Fitness Ninja

Inspiration comes in many forms.  All of us need a kick in the ass and a reality check from time to time.  I realize we all have our own set of trials and tribulations.  Yes it could always be worse, but in the moment we are dealing with something, our problems are real and it’s up to us to decide how we react.  At some point we must put our big girl panties on and make things happen, or be consumed by our woes and crumble beneath. 

I’ve talked about our client Layne before (you can see his testimonial and amazing before and after photos here).  About a week and a half ago, he was diagnosed with an incarcerated umbilical hernia (non-gym related), taken fairly quickly to the emergency room, cut open 8 inches straight down his abdomen, and had 6 inches of his small intestine removed.  What seemed relatively innocent at first turned into quite a major ordeal.  Thankfully the staff that treated him took great and swift care, and once healed he will be 100% again.  The day his surgery took place was the first time in 948 days that Layne did not exercise.  A Ripken-esque streak had ended...

But the next day he was back on his feet.  You see, there’s something to be said about being physically fit.  I mention this often.  Sure we want to look good and feel strong and all those things, but when the body is in optimal health...when your muscles are strong...when your heart is functioning at a high level...all the systems in your body work so much better.  By the end of day 1, Layne had already figured out the total number of feet in one lap around the 6^th floor of the hospital.  He logged a mile on the first day, 1.5 miles a couple days later, and sent me a message the following night to let me know he got in a full 5K that day...even jogging a couple laps.  The nurses and staff were astounded not only at Layne being up and mobile, but at his tenacity to remain active.  Like the smart man he is, he wanted out as fast as possible. 

Layne was released a week later, and is doing great in his recovery.  He’ll be back in our gym kicking butt in no time.  So often our clients look to us for motivation and inspiration to push themselves to places they never thought possible.  But it’s clients like Layne that make everything we do worthwhile.  A few years ago, and many pounds ago, Layne might not have had such a quick road to recovery.  But he is strong, healthy, and has a great attitude about life.  And he truly lives the motto...

NO EXCUSES, JUST RESULTS!!

You may have thought the Christmas season was the most wonderful time of the year, but in actuality January is the true joy.  Produce sections all over town are void of the usual abundant selection.  Infomercials are littered with the latest and greatest fitness product ever produced in the history of everness, sure to get you rock hard abs and a firm tight butt in less than 30 days.  And the gyms are crowded with people that are...well...”really” gonna do it this year!!  Meanwhile people who eat healthy and work out on a regular basis ALL THE TIME are pissed off because the greens are sold out and someone is on “their” treadmill.  LOVE IT!!!

Yes, it’s New Year’s Resolution time, and near the top of almost everyone’s list is move more and eat healthier.  Apparently we, as a country, are not doing a very good job of sticking to these.  We remain a big ol’ nation of big ol’ people, even though we are highly educated and the documentation on the benefits of exercise is a mile long.  I believe the problem is not the resolution itself, but rather unreal expectations of what changes can be made in a very short amount of time.  Stats say that 80% of people who start exercising stop within 6 weeks, yet for most of those people it took YEARS to get in the shape they are now.  Anytime you make goals, in fitness or life in general, they should be SMART goals. 

S-Specific

M-Measurable

A-Attainable

R-Relevant

T-Time sensitive

If you plug your goals into this formula, you will definitely be setting yourself up for success.  It’s not a guarantee, but if you are honest with yourself on each aspect, you will have reasonable guidelines for realistic goals.  Don’t make a healthier way of life a new year’s resolution, make it a permanent change for a better you. 

And finally, the quote of the week, although I’m not really sure what week this happened...

"Oh my God, my organs hurt!!"

NO EXCUSES, JUST RESULTS!!

Post-Jailbreak photo (From left to right): Leanna, Zach, Nick, James, Ninja, Dale, Tracy

I just wanted to share something real quick with you all.  A while back I talked about DOING something with your fitness.  I love seeing people transform their bodies and health in the gym, but it’s so great to see it translate into real world activities.  On September 18^th a group of us from StaYoung journeyed out of the friendly confines of the gym and into the wilderness of Roanoke, TX to participate in the Jailbreak Run.  It was a 3.8 mile obstacle course, complete with mud (LOTS of mud), a river, a water slide, and a Chewbacca sighting in the forest.  As many of you know I’ve never been a fan of running, but the obstacles help to break the monotony and provide for quite a good time.  We all had a blast, finished in a respectable time (who knows how fast you’re supposed to finish a muddy 3.8 mile obstacle course???!!!), and actually showed that our hard work in the gym was useful outside.  What I really loved seeing was the variety of people who participated in this event.  It was men, women, kids, all shapes, all sizes, all fitness levels, and everyone was just having a good time.  I’m certainly a fan of anything that can motivate the average person to get up and DO SOMETHING!!  I encourage YOU to find something out of your typical routine, something challenging, and attack it like a spider monkey!!

