Realization in Motivation (I’m back)

Meet Jackson

There’s no denying it - - I’ve been a lazy blogger the past few months. (To clarify, I haven’t been a lazy person by any measure – just a lazy blogger.) Well that’s all over now.

With every new year comes new goals, perspectives, promises, outlooks and dedications. It’s funny because this can really happen anytime during the year. I can decide in July that I’m going to hit the gym every day and get down to a healthy weight. I can tell myself in November that today is the day I quit drinking soda. Maybe in March I decide to finish all of the half-done projects meddling in my brain/computer. So I beg the question, why do we wait for a new year?

When I’ve made resolutions in the past they’re typically outrageous. Some in the past have included: losing 50 lbs, 4.0 at school, more time at work vs. less with friends, re- devotion to family, ending world hunger, revitalizing the Brady Bunch, saving 30% of my earning (yea right!) and blah blah blah blah. This year I’m moving away from resolutions and toward realizations.

That’s my theme for this post – REALIZATON. Instead of saying, I’m going to change this or become this person. Take a long objective look at your own person. Realize who you are, where you are, why you are. Once you’ve accepted that, then you’re in the position to take yourself where you want to go.

I’ll tell you where I want to go. I want to be a regular at the gym, a moderate 3-6 times a week. (So if I only make it 3 times – I still feel accomplished.) I want to ad 1-2 clients per month for my professional position. I want to finish my education at IUPUI and graduate with a Bachelor of Science in New Media Arts & Sciences.

These goals aren’t deadline oriented, they’re not out-of-reach and matter-of-fact… they’re not even goals. It’s simply my level of measured success I wish to achieve. So if you have a resolution, goal or promise you’ve made yourself – it’s time to focus on the REALIZATION of that commitment.

A quote from the Dalai Lama himself, “With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, once can build a better world.

- Johnny

Give it up. Wait, no! Just REPLACE it.

Bad: “Causing or liable to cause sickness or ill health; injurious or harmful.” (Dictionary.com).

When someone says, “that’s bad for you,” you may start thinking, ‘Maybe I should consider giving it up.”

Now I’m Catholic, so usually I’m only in this mindset for 40 days sometime in the spring. However, I think it’s important to have this mindset at all times of the year.

Let’s take a closer look at how healthy “giving things up” can be.

Most people I know make it a practice to give up things. It could be smoking, soda, fast food, TV … the list goes on. I have a thought though. Instead of giving things up why don’t we replace them. What???

So let’s say you give up soda. Is that it? Just cold turkey.

What replaces your need for caffeine, sugar, carbonation, etc? It’s healthier for your body, but it can be stressful mentally. Instead of just giving it up, replace it with something healthier.

So wherever you keep the soda in the fridge, replace it with diet ginger ale or something like sparkling water. Then when you go to grab that soda, there’s something in its spot, it’s pretty similar and your body isn’t freaking out.

I’ve seen a lot of people (myself included) get on super healthy binges and then revert back to — or often worse than — where they started. That’s the worst-case scenario because it can affect your confidence to continue, besides reducing the effects of what you’ve accomplished.

I don’t want to see that happen to anyone.

So here’s my advice: Stop simply quitting stuff. Instead, start replacing your bad habits with healthy ones.

Quote: “It’s always the little decisions that have the biggest impact. Do it because you love it.” — Mark Cuban

- John

Kinetics: The Art of Building Energy

This week, I experimented a little bit. Sitting here now, I can appreciate the perspective this experiment has given me. However, I didn’t realize I was experimenting until I was aware of the perspective. (Yes … “experiment” 3 times in one paragraph!)

Between work and preparing for school, I really didn’t have any time to work out this week. At least that’s what I told myself.

I felt I was too busy and too tired to make it to the gym. As the week progressed, I kept getting more and more tired. Today, I’m exhausted!

When I’m talking to people about fitness, more often than not those who aren’t working out will cite “insufficient time” as their reason for not getting to the gym. After this week’s experiment I can tell you … that’s a terrible excuse!

