Archive for the ‘Home’ Category

I recently bumped into one of my former clients and we started talking about my blogs.  I told him I had full intentions of writing one per week, so at the end of the year I would have over 50 posts.  I didn’t write one last week, so in his own funny way; he mentioned that I wasn’t holding up my end of the deal.  I laughed about it and made up a lame excuse that I was busy and didn’t have time.  But he and I knew that excuse was BS and the bottom line was that it didn’t get done.  It really did make me evaluate myself and figure out what the holdup was.  The real reason was that weekly posts get me out of my comfort zone.  This got me thinking about the difference between my successful clients and those who are having difficulty.  It is a very clear cut difference….the successful ones get themselves comfortable being UNcomfortable.

I have been playing the fitness game for a long time…in fact, I’ve been in it for 27 years.  In that time, I have come to one conclusion.  If you want success, you have got to find way to get comfortable being UNcomfortable.

Want to lose 20, 30, 40, or 50+ pounds??  There is no magic pill, potion or cream that is going to help you!  You need to “get your hands dirty” and do the work.  That includes every facet.  Walking for 30 minutes and then going to Burger King for lunch isn’t going work.  Eating fairly decent from Monday through Friday and then going to the bar to drink and eat pizza and chicken wings over the weekend…NOT GONNA DO IT (in my best George Bush voice).  Lifting the same amount of weight over and over and over again for weeks and months on end…NO SOUP FOR YOU (in my best Soup Nazi voice).

You need to get yourself UNcomfortable!  Are you going to sweat and be sore…HECK YES!  Are you going to be hungry on a well-planned nutrition plan…YES!!!!  Are there times that you are going to want to give up and run home…YEP!  Comfort is really not an option.

One movie scene that comes to mind is from The Shawshank Redemption.  Take a look at this video starting at 2:16.  Talk about getting comfortable being UNcomfortable!

“What do you think of Crossfit….P90X….Zumba….Insanity….Tae Bo….etc., etc., etc.?”  As a professional fitness coach, I tend to get these types of questions on a regular basis.  So in today’s post, I wanted to throw in my two cents.

Now…to be completely honest…I have never used any of these programs myself, but I know enough about each of them to give my opinion.

First of all, if someone asks me about any program, that is a win!!  It shows me that they are taking an active role in their health and isn’t that what we want more of?  I see all too many of my colleagues bitchin’ about all the negatives of any program that is more successful than theirs.  I suppose there could be a little jealousy behind their judgments.  Ignoring the fact that many of these programs are creating some pretty significant physical changes is simply ignorant.  In reality, people are merely seeking out a program that is going to provide them with results.  How is that a bad thing?  I’ll tell you….IT’S NOT!!

I’d like to get one thing off my chest about any program…IF YOU WANT TO MAXIMIZE YOUR RESULTS IT IS IMPERATIVE TO HAVE A SOLID NUTRITION PLAN IN PLACE, PERIOD!!!!! 

Nutrition aside, my opinion of any type of fitness program follows three hard fast rules –>

Fun & Uncomfortable!!

#1. Is it fun?  I know, I know…exercising isn’t supposed to be fun, right?  I call BS!!  Listen…I am a realist and understand that exercising isn’t easy and sometimes, downright nasty.  Let’s face it…exercising makes us uncomfortable, but so does a rollercoaster.  All kidding aside, if you’re not excited about your current program, maybe it’s time to reevaluate.

#2. Is it progression based?  During my career as a fitness coach, I have seen many different types of clients walk through the door.  More times than not, they have had little, if any, physical activity for quite some time.  My responsibility to them is to create an environment in which they can achieve success and prevent injuries.  This starts from the ground up.  Building a solid foundation is crucial.  As cliché as this may sound, if this step is forgotten or skipped over, the end results can be devastating.  If you are looking to begin a program, do your   homework!  If you are a beginner, please don’t jump into an advanced program because you “heard it was a good for you”.

#3. Does it elicit the desired results?  Are you leaner, stronger, bigger, more athletic than you were before you started?  If the answer is a resounding YES, then stick with the program.  If the answer is NO, then why on earth would you continue?  I’ve heard this described as insanity (doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome).

Listen….when it really comes down to it, nobody’s opinion really matters.  What really matters are the RESULTS!

I look forward to your comments!

Grace (9 years old) with our dog Sadie

I am very passionate about health and fitness and have always kept myself in great shape for the vast majority of my life…with the exception of one time in my life.  In July 2002, my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.  WOW…my life as I knew it was going to change quickly.  If you have children, you know what I am talking about.   Before Grace (our new daughter) came into this world I was able to go to the gym after work and spend as long as I needed to train.   Well…not any longer.  You may be asking…what’s the point of this story Brent?  Well…the point I am trying to drive home has to do with TIME.

From July through September of 2002, I stopped going to the gym for the first time in my life.  Obviously, I was making a conscious choice because I wanted to be with my wife and new daughter.   When October rolled around, I was trying to FIND TIME to get back to the gym.  Well…having been out of the mix for three months and trying to FIND TIME, it never happened.  Before you knew it, the holidays came and went and I was still a no-show at the gym.  Six months passed and I hadn’t trained once.  It was time to make a new start…but how?  I needed to figure it out quickly because with every day that passed, I was becoming the proverbial desk jockey.

It finally dawned on me that I was trying to FIND TIME.  Trying to FIND TIME is kinda like trying to find Al Capone’s treasure (hey Geraldo…did you find it yet:-)).  I needed to MAKE TIME.  So, I made a concerted effort to write my training in on my calendar and treat as if it were an important meeting with one of my clients.  And you know what…it worked!!  Before you know it, I was in the best shape of my life!   I know…many of you will say, I’ve tried and haven’t had success because my schedule is crazy…I am soooooo busy.  Okay…I want to challenge you to MAKE TIME.  There are 168 hours in one-week.  Let’s say for sake of argument that you work for 12 hours (1/2 of the day), five-days per week.  That leaves you with 108 hours.  Obviously, you will need to sleep, so let’s take out seven hours per night.  Now we are down to 59 hours.  I know…social/family activities and eating have to be taken into consideration as well, so let’s assume this is 20 hours per week (average of approximately 3 hours per day).  This leaves you with 39 hours per week.  I’ve been training for over 27-years and I have yet to meet someone who has the stamina to workout for 39-hours in a week.  If they are out there, I haven’t met them yet.  In order to get yourself into pretty good shape and meet your fintess goals, training sessions don’t have to exceed 90 minutes.  And four to five days per week is certainly sufficient.  Using that pattern leaves you in excess of 30 hours to do whatever you want.  Reasonable…doable…and non-negotiable.

I’ll leave you with this quote and cool video and look forward to your comments!

“In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking.”                              -Sir John Lubbock