Month: November 2017

There are two big trends in fitness: 1) six-pack abs and 2) lists of things you need to get them.  So, here I succumb to both.  He is my list of the best moves to get shredded:

1) Close the refrigerator door.

2) Push away from the table.

3) Put down the donut.

4) Lift some weights.

5) Get your butt off the couch.

Losing body fat is no secret.  Half the battle is eating less and moving more.  Another third of the battle is have the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats to meet your energy needs.  If you are quite active, you will be served with a greater balance of calories consumed in the form of carbs.  If you are sedentary or exercising light, you will likely do better with less of your calorie intake being in the form of carbohydrates and consuming more healthy fats.  Any exercise is better than no exercise.  Beyond this, there are no great special exercises—no matter what the shredded fitness trainers tell you.

If I trainer is telling you they look like they do as a result only a few minutes of exercise, they are either feeding you a line of bull or they are so genetically gifted that they respond extraordinarily well to any exercise.  My money is on the fact that they are spending a lot more time in the gym than they are letting on—and dieting to uncomfortable levels.  (Also note that very few physique athletes are able to maintain their show physique year-around.  Trust only the ones who are honest about this.)

The good news is that half of maintaining a healthy body composition is caloric balance.  This means that eating less and moving more will have tremendous benefit.  If you must have six-pack abs, then know that you are going to have to put in some more effort and make some greater sacrifices.  Most of us (myself, especially) are not willing to put the work into having a physique worthy of show.  Personally, I am happy with working as hard as I can within the constraints of my life and having a reasonable relationship with food.  I make the small sacrifices and keep the level of effort at or above my enjoyment of food.  Sorry, but the only secret I have to share is that there are no secrets.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

I write often of my daily mantra: “I am third”—from the Gale Sayers autobiography with this title.  It come from the philosophy that “my Lord is first, my family (and friends) are second, and I am third”.  I try to live this, but there is a downside.  (And, yes, I am writing to myself, today.)

“I am third”, I believe, extends beyond the popular Christian movement, “I am second”.  It emphasizes putting all others ahead of one’s self.  This is exhausting.  It is frustrating.  It is downright impossible in our human condition to do successfully on a daily basis.

I fail miserably at “I am third”.  (Just ask my wife and kids!)  This is why it has to be my daily mantra.  I have to remind myself to strive for this every day.  I have to remind myself because I get to live this every day.  It is the expression of gratitude about which my friend, Andy Lausier, teaches/coaches.  The challenge for me, though, is the fatigue that this daily struggle between “have to” and “get to” brings.

When we put others first, we often forget that putting others before ourselves is supposed to release them of the expectation that they would put us first.  When we are looking for a return on our investment in others, we are not truly living the life philosophy of “I am third”.  Rather than expect others to pay us back, we must expect others to pay it forward.  When we do, it will ultimately come back around to us.  Call it “karma”, if you must.

Our goal(s) Spiritually (as well as Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially) should be to live with the knowledge that the Universe is bigger than self.  Our purpose is not in sustaining self but in living for others.  Imagine a world in which everyone lived for his/her neighbor with no expectation of a return.  How many problems would that solve?

I say that living “I am third” is exhausting.  This is not an excuse for taking a break.  It may require a regular “deload” (to use a term from exercise training) from time to time.  We may need a bit of a personal retreat to recharge and recover, but this is not a withdrawal to our old selfish ways.  We can deload (or perhaps better stated as “preload”) through our daily habit of journaling, reading, prayer, and meditation.  We can recharge with a daily consumption of positive messages—reading, podcasts, etc.  We are allowed some “personal time”.  Moreover, though, we can communicate with others—something I fail miserably at doing (even when it comes to my “15-minute check-in” with my wife).  Expressing our expectations is “I am third”.  We communicate our expectations of others for the purposes of supporting our ability to put their needs ahead of our own.

It comes down to need versus want.  We have needs.  Needs are not selfish.  They are essential to our functioning effectively.  Wants are a different beast.  What we want is often not at all what we need.  Recognizing the difference is crucial to living “I am third”.

If we are struggling in our relationships, we are quite likely holding on to a want too tightly.  We are exhausting our Spiritual muscle.  We need to examine (I need to examine) what it is onto which we are holding on too tight.  Let go. 

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

 

Wrestling Mindset (www.wrestlingmindset.com), developed by Gene and Jeff Zannetti, recently shared their “7 Cardinal Sins of Mindset in Wrestling”.  Since I believe wrestling has countless life-lessons to offer, I want to share these here as a brief series.  The final of these is:

Over-seriousness.  According to Wrestling Mindset, “wrestling and life is supposed to be enjoyable.  Don’t take life too serious you’ll never get out alive (thanks Dr. Suess).  Wrestling is important to all of us but at the end of the day it is just a sport.  Enjoy it.  Seize the day and have fun!”