And now, for the quote of the week (it’s really a conversation, but whatever!!)

Client:  “This sucks”

Me:  “And we just started!!”

Client:  “I know, and it sucks already!!”

I love my job. 

NO EXCUSES, JUST RESULTS!!

Ladies and Gentlemen....START YOUR BELLIES!!!  Today marks the official beginning of eating season.  Yes folks, the State Fair of Texas opens today, and most go for one reason, and one reason alone...TO EAT!!  In addition to world famous corn dogs and the perennial giant funnel cake, this year’s lineup includes fried beer & fried margarita (because lord knows we need booze with our fried foods), fried club salad (yes that says SALAD), deep fried smores pop tart, and this year’s winner, Texas Fried Frito Pie.  (My arteries hurt)  Our obsession with food seems to know no boundaries.  We discussed this morning in the gym that maybe they’ll start deep frying crickets or caterpillars, or maybe just have a deep fried mystery bowl where nobody will know what the hell they’re eating, but they won’t care because it’ll be fried. 

A study released this week reported the cost of obesity for women annually is almost $5000, for men almost $3000.  I’ve probably stated it before, but the annual cost in the U.S. for obesity and related complications is $147 BILLION.  Recently it has come to my attention that so many people just have NO CLUE when it comes to fitness and nutrition.  It’s not stupidity; it’s a lack of education.  People don’t know what is in their food, don’t know the difference between healthy food and what “appears” to be healthy, don’t know how many calories they have to burn to lose a pound.  But we all know what celebrity got busted for drugs last week, what sports star got arrested for battery, what new show is coming on primetime tonight, and what fried food will be at our local state fair.

It’s time to WAKE UP!!  It’s time for PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!  If we sit around waiting for “Health Care Reform” to solve our problems, our health issues (along with our butts) will only get bigger.  When is enough, enough??? 

I encourage ALL of you to be informed, educate yourself, and be accountable for your actions.  No one is going to change your health except YOU.

Oh, and that sound you hear...that’s me stomping on my soap box.  And this time I’m not getting down.

NO EXCUSES, JUST RESULTS!! 

If you ever stand in line at a grocery store, you typically see magazine covers littered with rock hard bodies and slim fit figures.  They typically tote some “6 pack abs in 6 easy moves” or “3 simple exercises to get the firm butt you always wanted.”  Um...yeah...if it were only that easy.  Now in the REAL WORLD, where most of us tend to lives our lives, it takes a lot more...I mean A LOT MORE...work to get the body we desire.  Recently though, there have been two Hollywood stars that have lost a considerable amount of weight, for all the right reasons, and in the right way.

Drew Carey, current host of the Price is Right, has been overweight for as long as I can remember.  He recently lost 80lbs, cured himself of Type II Diabetes, and literally looks like a different person.  WHY did he lose the weight, after all these years?  “I was sick of being fat on the camera.  Really, I just got sick of it.”  Just that simple folks.  He had enough, and WANTED to change.  That’s the point that so many people never get to, truly wanting to make the change.  People SAY they want to change all the time, but far too few actually do something about it. 

John Goodman, who has also been obese as long as I can remember, recently lost what many believe is at least 100lbs.  At 58 years old, it’s definitely not an easy task.  "It takes a lot of creative energy to sit on your ass and figure out what you're going to eat next ... I wanted to live life better."  The last part of his statement says it all; he wants to live life better.  I think he wants to LIVE, not just exist.  He hired a trainer (smart guy), has changed his diet, quit drinking, and feels better than he has in a long time. 

I really love stories like this.  Two guys who were fed up with being out of shape and unhealthy, and choose to DO SOMETHING about it.  Nothing fancy, no surgeries, no crazy diet pills.  Just hard work, discipline, and a commitment to living a healthier lifestyle.  I swear I’ve heard that philosophy before somewhere...I’m just sayin’.  I hope these men can inspire many others to do the same.