My week of no exercise has reminded me that working out gives you an amazing amount of energy. Normally I can’t sit still for more than 20 minutes and one cup of coffee will last me all day. This week I’ve been slow, my ideas aren’t as fresh and I’ve definitely been lacking in the creative conversation department.

A regular fitness routine may take an hour or two out of each day, but I guarantee it will make so productive you'll gian an extra 2 to 4 hours each day and will actually save you time and energy in the long run. After this week, I promise I’ll never let a “busy week” interfere with my workouts because all it really did was make everything that much tougher and busier.

So if you’re one of those people who thinks you don’t have time to go to the gym, make some time. Because that build up of positive energy will transition into positive results in work and in life.

I guarantee it!

Quote: “Exercise and application produce order in our affairs, health of body, cheerfulness of mind, and these make us precious to our friends.” — Thomas Jefferson

Dance your face off. [Back to reality]

Me & some of the family, night before the wedding

So, I spent another weekend outside of Indiana. This time I was at a cousin’s wedding in Paw Paw, Michigan. Because a lot of this family is new to me I was nervous at first. But then I quickly realized they’re family for a reason — they’re a lot like me.

In fact, I even met a cousin who is on a similar fitness path to the one I’ve been on. However, it’s interesting how location and geography can shape our perception and goals. This is true in fitness as well. I’ve chosen to compete in a Sprint Triathlon coming up at the end of August. My aforementioned cousin, Nate, has been training extensively for an all-day kayak race.

I'm not always serious!

“Ahh that’s so cool!” I thought to myself when he started telling me about it. There’s really not much of an emphasis on water sports here in Indiana but it’s huge in Michigan. In addition to that, he’s been changing his diet and his physical and mental mentality, and has dedicated himself to a rigid fitness routine. And like me, he has seen measurable results.

So it doesn’t matter who you are, where you are or what you’re doing. There’s no need for excuses. You can get fit and feel great. Keep up the good work, cuz!

(Left to Right) Me, Nate, Laruen

Also, I discovered dancing can be great exercise! Especially when combined with an open bar and lots of fun people. So the next time you find yourself at a wedding, get on that dance floor and boogie woogie!

Quote: “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses — only results.” — Anonymous.

John

Zest, Zeal, Zip

Cruising by the Jefferson Memorial

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Z is kind of like the number 1. … huh?

Think about it... If they say 1 is the loneliest number, then Z is definitely the loneliest letter. At least 1 has its own song. Now you may be wondering... What is John talking about? Good question.

My solo trip to Washington, D.C., this weekend helped me to adopt a new day-to-day perspective. If you’ve never been to D.C. you should go. I’ve traveled to many places in the world: England, Australia, Ireland, Italy and a few others. In those travels I’ve met amazing people and seen some beautiful sites. However, D.C. is unlike any of these places. What makes this city so unique is its people. I’ve never been to a place where they're more energetic, fit, happy and creative individuals. And they really are individuals!

Regan International Airport

Each person I met there was from a different place, lived a different way and had a different plan. AMAZING. And D.C. is built for exercise. I biked over 60 miles, went rock climbing and hiking and walked through 5 hours of FREE art museums all in one weekend. On the drive home I began to think … why can’t life in Indianapolis be more like D.C.? It can be.

When I sat down to right this blog I let my emotions flow right out... zest, zeal and zip. Normally I would never think of words that start with the letter Z, but spreading my wings has my current perception slightly skewed.

my DC buddy @ FDR Memorial

It’s my goal to insert these emotions into my day-to-day life here in Indy. If you were born and raised here then you know after awhile you can begin to feel trapped. By definition Indianapolis is a big city but it doesn’t always inspire big ideas. Well I broke free for a few days and right now I’m full of big ideas. If you feel trapped, break out of your normal routine and do something! Go see a play, take a walk at a local park, check out a museum... My advice? Break away from your normal routine for a day and see how you feel. It did wonders for me.

Great Fall, MD - rock climbing extravaganza!

In closing, 1 doesn’t have to be lonely and you could say the alphabet backwards and make Z its most popular letter. Be open to change and don’t get stuck thinking, “This is the way things are and that’s that.” There’s so much more!

