Monday, January 31, 2011

Be an encourager today!

If it is not in your nature to be the encourager step into a new role today.

Many times we expect of ourselves what others expect.

If you have the potential to ba an A student but you get C's and people are OK with that you become OK with that.

If you have the ability to lead your team to victory but they win with you being a role player you become OK with that level of effort.

Don't get comfortable push yourself...do things for others today instead of expecting things to be done for you...it could change your life!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Does anyone choose to be un fit and over weight?

I would argue the answer to this is no 95% of the time.

No one truly wants to be overweight or unfit....even the 5% that may try and get overweight or not be in shape have other dirvers.

This is the key to my message for this chilly Sunday.

Get in touch with yourself at a deeper level..if you are having a hard time carving out some work out time or putting the donut down think about why this is happening.

My wife and I have learned a ton over the last few years.  For the two of us the desire to not work out and to eat junk is very prevalent we fight it every day.

The reason is not that either of us wants to gain weight or let our physique deterioriate there is usually another driver or trigger.

What is your driver or trigger...when you identify that you will truly be able to make a difference in your life!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Don't turn on that snow blower!

For those of you in areas where there isn't snow play along with us!

It is all about the concept...if you have a few inches of light snow shovel instead of snow blowing if you can......walk up the steps a few extra times.....stand up a bit and cheer when watching the game this afternoon...little decisions go a long way!

Perfect grades for my kids on the report crads so they want me to take them to CiCi's this afternoon...when I am there I will pig out like everyone else but the jalapeno's and pineapple on my pizza make a big difference over the pepperoni sausage and extra cheese I used to have...these little choices go a long way.....start making some new choices today!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Why do you want to be fit?

This is a question I have asked myself many times over the last few years!

I have realized there are so many different answers to the question it is amazing.

I would argue that if your love of life and time on earth with friends andfamily are your motivator you have a real good shot at getting fit and staying there.....other things tend to fade.

With the recent assasination attempt on US Rep. Giffords in Tuscon another reason has come to light.

When you are physically fit your mortality rate improves tremendously if you need any medical procedure and your recuperation time is much less.

I guess this all makes sense but I had never thought about it.

Most of us at some point in life will need a procedure done medically.

Those situations can be scary enough without adding to the stress by putting yourself ina bad place being out of shape.

Just a new reason / motivator to get out there and do something different today!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

A day off!

NEVER!

Just kidding, never anything wrong with taking a day to rest...it is actually very good for muscle development.  I am kind of taking a day off and I am going to encourage you to go to dietchallenge.usatoday.com it is the "no excuses" site of Nanci Hellmich.

This is the series that many of you heard about my story in and today's story is fabulous!  Consider this homework and go check out the awesome inspirational story about Summer.

Talk with you soon!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Controlling the Controllables

This is another key lesson I had to work through.  As a very strong Type A personality I have always been the "boss" in my mind!  :):)

That was not just the boss of others it was of the time in the day and everything else.  As I have progreesed over the last three years I have learned you can only do what you can do.  When you try and do more you will generally get physically or emotionally hurt or you will physically and emotionally hurt someone else.

If a plane is delayed or traffic backs up and you need to miss a work out or grab some fast food instead of the plan you orginally had in place roll with it.  There  is nothing you can do but control the situation.

Now how you react to those things post issue is another matter....once you get out of the car congestion and you can make a decision on lunch or dinner are you famished and headed for all you can eat wings or do you stay composed and grab a Subway sandwich or a baked potato and chili at Wendy's.

No matter what situation we are stuck in we can only do what we can do and you can always make a good/right decision in the midst of the issue or post issue.

Remember the 80/20 rule......make the right decision 80% of the time and all will be well!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Rise and Shine

Many of you know that I have lost over 150 lbs and done a number of things to get healthy.  One of the big things I learned was the need for a good breakfast.

I used to wake up and hit the road with nothing but my 44 oz. diet soda between me and conquering the world!

I never knew the importance of get good healthy fuel in your system within an hour of waking up.  I was hurting myself in ways I did not even know.  By not eating within an hour of getting up I told my metabolism to hold onto anything I ate the rest of the day....if you wake up and eat you are cranking your metabolism so it processes your food.

The more frequently you eat and the more liquid you drink the more efficiently you process food.  You will be able to eat more manageable amounts of food as well.

It is odd that your body knows the game so if you don't feed it from early in the day through the day you will end up starving and eating mass quantities as the evening rolls around.

Just another thing good old ignorant me learned on my journey!

What are your triggers?

Do you know what your triggers are?

This in my mind is the million dollar question.  Most of us have triggers that make us eat things we shouldn't or eat more than we should.  We also have triggers that can allow us to cut back or cut out exercise.

For many stress can be a trigger for over eating.......depression is another one.  On the fitness side man ypeople have told me that their biggest trigger for cutting workous is when results begin to plateau.  Think about where you are today and decide what the triggers are in your life.

