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Switching gears a bit for today’s content, I’d like to share a really funny video that also makes a great point.

Take a minute and watch it here (it’s worth it):

While the video is certainly meant to be a parody, it makes a good point.  Often times we live with behaviours that we know are not supportive to our happiness and success.  We could all use someone like Bob Newhart’s character to tell us to “Stop it!”

I’ve often discussed the significance of the 80/20 rule as it pertains to getting fit.  Twenty percent of your actions generate eighty percent of the results.  In my many years as a coach, I’ve observed cases where if the person would have just stopped doing one thing, they’d have everything they ever wanted.

This is very personal.  You could probably make a huge impact on your fitness results by changing one simple habit.  In my experience, this is usually the thing that you least want to change or stop doing.  Bummer.

In my last post I wrote about personal responsibility and being honest with yourself.  If you were being really honest, what is it that you should stop doing?

These next three apply to all of us:

1. STOP making excuses.  “I don’t have the time.” “I don’t like to exercise.”  “I like to eat.” “I have to drink when I’m entertaining clients.” ”I don’t feel like it.” “I’m stressed.” “I’m [insert nationality], we have to eat a lot, it’s in our genes!”  “I have a slow metabolism.”  The list goes on and on.  One of my favorite mottos is “reasons or results”.  At the end of the day, you can either have the result you want, or lots of reasons why you didn’t get it, but you can’t have both.  Personally, I’d rather have the results.

2. STOP looking for the one-shot wonder.  There is no single, pill, diet plan, shake mix, exercise program, piece of equipment, or therapeutic mode that can get you fit.  It’s about making a lifestyle change, pure and simple.  It’s about setting priorities, and having standards for yourself.  The magic is in the process.  When you understand this, you’ll already be way ahead.

3. STOP resisting.  Stop worrying about the outcome.  “If I get fit, I won’t be able to maintain it, and that’ll make me feel worse.”  Turn yourself over to the process fully, be willing to accept change, and you’ll get the results.

I hope that was helpful.  I know for the rest of the day if I catch myself doing something or thinking something that doesn’t support me in reaching my goals, I’m gonna slap my wrist and yell “stop it”!

Good times.

Live Strong and Healthy,

Conor Kelly
EVOLUTION FITNESS
(416) 220-7883

It’s just a great way to make things fun, generate some excitement, and provide additional incentive for getting fit.

Today’s content is the continuation of last week’s.  It’s a brief video interview with our Fall Body Transformation Winner (Boot Camp category), Rob Smith.  Rob lost a remarkable 23 pounds in 9 weeks during the course of the contest, and hasn’t looked back since.

In the video, he shares some insight on what helped him succeed.  As before, I’m including my comments in point form so you can get the most out of this power-packed three minutes.  What better way to learn and be inspired than to hear from the people who are “in the trenches” and having success with their body and health goals!

Take a minute and watch the video:

1. Formula.  I was laughing my butt off after this interview.  “They’re gonna think I planned this.”  In my last email I suggested 9 out of 10 transformation contest winners would have a similar explanation for their success.  Rob’s answers to my questions were basically identical to Marlee’s.  That’s because there’s no mystery here.  There is a formula to this.  It’s the same as what we teach.

The prospect of winning three months of boot camp made Rob very coachable, and he followed our recommendations without question, just as Marlee did.  No need to reinvent the wheel.  Follow a proven process.

2. No alcohol.  Don’t shoot the messenger!  Rob credits reducing his alcohol consumption for a big chunk of his results.  Every type of alcohol is liquid sugar and easily stored by your body.  Cutting out alcohol altogether can be a huge boon to your fat loss program.

3. Nutrition “mostly”.  I feel like a bit of a broken record, but Rob focused mostly on his nutrition.  Nutrition is “numero uno” for fat loss.

4. Be honest with yourself.  Well said, Rob.  Being personally accountable to the results of the program is your first step.  You must acknowledge what needs to change in order to change it.  Just as Marlee did, Rob cites keeping a nutrition journal as being essential to honesty. 

5. Weekends.  Rob talks about how things sometimes fall apart on weekends, especially with the nutrition.  In fact, many people use the weekend to basically undo all the great progress they’ve made during the week.  Keeping a journal throughout the weekends is one of the ways you’ll know if that’s what’s happening.  It’s great to have a cheat day, but most of us can’t get away with straying from our healthy ways for two whole days each week, especially if the goal is to lose fat.

It’s not just overeating or alcohol consumption that are the offenders on the weekends, but we’ve noticed many people interrupt the pattern of frequent meals and snacks we recommend.  Often they’ll consume only 1 or 2 meals on those days. 

6. Protein days.  The nutritional strategy that helped Rob the most.  For a full explanation on how to use protein days, click here.

7. Have a weekly cheat day.  Any program based on deprivation is destined to fail.  Rob said it best, “you have to live a little”.  Balance discipline with a reward system.  That way you get the best of both worlds.

