Drawing Motivation from Sorrow

You see last week, Thursday the 19th was the 2 year anniversary of my father’s death. It was a very hard time, a hard day to get through for many of my family members. Although it was a hard day, I got a lot of things accomplished, and I even made a short video for you to show you how I draw a positive in my entire life, from my every movement to training others all stemming from my fathers passing. Watch the video below.

Don't Watch This Inspirational Video If You Don't Want To Cry!

WAIT! I have to set it up for you. If you don’t feel like crying, don’t watch this! I’m serious. This video is so emotional in a happy way. This is a video that completely describes the way everyone should reach forward towards their goals, their dreams, and how you should just CARRY ON with your dreams (LOOK FOR THOSE WORDS IN THE VIDEO-CARRY ON). After watching this video you will feel inspired to go out and carry on in achieving your own dreams. PLEASE, post your comments on this blog and tell me what you thought. Seriously, don’t be one of those people that does not post comments. That just shows me that you are not serious about your own goals. Tell me what you think!

Slim Pact National Weight Loss Challenge!

Okay America, this is your chance to lose weight, be healthy, be happy and live the life you dreamed of! This is the time. Click on the link below to find out more information how YOU TOO can join the Slim Pact - Slim Down America Challenge

https://www.advocare.com/08031736/Slimpact/SlimpactIntro.aspx

Lose Up To 5 Pounds In A Week!

That's right, you too can lose 5 pounds in just one short week, and do it in a very healthy way, GUARANTEED!

Let me tell you how...

It all starts with nutrition. If you are not eating healthy, you're not losing anything! Eat 5 times every single day, starting as soon as you get up and every 3 hours after. Each time you eat have a palm full amount of protein and 2 palm full amounts of complex carbs (higher fiber carbs).

Also drink 2 swallows of water every 10 minutes starting when you wake up until you go to bed. DO NOT MISS A DAY! NO ALCOHOL AND NO SUGAR!

Do this workout Monday, Wednesday and Friday...

-10 minutes power walk with A LOT of POWER!

-Perform 20 Jump squats with no rest!

-Perform 20 push-ups either on your knees or toes with no rest!

-Climb up and down a set of stairs 3 times as fast as you can, with no rest!

-Pick up a 1-2 year old kid (about 10-15 pounds) and press him from chest to as high as you can 20 times, with no rest!

-Perform walking lunges 40 steps worth (20 each leg), with no rest!

NOW REPEAT ALL THAT TWO MORE TIMES!!!

On Tuesday and Saturday go out for a 45 minute POWER walk as fast as you can without running! Do not run! The more hills the better!!!

On Thursday and Sunday go out for a 30 minute walk/jog! Every 30 seconds go from a very fast power walk to a jog for a total of 30 minutes.

Try this for 7 days. I guarantee wight loss! What do you have to lose?

I Never Do Abdominal Exercises!

I'm telling you I hardly do any abdominal exercises, yet I have a very nice strong, toned six-pack under my shirt.

So how is it that I have six pack abs, but don't do any abdominal training?

Easy! I do a complete total body program almost every time I workout. This is done by doing "functional type exercises, which incorporates my abs. I always do a minimum of 3 hours per week of cardiovascular exercise, many times incorporating it into my resistance workouts. I also eat consistantly pretty healthy, combining a protein and complex carb every time I eat and go no longer than 3 hours without eating. Always!

This is what I don't do...

*Crunches

*Any isolated abdominal exercises

*Use sit down strength machines where you push and pull

*Stress if I eat bad every now and then. I just improve the next day!

*Diets

*Fast

*Low Carb eating

*Stress about getting a six pack

The Promise List

This is a promise list I personally use and live by.

Maybe you can use this list too.

The Promise List

I will always help out a hurting client, workout partner, friend or someone in need.

If I need to rest during a workout, I will rest no longer than one minute then start again.

I will never, ever give up in a workout on any exercise or movement. I will give every bit of my energy every workout on every exercise, on every repetition to do the best I possibly can.

