Contenders vs. Pretenders

If you ever needed any inspiration to keep going,

please watch this video.  It's simply amazing.

This is a great time of year.  Here in north Texas we get a different season every few days, Kleenex sales skyrocket, and with Valentine's Day approaching we start separating the contenders from the pretenders in the gym. 

Research has shown that 80% of people who start a new exercise program stop within 6 weeks. Guess what all you New Years resolution peeps...it's the 6 week mark!! What has always intrigued me is that someone will start to work out, not IMMEDIATELY lose 25lbs, and say "Screw it, I'm done!!" News flash, you didn't gain the weight that quickly, don't expect it to come off that quickly either. Thankfully you can lose weight quicker than you put it on, but remember to set REALISTIC goals with an achievable plan. Over the years I've seen so many people just throw in the towel when things don't change as quickly as they'd like. The problem is they never give themselves a chance to succeed because their effort is less than 100%. They SAY their diet is perfect, and it's not. They say they can't do one more pushup, but they can. We love lying to ourselves. It's all the justification we need to do or not do anything in life. "I just don't have the time"...yeah you do, you just don't want to. "I'm happy where I am"...no you're not, you complain about your bad knee/achy back/large left butt cheek to anyone within earshot. "I have more important things to worry about"...well don't worry too much, because if your health goes downhill you'll have NOTHING ELSE to worry about. 

Not to beat the proverbial dead horse, but most things in life can happen if you want it bad enough.  People work extremely hard for material possessions all the time.  But the first sign of discomfort or discouragement on the scale, and it's back to the Ben & Jerry's. Stop selling yourself short!! If you're scared, do it anyway. If you don't know what to do next, hit up the Google and figure it out. If you blew your diet on a random Tuesday night with a trough of queso, get over it, shove a grilled chicken breast in your pie hole, and get to work. 

Are you going to cheat yourself once again, pretending that THIS will be the year when in reality you're already done? Or are you going to stay in the ring and keep fighting for the health and life you deserve, and be a true contender? Choose the latter, as it's the only choice you won't regret. 

THE Fitness Ninja...changing the world one pushup at a time. 

Babe's Chicken!!

Babe's Chicken-Mountain of fried chicken tenders, fried chicken, and chicken fried steak!!

So there I was, sitting at Babe's Chicken with many of my peeps, plate full of fried chicken, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, and one more biscuit with molasses (mmmm, molasses...*insert guttural Homer Simpson drooling sounds here*) Next to me sat Preggo, one of my current clients who is, you guessed it, pregnant. With her was her 4 year old son who is quite the picky eater.  After some coaxing, he ate some chicken then declared "Momma I'm full" and returned back to his enthralling game of Angry Birds.  As the rest of us continued to stuff our pie holes, Preggo turns to me and says "You ever notice how kids just stop eating?  Do you ever remember feeling horribly stuffed when we were kids??"

So now I sit here writing this wondering, why in the world do so many people eat to excess, knowing damn good and well they will feel awful afterwards?  Most young children stop eating when they're full.  They listen to what their body is telling them and just stop.  Sure they can always be coaxed into a piece of cake or cookie, but for the most part, full kids=no more eating.  But as adults, we eat the pre-meal (followed by "geez, I'm gonna be full before our meal comes out"), then we eat the meal (lying to ourselves and saying we'll only eat half, then force feeding the rest of it down), and THEN we eat the post meal which consists of 1000 grams of sugar when we already said we couldn't eat another bite!!  What is wrong with us?!?! Why do we do that to ourselves??

There are a number of factors that I believe come into play.  We want value (who doesn't??) and we always want to "get our money's worth" when we eat. Many of us come from the clean plate club, where our parents made us sit at the table until we were done.  (ErmahGERD no one could've finished off the mounds of food at our Babe's table!!)  Some still have the "there are starving kids in___________ who only wish they had this food to eat" syndrome.

