In my recently rewritten article “A no-nonsense guide to design your workouts“, which is a three-part series, I offer no BS ways for beginners and veterans alike to keep their workouts fresh while consistently making gains.
Everywhere you turn these days, weight training seems to be the focus. And why shouldn’t it be? A proper weight training program produces many positive effects, including: increased muscle mass; reduced body fat; increased bone density; improved insulin sensitivity; improved self-esteem; and overall well-being. The list goes on. Yet with all the information available, why is it so hard for people to make progress? Because most of what is out there is BULLSHIT!!
Helping people is what being a trainer and a coach is all about. Most publishers and editors are so hell-bent on selling magazines, they print things like this: “Put 2 inches on your arms in 21 days;” “Have a chest like Arnold’s in just 6 weeks.” People, just like you, purchase this type of trash in the hopes that it might work. These writers and editors rely on your ignorance.
Having the knowledge and ability to help somebody achieve their goals goes far beyond writing an article about workouts. Writing workouts is actually a pretty easy thing to do. Just about anyone with a little bit of knowledge can do it, and many – unfortunately — do. The barriers to entry to become a personal trainer are so low, most certificates aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. In contrast, look at the barriers to entry to become a nurse. Several years of school filled with prerequisites, in which you need a 78 percent just to pass, coupled with many hours of hands-on clinicals. What education does a trainer need? Send away for some study guides, take a test, and “Bam!” you’re a certified trainer.
The hardest part to attaining goals is pre-payment. The goal is attained only after you’ve paid the price or done the work. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Attaining a goal requires effort and you get what you put in. The life you lead today is a reflection of the work you put in up to the present. The life you lead in the future is determined by the work you put in between now and then.
Many people bite off more than they can chew. They set lofty goals usually while they’re caught up in emotion, work hard for a while, don’t see big returns, get discouraged and quit. Achieving big goals is a lot of work and fitness is no different than any other aspect of your life. There is an old saying that if you save your pennies, the dollars take care of themselves. We need to set and achieve smaller goals and gradually we’ll realize bigger goals.
To reach a big goal, one must set small goals. Remember, every journey begins with one step. Simply take your big goals and segment them into smaller, more attainable goals. Look at these smaller goals as rungs on a ladder. Not only does each rung get you one more step toward the top, you must hit each one to safely and effectively reach your destination.
I know, I know — who makes an article with 11 tips and not 10? Well, I had a hard enough time getting down to the top 11. I felt there was absolutely nothing else to cut.
Anyway, summer is around the corner, and chances are you aren’t looking or feeling your best. You want to get in shape, but like most you’ve put it off again and again since January. The following are some changes you can make that will not only improve your look in a hurry, but your health as well. Everything on this list is designed to optimize your metabolism and turn you into a fat burning machine.
I am a voracious reader and I only consider several of the many, many book I’ve read to be as powerful and life altering as Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy. A culmination of 25 years of research and thousands of hours of seminars, Maximum Achievement is a “How to” guide to better every aspect of your life.
You will learn that success starts on the inside. Brian Tracy lists the first of “The Seven Ingredients of Success”, as peace of mind. When you live in harmony with your highest values and convictions and are living a perfectly balanced life, you will enjoy peace of mind. Without this first ingredient nothing is possible.
The following six ingredients build on one another and all have to do with your inner self. He explains that the seven ingredients are like targets to aim at. When you know exactly what you want, and achieve a positive, optimistic outlook, you can begin to unlock your inner powers to succeed.
The system contained within Maximum Achievement is straightforward and simple, yet profoundly practical. Practicing what you learn in this book will allow you to enjoy greater peace of mind, better health, improved personal relationships, and greater financial freedom. Your life will improve starting with your inner self.
First, life is hard. It always has been and it always will be. It’s never been any different for you or me or anyone else. The good thing is that if you accept this basic truth, life somehow becomes a little easier because you don’t suffer so much from feelings of frustration and injustice.
Second, everything you are or ever will be is up to you. You are where you are today because that is where you have chosen to be. You are always free to choose your actions, or inactions, and your life today is the sum total of your choices, good or bad. If you want your future to be different, you have to make better choices.
Third, and perhaps most important, you can learn anything you need to learn to become anyone you want to become, to achieve anything you want to achieve. There are very few limitations and most of them are on the inside, not the outside.