8. Develop a routine.  Rob describes his boot camp workouts as being “part of my life now”.  That’s exactly the approach that is the most productive.  Work out a schedule and stick to it religiously.

9. Focus on benefits.  Notice that when Rob talks about his workouts he doesn’t refer to “how painful it is”, or “how exhausted you get”.  Instead, it’s “the best part of [his]day”, “it really clears [his] head” and gets him started on the right foot.  This is a central concept in our programs.  Weight loss happens over time.  In the short term, it’s about finding something about the process you enjoy, even if it’s just a feeling of wellbeing or increased clarity.

10. Focus. Period.  Both Marlee and Rob defaulted to talking about attitude when asked to provide advice.  I found that very revealing.  Starting the process with the right mindset is everything.  Be excited, be committed, be determined.  Put all your focus on the goal.  Let it become a wonderful obsession.  This is what Napoleon Hill called having a definite chief aim.  This kind of focus is the most transformative.

I hope you enjoyed our video interviews, I know I learned a lot.  Thank you Rob and Marlee for sharing your stories and congrats again on your amazing achievements!  We’re proud of you both!

Go out there and make today a win for your fitness program.  Knowledge is not power unless you apply it. 

Good luck!

To Your Success

Conor Kelly EVOLUTION FITNESS PERSONAL TRAINERS TORONTO (416) 220-7883

P.S.  Looking for a fitness and nutrition solution that’s complete, effective, affordable, and FUN?  Join our boot camp!  Call (416) 220-7883 or visit

http://www.MyTorontoBootCamp.com

To request a FREE trial today!

I’ve also included my comments in point form to help you glean maximum value from this content rich video.

Watch the video here:

My comments:

1. Nutrition comes first.  Marlee credits changes to her nutrition as being the most impactful to her results.  You can’t out-train a bad diet.

2. Planning.  For the small amount of effort it takes, this is one habit that has the power to transform your daily nutrition quickly.  Planning, preparing, and being equipped with supportive eating options each day is essential.   Almost without exception, every fit person I’ve ever met does this. 

She also talks about scheduling her workouts.  When it’s not scheduled, you can come up with almost any excuse not to do it.

3. Eat the same stuff.  Marlee more or less ate the same stuff every day.  Not particularly exciting, but the body does respond to consistency.  Eating the same stuff also dramatically simplifies step #2.  You know what groceries to get, and how to prepare your meals quickly.  When you’ve reached your goals, and supportive eating has become a habit, you can start looking for more variety. 

Almost every successful body transformation we’ve had could be attributed to the person finding out what meals work best for them and sticking with a uniform plan long enough for serious results to occur.

4. Protein days.  Marlee talks about how much her results accelerated when she incorporated protein days, three days out of each week.  These work by removing an energy substrate (starchy carbs), thus temporarily encouraging your body to utilize more of your fat stores as fuel.  The body adapts to this quickly and downshifts metabolic hormones, so we’re keeping this low carb/high protein approach to three days per week only.

5. Keep a journal.  Marlee describes journaling as a key habit that allowed her to stay focused.  One recent study indicated that people who track their eating habits lose weight twice as fast.

6. Accountability.  It’s too easy to rationalize and get away with stuff when you’re accountable to yourself.  It’s why people join gyms and never go after the first six weeks or so.  Knowing you need to explain yourself to a coach that has certain expectations can be annoying, but let’s face it, it keeps you honest.  Our program is designed to keep people accountable to their words and their actions, and that’s a big reason why we have so many successes.

7. Efficiency.  “The whole program has showed me how to work out most efficiently,” says Marlee.  Exercising and eating right is a good start, but it’s not a protocol.  With our program you’re getting a proven process to follow.  It’s been designed and tested with one goal in mind: dramatic physical improvement.  It’s not arbitrary, there’s no guess work.  Follow a proven process.

8. Mindset.  “I was determined to win.”  Whether you’re in a contest or not, having the right mindset from the word “go” will ensure your own personal victory.  Take small steps to build your confidence, but mostly, just go for it and don’t look back!

Thanks for this Marlee.  A lot of great takeaways here.  Follow Marlee’s lead and you’ll be that much closer to the outcome you want.

To Your Success,

Conor Kelly
EVOLUTION FITNESS – PERSONAL TRAINERS TORONTO
(416) 220-7883

For those of you who don’t know, my Dad is an excellent triathlete who, at age 65, competed in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii last year, and finished eighth in his age category.

Dad doing his training in Kona!

This year, I’m designing his strength training program.

This is his first time following a structured weight training program, and he’s already enjoying the benefits.  After only five weeks, his strength has improved noticeably, his movement is more efficient, his posture is beginning to shift, and his flexibility and range of motion have increased.

Even my Mom is impressed.