This is another mindset that is pretty self-evident, yet, as with wrestlers, too many of us take our work and our lives too seriously.  There is much room for society to lighten up a bit.  (The scene from Stripes comes to mind—“Lighten up, Francis!”)  We fear offending others.  Moreover, we fear looking bad.  Instead, we should be quick to make light of our shortcomings—and work to improve them, of course.

Wrestling Mindset shared Dr. Suess’ suggestion that we should not take life too seriously as we will “never get out alive.”  Spoiler alert: we don’t get out alive!  So, don’t waste a day on over-seriousness.  Live. Laugh. Love.  Get over yourself.  Don’t be afraid to make a mistake.  Don’t be embarrassed if you do.

Work hard, but have fun in the processes.  I saw a quote recently: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  Perhaps this is better stated: “Love the job you choose, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  Life can be drudgery or it can be fun.  The choice is ours.  Choose to have fun!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

Wrestling Mindset (www.wrestlingmindset.com), developed by Gene and Jeff Zannetti, recently shared their “7 Cardinal Sins of Mindset in Wrestling”.  Since I believe wrestling has countless life-lessons to offer, I want to share these here as a brief series.  The sixth of these is:

Perfectionism.  According to Wrestling Mindset, perfectionism is “the ultimate double edge sword.”

Strive to be perfect in all things, but cut yourself some slack.  I have shared the quote many times, but, as Coach Vince Lombardi taught his players, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

We must have a growth mindset.  We must accept that we are not perfect, but always aspire for nothing less.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

 

Wrestling Mindset (www.wrestlingmindset.com), developed by Gene and Jeff Zannetti, recently shared their “7 Cardinal Sins of Mindset in Wrestling”.  Since I believe wrestling has countless life-lessons to offer, I want to share these here as a brief series.  The fifth of these is:

Cautiousness.  According to Wrestling Mindset, “if you hesitate you lose.  You gotta err on the side of gutsy and Pull the Trigger!”

Now, of course, there is a place for some level of caution in life.  One should never be foolhardy and reckless.  Instead, one should consider their path and act decisively.  Better to take calculated risks than no risks at all.

Seize opportunity.  Carpe momento!  There are many ways to say it, but as hockey great Wayne Gretzky put it: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”  In wrestling, it is called stalling.  Legendary wrestler and coach, Dan Gable, insisted that his wrestler never stall.  Take the shot!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

“Thoughtless risks are destructive, of course, but perhaps even more wasteful is thoughtless caution which prompts inaction and promotes failure to seize opportunity.”—Gary Ryan Blair

 

Wrestling Mindset (www.wrestlingmindset.com), developed by Gene and Jeff Zannetti, recently shared their “7 Cardinal Sins of Mindset in Wrestling”.  Since I believe wrestling has countless life-lessons to offer, I want to share these here as a brief series.  The fourth of these is:

Self-doubt.  According to Wrestling Mindset, “enough said.”  How can I add to that?  (But, I guess I will.)

One of my few personal wrestling stories is about a match with Leroy.  I took Leroy to his back quickly with a head-and-arm.  I spent the first period trying to pin the second shoulder to the mat.  My teammates cheered me on as his yelled “Get off your back, Leroy.”  As we struggled, I heard him faintly reply to his teammates, “I can’t.”  And, of course, he didn’t.

“Can’t” is a word I don’t allow in my children’s vocabulary.  It reeks of self-doubt.  A pastor once taught us a phrase his father taught him: “Can’t never did nuthin’.”  Likewise, self-doubt leaves us planted right where we are.  So, to quote Wrestling Mindset: “enough said.”

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

 

Wrestling Mindset (www.wrestlingmindset.com), developed by Gene and Jeff Zannetti, recently shared their “7 Cardinal Sins of Mindset in Wrestling”.  Since I believe wrestling has countless life-lessons to offer, I want to share these here as a brief series.  The third of these is:

Pride.  According to Wrestling Mindset, “if you think you have all the answers you better start asking better questions.  Keep a white belt mentality!”

Pride, i.e., satisfaction in one’s achievements, is not bad, per se.  It is when our pride derails our growth mindset that we get into trouble.  A proper pride is not vanity or self-centeredness.  Pride is the determination to always better one’s self—to be your best today; be better tomorrow!  A proper pride drives one to always give his or her best and not be satisfied with anything less. Pride must be tempered with humility.  There is no place for boastful pride in wrestling—or life.  Let’s not confuse the two.

Carpe momento!

