, and live their meanings. It is even harder to maintain love, for example, for those who would mock or persecute us. It is hard to love people who don't show us love. It is hard to show compassion for people who don't show us compassion. It is very difficult to maintain faith and courage when it seems that hope is all but lost. And it is extremely difficult to sacrifice things that we have gotten accustomed to, or to sacrifice something we would want for the sake of someone else, especially when we might never be recognized. But doing the right things are definitely more often than not the harder things. And when we start doing these things we will learn. We will learn not only how to live these qualities, but we will learn so much more about what is in us and we might see the love God shows us through our love to others. This can be so powerful in our lives. Remember that when we face tough times, there are people who have it better than us. But there are also countless others, even more, that have it so much worse than we do. We must consider ourselves blessed to be in a position to learn humility and courage in our tough times so that we may show others how to do the same.

Easter. A time of reflection. A time of promise. A time of rebirth. It is time that we rethink our situations. Analyze where we are now in our lives, in this year, in this week. Let's make a commitment to improve. To not aim to be perfect, but maybe to try to live better. Let's make a commitment to learn more each day and to value each day as a new promise for the future. When we start to see the opportunities amidst the difficulty, we will see brighter sunrises, clearer skies, and our eyes might be opened up to newer more colorful colors in a wider spectrum. Good morning everyone. Happy Easter. RISE AND SHINE!! Thanks for reading, everyone, and have a blessed day!

Nutrition: An Introduction

Today's Power Call begins a series on nutrition. Nutrition is the most popular subject I get asked about, and admittedly, it is an everyday challenge and progressive education even for the most disciplined and knowledgeable athletes. Below is the player for the call. Please listen in and contact me with a nutritional topic or question you'd like to hear in an upcoming call. Thanks for reading and listening!

Great Friday

Today went extraordinarily well for me. It was a lovely day outside, for one. 80's in April in Chicago? Sunny? And I got off work an hour and a half early? I came home, had an awesome INSANITY workout, got all the grocery shopping done for the day, and was on time to pick up my wife and bring her home. That's the shortened version, anyway, but I did reflect on the significance of this Friday. Good Friday. One of the most significant if not the most significant day in Christianity. This is the day Christ made the ultimate sacrifice so that I might learn how to sacrifice. How blessed we are to have such an example to live by. I do want to tie this in to fitness and health, so I will. If there is ever a time where you ever think you can't prioritize your health because you can't make a sacrifice for it, think about today and what it means. Think about what you would sacrifice for the sake of the ones who love and care about you. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for them. So, for today and every day, reflect on the sacrifices you need to make and keep making and remember that someone has always made greater sacrifices. Whether you believe that person to be Jesus or someone else influential in your life, it is important that we remember. Have a good...Great Friday! Thanks for reading everyone!

Knock Knock.

I have mentioned in a previous blog about what Jim Rone said in one of his speeches: "...life gives you difficulty mixed with opportunity..." I'd also like to point out that it is more often than not that a great leader rises when he/she is faced with almost overbearing difficulty. I surely can say that my life changed when I faced one of the most difficult times in my adult life so far. And many others have done the same. Think of it as "fight or flight" in a much grander sense. Today, one of my friends, and a truly inspirational and spiritual individual, Jason, told me that he had recently lost his job among gaining weight back that he had recently worked to lose, and so on. We texted back and forth, but we both agree that now is the time, when faced with such adversity and humility, that he must become the man he's always wanted to be. Before, he had good spirits about this, and he is a born leader, but now I truly believe, though losing his job was not intentional or an immediately positive thing, that he will be able to clear his mind and commit his whole self to succeeding in his fitness and health goals. Further, he will join my team as a coach, and will be able to commit to creating and sharing his success, and helping others achieve their goals, and together, we will be partners in success.

As with myself and the rest of my team, we do not push products or manipulate individuals. We work to identify needs and help our trainees and future coaches to conquer their obstacles and shatter their goals, and the process is repeated. I feel that I could be like many trainers and simply formulate a program, meet with individuals, and instruct them on what to do. However, by showing someone a program and having them follow this, teaching them about nutrition and fitness, and why they do or don't do certain things, and helping them develop as a person more than anything else, they become empowered and are able to become leaders. I figure the best way to become a great leader is to develop great leaders. And that is exactly what I intend to do. I feel like a crusader of sorts, and I really don't care if you who read this think that sounds cheesy. I truly believe it. I am done with pretension, and I choose to put myself out there. Yes, I may get hurt. Yes, I may be willing to offer more of myself to others than they deserve or intend to offer me. But to those that accept and appreciate it, our victories and achievements will be well worth it. Stop building someone else's dream and start realizing yours! Please contact me about coaching and make a difference and build wealth for yourself while you help others. "It is never to late to start; it's always too late to wait." Listen for the door, people. Opportunity is knocking. Knock, knock. Thanks for reading everyone!