I promised him that these changes would positively impact his race results, and though it’s early going still, I’m really pleased with his progress.

The day after I got back from London, one of my trainees handed me The Globe and Mail article (“We Control 70% of How We age,” Alex Hutchinson, Monday, February 20th). 

The article reports on a recent study that examined fat and muscle content in the upper leg of recreational athletes between 40 to 81.  MRI samples showed virtually no decline in the strength and size of the muscles of a 70 year old triathlete when compared to a 40 year old triathlete! 

In contrast, the muscles of a 74-year old sedentary man were, according to Mr. Hutchinson, “shrivelled and enveloped in fat.” 

Ewww.  Not a pretty picture.

The results suggest that regular training had prevented the kind of muscle loss that we typically associate with aging.  Use it or lose it, in other words.

The article goes on to discuss one of the pathways of muscle decline, which is the loss of “motor units”.  Motor units are groups of muscle fibers controlled by a single neuron. 

A follow up study to the one above had measured the number of motor units in the arms of masters runners.  Interestingly enough, the runners did not possess a significantly higher number of motor units in their arm muscles than their sedentary peers.

In other words, training your legs won’t necessarily help develop your arm muscles.  Not exactly a major scientific breakthrough.

According to the author, the two studies together “rule out hopes that a single form of exercise can preserve muscle function throughout the body.”

Hmmm.  Really? 

I would have thought this would be a great segway for a discussion on the merits of resistance training.  And since Mr. Hutchinson didn’t use the opportunity, I will, thank you very much!

Resistance training can be generally thought of as any exercise in which your muscles are required to work against resistance.  Lifting weights, performing bodyweight exercises, and using weight machines, tubing, or kettlebells, are all great examples.

My first point is, when it comes to affecting positive changes in body composition (percentages of fat and muscle in the body) and keeping us young, not all exercise counts as exercise.

Many people confuse being active with exercise.  Walking a lot or playing tennis on the weekends count as being active.  These are great things, don’t get me wrong.  But to bring about significant improvements to your health or body composition, you must challenge your muscles and your cardio-pulmonary system with a progressive exercise regimen.

It’s good to be active, but you still need to exercise.

A well-organized resistance training plan can bring about healthful “shifts” to posture, strength, bone-density, flexibility, balance, motor function, biomechanics (efficiency of movement), as well as make you much less susceptible to injury. 

Even just improving your posture can make you stronger, reduce tension and pain, increase nervous system function, and ensure the correct functioning of your internal organs.  I guess mom had it right when she told us to “sit up straight!”

Done correctly, resistance training has a huge impact on your metabolism and your ability to burn fat more efficiently.

Whatever your short-term goals are, an effective approach to challenging muscle is needed to promote circulation, remove waste, and is known to release stress-fighting, and youth-enhancing hormones.  Jack Lalanne did 90-minutes of weights and calisthenics almost every day up until his death at age 96.  Not only did he live to be 96, but he was strong and vital thoughout his 90′s, and as a result, enjoyed a far better quality of life than most 90-year-olds.

Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here first, resistance training is the fountain of youth. 

The topic of the article in The Globe and Mail is not new.   Not only can we prevent aging, we can reverse it.  Chronologically speaking, we’re all getting older.  There’s nothing we can do about that, unless someone invents a way to stop time altogether.

What we can control is our biological age.  As we get older in years, we can simultaneously get younger in biological terms, by modifying our lifestyle, and with a concerted plan for overall health enhancement.  Such a plan should include some form of resistance training.  Mr. Hutchinson’s article does mention resistance training, but as an afterthought.  It’s a graphic with a one-liner.

For me it’s the star of the show.

Finally, regular readers of mine will know that if we are to do them justice, we cannot properly talk about topics relating to the body without also discussing the mind, and the belief systems that will lend support to the success of the physical strategies I promote.

A big part of how we age has to do with our predominant thoughts about the aging process.

We all know people over 50 who consider themselves “over the hill”, and say things like “it’s too late for me,” or “I’m too old.”  Then of course there are many examples of people like my parents who, thankfully, show no signs of slowing down.  In fact, my Dad’s still getting better.

Basically, you’ll feel as old as you think you are.

Most people simply accept and give into the aging process because they feel they have no choice.  They’re observing the decline that generally happens to people, and think it inevitable that it must happen to them. 

“But all my friends are doing it!”

“If all your friends wanted to participate in a slow decline leading to a compromised quality of life, would you do that too?”

I’m here to tell you that you can simply refuse to age.  And if you take the necessary steps, you won’t “feel” your age.  For starters, stop talking about getting old!

In our programs we’ve had trainees that literally looked ten years younger after only a few months, because fatigue and stress were reduced, vitality restored, and they felt happier.

