Birthday Workout

On July 2nd 1958 my mother gave birth to an 8 lb 11 oz. boy. On July 2nd 2006 that boy weighs in at 180.5 pounds. A whole lot of things have happened in 48 years. This planet and my world has changed in so may ways. As I look back and examine my choices along the way, it amazes me how lucky I am. There were thousands of options at various points in my life. I could have very easily lived in New England, got married at an early age, had three kids and worked for my Dad. That could have been a great life. Instead, I choose to go west in 1980. A phone call from a high school buddy changed my life forever. Living in California turned me into a fitness freak. The last 22 years of my life have been dedicated to finding ways to feel good, stay healthy and improve my fitness. Beachbody gave me the opportunity to share my journey with this awesome community.

It just so happens that my birthday this year falls on a Sunday. Every Sunday morning between 9:30 A M and noon some of my closest friends and I head down to the original Muscle Beach south of the pier.

Our two and a half hour workout is loaded with all kinds of gymnastic-like activities. This weekly routine has gone beyond basic pull-ups and push-ups. The Gaylord brothers Mitch & Chuck (Chuck, a nine time all American & Mitch, a gold medal winner in 84) have turned our workout upside down.

As a group we have proven that the human body is capable of amazing things at any age.

As the senior member of The Sunday Bunch I can tell you that hard work, time & patience is the magic potion for success and improvement. At 48 I'm fitter, stronger and more flexible than I was at 38, 28 or 18. It has been a long and mind altering journey. Not every step was easy, but each step has been worth it.

Health and fitness has been the fountain of youth for me, and many of you have discovered the same thing. As you make your way through life don't be afraid to open new doors and try new things. Stay curious, push the envelope, test the waters and trust that your choices will change your life for the better. If it can work for me, it will work for you. If you'd like to learn & experience how to live a healthy lifestyle then I invite you to join me at one or more of my fitness camps this year. Our Miami camp was a blast! You have three more opportunities in 06. New York in July from the 14th thru the 16th. LA in August from 11th through the 13^th.And Chicago in September from the 15th thru the 17^th. Everyone is invited regardless of fitness level; everyone goes at their own pace and everyone gets to share in the camaraderie, fun and laughter.

Law # 9 ~ Loving It

Your workouts involve commitment, determination, planning, consistency, and intensity. If you don’t like what you’re doing, then there’s no way on Earth you’ll succeed. Enthusiasm is a huge piece of the puzzle. Get creative and stay curious. If you enjoy doing Power 90 exclusively and it works for you, then keep doing it until it doesn’t. If you get part way through P90X and it’s not your cup of tea, then stop and do something else. Something’s got to bring you back day after day, week after week. Love it (tolerate it) or leave it.

I don’t know about you, but if I don’t like or love something, then I don’t do it. Period. On the other hand, I’m extremely motivated when it comes to doing the things I love. Folks always ask me what I think are the best ways to get into shape: “Is Power 90 really the best program for me?” “What do you think about spinning?” “I hear that kayaking is the fastest growing sport in America, will that get me in shape?” “If I run more, will that help me burn off extra fat?” The truth is, they’re all great ways for losing weight, getting in shape, and living a healthy lifestyle. If any of these things feel like work to you, then they won’t work for you. Especially in the long haul. People fail to finish fitness programs because they don’t enjoy what they’re doing.

It boggles my mind why anyone would continue to do anything they don’t enjoy. Call me crazy, but I believe that loving what you do is the key to joy and happiness in every category of life. If you’re dealing with a lot of emotional drama, slaving away at work and eating junk food, then how in the hell will you stick with a workout program that you dread before starting it? It helps to be enthusiastic about what you’re doing. It’s a thrill for me to see the thousands of folks start and complete my workout programs. It means that “fun and variety” are key components to people’s success. Power 90 and P90X work because Beachbody supported me in my quest to incorporate the things I love.

