Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Why dread Monday’s? We tend to struggle to go into the work-week and spend it looking forward to Friday (with “hump day” in between). Perhaps, we should celebrate the work-week for what it is: an opportunity.
The new week is an opportunity to accomplish, to succeed, to be (extra)ordinary. It is also an opportunity to fail—to learn and to grow.
The new week is an opportunity to “leave it all in this room” and to be your best and keep getting better.
Embrace the work-week!
Carpe momento!
I know many will not agree with me, but I would suggest that we need wealth disparity. There seems to be an increasing push for greater socialism in our democratic republic. I don’t intend to get political here, so don’t jump immediately to the comments section. I simply believe that the greater good can only come to society when people have something to give—and indeed give.
No doubt, the economics of our society are turned a bit upside down. Teachers make rather little while celebrities make fortunes. Some professional athletes make grossly huge incomes. Some people make their fortunes managing money—something that is really just a concept—while many others are working multiple physical jobs to “make ends meet”.
Some discuss a “livable wage” in a country where the poorest are still wealthier than much of the rest of the world. I agree that the cost of living in this country (the US) is growing faster than the incomes of most. I agree that some are making gross salaries. I would argue though that good can come from this disparity of wealth. This was an argument made by Andrew Carnegie in his day.
Carnegie argued that, if everyone had the same income, there would be no libraries, museums, etc. Schools and universities would suffer. Why? Because no one would care to sacrifice what they have for others. There is no incentive to give to the greater good. It is case of the “Tragedy of the Commons”. Want evidence? Compare the economies of the post-World War II Germanys.
The problem is not that people have more than others. The problem is not one of economic disparity. The problem is one of character scarcity. Wealth is an opportunity.
The world needs Andrew Carnegies. The world needs JJ Watts. (JJ Watts is a star player for the Houston Texans—and the city of Houston.)
There are many celebrities, athletes, and business persons who do tremendous things for their communities—many without notice. I highlight JJ Watt because we have seen his example in the news several times in the last year, and because his good does not result in his name on a building. Rather his good involves acts of real community.
JJ Watt gave time and money to the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts—helping to raise $37 million dollars for relief. Most recently, though, he stepped in to pay the funeral costs of the 10 persons killed in the recent Santa Fe High School shooting outside of Houston. It would appear that these examples are just the tip of his giving.
I don’t always agree with how much money people make for what they do. I don’t judge them for making money. We all, after all, would love to trade places. While it is not my place to judge anyone, I do confess to judging people for what they do with their money (and time). I know that “in the same way (I) judge others, (I) will be judged” (Matthew 7:2, NIV), so, I know that I have to make the most with what I am given—be it money, time, or talent.
So, when we are jealous of what others have in “excess” or when we suggest that income equality is the solution to society’s problems, perhaps we should reconsider what we do with what we do have. Perhaps we can remember that “from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48, NIV).
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
Photo source: http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/texans-jj-watt-paying-funerals-santa-fe-high-school-victims/1bwhbf6mflzni194xf7s92c7qp
I have seen a number of videos of guys who have injected Synthol (a substance made of oil, pain killer, and alcohol) into their muscles. It looks completely natural (sarcasm—in reality, it looks ridiculous). Why? Why would anyone do this? I can’t even begin to speculate. I don’t really want to.
Too many of us want to be great but aren’t willing to put in the effort. However, we can’t cheat greatness.
These guys who inject oil in their muscles not only don’t look good, there is no strength behind the muscle. Synthol-filled “muscle” is not muscle. Muscle is earned. Muscle is built with hard work, diet, and repeat. If you want something earn it. Sure, they say “fake it ‘til you make it”, but that isn’t the case here. Fake muscles are, well, fake.
It is cliché, but hard work pays off. When we work hard, we feel rewarded. I can’t imagine the reward in artificially inflating one’s biceps. The reward is in the sweat, the delayed-onset muscle soreness, the whey protein shakes, etc. You want to be great? Be great. Don’t pretend to be great.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
Self-esteem is talked about quite frequently relative to our youth. By definition, it refers to one’s “confidence and satisfaction in oneself” (Merriam-Webster). A synonym is “self-regard”.
Self-efficacy is a term we use in motivational psychology to discuss one’s belief in his/her ability to achieve a goal. It was coined in the 1970’s by Albert Bandura and has been studied in a variety of situations over the recent decades. The term comes up often in my Exercise Motivation and Adherence course.