And now, the return of the quote of the week, from one of my very grateful clients...

“You’re like an opportunistic virus that finds every weakness and exploits it.” 

I sure do love compliments!!  Until next time...

NO EXCUSES, JUST RESULTS!!

I’m Baaaaaaaaacckkk!!

So apparently I’m just like everyone else, I need accountability.  And since no one has asked about this blog lately, I’ve been a total slacker.  I actually took a week off of work for the first time in about 5 years last week.  I highly recommend it.  Put the cell phone away, unplug the laptop, and cut yourself off from the real world for a few days.  It’s not as hard as it seems, especially if you are sitting on a beautiful beach sipping on your favorite beverage J  When is the last time you relaxed? And not just physically, but mentally as well??  Between our jobs and significant others and kids...OH THE KIDS!!!...and the thousand other things we try to cram in a day, it seems we never take time to just sit and clear our minds.  I hear people say often “if there were just a few more hours in the day”...but FOR WHAT?!?!  So we can work more??  So we can run a few more errands??  If there were 4 more hours in each day, I’m sure the majority of us would not have fun with them; we would try to get more meaningless, menial tasks done.  In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, someone in your life is getting neglected, and more often than not that someone is YOU.  We want to please our boss, our customers, our kids, our friends, our family...but in the process we totally forget to take care of our own self.  Take some time, even if it’s just 10 minutes each day, sit in a quiet place, and let your mind and body simply relax.  Trust me, it will do you wonders. 

Now you’ve probably seen it before, and I know I’ve quoted it several times, but I will leave you with it once more...

“If you don’t take care of your body, where else are you going to live?”

This is on our wall for those of you who don't have the joy of seeing it everyday!!

I’ve never quite understood why people pay a trainer, or a gym membership in general, to show up and go through the motions.  To do the bare minimum during their workouts.  To “say” they worked out, when in reality they just got up and went through the motions to satisfy the urge to do something.  Everyone is different and motivated by different reasons and different goals.  But at the end of the day, no matter how fantastic your workout program is, no matter how fancy the treadmill, no matter how shiny your sneakers, your results are directly correlated by the effort YOU put forth, in AND out of the gym (yes, the food thing!!).  I have some EXTREMELY hard working clients!! Some of you (you know who you are), give everything you have, everytime you step foot in the gym, no qualms about it.  Others, I believe, are simply scared to get out of their comfort zones.  Scared to be pushed to their limits for fear of what might happen.  When is the last time you felt nauseous during a workout??? (Last Friday for me)  I’m not saying you have to throw up, but when you feel that way because you pushed that hard, you know you gave it your all.  And that is a GREAT feeling!!! There’s a reason our motto at StaYoung is “No Excuses, Just Results!”  It’s not just a catchy little slogan, we really mean it.  Those of you who make no excuses, get the results.  No excuse for bad eating, no excuse for showing up late, no excuse for cheating yourself out of the last 2 reps, no excuses….

I want to leave you with a couple of things.  I’ve posted this on Facebook, but for those of you who haven’t seen it, click HERE to watch a video about a young man who epitomizes what No Excuses, Just Results is all about. 

Finally, a couple of AWESOME things I’ve heard in the past week from clients…

“I thought I was in shape, but you’re making me look like an a**hole!!”

“I want my money back.  I could’ve bought a purse!!”

And my favorite, an email sent to me by a new client after her first day..."Just wanted to thank you for the awful soreness I feel today making it hard to concentrate at work and leaving my coworkers irritated because all I can do is whine and limp around the office:)"  (Thanks LOL!!!)

Clients Dale Tacy and Brandi Anderson, along with yours truly, post-Warrior Dash!!

What are you doing with your fitness??

Goals are very important in many realms of life, fitness being no exception.  When someone says they are trying to lose weight, the first question that pops up is typically “How much??”  If someone says there’s a pair of pants they want to fit into again, you hear “What size?”  Rarely does a person just say they want to achieve something without having SOME sort of goal in mind for the end result.  Goals help motivate, measure, and reevaluate as success OR failure come around.  In fitness, there is always more.  But besides the elite athlete, few people will ever find their physical peak.  It would require years of training and Olympian dedication to reach absolute potential.  That doesn’t mean you cannot achieve great things from your training, but what do you do when you reach your goals?? When you ARE the weight you want to be.  When you DO fit into those pants.  Now what??