The formula for figuring out what you love (this applies to everything in life) is simply being creative and curious (see Variety). Curiosity and creativity involve finding ways to modify, integrate, and alter your workouts so that you can incorporate the things you love into your daily routines. I’m at the point in my fitness journey where I’m not exactly sure what my workout is going to look like ten minutes before I start it. I often develop my workouts on the fly. This approach allows me to be creative as I make my way through it. I do this when I ski and rock climb, so why not with my workouts? I’ve been noticing lately that some people in the Beachbody community have been combining different programs to create personalized workouts. This is genius! They’re mixin’ it up and finding ways to enjoy it. Loving it helps you stick with it. Sticking with it will happen when you find ways to make it interesting. I recommend this strategy only after you’ve completed a full round of Power 90.

If you’re anything like me you’ll discover that the same thing over and over doesn’t work over time. FIND OUT WHAT YOU LOVE (no matter what anyone else says) and do that. If you stay curious, try new things, abandon the exercises you dislike, and stick with the ones you love, then you’ll discover a fitness philosophy that you’ll stick with for a lifetime.

Law # 8 ~ Stress & Sleep

Stressed-out, sleep-deprived people don’t eat right and exercise regularly. Stress depletes energy, strength, and desire; while poor sleep habits affect your moods and immune function along with cognitive and motor performance. Burning the candle at both ends makes it impossible to be fit and healthy.

Stress
Do you realize that if you took the fear and anxiety out of every “stressful” situation in life, the end result of that situation would greatly improve? You can panic and freak out all you want, but time will still pass and life will happen, whether you stress out about it or not. So why not choose patience or curiosity? Patience is a virtue, and who wouldn’t want to be virtuous in a stressful situation? To be curious means asking the right questions to help find solutions. When does fear, worry, or anxiety ever help a situation? Stress occurs when we are incapable of moving through a situation logically, peacefully, positively, productively, and gracefully. To be stressed out takes a lot of energy. Allowing stress to overtake you means you’re having a tough time dealing with reality. Don’t let stress be your scapegoat. Stand up, take a deep breath, and see if you can deal with reality under pressure.

I like the parable about 10 people standing in line at a bank. Three robbers come storming in screaming, yelling, and waving guns around. They terrorize the place and steal everyone’s jewelry and money. What’s the moral of the story? Ten people experiencing the same event will have very different reactions to it. Some will never recover, while others will have a crazy story to tell at cocktail parties. How do you respond to the events in your life?

I like Byron Katie’s 3 Kinds of Business Theory.

1. God’s Business: The things that happen in this world that are out of my control.

2. Their Business: The choices other people make based on their life experiences so far.

3. My Business: The choices I make that shape my life.

Don’t waist your time on gossip, ridicule, envy, self-pity, anger, guilt, arrogance, impatience, regret, manipulation, jealousy, fear, worry, and anxiety. It’s too stressful, and it destroys the energy you need to stay healthy and fit. If you choose understanding, truth, clarity, patience, devotion, gratitude, acceptance, wisdom, and forgiveness you will have peace of mind and all the energy in the world to do what ever you want.

Sleep
Sleep does more than make you feel rested. Two recent studies with healthy volunteers demonstrated suppression of immunological function after one night of modest sleep deprivation. The activity of certain white blood cells and the production of chemicals essential for immune system performance significantly decreased. After a good night’s sleep, most immune functions went back to baseline levels. About 40% of adults experience sleepiness that interferes with daily activities. Most U.S. adults get less than seven hours of sleep per night during the workweek, while research has determined that certain parameters of immune function are enhanced by more than seven hours of sleep.

Another study showed that the leading cause of traffic accidents in this country is NOT alcohol, but sleep deprivation. If you don’t have enough energy to stay awake to drive your car, how will you have enough energy for a six-day-a-week workout plan? We’re not sleeping enough hours, and the limited time we spend trying to sleep is filled with so much mind chatter that we never get the rest we need. My New Collegiate Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines sleep as follows: the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored. In the Taoist philosophy there’s a belief in yin and yang energies. These are opposing energies that create balance. Exercise is yang energy. Sleep and rest is yin energy. There must be proper balance between vim and vigor (yang) and inward calm (yin). If you don’t get enough sound sleep, your body will NOT receive the proper restoration it needs to complete or succeed with any fitness program. So TiVo American Idol and go to bed!