Wrestling Mindset (www.wrestlingmindset.com), developed by Gene and Jeff Zannetti, recently shared their “7 Cardinal Sins of Mindset in Wrestling”.  Since I believe wrestling has countless life-lessons to offer, I want to share these here as a brief series.  The second of these is:

Stubborness.  According to Wrestling Mindset, “uncoachable wrestlers become unsuccessful wrestlers.”  Likewise, one who knows all and is unteachable is sure to be unsuccessful.

If I have learned anything in this life, it is that the more I learn the less I know.  Education is an oxymoron.  One who is truly educated has come to realize how ignorant he/she really is.  Jimmy Buffett summed this mindset up well when he said: “Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don’t know and I don’t care.”  Stubborness is just a progression of the indifference and apathy about which I wrote, yesterday.  The coachable wrestler wants to get better.  To want to get better means that he/she knows there is room to grow—to improve.  A well-centered fitness mindset seeks constant growth and improvement (kaizen).  There is no room for a stubborn mindset, which leads only to stagnation and, ultimately, failure (not the good kind of failure that one finds on the path to growth).

“There’s a fine line between stubbornness and the positive side of that, which is dogged determination” (Jeb Bush).  The stubbornness to which the Zannettis speak is that uncoachable attitude of “I know it all.”  This is not to be confused with the stubbornness that won’t allow one to quit trying.  One can entrench himself, or one can dig in, gain traction, and press forward.  Coachable gets help and goes to work.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

Wrestling Mindset (www.wrestlingmindset.com), developed by Gene and Jeff Zannetti, recently shared their “7 Cardinal Sins of Mindset in Wrestling”.  Since I believe wrestling has countless life-lessons to offer, I want to share these here as a brief series.  The first of these is:

Indifference/Apathy.  According to Wrestling Mindset, “there is no room for half-hearted intensity in this sport.”  I would add “and life”.

With all the divisiveness plaguing this nation, I think I might prefer misdirected passion to indifference.  Aaron Tippin sang: “you’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.  We must stand for our values and, to do so, we must value something.

One can accomplish little, if anything, with a half-hearted effort.  One-hundred percent 100% of the time!

Zig Ziglar wrote: “When you catch a glimpse of your potential, that’s when passion is born.”

Dan Gable taught us: “The easiest thing to do in the world is pull the covers up over your head and go back to sleep.”

We can’t go through life with half-hearted intensity and be (extra)ordinary.  We must be all in to win.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”—Warren Buffett

What we do today—what we sow, if you would—have lasting impact on tomorrow.  Real success is not measured in wins or accomplishments, but rather the fruit of our efforts.  The following scene from Facing the Giants comes to mind:

Brock Kelley: “You don’t want us to win games?”

Grant Taylor: “No. Not if that’s our main goal. Winning football games is too small a thing to live for. And I love football as much as anybody. But even championship trophies will collect dust and one day be forgotten. It’s just that so far this has all been about us; how we can look good, how we can get the glory. The more I read this book, the more I realize that life’s not about us. We’re not here to get glory, make money, and die. The Bible says that God put us here for Him. To honor Him. Jesus said that the most important thing you can do with your life is to love God with everything you are, to love others and yourself. So, if we win every game and we miss that, we’ve done nothing. Football then means nothing. So, I’m here to present you a new team philosophy. I think that football is just one of the tools we use to honor God.”

Brock Kelley: “So, you think that God does care about football?”

Grant Taylor: “I think He cares about your faith. He cares about where your heart is. And if you can live your faith out on the football field then, yes, God cares about football because He cares about you. He sent His son Jesus to die for us so we could live for Him. That’s why we’re here. But see, it’s not just on the football field; we’ve got to honor Him in our relationships, our respect for authority, in the classroom, and when you’re at home alone surfing the Internet. I want God to bless this team so much that people talk about what He did. But it means we got to give Him our best in every area. If we win, we praise Him. And, if we lose, we praise Him. Either way, we honor Him with our actions and our attitudes. So, I’m asking you: what are you living for? I’ve resolved to give God everything I’ve got. Then I’ll leave the results up to Him. I want to know if you’ll join me?”

Whatever one’s faith, this is Spiritual well-centeredness.  This is “I am third”.  Life is all about what we do to honor something greater than ourselves.  “We’re not here to get glory, make money, and die.”  We are here for the benefit of others—to have a lasting impact on others.  That impact should not have full materialization for generations to come.  Joe Ehrmann (InSideOut Coaching) wrote that “at the end of our life, we ought to be able to look back over it from our deathbed and know somehow the world is a better place because we lived, we loved, we were other-centered, other-focused.”  Success is not what we gain today.  Rather success is what others gain from what we do today.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

“It comes down to this: What kind of father are you? What kind of husband are you? What kind of coach or teammate are you? What kind of son are you? What kind of friend are you? Success comes in terms of relationships.”—Joe Ehrmann

Image: The Lorax