I was discussing youth sports with my students this week, and the consideration of self-esteem v. self-efficacy came up. Personally, I believe the we focus too much on self-esteem in our schools (and homes) and not enough on self-efficacy. The two are, nonetheless, related. It is possible to have one without the other—but that is not ideal. In raising our children and teaching and coaching youths, we want to build both a sense of self-worth and self-efficacy. It occurred to me in my Monday lecture, however, that there is an additional piece.
The “self” in self-efficacy and self-esteem suggest that these apply only to the individual. We had recently watched The Marinovich Project, and comments in a couple other video clips I had included in my lecture struck a chord. Self-efficacy and self-esteem are insufficient, if one lacks a sense of purpose beyond self. One needs a Spiritual identity—a sense of purpose. This is why family and team (as well as any group or tribal identity) are important for self-development. One must have a healthy Spiritual dimension (a sense of something greater than oneself), as well as self-confidence and self-regard.
A sense of purpose is critical to our young. Purpose should also be multi-dimensional—otherwise, separation from one’s identity, e.g., as an athlete, leaves one lost and purposeless.
I am a big proponent of team sports. Some kids, however, might be just as well served by participation in activities such as band. Indeed, music may better demonstrate the Spiritual dimension of self than sports. True orchestras have “seats” or leads, but the sound must be in harmony. One musician, alone, cannot “carry” an orchestra. In sport, it is possible to have a “superstar”, but, in reality, that one athlete can rarely carry the team alone—football, for example, cannot be played with one player. Teaching this is an important dimension of youth sports—and childhood, in general.
I teach Exercise Motivation & Adherence with a “dynamic systems” approach—meaning that we focus on the interactions between the individual, the task, and the environment. Self-efficacy and self-esteem fit within this approach—and the Spiritual connection cannot be ignored. Self-confidence is task- and environment-specific. Self-confidence, which is perhaps at the intersection of self-efficacy and self-esteem, is affected by our past and present, our experiences, and our relationships. I believe that for a child (and subsequently an adult) to be self-confident and successful, he or she must be allowed to fail repeatedly and to explore his or her limitations freely. Coaching, teaching, and parenting are about helping the child navigate through life. Team, community, family, etc. are to help us find a sense of purpose greater than our individual talents and giftedness.
I am a fan of Joe Ehrmann’s “Building Men for Others” (and parallel “Building Women for Others”). Sports is a great opportunity to build the self-esteem and self-efficacy of a young person, as well as to reveal the role of the purpose of self. Failing to teach a child “why” he or she should feel good about himself of herself or to teach the child “why” he or she should be self-confident fails the child. There is good reason why I emphasize to my children (and myself) to “be your best today; be better tomorrow”.
Carpe momento!
One of my favorite trends in the fitness industry is the 30-day transformation challenge. (If you don’t pick up on the sarcasm, I published a related post yesterday—“Making an Athlete”, May 17). It seems like every fitness center and wannabe personal trainer is promising incredible results in just 30 days. Even the best program, led by the best professional/educated trainers, not demonstrate life-changing results in 30 days. Progress takes time, dedication, sacrifice, and hard work. Even with these, sustainable progress in 30-days is not going to be as dramatic as presented. One might expect an honest fat loss of two, maybe three, pounds in a week. Ten to 12 pounds of fat loss in a month is impressive. Gains in muscle mass are likely to be less than 2-3 lb—depending on effort, diet, and genetics. Strength gains in a 30-day challenge may be large—because the exercise is novel and the person committing to the challenge is untrained or poorly trained. Such gains will come from neural adaptations more so than skeletal muscle hypertrophy. The key to success in any 30-day commitment is specificity and personalization (which most of these transformations lack). Generic WODs work only for the untrained and only to a point.
If you want a 30-day challenge, by all means, challenge yourself. Choose a goal—specific to you—and go for it.
I joked with friends the other day that I had a 30-day fitness challenge: “Get off your butt do something every day for 30 days and in 30-days you will be 30 days older—guaranteed!” I stand by this challenge. What you might also get is results.
Have a plan. If you have an end in mind, plot a path. Add 50 pounds to your squat—plan on 10- to 15-pound weekly increases.
Be specific and intentional. Random, nonspecific workouts may not get you to wear you want to go. Planned, intentional workouts will.
Don’t expect a “new you”. Expect a better you.
Above all else, be consistent, persistent, and patient. Results will come.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
The other day, I saw an ad for a 6-week challenge that promised to transform people into “athletes”? ‘Cause athletes are made in 6-weeks of generic WODs. Excuse the sarcasm, but athletes are not made—especially out of sedentary adults.
For the most part, athletes are born with genetic potential and refined through hard work and specific training—a lot of specific training. Serious athletes train very hard. In fact, most athletes beat the heck out of their bodies.