As far as getting your money's worth, if you've eaten, you enjoyed it, and you're full, I believe that should satisfy the criteria.  Diabetes and high blood pressure are pretty friggin expensive, and in my opinion should trump any notion of getting your money's worth.  If you're concerned about cleaning your plate, either request a smaller plate, or get over it!! Just because it's sitting in front of you doesn't mean you have to eat ALL of it.  For reals, it's ok.  You're a big boy/girl now and you can decide when you've had enough.  And yes there are starving kids in the world.  If you're really that concerned then put down your knife and fork, wipe the sauce from the corner of your mouth, and go do something about it!! :-)

As I polished off the last bite of my makeshift molasses chicken biscuit, and gasped for breath, I thought "UGH, why did I just do this??" It was the last meal before a cleanse and 28 days of clean eating, it was my last chance to consume any of the food that was in front of me for a while, and I was trying to "enjoy" as much of it as I could.  I felt quite awful the rest of the night, and was still full when I woke up (which almost never happens). This would be quite problematic if I did this all the time, but fortunately I don't...however there are people out there who do this EVERY DAY!!  At some point we must stop the justification, put down our silverware, take a great lesson from a 4 year old, and just say "Momma, I'm full."

THE Fitness Ninja...changing the world one pushup at a time.

Giving Thanks

Sweat puddle ink blot test...What do you see?

There are many things in my life I am truly thankful for...awesome kids, great health, stealthy ninjaness.  One thing I see often though is that people despise their jobs.  I can honestly say my job is fantastic!! For a decade now, I’ve been blessed to be a personal trainer, fitness professional, motivator, encourager, beatings administrator, and of course, a Fitness Ninja.  I am grateful to so many that have entrusted me over the years with their health and fitness, and been willing to get outside of their comfort zone to get great results.  So here are my Top 10 Reasons I’m thankful for what I do:

10.  Clients pay me to yell at them.

9.  Seeing sweat puddles that resemble Rorschach Ink Blot tests.

8.  Being able to turn almost anything said by a client into sexual innuendo (“This is SO HARD”, “My legs are shaking”, “Oh my goodness I’m not gonna be able to walk in the morning!!”)  It’s funny cuz it’s true:-)

7.  Making losers and failures out of clients is a GOOD thing.

6.  Getting cussed at is a sign I'm doing a good job.

5.  Having an uncanny ability to turn 30 seconds into a minute.

4.  Seeing clients of all shapes and sizes in equal amounts of effective misery.

3.  Being told I'm number 1, often with middle finger.  Some clients even tell me I'm number 1 with both hands at the same time.

2.  Hearing "You suck...Great workout!!"

1.  And the number one reason I love my job...the look on client's faces when I yell BURPEES!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

THE Fitness Ninja...changing the world one pushup at a time.

The Choice is YOURS!!

One week from today, possibly the most important Presidential Election of our generation will commence.  And regardless of your political affiliation, I’m fairly certain no one can say with confidence we are much better off than we were 4 years ago.  But with so much focus on the office of the President, it seems we forget that the state of our nation is due to a long series of events, decisions, and elections that put us here in the first place.  It’s not just the President, or the VP, or who controls Congress.  It’s not just the lobbyists, large corporations, the wealthy, or the poor.  And it’s not just 9/11, Obamacare, or rampant obesity.  It’s ALL of these things, and so many more that contribute to the woes of our country.  There is no single event or person to blame for everything.  

So what does this have to do with your health and fitness you ask?  Well I’m about to tell you.  As I’ve stated numerous times, and will continue to do so until people really understand, almost 70% of our population is overweight or obese.  And surprisingly enough, this didn’t just happen overnight.  For most people with diabetes, they didn’t just wake up with it one day.  High blood pressure doesn’t just show up in the mail.  Rare genetic defects aside, heart attacks don’t just occur out of nowhere.  All these manifest from a series of poor decisions over a period of time.  You see, it’s not that you had a few chips with queso last night...it’s that you do that every time you eat out.  It’s not that you didn’t work out yesterday...it’s that you don’t work out any day.  It’s not that you were too busy to cook a healthy dinner last night...it’s that you’re ALWAYS too busy to cook a healthy dinner.  Your health and general well being are the direct result of the decisions you make on a daily basis.  None of us eat a perfect diet, but if 90% of the time you are eating healthy, you will be successful.  We don’t always make it to the gym or go for a run, but if it’s a priority in our lives, we will find a way to make it happen most days of the week.  Few of us are genetically gifted enough to eat what we want, never engage in physical activity, and still look and feel amazing.  If you are one of those people, more power to you, and feel free to stop by for a complimentary punch in the throat:-)  For the rest of us, we must ELECT to be and live healthy, on a daily basis.  It’s not always easy, but it sure is worth it in my humble opinion.