Quote: “If we're growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone.” — John Maxwell 

Switch it up!

Have you ever been bored? If you’re perusing the web right now that may be the case. We’ve all been bored. Sometimes you can even get bored at the gym — no matter how many exercise options you have.

I mentioned in the last post that I get bored running. I love the results that running provides but I always find myself numbingly repeating an old Christmas song in my head. If you’ve seen the old claymation film Santa Clause is Coming to Town, then you know what I’m talking about. “Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking out the door.” That’s about all running does for me. So what’s the point…?

Anything can be boring if you do it enough time. With exercise your muscles can get bored too. The past two weeks Rob has flipped our entire workout routine. We’re still working on the same muscle groups but in a completely different way. Instead of pushing bars, we’re pushing dumbbells; instead of using a machine, we’re doing pulls ups. It’s been really tough!

I thought I was getting to a point where the workouts were just another repetitive part of my day. I must say that switching it up has really invigorated the whole process. It almost feels like I’m starting a whole new training cycle. It’s fun, but not easy!

So if you’re bored with your workout, diet, schedule, whatever it may be… switch it up! For instance, maybe you usually run a couple miles on the treadmill. This week go for 30 minutes on the bike and do the elliptical backwards for 20 minutes. It will wake your body up and fuel your motivation.

I promise it works!

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol

I’ll be in Washington, D.C. this week visiting family and friends. I invite you to follow me on Twitter where I’ll be posting photos from my trip to our nation’s capital. (And yes, I’m going to try and get a workout in; my sister is an exercise phenom!)

- John

A New Challenge

I’ve decided... I’m taking this whole workout thing up a notch.

My initial weight loss goal was to reach less than 190 pounds. Yesterday was my lowest weigh-in yet — 192! I’m almost there. When I saw that I had just about reached my target, I realized it was time for me to set my sights on a new goal.

The biggest problem is deciding what that should be. I really don’t know what I want to do yet. I’ve been kicking around a few ideas including a sprint triathlon, an adventure race and long-distance biking. I’ve even though about trying out kickboxing. The better I feel physically, the more I want to do something to put my energy into. As you can see from the list, marathon isn’t on there. I just get bored running, so that’s out.

I want to ask my readers for some suggestions. What do you think I should do?

Leave a comment or a suggestion. I’ll pick one and write about the whole training process and maybe even post a little video from the event. I think this could be really fun. Anyone working out at Body-N-Motion is encouraged to join me.

Normally I leave you with one quote. In my search to find a quote about pushing your limits I came across two people who have truly overcome their limits.

“I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers.” — Helen Keller

“They say the sky’s the limit. And to me that’s really true.” — Michael Jackson

- John

A Mark of Success!

During the holiday season, I put on some extra padding. I’d say it was there to keep me warm, but the truth is I was just getting rather large. How did I notice? Well, for one, my clothes weren’t fitting.

Loose T-shirts started becoming skintight. I literally only had one pair of dress pants I could fit in and my jeans basically were useless. So I did some shopping and bought some new, larger gear to accommodate that “extra padding.”

I have to mention this because I’ve come a long way since then — over 40 pounds of weight loss!

Just last night I was getting ready to go out and I had a clothing dilemma. The same pants that I bought to accommodate the weight gain were over 4 inches too big for me. There are two pair that I cannot even wear anymore.

So if you’re at the point where you feel like larger clothes is the only option. Don’t buy them! The best way to really feel comfortable in those clothes is to take on the challenge and give your body the exercise it needs. Trust me, it feels much better having to buy the smaller size!!

Quote: Milton Garland, “My advice is to go into something and stay with it until you like it. You can’t like it until you obtain expertise in that work. And once you are an expert, it’s a pleasure.”

— John

Be Willing to Wait for Results

It’s hard not to get distracted in the summer. After all, it’s summer time in Indiana... you’re supposed to be distracted. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve let my blog posting take a back seat to work and social activities. Today I’m jumping back on the wagon.