I will trust in the trainers I work with as they are pushing me during my workouts and off. I will trust in my knowledge in fitness and nutrition to keep me lean and fit and most of all healthy.

I will always take care of my body during workouts and not during workouts, such as eating correctly, drinking enough water, stretching, icing aches and pains, proper warm-up and cool-down.

I will always finish an exercise and a workout. Pain is temporary, giving up last forever. You will remember every time in your life when you give up. Always! Don't Quit!

Eat"complex" Carbs to lose weight!

So my wife, a teacher, came home yesterday from work and proceeded to tell me about all of the teachers in her school that are overweight and completely out of shape that just complain that they can't eat this and they can't eat this. I guess there was one in particular that said her doctor told her to stop eating carbs. Now this person completely believes that "carbs" blows her up. She told my wife that she just can't eat carbs cause it'll just add more pounds on her.

Keep in mind that a professional doctor told her this. I'm sorry, but I know that doctors (family doctors) do not take even one nutrition class as part of any of their education. I'm so fed-up with so many doctors prescribing the Atkins diet and other low-carb diets, when they don't have a clue what carbohydrates do for the body. Therefore I'm going to tell you right now!

For those of you that just use the word carbs, you better start telling me what kind! Because there are complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates.

LEARN THE DIFFERENCE if you are going to talk about them!

The fact is carbs don't make people fat in todays society, sugars make people fat.

Now all carbohydrates are made up from sugars. There are a number of different types of sugars but in the body all carbohydrate metabolism converts sugar to glucose, our body's preferred energy source. Glucose is the main sugar present in many foods but some contain different sugars, such as fructose in fruit, lactose in milk, galactose as well as others. Most sugars are digested and absorbed and converted to glucose, some cannot be digested, we call this fiber.

Complex carbs are basically those in wholegrain form such as wholegrain breads, oats, muesli and brown rice (foods with higher fiber). Complex carbs are broken down into glucose more slowly than simple carbohydrates and thus provide a gradual steady stream of energy throughout the day. Natural carbs are also a better choice when losing weight.

The food list below shows many natural complex carbohydrate foods that are frequently used to produce food products or meals. Most foods or products that contain a large portion of these staple ingredients are usually a good high complex carbohydrate source. The best way to provide the diet with complex carbohydrates is to consume foods in their most natural state such as oatmeal, bran and brown rice.

Bran
Wheatgerm
Barley
Maize
Buckwheat
Cornmeal
Oatmeal

The food list below shows good sources of complex carbohydrates.

Whole wheat Pasta
Macaroni
Whole wheat Spaghetti
Brown rice
Red or sweet Potatoes
Other root vegetables
Wholemeal breads
Granary bread
Brown bread
Pitta bread
Bagel
Wholegrain cereals
High fiber breakfast cereals
Porridge oats
All bran
Wheetabix
Shredded wheat
Ryvita crispbread
Muesli
Cassava
Corn
Yam
Oatcakes
Peas
Beans
Lentils

Weight loss progress often slows due to a lowered metabolism. Increase the metabolism before cutting calories (by adding calories), then very low calorie diets wont be necessary.

Simply put if you are not getting AT LEAST 1500 calories per day in your body, you will NEVER lose weight if you want to do it in a healthy manner. Simply try to eat 300 calories 5-6 times per day with a combination of complex carbohydrates and protein. Get's some fats in your diet but only unsaturated fats, from olive oil, butter and dressings.

A good complex carbohydrate intake is essential to exercising effectively and makes each workout more effective in losing body fat! Digestion of complex carbohydrates takes longer. The slow absorption of sugars provides us with a steady supply of energy and limits the amount of sugar converted into fat and stored!

Why are carbohydrates important?

Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of fuel. The energy can be released quickly and easily to fulfill immediate requirement within cells. Carbohydrates do not require oxygen to burn therefore they fuel most muscular contractions, meaning our carbohydrate intake is very important for regular exercise sessions. If carbohydrate stores are low exercise will seem like a real effort!

