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