Even though I haven’t been keeping up with the blog, I still have been working out during that time. Rob at Body-N-Motion has been pushing me really hard the last few weeks and the results are starting to show. Seeing those results was just the motivation I needed to help me continue down this fitness path.

When you’re trying to lose weight or start a workout regimen, sometimes it feels like you’re just not getting anywhere. That’s why it’s important to stay away from the scales. As trainers will tell you, they are a terrible indicator of success. And chances are if you don’t see results on the scales — and you’re feeling stressed or less than enthusiastic about working out — you’re going to sabotage your efforts — no matter how dedicated you set out to be. Start staring at those scales or in the mirror, and you’ll just end up becoming more and more distracted and discouraged. So... DON’T DO IT!

When you’re tackling a long-term fitness challenge, it’s important to remember that patience and persistence are the keys to your success. We’ve all had that inspiring jolt where we feel like, “Tomorrow I’m going to change everything.” That attitude can really be inspiring until the next day, when you get up and realize... I didn’t change everything in one day!!! Well, I want to tell you, that’s OK.

If you’re serious about making or creating a positive change in your body/mind, you need to have a long-term plan of action to realistically achieve your desired level of success. The great thing about working with a personal trainer is that he or she can help you gauge that long-term plan and set up short-term goals to lead and encourage you along the way.

If you’re frustrated with a lack of results or overly eager awaiting them, remember this: Any physical change worth making needs to and will have a long and lasting impact on you personally and physically.

So plan accordingly, ask the experts and don’t be afraid to wait for the change you want to eventually see in the mirror.

All in good time

Quote: “We must learn to view change as a natural phenomenon — to anticipate it and to plan for it. The future is ours to channel in the direction we want to go ... we must continually ask ourselves, ‘What will happen if ... ?’ or better still, ‘How can we make it happen?’” — Lisa Taylor

~ John

Just Super Busy

It’s been a great week so far.

A great week but very busy!

I haven’t had much time to post between work, school and workouts. Keep checking in for updates. I will post a Fourth of July blog on Friday to wish everyone a fun, safe weekend.

Hope everyone is well, stick with your fitness and leave a comment if you’re looking for a little extra motivation.

Quote: “What we love to do, we find time to do.” –– John L. Spalding

~ John

Monster Curls on the Squat Bar

As I entered Body-N-Motion yesterday, I was unaware of what was to come.

It was arm day, so I expected we would be doing some curls. What I didn’t expect was how we’d do them. As I’ve mentioned before, Rob’s technique involves power + endurance. How does this technique transition to curls?

He uses the bench bar! Yeah, no dumbbells or curl bars. I thought the man was crazy. He took down the squat bar and put 25-pound weight on each side. I did some quick math –– 95 pounds.

Are you kidding me?! - He wasn’t.

We started with one set of 10 reps wide-grip and then 10 reps close-grip. We did this twice and then added weight. The cycle continued for five circuits until my arms were Jell-O.

I’m pretty sure he lifted 90 percent of my final two sets. That didn’t bother me because I really felt stronger and more confident just seeing myself move that much weight. We finished at 135 pounds.

Oh, and did I mention we had to wear a weight belt for the curls? Haha. I’ve definitely never done that before. That was only the start of our workout, and it didn’t get any easier. But hey, it’s not supposed to be easy.

The moral here is, just because something seems impossible at first doesn’t mean you can’t achieve it. Sometimes you just have to let it happen.

Here’s a little quote about confidence: “It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.” –– W.C. Fields

A SIDE NOTE: A co-worker asked me the other day how much weight I had lost. I thought, Maybe I should share this with my readers, so... 35 pounds since March, and 20 pounds since I’ve been writing this blog.

I’m going to have Mike take some photos, and I’ll unveil the first before and after photo in a post sometime next week.

Rain, rain go away!Come again anoth- ... wait! Just stop raining!!

As I told you in the previous post, I went out to the Dave Matthews Band concert over the weekend. For me, this is an annual tradition of entertaining and epic proportions. To be honest, my memory of these “memories” is a little foggy. Although I think it’s to be expected in that environment. This weekend however, I remember clearly.