Be honest on this one gang!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

What motivates you?

I was in a discussion at church this morning about motivation.

What is it that truly motivates you to work, work out, eat healthy, show patience, refrain from violence?

There are so many areas we need to get on top of in our lives.  If we don't identify the right motivating factor the chance to succeed are minimal long term.

If I use a number or goal weight what is my motivation once I get there?  Look at the bigger picture and find something that will motivate you long term.

It may be your family or more years on this wonderful earth.....whatever you identify embrace it!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Is there anybody out there?

I hope any and all of you are having a tremendous weekend.

I started this blog to encourage and help keep numerous people accountable in one daily fell swoop.

It is my hope that this will encourage and be the little bird in your hear to help you be happier and healthier.

Let me know if you are out there....I will stay the course and stay focused on encouraging in any way shape or form I can.

STAY WARM!

Friday, January 21, 2011

NO EXCUSES

Well, it is Friday!

We made it through another work week.

I was faced with the opportunity to bail on my morning walk to day....I am here staying at my favorite hotel, Embassy Suites Dublin, yes there was your shameless call out!  There has been Level 1 and 2 Snow Alerts all morning all schools cancelled and wind chills below -10.

I woke up got on the computer and thought....sure is warm in this room.

After enjoying that thought I put on the coat hat and gloves and I headed out because I knew once I give in to reasons I can't walk it will just get easier and easier.....stay the course and keep your focus but don't allow the excuses to get over on you!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Three Day Weekend?

Sometimes people can use the TGIF mentality to slack off on Friday!

Work harder at your exercise regimen or watch what you eat more on Friday.

You need to remember most weekends are made for relaxing and enjoying family and friends so don't compromise by slacking off on Friday or Friday night.

Many peole have the big lunch out with the office team on Friday....make good choices.....walk a little more on Friday or do something extra so you can enjoy your time on the weekend!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Is this a guy girl thing?

I really don't think drive and motivation are gender based.

I was featured in a few USA Today articles and Nanci Hellmich does an outstanding job of finding pertinent articles to benefit all of us weekly.

Today there was a large discussion on what it takes to motivate yourself enough to lose weight.

They said guys go to war against weight loss and women try things.

I think it is a decision but I am not sure it is gender based.  If you have it in your heart and mind that you want to lose weight you can find a way to get it done.

Feel free to reach out to me if you are stagnant or are losing the motivation.  It is only the second week of January and there is a long way to go in this fight.

Fitness is a life long battle and you must find the right balance for yourself to live life each and every day without the feeling that you only need to do this a few more days or weeks.....this is a process not an event.

It is only when you realize that you need to make a change that is life long that you truly have won the war.....many battles can be won along the way but the war can be won by changing the way you live your life not by making some crazy resolution or decision that is good for a few days and then gone!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

GO TIME!!!!!!!!!

I have spent the last week or so trying to set some underlyingprinciples on motivationand motivator's. It is my hope that you have identified one or two motivator's at this point.  They may include spending a longer life with your family and friends or just having more enerrgy on a daily basis.

Whatever it is that is starting to make your motor run harness and make a difference today.  Today is the day that you walk and extra 20 to 30 minutes at lunch or after dinner.

Do a few push ups, lunges or squats this afternoon.  Back away or just say no to dessert for oneday....today is a day to challenge yourself mentally and/or physically and see just how fun it can be.

You can do it you just need to choose to!

Monday, January 17, 2011

The day to make your dream come true!

What a day we celebrate today!

One of the tremendous leaders and visionaries of our time is celebrated today and rightly so.  He had a dream and that dream changed our world as we know it.  One man had an idea that was so near and dear to his heart....no amount of hatred........no amount of self doubt.....no amount of anything could get in the way of his pursuit of his dream.

What is your dream?  My bet it is a bit more achievable than what we thought of Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream.

Think about the accomplishment's of MLK Jr. on this specail day and then challenge yourself to have a dream or a direction for your life.  Once you establish your dream or direction work with someone to make sure that you see the challenge you have set for yourself to fruition.

If you can't find someone to hold you to things follow us here as a group we will accomplish our dreams together!

MLK Jr. had a tremendous dream and we all need to reflect on that today.....use this day as a springboard and help it assure you that any thing is achievable if you just set your mind to it.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

What is your motivation?

I was reading a very interesting article in a paper this week and a poll suggested that the top two reasons people worked out was to look athletic or to be athletic.

I thought this was interesting.....at 5th on the list was the answer I would have thought was much higher, with a sparce 6% of responses for family and friends.

I would challenge most folks to stay the course long term by making that their number one reason.  Unless you have no family and friends which is rare but possible those two things will keep you very motivated for a long time.

If you have the people you care about as your driver it will be much harder to put your aspirations on the shelf!