The late Dr. Maxwell Maltz, in his groundbreaking work many years ago described his concept of a “nostalgia for the future”, or having living to look forward to as one of the central themes for keeping a person young.  He writes:

“I have no doubt but that you could take a healthy man of 30 and within five years make an ‘old man’ of him if you could somehow convince him that he was now ‘old’…If you could induce him to sit in a rocking chair all day, give up all his dreams for the future, give up all interest in new ideas, and regard himself as unimportant and non-productive, I am sure that you could experimentally create an old man.”

Do we control 70% of how we age?  At least.

It starts with a simple decision, a belief that you can stay young, and continues with the commitment to exercise vigorously and progressively, as well as to eat supportively.

The first time we trained together my Dad said, “wow, I can really see the value of having a personal trainer!” 

True story.

If you’re not already a client, give us a call today to learn more about how we can help you look and feel significantly younger in 16 weeks or less.

Thanks for reading.

Live Strong and Healthy,

Conor Kelly EVOLUTION FITNESS  PERSONAL TRAINERS TORONTO  (416) 220-7883

S**t happens.

If I recall, the ancient philosoper Parmenides said something similar…although he probably used different words.

Bottom line, things don’t always turn out as planned, have you noticed that?

When a person I train demonstrates their ability to respond to an unexpected challenge, and to follow through regardless, I know they’re starting to get it.

It could be a workout plan that fell through or maybe a protein day that got thwarted somehow.  But they still managed to make it work.  Maybe they squeezed in a bodyweight workout at home later, or made a creative food choice when ordering at a restaurant.

It’s not what happens to us but how we respond to what happens to us that counts.

When I used to train for strongman competitions I had a shed at the back of an industrial complex where I stored the various odd implements that I trained with.  A friend of mine from the gym did iron work for houses and volunteered the courtyard at his warehouse for me to prep for contests.  I had an 800-pound tire, a set of Atlas stones, some weighted kegs, a log with handles in it for overhead press, and a set of Farmer’s Walk cylinders.

The Farmer’s Walk was performed with oxygen tanks that had a metal handle welded to them.  You’d hold them, one in each hand, and carry them suitcase style, either trying to cover a maximal distance or a predetermined distance in the fastest time possible.  I’d normally train with anywhere from 225lbs. to 275lbs. per hand.

During the winter months, many of my fellow competitors would take a break from training with implements,  unless they had access to an indoor facility where they could use them and be sheltered from the elements.

Not wanting to get behind, I trained outdoors year-round.  It wouldn’t matter what the conditions were.  I’ll never forget training on the coldest night of the year.  The temperature was -40 with the windchill.  I’d use a blow torch to warm up the metal handles on the Farmer’s Walk tanks (if you weren’t careful, your hands would freeze to the bar), and I’d leave my car running so I could stay warm. 

I’d sit in the car until I was ready for my next set, jump out, run across the ice and snow while carrying the cylinders, and jump back in the car to warm up when I was done!  I’d then strip down to my t-shirt so I could do runs with an Atlas stone (round concrete balls weighing anywhere from 245lbs. to 335lbs.) during which the skin on my forearms would go completely numb!

As I think back to those days, I wasn’t exactly moderate in my training approach.  But it worked.  I got better, and placed higher in competitions.  Despite the difficult circumstances, I found a way to make it work.  Besides, after training outside all winter, competing outside during the summer was a breeze!

Commitment is nothing without follow-through.

Follow-through is putting emphasis on the completion of a task.  Successful people are finishers.  People whose success eludes them are perpetual “starters”.

Follow-through is a habit, and one that can be cultivated with practice.  It’s a habit that can make you more effective in everything you do. 

People who lack follow-through are usually reacting to what is, instead of guiding their own response.  Follow-through is about taking responsibility for your results and refusing to let random circumstances dictate your actions.

Follow-through is doing whatever the situation demands.

When you are following through, chances are it won’t always be pretty.  It may not suit the perfect idea of how you wanted things to go.  The point is to do your best with the cards you’ve been dealt.

If your goal is perfection, you’re gonna have to settle for excellence. 

I’ve not yet encountered the person that does all of this perfectly.  Everybody misses a workout sometimes.  We all have bad eating days.  Work around it.  Do something, anything positive toward your goal.  The winner is the one who employs consistency of effort.  The winner is the one who follows through despite the obstacles she may encounter.

“I can give you a six-word formula for success: “Think things through – then follow through” – Sir Walter Scott

Here’s my own little rime which you might find helpful…”over, under, around, or through – whatever it takes, I’ll do.” 

Live Strong and Healthy,

Conor Kelly

EVOLUTION FITNESS – PERSONAL TRAINERS TORONTO

(416) 220-7883

P.S.  Follow through on your desire for renewed health and a better body!  Call us for your complimentary Breakthrough Session (a $150 value) to discover your most high leverage strategies for fast results!

I had a strong 'why' for my bus pull: helping those less fortunate

A lady approached me after one of my seminars recently.  She wanted to tell me she’d lost over 100 pounds already by living a much healthier lifestyle, and therefore appreciated my message.