As I’m sure you’re all aware, we had CRAZY thunderstorms on Friday! It just so happened I was outside and standing in them — for an hour and a half. That’s right. My friends and I braved the weather and waited for the show to start. It was the best DMB show I’ve ever been to! Rock on stage and lightning in the air, you could say the atmosphere was... electric (Bad joke, I know).

How does this relate to fitness? Well really, it’s a stretch... but I stayed warm during the rain, so I would say I’m pretty healthy. Also, when we got back to our tents, which were filled with rainwater, I was able to pick mine up over my head and pour the water out, so I suppose I’m strong.

And now… back to Body-N-Motion material. Yesterday, Tuesday, I worked out with Rob. My hamstring is now fully healed and it felt great to get in another intense workout. Honestly, I had been missing it but I think the break was good for my body. It was chest day and we hit it hard! A total of 150 reps between bench, incline and decline, whew… I was spent, but not finished. We still had champagnes and flies.

I felt great after my workout! A few days off, combined with Mike’s “applied ice healing” technique, really refreshed me.

Moral: Sometimes you just have to enjoy yourself and take it easy (but not for too long).

My quote for the day: “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” —Katharine Hepburn”

John, Day 33

Pop goes the hami

Yea, I pulled my hamstring on Wednesday. It sucked!

It had been a long day and I was so ready to get in the gym. We were focusing on the back, but my legs were still tight from the previous Wednesday. I bent down to do a dead lift and felt a pop in my leg. I instantly dropped the weight and began a slow hobble around the gym.

Chris, my trainer that day, said I should probably just go home, take it easy and throw some ice on it. But that would’ve been too easy. I was there to train, and I was going to train!

I hobbled over to the freezer, found an ice pack and strapped it around my throbbing hamstring and limped back out to the gym floor. Since it was back day, I figured I could do that rest of my workout sitting down.

It wasn’t fun; I was very frustrated. But at the end of the hour, I had gotten in my workout and left feeling good about that.

Upon arriving home I got the ice out again... as well as the next morning, afternoon and evening.

By the time I got to Body-N-Motion on Thursday (the next day), my leg was staring to feel better. I went through an arm workout with Rob and then hit some cardio with Pete. The cardio helped stretch me out a lot.

Friday it was pretty much feeling back to normal, which is a good thing because I spent the weekend camping and dancing at the Dave Matthews Band concert.

Moral to this story? If your legs are really sore, give them some ice and a good stretching. It’s not worth the injury!

While I don’t think this quote is talking about the same type of injury, it’s still a good one: “Write your injuries in dust, your benefits in marble.” —Benjamin Franklin

John, Day 32

Pain before pleasure…?!

Have you ever had a day at the gym when a part of your body just feels weak?

That happened to me on Monday. I was running a little late to my workout. I slipped right into a set of decline and close-grip bench press. I handled those pretty well. It’s actually the first time in years I’ve been able to lift the bar with a 45-pound plate on each side.

That felt rather inspiring.

Then we moved onto dumbbells. The exercise was butterfly-press, regular press and “skull crushers.”

Now, I’m left-handed; however, my right arm is much stronger than my left. The weird thing was, I couldn’t lift anything with my right arm. My arm didn’t hurt or anything, I just didn’t have any strength on that side. Mike, aka “Mr. Motion,” asked if my arm hurt. I said it didn’t, but I felt unbalanced. I also mentioned my right wrist and forearm had been sore from working too much (i.e., too much time on the computer).

Mike stopped the workout and transformed into a massage therapist. He investigated the problem all the way from my neck to my wrist. He commented that I was probably overusing my right arm (controlling the computer mouse). This overuse was causing my wrist and forearm to swell up, which in turn caused my shoulder’s discomfort. He continued to move things around and several pops and painful pinches later my shoulder was back to where it should be.

My moral to this story –– it’s cool to be tough, but I’ve never seen a tough guy with a separated shoulder. Also, never fear telling your trainer something hurts because they probably know how to fix it.

Quote from anonymous: “No one ever choked to death swallowing his pride.”