Training like an athlete is not for mature adults. For some reason, though, this is the trend in fitness—at least to believe that one is training like an athlete. Certainly, we can adapt the principles applied to training athletes. I, for one, am a proponent of training nonathletes for ‘motor skill-related physical fitness’—i.e., speed, power, agility, balance, coordination, and reaction time. Training nonathletes like athletes is overkill and likely to injure the person. Talk to any athlete at the end of his or her season (and, certainly, career) and ask how they are feeling. I doubt any will say they are feeling “great”—“in the best shape of my life”. Most are going to be nursing injuries and be pretty beat up.
Indeed, what is marketed as training like an athlete is often a random selection of sports training-like exercises that are of questionable effectiveness. Training like an athlete is not flipping tires and swinging ropes. Training like a real athlete is a planned, intensive, periodization—cycles of training for sport-specific, hypertrophy, strength, and power. It is training for sport-specific motor skill-related fitness and aerobic/anaerobic power, etc.
And 6 weeks? Barely enough to see a significant neural adaption to the exercise. Most of the “gains” one will see in a short-term “challenge” are going to be the result of learning.
One does not train to become and athlete. One trains to become a better athlete. Don’t be lured by fitness marketing and hype. The principles of physical fitness are pretty simple and straight-forward. Stick to the basics. Have specific goals. Train to your goals. Most importantly, be patient. Do not expect significant results in a month or six weeks. Think years. (Yeah, sorry. Progress takes time!)
The work out may be hard, but that doesn’t make it effective. Train smart, not just hard.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
“LeBron James will never be Michael Jordan.”—Stephen A. Smith
I am not a basketball fan. I do, however, know who Michael Jordan and LeBron James are. (Who doesn’t?!) I came across this quote and immediately thought “Of course, not!” LeBron will never be Michael, because he is LeBron James. One of the most ridiculous things about sports (in my humble opinion) is the ongoing arguments about who is the greatest of all times (GOAT) in any particular sport and/or position. Is it not enough to simply say that one is “great”?? There is simply no way to determine who is the GOAT—in anything.
There are so many factors to consider. Jesse Owens ran on a cinder track in leather spikes—in Nazi Germany. He had nowhere near the training science available to Usain Bolt. To say one is greater than the other diminishes the accomplishments of the other.
Quarterbacks play with 10 other players against 11 other players under infinite conditions. Comparing QBs that played decades of games apart is futile.
LeBron and Michael are two men—both of whom play basketball far better than billions of people—who are very different people. Is it not enough to recognize their greatness?
We have this insatiable desire to compare people. Often, we compare ourselves to others. The discussion of GOAT, to me, is just plain silly. Everyone is unique and accomplished in his or her own way. Everyone has a unique purpose and place in the universe. Thus, the only GOATs are each of us in our own sphere of influence. Stop comparing successes. Choose, simply to be your best today and be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
We often hear comments about someone “pulling themselves up by the boots straps”. Politically, we hear it from one side more than another. I, personally, believe that everyone should have the opportunity to pull himself or herself “up by the boots straps”. Unfortunately, it not as easily done as said.
Politically, I think both sides fail. Merely, saying that someone should pull himself “up by the boots straps” accomplishes little unless the individual has the will and the means—i.e., “boot straps” (or, perhaps, boots). On the other hand (or side of the political spectrum), merely putting shoes on the man does not help in the long-run. We have to provide access to boots and sew on the straps by which they can be pulled on.
We cannot expect someone to help himself, if he lacks the education, the finances, and the social support to succeed. Likewise, he is never free to help himself, if he is never challenged with the opportunity.
Too often, one is robbed of his or her potential because of circumstances. Many have the boots but lack the will or the ability to pull them on. (This is increasingly the case in our society of helicopter parenting and over-protectionism.) Many are able to “pull themselves up by the boots straps”, but they lack the boots. Few lack the boots and the ability to put them on for themselves. Many of these few are denied the opportunity because others judge them as “incapable”.
I believe society can—and must—be more “well-centered”. We have to understand the role that everyone plays in the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social well-being of society. I believe in equity over equality. Equality sees that everyone has a pair of boots. Equity sees that everyone is wearing a pair.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow. (Help others do the same.)
Carpe momento!
I am 10 pounds heavier than I was a year ago, when I last had my body fat measured. That is the same weight that I was three years ago when I “realized” I had let myself get fat—or at least when the BodPod confirmed what I had already suspected. I cut my calories and lost 10 lbs of fat (but gained no muscle in the process). Over the course of three years, my weight has gone up and down as I tweaked my diet and exercise to “recomp” my body (recomposition—to shift my body weight to be composed of more muscle and less fat). I have not been overly strict with the diet.
