Diet Free Day

I eat clean six days a week, and on day seven pig out on anything I want. 

Simple! Of course the egg-headed know-all's debate this endlessly, but I tried it to see for myself. It worked...DEBATE OVER! 

A free day in your week can help you reach your health and fitness goals. And this has benefits both physical, emotional and mental. Consider:

Physical Effects of FREE DAY

• Increased Metabolism 

Shocking your body with a solid feeding has all sorts of benefits relating to revving up your engines. When we're in a state of calorie restriction, our bodies react by slowly down-regulating the affects of our efforts. It's a survival response. 

Emotional Effects of FREE DAY

And the psychology is simple as well. When I know I have less than six days to eat anything I desire, it helps motivate me to push away from the table on weight loss days. 

Conclusion:

I have been doing this for 5 years with stellar results. It worked when I lost 90 lbs, and it has worked while I maintain weight and work to slowly cut body fat. Again, the egg-heads argue the virtues of a Free Day, but fuck 'em!

You need to try incorporating a free day into your routine and just see how things go. The hard part for me is shutting it down. I have set myself back turning a free day into a free week. BEWARE! At day's end being healthy and fit is 70% nutrition and 30% exercise, and that equals 100% effort on your part.

Peak health is earned; the government can't tax me to make you fit. You're either going to take action or not, and that's reality. You can evade this reality but not the consequences. Nature has a way of biting our ass when we step far from what's ideal. It's all up to you, so get to it! 

ALL IS POSSIBLE! 

The Friends You Keep

I know you by the friends you keep.

You remember the expression "birds of a feather flock together"?  When it  comes to health and fitness, I have seen a complete turnover in my friend list. 

Our common interest used to be food and drink in addition to health issues. That's normal - right? A group of fat ass middle aged guys gather for pigs-in-a-blanket dipped in onion gravy washed down with a whiskey sour. Nothing wrong here...

                      or  
Things have changed...and all of my old friends have just drifted away. When we see each other, it's always nice, and I love these guys, but we have little in common now. They're all fat and still on that road to nowhere. It's actually a good reminder of what I escaped. Our conversations usually end the same...

THEM: "We should get together for lunch and some drinks"
ME: "We should get together for some tennis or biking"

These are just two different worlds, and my former friends want no part of my transformed life and vice versa.
Once I made room in my life, fresh acquaintances emerged, because nature abhors a vacuum. All of my new friends are health and fitness oriented, and every social gathering is in some way connected to physical exercise.

Don't fear that you'll lose friends. Remember, until certain doors are closed, new doors can't open.
Birds of a feather flock together...

ALL IS POSSIBLE!

Striving Toward Your Ideal

Are you the best version of yourself? 

If not, answer for yourself: have I done my part?

Here are some considerations to revolve as you strive toward your own personal health and fitness ideal.

Reasonable Goals

Nature does not care about your intentions or platitudes. Nature just is. Our genes determine likely outcomes, but setting goals outside genetic potential is a fast prescription to misery. Be realistic with yourself.

Genes determine our body type in terms of skeletal structure, muscle mass  and girth. You should be objective about this and set goals that are attainable given your true potential. Stop comparing yourself to some roided up lunk or a celeb you worship. These dolts are on drugs, and that's more about the man in the mirror - not health and wellness.

  Nobody needs illicit drugs to become their best. Take a hard look at yourself and those in your family. When you set goals, keep your genetics in mind. If you set your ideal beyond reach, you'll most likely lose motivation and give up.

Hard Work

 This should be a no-brainer, but people are still too daft to get it.

HARD WORK = RESULTS

Duh! 

To become the best version of yourself means you must get off your ass, work hard and smart. That means eating clean, performing both cardio, flexibility and strength training while tracking progress.

Log in your calories and meals as well as your exercise. Weight yourself weekly and track body fat every month. Pick the fattest part of your body and just wrap with a tape measure. 

• Plan
• Act
• Motivate
• Measure

Simple deal, but most  are seeking the easy path through magical supplements or whatever.

SORRY! It's about hard, smart work. And the scammers love the herd, because they're ripe to exploit with diet and fitness shell games that are costly and ineffective.

If you want results, you must set reasonable goals, make a plan, work hard, stay motivated and just keep punching. If you can do this, you're in the 1% of those who reach potential and rise above the herd. It's simple but hard. Just accept that and strive toward your own ideal.

You author your own success or failure in life. Let's join the achievers and become our very best.

ALL IS POSSIBLE!

Living Above The Fray

I do not consider myself of part of typical American culture. And when my world intersects this culture I reject, the potential for conflict is high. Sometimes in life I have not always been too good at picking my battles.
Everything does not have to be a fight.