John, Day 25

A New Trainer, A New Theory

(Sorry my post is late, it's been a busy week - this is from Monday.)

Power + Endurance = Rob Rayford. Rob is the newest trainer at Body-N-Motion. Chris was out sick most of the week and I had the opportunity to work out with Rob.

You’ve probably read my blog abut completing a 30-minute run and making it through a cardio-crazy workout, but Rob has a different take on training. His workouts are designed to enhance your power and endurance.

At first I thought, Ahhh! Enough with the weight lifting! I want to run!

Now I’m sitting here at my desk, and my whole body is sore: legs, back, arms, shoulders … maybe even my face. Ha ha.

Why am I so sore? Because Rob pushed me hard all week long. Nearly all our exercises were 5 sets of 10 reps. I’ve never lifted like that before. Usually it’s power sets or the classic 3 sets of 10. Rob’s version not only included more reps (endurance), it also included more weight (power). That’s right! He would actually add weight as we advanced in our sets.

Don’t get me wrong, I still like the feeling of completing a grueling 30-minute run, but I’m really excited to see the results from this new style of training. Whatever your style, Body-N-Motion has what you’re looking for in a personal trainer.

An Old Italian proverb, “After the game, the king and the pawn go in the same box.”

*Enjoy the week!

John, Day 24

Looking for Inspiration

Ge-Ge-Ge-Get your body in motion! If you’ve ever been to Body-N-Motion.com with your computer speakers on, then you’ve heard this little ditty.

Yesterday, when I walked in the gym I thought to myself, “That would make a great entrance sound.” A little more inspiring than the beep beep beep you typically hear when walking through the doors of a business.

I’m really enjoying blogging my experience at Body-N-Motion but I’m very curious.

What inspires you?

In a world chalk full of distractions, stress and work, do we still take the time to sort through life’s little moments and discover what inspires us? Maybe you’re a mother and you want to be healthy for your kids. Maybe you have a health issue and you’re motivated to stay alive. Tell me what inspires you.

Now I’ll tell you what inspires me.

I try and take a little time each week/day— however it comes — and consider my place in my own life. How is my relationship with my family, friends and coworkers? Am I taking care of myself?

When it comes to taking care of yourself, it can be tough. In the aforementioned world of distractions, I often find it’s hard to make up my mind about where to eat, let alone what’s best for me.

I try to use some time during my day to figure out what motivates me. And it’s different every day. Today it’s the weather, tomorrow … who knows? Whatever it may be, make sure you take a little time to discover that one thing that’s going to inspire you each day.

You never know where you will find inspiration. Maybe it’s a good quote like this one: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Eliot

John, Day 23

*Please post a comment and share what inspires you.

Epiphany: Life can suck

This is me on Spring Break 2010
I'd say I'm at my heaviest there.

Life can suck. That’s part of what makes the great moments seems so good.

For me, it’s been a crazy, busy week. Business is busy, school is tough, and my personal life is definitely going through some, let’s say … changes. Normally, at this point I would let my fitness fall by the wayside.

Typically, I could suppress sadness with a cheeseburger and some french fries! Mmmm. That still sounds good, but I’ve found a more productive outlet: EXERCISE!!

On Monday, my workout wouldn’t come soon enough. It used to be I would dread it and try to construct a good excuse to skip it. Now I make sure there’s nothing to interfere with my workout.

The reason?

You can dump all that negative energy into your workout and leave feeling good about yourself. Have you ever finished running a mile and thought, “I’m lazy” or “Now I’m fatter”? No! You feel good!

I wanted to share this because I know some people get stressed about their workouts, put pressure on themselves to maintain a diet, etc. I think it’s very important to remember you’re making these choices to better yourself! And the more you make these good choices, the better you’ll feel.

So the next time you’re thinking to yourself, “Life sucks today,” remember it can always get better, and exercise is a great way to boost that esteem and create positive change.

This quote is by Sam Walton, founder of Walmart: “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.”

Believe in the power of you!

John, Day 21, 22

Sir, Yes Sir!

Attention! Now move, move, move!