As you cast your vote next week, remember that whomever wins, they will not solve all our problems.  It will take years of the right decisions to correct our nation’s path.  Similarly, if you eat a healthy breakfast tomorrow and go kick your own rear at the gym, you won’t instantaneously be cured of your physical ailments and drop a pant size.  But if you make a continual effort, if you cast a vote for YOURSELF each and every day, then success will surely await you.

I’m The Fitness Ninja, and I approve this message.

THE Fitness Ninja...changing the world one pushup at a time.

Breaking News...America is FAT!!!

UGH!!

Warning, the following commentary is brought to you by yours truly standing on a big ass soap box. If for some reason you are offended, I'm not sorry. You've been warned.

In case you just woke up from a coma, you're probably quite aware that our country is fat. And not a little pudgy, not thick, not big boned, not "big and beautiful", but ORCA FAT, to the tune of $18 billion spent annually on obesity related PREVENTABLE diseases.  ***On a side note, I'm all for people feeling good about themselves and being comfortable in their bodies, but if you are obese, you're unhealthy. Period!!*** But I digress...not only are we fat, but we're raising a generation of fat, lazy kids who are developing health issues previously relegated to adults. Childhood obesity and diabetes are constantly rising with 17% of children 2-19 currently obese, almost triple the rate from 1980 (CDC). And I don't want to hear the bs excuse that "wah wah, it costs too much to eat healthy!!" I see the lines at McDonalds, Chickfila, Burger King, etc... and to me it's just shear laziness and poor planning. I didn't say it was easy, but I fed myself and my two boys tonight a nutritious meal, that filled us all up, and cost about $6 TOTAL!! Too expensive...I don't think so. 

But here's what IS astronomically expensive. A recent study projected obesity rates and related costs in the year 2030. Here are some of the highlights:

-$48-66 billion increase in annual medical cost of treatment for preventable obesity related diseases
-$500 billion in lost economic productivity annually
-6 million new cases of diabetes -5 million cases of heart disease & stroke
-All 50 states with at least 44% obesity rate, not just overweight, but OBESE; 39 states over 50%; and 13 states over 60%

So let me get this straight...millions clamor for "free" healthcare, yet can't stop shoving crap in their mouth or move their XXL rear from the couch to actually get healthier?? And then they want someone else to pay for it?!?! Huh...who actually thinks that makes any sense? One out of every 8 deaths in the U.S. can now be linked to obesity, which in case you haven't been paying attention, is in most cases preventable!! 

Most of you know I'm a very positive person the majority of the time, so here's the light at the end of the tunnel. Research shows that if our obese/overweight population lost on average 10lbs, it would drastically reduce the economic impact, and possibly prevent millions of people from developing obesity related diseases. TEN FRIGGIN POUNDS!! That's not ordering dinner through the clown's mouth just one less time a week. That's passing on dessert just sometimes. That's putting the brakes on your Sunday afternoon Golden Corral extravaganza. Better yet, that's getting up and MOVING. Go for a walk just a few times a week. Take the stairs every now and then. Don't circle around the Walmart parking lot for 10 minutes trying to find a good space when you can park in the back of the lot and WALK a few extra feet. Seriously, it doesn't have to be complicated, but there does need to be effort.   

Finally, what it boils down to is this. There's this concept called personal responsibility that seems to be quite unpopular these days. The president this, my boss that, my job is stressful, I don't have time, blah blah blah. Nothing will change your current condition except YOU. Our beautiful nation has not become Free Willy big from being force fed, we got big because we can't put down the damn fork and spoon and get up to move every now and then. This is an epidemic, and if people don't start putting on their big boy draws and taking the onus on themselves to change, it could very well be our downfall.   

Will you let the light at the end of the tunnel be your guiding light of hope and renewal, or sit idly and let it be the headlight of a freight train to finish you off?

I'm THE Fitness Ninja, and I approve this message. 


THE Fitness Ninja...changing the world one pushup at a time.