Try and make your motivator something you can't walk away from easily and you will be surpised how easy it becomes to keep your focus and gain the results you desire and deserve!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Loving the Weekend

Many people have asked me in the last few weeks what the secret has been to keeping the weight off.  I truly believe there is no secret to losing weight getting in shape or keeping weight off.

We all know the truth......move more and eat less.  Most of us really don't like to hear it and that is why we look for secrets or potions in the "magic" bottle.

The bootom line is that the answer is right there staring all of us in the face....the secret if there is one is most people don't have the drive dedication fortitude or time to get it done.

The links I had posted were not working previously so take a look at these:



Friday, January 14, 2011

Another week comes to an end!

It is Friday and the day we all get to the finish line and just need to energize!

You have many options as you head into the weekend....do you view it as time off from a work out schedule or the weekend may be your time to enjoy a two day cheat meal extravaganza!

I challenge you to live each day with balance so you don't feel like you need to blow all your hard work from the week in one or two days!

You are regimented as you work through the week and then you may lose dedication or structure to or within a program when you get to Friday!

I urge you to stay the course....don't give in to the ease of throwing up the feet and getting a pizza and wings and watching the NFL Playoff's.....enjoy the playoffs but walk on a treadmill or ridea bike while you do so....play with your pets or wrestle with your kids.....enjoy life but stay the course!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Rise and Shine

What have you done different so far this week?

Hopefully you have challenged yourself in some small way. I want to reiterate that as long as you are doing a little more and eating better you will start to make strides in your quest to be fit.

I want to remind all of you that a good start doesn't even mean eating less it could be eating better.  When I was eating my two cheesburger meals with fries if I switched and ate just as many calories of salmon and vegetables it would have done different things for my body!

Many different ways to go  after this challenge and wewill  look at many of them over the next few days!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Calories??????

What are they?

Very scary things have happened over the last few days to help me understand how little the general population knows about health and fitness.

I had a lady ask me today how I could drink so much diet soda and stay thin.  I told her I am worried about the Aspartame but it won't ever make you gain wieght.

The reason for this post is to remember just because you may know something does not mean others will!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Why get Healthy?

I saw an interesting poll in USA Today this morning.

The number one reason by a landslide that people don't work to get healthier is responsibility to friends and family.

It wasn't even close and I thought this was crazy, that was the most common excuse?

The biggest reason to block out time are your friends and families.

If you really think about this after taking the last few days of mental inventory you should realize that if you take a little time from those responsibilities the years you will give back to them are not able to be quantified.

After a few days into the New Year stay focused and make yourself a priority.  It may seem a bit selfish but if you make appointments or scheduled time with yourself for this initiative and you committ not to steal that time the results will be right around the corner.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Monday and off we go!

Hopefully you have all taken some personal inventory and you are locking down a plan!

Remember if you are currently eating 6000 calories you can't drop to 2000 that is where people falter if you go from 6000 to 5500 you will lose weight and you can drop incrementally from there!

If you are sedentary get up and walk a bit and you will get in better shape.....it is the little things that will change your life!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Who the heck am I?

Many of you may take a look at this blog and wonder who is this person and why should I listen to anything he has to say?

First of all you only need to listen to me if you have interest in living a happier healthier life!

I hope that is of interest to you!  I have been athletic all my life and I excelled in Volleyball and Basketball!  I am a very successful Sales Manager at a Fortune 500 organization and I lead the Country in sales in FY2010.  I have found tremendous success personally and professionally over the last few years and most of it has come from a few very basic principles that I hope to share with you over the next few posts.

After the self analyzation that I mentioned you should think through in my post yesterday it is time to start thinking about a plan! 

What do you want to do differently in the next 3 to 5 days.  Identify something that is measurable and attainable for yourself and we need to see if you can accomplish it in the next few days.

Please share with me if it is not to personal and let me know if you have success.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

The First 24 hours

This is the most crucial point to your health and happiness that you will face in the first day of your journey!

Don't make things harder than they need to be...just like any situation in life you need to face one day at a time and this will be the approach you need to take as you go forward on your quest for healthy happiness!

If you learn to approach every day as the challenge in front of you instead of looking weeks months or years down the road you will find success in your quest for happiness.

I have had articles in the USA Today over the past few weeks and I have been interviewed on local television.  Everyone wants to know why I make things sound so simple as I share about my quest for healthy happiness!

The truth is the equation is simple the work is tremendously difficult as is the focus and committment that is needed!

I will share my secrets in this blog.

I am including links to the media that I have been featured in and there will be a lot more to come!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Step 1

You will be surprised to know that you won't need to get off the coach or put down the chips for Step 1.

This stage is all about thinking.

In many circumstances people try to jump into a whole new place far too fast.  Right now if you have decided to live a happier healthier fitter life you just need to take some inventory.  Think about your daily habits and routines.....make a list of things you do ever day and put them on a piece of paper....thngs you perceive as good habits and activities on the left.....things that are not so good or should be done away with on the right.

Take some time and think it through.  This could be the most important list of your life!