She continued to explain how both her and her husband were diagnosed with cancer around the same time.  They have three college-aged daughters, and naturally this was a big scare for their family.

They decided to do something about it.  They radically changed their eating habits and became much more active, exercising regularly.  As a result of their focus on health, both of their cancers are in remission.

But perhaps the biggest benefit of this transformation is to their quality of life, she said.  They are both so much more upbeat, and capable of enjoying activities they hadn’t in years.  They have a new lease on life, as well as a renewed awareness of how fleeting it can be.

It might not suprise you to learn that many people I consult with have had a recent health scare of some kind.  They’ve been diagnosed with a new condition, recently put on medication, or received a stern warning from their physician along the lines of “at this pace you’ll be lucky if you get 5-10 more years.”

What may surprise you is that these people usually become great success stories.  They are extremely coachable (click here to read my post about this extremely important component of success). 

That’s because the threat of illness, death, or a compromise to their way of life imbues them with the emotional “umph” they need to take massive action.

In other words, they have a big ‘why’.  Their reasons for wanting change are emotionally compelling.  When faced with the threat of dying, the ‘how’, or the required actions to achieve renewed health become far less significant.  They’re willing to do almost anything.

“A healthy person has many wishes, a sick person has just one.”

What I’d like to submit to you is that we don’t need to wait for life to come along and give us a reason to take action on the things we want.  When you understand this mechanism, and how it impacts human behaviour, you then have the ability to tap into an almost limitless source of motivation.

To do this, you must be connected with your deepest reasons for wanting change.  Moreover, for real transformation to occur, you must have a strong and emotionally charged ’why’.

There is a formula to this:

Thoughts –> Feelings –> Actions = Results

Your actions are what determine your results, your emotions are what determine your actions, and your thoughts determine your emotions.

Often people will say they want change, but they don’t really want it.  What I mean by that is, they don’t really have an intense desire. 

A great example is someone who might just want to lose that last 8-10 pounds.  They’d rather lose the weight, and they’d like themselves better, but they also won’t really hate themselves if they don’t.  It’s a “it would be nice” sort of situation. 

I guarantee you someone like this will not lose that 8-10 pounds.  Why?  They don’t want it bad enough.  Because of the way they think, the emotional push is weak.  Their actions, in turn, will be similarly weak.  Therefore the results will be negligible.  These people are much more committed to eating the way they like to eat and having their two glasses of wine with dinner than they are to actively seeking a body change.

The other end of the spectrum could be someone who is more than 100 pounds overweight, like the lady in my story was.  This person is much more likely to hate themselves or fear the negative health consequences of being overweight.  They’re obsessed with wanting to solve their circumstances, this gets them emotionally fired-up, and consequently their actions are much more radical.  So are the results.  Are you beginning to grasp how this all works?

Change a thought to change an emotion, change an emotion to change a behavior.

If we were to use the example of emotional eating, the key altering the behaviour lies in changing your emotional state.  To change your state, you must first identify the type of thoughts that trigger those feelings.  If you’re successful in altering the thought pattern, you’ll disempower the emotion, and over time reduce incidences of emotional eating.

This takes practice and the fortitude to be honest with yourself in what you’re thinking.

Whatever the goal may be, allign yourself with your ‘why’ first.

Do you want to feel better about yourself?  Do you want your clothes to fit better?  Are you into having more energy and vitality, and living a more active lifestyle?  Do you want to be a better role model for your kids?  Do you want to feel more attractive because you think it will improve your chances of finding a mate?  Is there an illness in your family history you’d really like to avoid?

Whatever your reasons, when you learn to be connected with your why at all times, it becomes almost impossible for you to act in a manner that is counter to your goal.  Remember the formula above, and don’t stop looking until you know your most inspiring and most emotionally convincing reasons for wanting what you want.

Before I lost the weight, I was just a very lonely person.  I thought losing the fat would give me the confidence I needed to “go after” more women.  Boy, was I right.

Later on, the training regimen I endured for Pulling For The Hungry was killer.  Twelve weeks out from my bus pull attempt I was the smallest I’d been in 10 years and nowhere near as strong or fit as I needed to be.  It was tough.  But throughout the process, I reminded myself of why I was doing it: for hungry kids.  I thought, “if they have to suffer through going to school hungry, I sure as hell can suffer through these next few reps.”

Don’t wait for life to come along and force motivation on you in a way you might not like.  Take responsibility, connect with your ‘why’, get passionate about it, and you’ll discover a source of power within you that you never knew you had.

To Your Success,

Conor Kelly

I’m posting a few pages here today.  Her fears, her desires, and her private, innermost feelings will be revealed here.  I couldn’t help myself.  What am I gonna do when she finds out?