Well…I’ll tell you what:  you DO something with it!!  I’ve talked countless times about how fitness just makes life easier.  Easier to move around, easier to buy clothes, easier to play with your kids.  All those things are wonderful, but sometimes you need an extra push.  So I have two very biased suggestions for you. 

Number 1:  Bodybuilding.  My business partner Randy recently had his best showing yet as he came in 3^rd in his division at a Natural Bodybuilding show in Houston.  He has worked extremely hard on his workout routine AND nutrition in order to get to this point.  He is currently training several of our clients to participate in their first shows as well, and could very well lead YOU on the same path.  It’s not for everyone, but the results are TREMENDOUS.

Number 2:  Do something crazy!!  I recently discovered a new type of running, complete with obstacles, mud, fire, and turkey legs (to eat…when you finish of course).   I’ve never been much of a runner, but this stuff is FUN!!  Earlier this month, along with some great clients, I competed in the Warrior Dash (picture above) and had a great time.  There are several other similar events coming to our area including the Caveman Crawl, Jailbreak Run, and the Tough Mudder.  If you are interested in doing any of these events and want some training tips, just let me know. 

Fitness for me has always been about functionality.  How does it not only change how you do things outside of the gym, but WHAT you do outside of the gym as well.  I needed to actually DO something with my fitness instead of keeping it contained inside the walls of our gym. 

Find something, anything, to work for.  Set realistic goals and attack them like a spider monkey!!  And remember the motto…

NO EXCUSES, JUST RESULTS!!!

Ok, before I get started (although technically this IS the start…stupid technicalities), did you know it’s May already???  Where did the first 4 months of this year go?!?!  I have a big bag of nuthin’ for that.    Anyway, May usually makes people realize that summer is right around the corner, and we all know what that means….DIET!!! I’ve heard a lot of people lately talking about “going on a diet” or “doing a cleanse” or “starving themselves” (not really on the last one, but I’m sure some of you have thought about it).  As I recently heard someone put it, it’s all about eating for vanity.  Not eating for health reasons or trying to give your body all the nutrients it needs everyday to function in an optimal state.  Nope, people want to look good, and I don’t blame them.  People will go to drastic lengths sometimes to make sure they feel good about how they look when they are hanging pool side. 

Well here’s some late breaking news, and you may call me crazy, but you can “diet” by just eating healthy food.  And a great by-product of healthy eating is you WILL look better.  When you fuel your body with the things it truly needs, your metabolism can work more efficiently, thereby burning out the excess and utilizing the nutrients the way they are meant to be used.  Strange how that worksJ  So I, myself, am committing to “eating for vanity” for the month of May.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even look good by the pool. 

Sorry, no good quotes this week.  I think everyone was too out of breath to speak!!

NO EXCUSES, JUST RESULTS!!!

Yes, that's a bacon bouquet!!

I’m pretty sure no other country in the world loves food quite the way Americans do.  No matter the occasion, it always seems to be centered around food.  Thanksgiving…how many sides are we having?  Birthday…where are we going out to eat?  July 4^th…burger, steak, and a hot dog!!  The American way no doubt!!!  Endless buffets and happy hour specials and $.99 value meals constantly entice us to indulge and engorge and stuff ourselves in the interest of getting the most “value” from our dollars.  We supersize and value size and eat dishes meant for two people.  Daily consumption of venti lattes that we “need” to start our day and Route 44 drinks because, well, they’re half off. 

So…where do we draw the line?  When does the excess become too much?  When do the people as a whole lash out and say we’re not going to cave in to these temptations and take control and be responsible???  I guess as long as there are people creating bacon bouquets, the answer is never.

I’m not saying you should never have that brownie or the ice cream you love or a refreshing Coke you crave.  Just don’t have it everyday.  And don’t have 15 of them when you do.  I’m not saying you can’t eat on special occasions, but it doesn’t HAVE to be a veritable cornucopia of treats.  There’s a reason our country is obese…and it’s not thyroid issues or genetics or something in the air.  We just LOVE food.

And now for the quotes of the week…

“It’s a little tricky”-client when asked what she had for dinner the night before

“I’ve had a hard time functioning the last week and a half.  It’s usually after you brutalize me on the treadmill!!”

And the winner for quote of the week, my 8 yr old son after his first official training session…”I feel like death killed me!!”  AWESOME!!

NO EXCUSES, JUST RESULTS!!