Looking at numbers on the scale can be frustrating. They are frustrating because the really don’t tell us what we need to hear—only what we want or don’t want to hear. The numbers are meaningless without context.
If the weight on the scale is not changing, one must ask a few questions:
Am I eating the right diet? Now, remember, the primary factor in fat loss is caloric balance. If one is hypocaloric, one should be losing weight. The weight being lost should be fat. (We don’t want to be losing muscle—even if bodybuilding is not our focus. We want to maintain muscle as we age for long-term health and function!) So, if you are not losing fat, you might still be eating too much or have too little activity—probably both.
What you are eating is also important. Are you eating the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats? What is your consumption of alcohol? Even if your diet is hypocaloric (on paper—after all, by definition, your diet is hypocaloric only if you are eating less than you need to maintain your present weight) you may not be eating the right foods or enough food. Too little food can sometime alter the metabolism and slow fat loss. We all respond to foods differently, so macro balance isn’t the same for everyone.
Am I losing fat? Our goal, after all, is to get leaner. The goal should never be weight loss. Pay no mind to the height-weight charts the doctors and insurance companies have used. They are all bull****. Kellogg had it right in the old Special K cereal commercials when they asked us to “pinch an inch”. The best monitor of fat loss is going to be fat loss. Skinfold measurements can give an accurate measure of body composition, but a less precise self-measurement can tell us whether we are gaining or losing fat. The mirror does not lie. Clothes don’t always “shrink”. If you are looking better in the mirror, who cares what the scale says? (Unless you are an athlete who competes in a specific weight division—then your coach might care!) The scale is just a number!
Am I gaining muscle? Now, don’t just assume that because you are working out that you are gaining muscle. It takes much effort to gain muscle. It is especially difficult on a “hypocaloric” diet. Muscle gain may not be quite visible when the body fat composition is high. Muscle is denser than fat and, therefore, takes up less volume. If you are looking leaner in the mirror and not losing weight, you are probably gaining muscle. Be honest with yourself. One of my favorite scenes in Heavyweights is the weigh-in where Ben Stiller’s character is weighing in the campers and discovers they have been “cheating”. In an initial state of denial, he exclaims: “Muscle weighs more than fat.” This is often what we tell ourselves when the diet and exercise program isn’t working.
If you are not gaining strength or significantly increasing your volume (i.e., weight x, sets x repetitions), you are not likely to be seeing significant muscle hypertrophy. If, however, you are training intensely—with proper volume, diet, and recovery—you will gain muscle. If you are gaining muscle, the scale might not be changing. It might even go up.
Over the last several years, I have shifted from what was essentially a maintenance lifting plan to a strength/hypertrophy plan. It has taken a while to find the right plan for my body type and lifestyle, but I am getting there. At 55 years of age, I am seeing gains without going crazy with the diet or supplementation. Sure, they could be better, if I took a more regimented approach, but progress, albeit slow to moderate, is my only goal. I have learned that it is easier to “grow into my fat” than it is to lose fat and maintain muscle.
The scale has jumped 10 pounds (truthfully, it topped off at about a 15 lb gain—I am down 5 from several months ago) and is has stayed plus or minus 2 lb for a while. The truth will be clear when I step into the BodPod on June 1st, my target date. I trust the lean body mass will be up and the fat mass will be down. How much? We’ll see. I had hoped to see the number on the scale go down, but the scale refuses to change. I am seeing gains and losses in the mirror. Moreover, my weights are going up—nothing to write home about, but pleasing enough for me.
I enjoy life. I am moderate with my enjoyment of food. I don’t waste calories on crappy junk foods (Good junk foods? Yes.) or crappy beer/wine. I eat out more than I should to be able to have six-pack abs, but I don’t care—as long as I can keep Dunlap’s disease* at bay. My workout time is limited, and I don’t want to sacrifice family time to work out more (opportunity costs).
The mirror and the workloads tell me I am doing alright. I care very little about what the scale says.
If the scale doesn’t tell you what you want to hear, listen to the mirror and your progress. They won’t lie.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
A Mother’s Love’s A Blessing.
“A mother’s love’s a blessing,
No matter where you roam.
Keep her while she’s living,
You’ll miss her when she’s gone.
Love her as in childhood,
Though feeble old and grey,
For you’ll never miss a mother’s love,
Till she’s buried beneath the clay.”
–Thomas P. Keenan