From the diary of Anonymous, 12-01-12:

Dear Diary,

I’ve been feeling really good lately.  Some days it’s really a challenge with my new exercise program, but I’m starting to notice the results, so that’s good. 

Jeff totally killed me today.  I didn’t think I was gonna be able to finish the workout.  Somehow I managed.  He says my form is really good and I’m “isolating the muscle” better, whatever that means!

I know the workouts are good for me, but some days I swear I’d like to just smack that smug little smile off his face!  He’s a nice guy though, and seems to be a great trainer.

The nutrition part is really tough.  I don’t know how I’m supposed to manage six days without having sugar.  Jeff said I can have a cheat day and I thought, “really?  Just one?”  Some days it’s really hard, but I’ve been applying myself and I think I’m doing really well.

Sometimes, during out training session, he’ll tell me to do something and I’ll just think, “you’ve got to be kidding.”  But I don’t want to look like a wimp so I do it anyway.  I might be impressed with myself if I didn’t also wonder “what the heck have I gotten myself into?”  I mean, I must be crazy! 

Oh well, I guess if it makes me thin, it might be worth it.   Is it?  Could this really be the price of beauty?

Does everybody go through this I wonder?  Some mornings I’ll wake up in pain and think, “this is supposed to be good for me?”  One day my legs were so sore that I fell trying to get out of bed! I guess I’ll just take it one day at a time and see what happens. 

All the trainers at the gym are very encouraging and they seem to think I’m doing really great.  I bet they say that to everybody though.  Anyway, I’ll let you know how tomorrow goes…

13-01-12

Dear Diary,

Today was not a good day.  My boss dropped all these papers on my desk at the last minute.  I had to stay late to work through everything.  Not only did I miss my workout, but I had a date square with my coffee!  I feel gross now.  Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this.  It was easier before.  I felt fat, but at least I could still enjoy a couple of glasses of wine and a few squares of chocolate with my dinner!  And after all of my hard work and sacrifice, at my first weigh-in I lost 6 pounds.  What the f**k?!  I am feeling a lot better though.

Now Jeff is gonna ask me and I’ll have to tell him the truth that I cheated.  He’s probably gonna kill me with the workout.  I mean I literally might not survive, this could be the last time I write to you, diary. 

Seriously though, maybe I should make up an excuse to not go?  I could say I have too much work or I’m tired, or I’m not feeling well, or something.  At least that way I could sneak in a few more days of good eating, do some cardio, and report good news.   That might work.

Does everybody go through this? 

Oh well, I guess I won’t quit just yet.  I need my training sessions.  On my own I’d probably just give up.  I’m scared and a bit overwhelmed, but I started this and I’m going to see it through!  I won’t give that cocky bastard the satisfaction.  You’ll never break me, asshole!

End of Diary Sample

***********************************************

This is the result of a thought experiment.  I’m having a little fun with it of course.  I’m not going for 100% accuracy.  But I asked myself, what would it feel like to walk a mile in the shoes of a new trainee?

I’m a huge fan of Dr. Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  The 5th habit is seek first to understand, then to be understood.

I work hard at understanding the people I train.  I strive to enter their minds and learn about their habitual thought processes.  What I’ve discovered through my many years of working with people is that I can’t respond to their problems by using my own filters.  They’re not me, and they don’t think like me. 

But if I can figure out how to think like they do, then I can speak to them in their own language.  I’m always working on this, but with the years I’m getting better at it, and it’s made me a more effective coach.

The question I’d like to leave you with is this: what relationships in your life, be they working relationships or personal relationships, could benefit from a little bit more empathic understanding on your part?  What would a page in your family member’s, your friend’s, or your coworker’s diary look like?

To Your Success,

Conor Kelly

When I was 16 I weighed 120 pounds.

What’s worse, I was pretty much afraid of everything.  I hated myself for that.  “Why can’t I be more confident?”

Try this mind technique!

I was high school swimmer, a decent one too.  For a small guy I was pretty explosive.  I could do a 50m freestyle in 27 seconds flat, and the 100m freestyle in just under 58 seconds.  At the high school level, I was pretty competitive, and won a lot of races.

At one point, my coach suggested I start working out with weights to get bigger and increase my strength.  He gave me a basic program and I went to work.  I still remember my first time ever doing weights, I could barely move the next day.  But I also remember it felt good, in a strange way.

Before too long, I was really into my weight training sessions.  So much so, in fact, that I eventually decided to drop the swimming and focus on doing weights instead.

I quickly became obsessed.  I wanted to get big.  I wanted to be strong because I thought it would help me overcome my insecurities.  I hated my weakness, and wanted to eradicate it.

I spent most of my free time either training, or reading and researching all about the science of working out, and nutrition.  But in my first six months I experienced very mediocre results.  I gained about ten pounds, and I’m not even sure if all of it was muscle!