Back to School and Dreaming BIG!!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for many people right now.  Summer break is over and droves of children everywhere are flocking back to school, ready to tackle a new year of experiences that could shape them for years to come.  Meanwhile, parents are back to their regularly scheduled programming, and aren’t paying for summer camp after summer camp and feeding what it seems like is an endless army of children trouncing through their kitchen.  But more than all that, it’s a time when children, teens, and college bound young adults, are all told to dream big.  “You can be whatever you want to be!!” we tell them.  The president, an astronaut, a baseball player, a superhero, a princess...the list goes on and on.  We encourage these dreams and aspirations; we tell them to shoot for the stars!  Yet somewhere along the line, we ourselves have lost this fervor, this quest for MORE.  We settle into the realm we feel we were dealt.  We lie to ourselves and say “oh well, this is my life now” and settle for mediocre.  I don’t remember any kids at the age of 12 saying “I sure hope I grow up to be average!! That’d be awesome!!”  We always want better for our children, we bust our ass for our boss, we bend over backwards to help others (which is not a bad thing), but we don’t demand more of ourselves!!  Fitness is always a great metaphor for life in general.  When you get uncomfortable, when you push yourself further that you ever thought possible, more often than not great things will happen.  People do not go bankrupt by accident, yet many throw their hands in the air and give up their hopes and dreams of taking their kids on vacation or buying that house on the beach.  Those 40 extra pounds you’re carrying around didn’t get there by accident either, yet many just accept it and throw the aspirations of running a marathon or climbing a mountain right out the window.  But we DO have the power to change those things and make ourselves better no matter what stage of life we’re in.  If you woke up this morning, it was for a reason.  You still have a purpose to serve, and it’s never to late to make positive change.  I want to implore each and every one of you to dream again.  And not just dream, but dream BIG!!  Put a vision in your head of something you want to achieve, and make sure it scares you just a little bit.  “The only regrets in life are the chances you didn’t take”

THE Fitness Ninja...changing the world one pushup at a time.

WHY...

Mini Me (not so Mini, I know!) and my sweet baby Cheech

It’s the middle of the year...seriously, have you seen the calendar?!  We are about to be in our usual heat wave here in Texas, which means lots of pool parties and summertime cookouts.  Sometime during the depth of winter (what little we had of it) I’m sure most of you thought about laying pool side, fruity umbrella drink in hand, and bad ass abs glistening in the sun.  Now it’s almost July, the pool will feel like bathwater soon, and you are still chasing the abs of your dreams.  (I’m sure you haven’t forsaken the fruity drink though!!)  Somewhere along the way you may have forgotten what the goal was that you are working towards.  You may have found yourself going through the motions with no true purpose in mind, just working out because you know it’s good for you and you’re supposed to do it.  But something is missing, and it’s your WHY.  

I have no problem with aesthetic goals in fitness.  Let’s face it, we all want to look good...REAL good.  But along the way I hope all of you find a greater purpose of why you’re working out, and keep it at the forefront of your mind every time you step foot in the gym or take off for a run.  There are endless reasons why I work out.  I want to look good (Ninja good!!), I want to feel athletic, I want to be able to do crazy stuff, I want to show my clients that I do this stuff too and lead by example (nothing worse than a fat trainer).  But the two BIGGEST reasons I workout and push myself as hard as I do are pictured above.  My boys deserve a father that can keep up with them, whatever their endeavors may be.  They deserve to have a dad that is not only physically strong, but mentally strong as well.  (Did you know exercise can help your brain?)  They need to see  I am willing to get uncomfortable to accomplish goals, and they should not be afraid to do the same.  

In the middle of your 4th set of man makers, it’s not always easy to remind yourself why anyone would want to do such an awful exercise.  Most of the time your thoughts are simply “$&%# this &@#*!!” and you’re just ready to be done.  But it is in those moments when the things that drive you, the things you work so hard for, the reasons you are willing to push through, should always come to mind.  Recently Mini Me has been around to witness some of my workouts.  Every time, at some point he says “Are you ok Dad?” as I’m hunched over, gasping for air and making workout sounds (you all know what I’m talking about).  THAT is when I know I’m working as hard as I can, and I know those eyes are watching so stopping is NOT an option.  If you work out like your WHY is watching you, I have no doubt each and every one of you could accomplish anything you set out to achieve.  Don’t ever, ever forget your WHY.

The Fitness Ninja...Changing the world one pushup at a time