I attended a Body-N-Motion boot camp on Saturday. It wasn’t strict in the military sense but it wasn’t easy!

Chris was the trainer in charge, and he doesn’t really believe in breaks between sets. The first half of our boot camp consisted of shoulder presses, curls, arm lifts, rows, jumping jacks, running in a circle and push-ups. Now, as individual exercises, those would make a pretty good workout for the day. However, in typical boot camp fashion, those exercises only counted for one of three sets!

Yeah, we had to do all of that three times!

Now, I’ve been doing the Body-N-Motion thing five days a-week for about a month now, and this boot camp really made me feel out of shape. There’s a big difference between running on a treadmill and sprinting in a circle. The running in a circle thing sucks!

I want to offer my recommendation that you come and try out this boot camp. It’s only $10 and a great way to work off some of that “weekend guilt” we all seem to acquire.

In my case, I felt better about my Friday and eager to celebrate my Saturday after having that good boot camp workout.

Finally, don’t think it was easy to wake up on a Saturday morning and show up! I definitely wanted to stay in bed, but more than that, I want to achieve my fitness goals.

I think this post’s quote explains it best: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” –– Frederick Douglass

John, Day 20

On My Hands and Knees

(It's been a very busy week so I've squeezed the whole week into one post...)

So part of personal training is your willingness to be uncomfortable.

If you enter a gym with the mindset that you’re not going to embarrass yourself a little, then it might be tough to get the job done. This thought occurred to me as I was on the stair stepper yesterday.

The words “stair” and “stepper” led me to believe that I would be using my legs. Never would I imagine I could use my hands on a stair stepper. Sure enough, seconds later I found myself on my hands and knees pushing through floors with my arms.

Honestly, it was a great exercise. Part of what I really enjoy from my experience at Body-N-Motion is the creative workouts and the thought that goes into them. Sometimes I’m power lifting one muscle group, sometimes burning out on cardio and sometimes jumping, lifting, running and staying balanced all at one time.

Though it’s fun, it can feel pretty stupid sometimes.

On a number of occasions, I’ve found myself incredibly frustrated because I couldn’t actually do one of these creative workouts. Like doing squats while balanced on a medicine ball and chest pressing dumbbells. But it’s not supposed to be easy. My rule in that situation is to try as hard as I can and take my time. In the end, it never fails. I can complete the workout and eventually I find myself becoming good at those ridiculous exercises.

And that feels oh-so-good!

Plus, who cares if you look stupid doing it –– it’s all to make yourself better.

My quote is from Dr. Seuss: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

Day 17, John

I fell off the horse!

My initial thought for this post? Three days at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not healthy! My second thought: Beer is not a food group.

This isn’t my quote for the day but it’s true that all things are good in moderation. This weekend I exchanged moderation for celebration. Friday was Carb Day. Now I did my fair share of being unhealthy, however, going to the track does involve a lot of walking!

I probably made four loops around the infield and two more around the outside of the track. When I finally made it back to my car my legs were almost too sore to push the gas pedal down. Saturday was another long hot day with lots of walking. Sunday — race day— I did the least walking and most eating. Not a healthy decision, but it was nice to be off my feet for a few minutes.

I was among the several thousand crazy people standing in the middle of 16th street at 5 a.m. hoping to make the drive into the infield. We made it! Needless to say, the race was great. Beautiful weather, interesting people and a series of unique experiences. Now that the weekend is over, I’m going to climb back on my horse.

I think what I really learned this weekend and that staying healthy makes being unhealthy less enjoyable. When I was eating hot dogs, I was craving a turkey sandwich. While tossing back a few beers, I was craving cold water. And of course, after lounging around for three days, I couldn’t wait to get back in the gym.

Thanks Indianapolis 500 for another great event and beautiful weekend. And to Body-N-Motion, sorry I took three days off. But something tells me you will definitely make sure I make it up!

Herschel Walker, who’s over 40, just began a new career as an MMA fighter. Over 40! I have no excuses.

Quote: “My God-given talent is my ability to stick with training longer than anybody else.” — Herschel Walker

Day 14, John

I had a busy weekend!