It was then that I answered an add in a muscle magazine for a free report on building muscle.  The free report contained an excellent sales letter which hit all the right high-notes, and I was hooked.  I signed up for personal training by correspondance with my first ever fitness mentor, Mr. Leo Costa.

Leo Costa was an amateur bodybuilder and personal trainer who based his training methodology on top secret, “behind-the-iron-curtain” technologies revealed to him by Bulgarian scientists.

When I say he trained me by correspondance, I mean that literally.  Back then there was no Skype, no email, no Facebook.  Can you imagine?  He sent me a questionnaire — in the mail — regarding my goals and current measurements.  I then sent it back to him, and had to wait another three weeks for his next letter which described my program and meal plan!

It’s pretty amusing as I think back, and marvel at how the world has changed.  But every month I’d send my training and nutrition log, along with my updated measurements, so he could tell me what to tweak in my program

What I learned from Leo changed my life.  Some of the principles he taught me remain a big part of our training protocols today.  I followed his advice religiously, and it worked.  I got big and strong (a little too big actually, if you recall the second half of this story).

I didn’t realize until later that while his coaching was effective, I provided the major elements of success with my motivation, dedication, and desire.  I also supplied another key ingredient.  It’s a technique used by the world’s most successful athletes, sales people, and scientists.

It’s called visualization.

Many of us have not learned to harness the power of visualization, but it can completely reshape your experience.  It’s a form of mental rehearsal, during which you replay images in your mind of scenarios you’d like to enjoy.

An athlete might use visualization to see themselves turning in the perfect performance.

In fact, research has indicated that visualization can be just as helpful to athletic performance as real physical practice.

Research Quarterly once reported an experiment about the effects of visualization on the skill of shooting basketball free throws.

One group of students practiced throwing the ball for 20 days and were scored on the first and last day.  The second group did no practice of any kind.  A third group was instructed not to do any physical practice, but to spend 20 minutes a day picturing themselves successfully throwing free throws.

The first group, which practiced every day, improved scoring by 24 percent.  The second group that did nothing, showed no improvement.  And the third group, that used visualization only, improved scoring by 23 percent!

Anthony Robbins used visualization techniques with Andre Agassi when he made his big pro tennis comeback.

When I first started bodybuilding, I used quite a bit of visualization.  I just didn’t realize what I was doing at the time. 

I used to sit on the bus going to and returning from school every day, stare out the window, and just allow myself to daydream about what it would be like to have the muscles I wanted.  I’d imagine how I’d look in a t-shirt, I’d imagine what it would feel like to be able to wear shorts and not feel self-conscious about my skinny legs, and I’d see myself flexing my muscles in the mirror, all the while fully enjoying the experience as though I were already there.

When I turned to strength training, my daydreams were all about lifting heavy weights and objects easily, seeing myself dominating competitions, and feeling powerful.

When I was losing weight, I’d go for a run and picture myself with ripped abs, feeling fit, and admiring my new body.

In every successful transformation attempt, I thought about the thing I wanted a lot, in fact, almost constantly.

Napoleon Hill, in his “Laws of Success In 16 Lessons” called it having a “magnificent obsession” for what you want.  The key is, as I thought of what I wanted, I focused on and allowed myself to imagine what it would feel like to have it.  I felt the feelings as though I already had it.  I was never focused on the lack of what I wanted, or how far away I was from actually achieving it. 

I never allowed myself to think, “I’ll never get there.”

What thoughts do you entertain yourself with?  Great question to ask.  Are you daydreaming or visualizing feeling sorry for yourself, or all the things you hate about your body?

“I firmly believe it’s not the weights in your hands that make your body change, it’s your mind that does.” – Tom Platz, Pro Bodybuilder

Take 10 minutes per day to relax your entire body, close your eyes, and ask yourself, “how will it feel to live in my ideal body?”  What will you look like?  Picture it.  What will it feel like?  Imagine it.  How will people react to the way you look?  Envision it.  I believe 10 minutes of this type of training is worth an hour in the gym. 

“Conceive, believe, achieve.”  Bill Kazmaier, World’s Strongest Man

I’ve learned from experience that visualization is one of the most powerful tools we can use to change our bodies, or any aspect of our lives we wish to change.  Einstein did say that imagination is more important than knowledge.  In other words, it is more important for you to be able to see yourself achieving what you want than to actually know how to do it!

“Great living starts with a picture, held in your imagination, of what you would like to do or be.” – Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick

I truly hope that you’re picturing a great life for yourself, because I have no doubt that you deserve nothing less.

To Your Success,

Conor Kelly

It wasn’t very long, but I was altogether out.  During this time I worked odd jobs while I was figuring out what to do next.

I lasted literally three days delivering windows because hauling the huge frames around all day made my gym workouts suck.  I couldn’t have that.

One of the more interesting jobs I had was doing security for a construction site.  They were building  a new extension at the top of Bayview.  My job was to sit in my car all night, and make sure no one entered the site or tampered with any of the heavy equipment.