Mentorship

So Sunday afternoon I received a phone call from someone I have not heard from in 4 years.

Let me take you back...

I was a track and field Coach at Hilton Head High School from 2000-2004. During that time period I spent a lot of time mentoring student athletes. Not just in track, but in life situations. In 2004 Bluffton High School opened it's doors and I became a coach there. Meanwhile a few of my fellow Hilton Head athletes also went to Bluffton High.

One person in particular, Let's call him Justin, was a good kid, but was a follower, a playa, and needed guidence, in school, in life, in everything.

I coached and tried to guide Justin as if he were my own kid, as I did all my athletes. During Justin's senior year, he became inelegable to compete on the team and I never saw him during the season. After that season I stepped down to open my personal training studio.

I always wondered what happened to Justin...did he ever make it to college, is he not in jail somewhere, is he even still alive? Well, as I said, Sunday I received a call. Guess who it was from? You're correct...Justin! He got my cell phone number from Henry, another one of my former athletes that I keep in touch with. Henry goes to school at Coastal Carolina. It turn out that Justin had transfered from a school in New York to Coastal Carolina, and found Henry. Justin called me for one reason...

He wanted to know what he had to do to qualify for the Olympic trials, because he has been training hard, and is trying to get a scholorship to run for Coastal. He said to me... "Coach, I need help and I'm turning to those who helped me in the past". Then he said..."I learned that from you", and this is why he was calling me.

Do you have any idea how good that made me feel? That is the reason why I coached in the first place, for times like that. This is also why I help transform people's lives now, both inside and out. It's not about the workouts I take you through. It's not about how I make you do this exercise and that exercise. It's simply about helping you, molding you, mentoring you to become the person I know you truly want to be, inside and out.

Everyone needs a mentor. I had many myself. Unfortunately many of mine are gone. But they all died as good people. To name a few...my father taught me to always help others. Coach McGarvy, my 8th grade track coach, taught me to never give up and go for whatever I believe in. Coach Smith, someone I had the honor of coaching with at Thomas Worthington High School in Ohio, taught me that there is no limit to goals and to never stop reaching for them.

These are just a few. Everyone needs mentors! Everyone. No matter what age you are, we all need them to help us grow.

So I ask you...who are YOUR mentors, past and present?

Real Functional Training!

So, my family and I went to the circus this past weekend. Very Cool! Many of the things that they did incorporated tons of functional training. I highly doubt they sit down on machines and push and pull a bunch of weights around as we see in almost all gyms on every corner.

Functional training gets you the results you really want. One of the highest levels of functional training is in gymnastics. Picture a gymnast up on the rings. His strength comes from his core, not from his big biceps, not from his powerful legs, but from his core. He got his strong core from flipping around, holding his own body weight up, while twisting and turning in every direction. He got it through functional training.

In my studio, this is how we train people, through functional training. No we don’t do flips or floor routine or even the high bar. We have rings in our studio though, not for doing great routines on, but everyone of all ages use them. We do movements, not exercises. We train the body the way it was supposed to move. We train with exercise toys like stability balls, BOSU balls, free weights, cables, bands, tubing, medicine balls, tires, rope, ladders, and much more. The best piece of equipment we have and the one we use the most is our own body. Using our own body weight for resistance is the absolute best thing we can do to strengthen our core.

We don’t have a leg press machine, or a seated row machine, or a chest press or biceps curl machine. They were built for the individual person that designed them, not for you and me. We still do those type of movements, but in a more functional manner.

Do you know how to make getting in and out of your car easier? Do you think sitting on a leg press machine will help improve that? I tell you what will…perform side lunges. No weights needed. Just step to the side and bend. We do this everyday, without thinking twice. So this is how we should train our bodies, with the movements that we do day in and day out.

I had a great video of some elephants standing on one leg doing tricks and a woman doing a rope trick 40 feet up in the air, but I couldn't download it. Sorry!