I still made my Thursday and Friday workouts, but only due to predetermined guilt. I knew that I would be spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday down at the track for the Indianapolis 500 — the greatest spectacle in racing and a nightmare for a health enthusiast or nutritionist!

On Thursday, Chris pushed me through a brutal cardio day. Fifteen minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes on the row machine and 15 minutes on the stair stepper, then six minutes live boxing and weighted bench pushing. Chris usually joins me, but he had some severe knee pain that kept him immobile. Let me say, you get a little bitter going through that while your trainer isn’t breaking a sweat. Still, he made sure I didn’t quit and, let me say, “It wasn’t easy!” On Friday I caught an early morning workout with a friend of mine. I call this friend “Johnny 6-Pack” because he’s in great shape. At least I thought so.

I’m going to say thank you to the trainers at Body-N-Motion! I didn’t realize the progress I was making until I brought my friend along. He started out lifting more than me. By the end of the workout, we were lifting the same weights. This reminded me that patience is a virtue!

I feel like sometimes we get caught up in the immediate, superficial results of working out, like stepping on the scale every night and saying, “I still look fat!” Or constantly asking, “Can you tell I’ve lost weight?”

The truth is we should measure our results against overall health. Are you sleeping better? Do you have more energy during the day? Is your brain working fast? Do you want to take the stairs? You will gain more from concentrating on these types of results than waiting for the perfect body to reveal itself.

If you want that perfect body, it takes time! So be patient, count the little things and use those to continue moving forward.

Quote from French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”

*I’ll let you know how the Indianapolis 500 and track festivities went in my next post.

Day 13, John

My legs are burning

Wow! I forgot what a real heavy squat felt like. Back in high school I always dreaded Wednesdays. They were always leg days and that’s never fun. Now my Wednesdays at Body-N-Motion are leg days.

For most people, it seems like a waste of time to work out your legs. I don’t mean running, biking or working out on an elliptical. I’m talking about weightlifting with your legs. You would think it’s only important for body builders and prime-time athletes. The truth is it’s good for everyone.

Your legs have the largest muscles in your body. Just think: If your biceps were as big as your thighs, you could probably do a lot of push-ups. Because they’re the biggest, they also hold the biggest potential to cause positive change in your body.

So keeping this in mind, “I put my best foot forward” (pun intended) and made it through my leg day. At one point I found myself lying in the leg-press machine and staring at the weights. After counting them, I thought, “Does Chris know he just put 500 pounds on there?!”

He did. I tried to lift the weight and couldn’t push it up. My trainer wouldn’t accept that. I believe his exact phrase was, “You got some big legs. Don’t tell me you can’t do it.” Three sets and 30 reps later, I did it! It wasn’t easy, but I stayed motivated and pushed on through.

I didn’t think I could do it, but sometimes you just have to go for it!

Quote: “Leap and the net will appear.” — Jason Mraz

Day 12, John

Frustration Ensued...

My workout yesterday was tough. Not in the sense that the exercises were too hard or the weights were too heavy. I just didn’t have anything to put into it.

Have you ever had those days at the gym where your whole body feels weak?

You try to push through it, take a deep breath, get your strength back... but it doesn’t happen. That was my experience yesterday. I’d say it wasn’t for a lack of effort but I just couldn’t get it going.

I asked my trainer about it. After we reviewed my diet and sleep, we figured I probably didn’t eat enough and didn’t get enough sleep. Still, it was incredibly frustrating because I couldn’t do things ‘like push-ups’ that are usually my area of strength.

So to be honest, I never really shook that frustration. When I left I felt uninspired and just NOT HAPPY.

Turns out even motivation is not supposed to be easy. The good thing is my trainer at Body-N-Motion wouldn’t let me quit. If I would have been training by myself there’s no way I would’ve pushed that hard.

I’m thankful he did because when I got home my appetite was HUGE and I slept like a baby.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about Chris’ LEG DAY. (I’m kind of scared!)

Quote for the day: “Vision without execution is delusion.” — Thomas Edison

Day 11, John