I was in a conversation with a tennis guy who was really a fan of my son. I have a boy truly gifted on the tennis court, and upon the foundation of his natural ability, I have trained my son hard to reach potential. I see him right where he needs to be. I get pissed when people butt in not knowing our plan, training path or long-term goals. Some will swagger  up and arm-chair quarterback as though his progress and success is a fluke. I am learning to let this go as we begin to realize that having ability draws fans, and fans have opinions galore even though their glorious advice hasn't worked for them.

This is our national culture. People are underachieving, uneducated but over opinionated.
WELCOME TO AMERICA!
I want no part of this rotten grind; I want something better.

My point is that in life you can act or react. You can be that opinionated, underachieving slug who lumbers through life watching others excel at things, then offering valueless criticism from the shadows of mediocrity. And this is most people...

Think of this trend another way, and answer for yourself.
How many guys will spend hours watching football on a weekend, stuffing their bloated faces and shitting peach seeds with every play? Instead of prying themselves off that lazy-boy recliner and going out to do something productive, they sit, eat...and watch...

No Thanks!

If anybody is going to reach potential, he must break away from the herd. The herd won't like it.

In life we make choices, and if you sleep with dogs, you get fleas. Don't run with that horde of slobbering flops who trade what they wanted most for what they wanted now. Break out...be different...and don't waste time arguing with losers....

ALL IS POSSIBLE! 

College Fatties

My wife and I were on the college campus today getting our son situated.
I noticed something quite different from my own college days. Most of these kids were fat.

Everywhere I looked somebody was bulging out of their clothes as their blubber bounced in time with a slow waddle. I am ashamed to be American today. We have become a nation of fat, weak ass bitches.
And excuses? Everybody is full of some external rationalization for their failure.

Nothing is anybody's fault.

We're like the falling Roman empire with wealth and power, and what do we do with our bounty?
OVERINDULGE!
It's disgusting. This is our nation today, but there are some who have shrugged off the shackles of obesity.
Success is a choice.

You, and ONLY you are the author of your health, fitness and wellness. Our bodies are the one area of life where most can affect the most empowerment. What's the secret?
EAT LESS - MOVE MORE!
Simple right? And if you haven't already, get started!

ALL IS POSSIBLE

Sharpening The Saw

In his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Steve Covey spoke of sharpening the saw.
This is about always striving to become our best mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

I know guys who are unbalanced in their approach to life who may be strong physically but weak as hell in other areas. Know where you stand here, and be honest. My strengths are mental, spiritual and physical but weak emotionally. My heart breaks so easily, and I hide this weakness behind the veneer of an outward toughness.

It's different for each of us, but know your own resolve in your objective analysis when it comes to to where your saw needs sharpening. Our whole purpose in life is to live well and be happy as we contemplate the whole meaning of life. Consider:

Perhaps all the world and all the worlds beyond, and all the people and all the people beyond, and all the stars and all the stars beyond, are connected. When you pass out of this life, you merely lose your individuality.
In place of individuality, you become one with the universe. So the meaning of life is to make the most of it, and to bring your experiences back into the "universal oneness".

Just go think about that now...and sharpen your saw...

ALL IS POSSIBLE! 

Success In One Word: GOALS!

"Goal"
If I could sum up success and achievement in a single word, this is  it.

Most people are without goals in life. They just wonder through the days hoping all works out for the best. Sometimes it does but most times not.
Oh well....

Here's the deal: you can have some success just living life and doing good things; however, if you want to be your best, you need to set goals, make a plan, take action, stay motivated and keep punching. That's it!
It's not rocket science, yet most people just won't do take the effort, and this is why most never reach potential.

When it comes to goals, you must address all areas of your life as though they were spokes in a wheel. A wheel may function with a spoke or two missing, but for optimal performance, address everything in life that matters. The price of success is hard work both intellectual and physical. 

You must write down your goals based on your passions coupled with what is realistic. There are tons of resources available for those seeking to take ownership of their lives by addressing goal setting and achievement. 

Here is one terrific article: http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html

Our purpose here is health and fitness, so you need to know all the target items related to what you seek for optimal wellness. 

• How much should you weight
• What is your best body fat
• Who can support you in your efforts
• Who will hinder you
• What foods should you eat
• What exercises should you do

And on...and on...

To become the best version of yourself, the notion of specific. timely, attainable goals must be carefully considered. Great health and peak fitness does not just happen. You must want it enough to get real about exactly what you desire for yourself, make a plan, take action and see it all through to the end.

Success is a choice...and for those who set goals....

ALL IS POSSIBLE!