Since they were building roads, people would often try to drive through the site as a shortcut.  Sometimes a polite warning would do, other times I was involved in high-speed chases.

Most of the time there was absolutely nothing happening the whole night.  I parked on top of a hill, and waited.

I read a lot, listened to music, and slept!

One night I stepped away from my car to use the big boys room, and I guess I must have left the car in neutral with the handbrake off, because it started to roll forward.  At first I thought someone was trying to steal it, and ran toward the car shouting “hey!”

But it was too late.

It picked up speed and landed nose first in the ditch.  When I say ”ditch”, I think “ravine” would actually be a better word.  It was a almost a sheer drop.

The car landed with a thud and lay still in the dirt, some 30 ft. below me.  I stared in amazement at what had happened.

“What the heck am I gonna do now?” (I actually used much more colorful language)

This went on for what felt like an eternity.  In truth, I thought the car was done.  I thought I’d never get it out.

I called the construction office and luckily someone answered.  “I have a bit of a problem, is anyone still here?”

“What kind of problem?”

“Uh…better come see for yourself.”

About ten minutes later, two of the site’s operators were standing with me staring at the “wreckage”.  “What the heck happened??” (but with more colorful language once again)

“I think I forgot the handbrake.”

“Oh, s**t!”

What followed was nothing short of a miracle.  With a lot of creative maneouvering, they had managed to hook my car to one of the diggers, and haul it out of the ditch.  The damage to the car was minimal.  I can tell you in all certainty that I’ll never forget that night!

I tell this story is because the feeling I experienced when I first realized that the car was rolling encapsulates how I felt about my health at one point. 

It was sort of a helpless gasp, total disbelief, all wrapped up in a “what am I going to do” feeling of stark reality.  Based on many conversations with other people in this arena, I’m not the only who’s felt this way in regards to fitness.

Sometimes situations seem hopeless even when they’re not.  Trust that the answers are out there.

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Believe in miracles, and miracles show up.

No matter how bad things may seem, it’s been my experience that if you’re willing to actively look for answers and seek help, and if you’re willing to trust — you’ll find the answers, and help will be provided to you.

If I ever feel anxiety or stress I like to remind myself, “you we’re ok yesterday, you’re ok today, you’ll probably still be ok tomorrow”, and get on with it.

Despite it’s ordeal, the car went on to live a long, happy life.  

To Your Success,

Conor Kelly

I had the content for this post all planned when I received an email from my Mom forwarding me an interesting video which is a fit with today’s message.  According to Mom, “it might give you something to blog about”. 

Indeed it has.  Thanks. : )

Before I get to my comments, please watch the video:

I’m a huge proponent of walking, which is what this video recommends, and liked the quote, “walking is man’s best medicine”.  Refer to my post “One of the Most Overlooked Forms of Cardio” for more details on that.

But regular readers of my blog will know that I firmly believe achieving lifelong health really begins with having a healthy mind. 

His video doesn’t contradict that principle, as it’s clear that unless you already possess the right thoughts and belief systems, you’re not even going to attempt the 30 minutes a day of exercise that he recommends.

After the thinking, supportive nutrition and exercise go hand in hand (with a big emphasis on the nutrition component, especially where the goal is fat loss).  Exercise is essential, but you will never be able to out-train a bad diet.

That being said, I appreciate what Dr. Evans is doing.  As teachers, we know our students can only absorb so much at one time.  People learn best in bite-sized bits of information.

That’s why I always have each of my emails or blog posts reflect one simple, straightforward takeaway.  Simple and actionable works best.  Dr. Evans 23 and a half hour concept is a pure expression of this.  I’m using the same idea with today’s “#1 thing I’m doing…” post.

It’s far from the only thing I’m doing, believe me!

If this video illustrates anything, it’s that something is always better than nothing.  A good plan, however, is always better than just something.  I have a hunch that Dr. Evans would agree.

The benefits of a holistic approach to your health will far exceed those of a “move more, eat less” approach.  But for some people, “move more, eat less” is progress!

The #1 thing I’m doing this year to enhance my fitness?

Short bursts of cardio.

Running on the treadmill, intervals on the bike, circuits with bodyweight exercises, for 10 minutes, or fifteen minutes max, 2-3 times per week.

I do plenty of circuit training and super-setting with weights, which means my conditioning is excellent.  But unless I have a specific goal of reducing my bodyfat, I very rarely do any cardio.

I also acknowledge that I’ve felt my best during periods when I do regular high intensity cardio intervals. 

Given their ability to enhance heart health and reduce inflammation, I’m adopting them as part of my routine this year.

Dr. Evans recommendations are a great start for an untrained individual, but let me tell you, the real magic happens when you get into vigorous exercise.

Vigorous exercise in short bursts has the potential to transform your health.

Wanna transform together? 

To Your Success,

Conor Kelly