Brian Tracy
Maximum Achievement
Strategies ans Skills that will Unlock your Hidden Powers to Succeed
There are 100 million Americans already living with a chronic health condition such as diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure, wireless technologies may be able to detect important shifts in your health sooner, allowing you to have an early warning that there’s an impending problem.
As Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist with the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Foundation (who is one of the most outspoken critics of drug companies), pointed out in this video, wireless health care will be important for both preempting disease and managing illness.
Alzheimer’s patients could use the “smart band-aids” to help with balance and vital signs, along with offering a way to track their location, for instance.
Asthma patients could track pollen counts and air quality before venturing outdoors, while heart failure patients could benefit from continuous monitoring of their heart pressures, blood pressure and fluid status.
Dr. Topol is the chief medical officer of West Wireless Health Institute:
“Regardless of the factor influencing a condition, wireless technologies offer great promise for helping people stay healthy. Wireless sensors, for example, can detect a ‘shift’ in health as soon as it occurs.
A patient with high blood pressure can be monitored with a wireless device that picks up changes and sends an early warning to the doctor – preempting complications such as stroke, heart attack, or kidney disease.
Researchers have also developed algorithms that detect individual preference and treatment compliance patterns, making it possible to create personalized applications for end-users that provide timely advice and automated reminders to take medication or modify behavior.”
This technology is very exciting, however I hope it doesn’t replace face to face interaction between Dr.s and their patients. As I learned becoming a paramedic and nurse, treat the patient, not the monitors. Technological devices are tools, but aren’t the end all be all in patient care.
Do genetics control our bodies or can we control our genetics? Many scientists now believe genetics do not control life but are controlled by environmental factors such as our mental attitudes. This is a mind blowing, culture bending new way of thought that is starting to gain popularity.
“Mind over matter” is a well known saying that has merit. The power of the mind over the body has been shown time and time again. Science shows us everything is made of atoms and that atoms are energy. Therefore, everything is energy. It is no stretch to think that our positive mental energy created by a positive mental attitude would transfer to better health.
What a true pioneer Jack Lalanne was with his educational fitness show . Even today at 95 years old Jack continues to be one of the best ambassadors of a healthy lifestyle.
“I’ve had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven’t run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can’t outwork you, then smarts aren’t going to do them much good. That’s the way it is. And if you believe that and live by it, you’d be surprised at how much fun you can have.”
I tell all my students, “Perception is everything”. As you grow older, you accrue experiences, some good, and some bad. Many people, unfortunately, dwell on the negative even if the outcome is positive but not to their liking. We all have negatives in our lives; bad relationships, weight gain, financial troubles, death, accidents, etc. The one constant in our lives is that life continues no matter what we do. It does not matter how much money one has or how many friends, life will always have its setbacks. The problem most people have is not the set back itself, but how we handle it.
Let me put it to you this way, it took Thomas Edison 2000 tries before successfully inventing the light bulb. A reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. Thomas Edison replied, “I never failed once, It just happened to be a 2000 step process.” How many of us would have continued even after 100 tries. Obviously things weren’t going his way, but he kept a positive outlook, forged ahead and reaped the rewards.
In an excellent article in the March 2007 issue of Ironman Magazine, Skip La Cour writes about his “8 Steps to Getting Back the Confidence You Had During Better Times and Reclaiming Your Power”. Skip really hits the nail on the head with an explanation of what to do when life isn’t going the way you want at any age.
8 Steps that are explained in detail to reclaim your life.
1. Take full responsibility for where you are in your life.
2. Identify exactly what you want for the rest of your life.
3. Carefully examine the events that have led you to where you are today in your life.
4. Take control of your overall health and appearance.
5. Carefully choose the people who surround you.
6. Learn how to deal with other people more effectively.
7. Become an expert at something your passionate about in life.
8. Invest in coaching.
Skip La Cour is an excellent motivator/coach that has devoted his life to helping others reach their potential. This article is a great read especially for those who are feeling like they can’t get back on track. I don’t think the article is available on line any longer.
I know, I know — who makes an article with 11 tips and not 10? Well, I had a hard enough time getting down to the top 11. I felt there was absolutely nothing else to cut.
