Roof racket

We're having a new roof put on our house right now. As I type this I can barely think straight because of the constant pounding. But I suppose it's worth it. I just need to get out of the house.

I remember back when we decided we needed to get new roof. At first I was thinking, "Oh yeah, I can do it myself." I thought I could just read up on it and get the stuff and bang it out in a weekend.

Then reality set in and I realized that while I can be handy for the small jobs, something as major as a new roof was out of my league. I admitted it and we hired an expert.

I feel like that is what I do for my clients. Sometimes their bodies are pretty bad off, they don't know how to do what they want so they hire an expert, me. You see, we all have our areas of expertise. Many of us have more that one. But it is important to realize when you honestly don't know what you're doing and seek help.

There is nothing wrong with asking for help.

I've heard some pretty frightening things from clients in the past after they figured out they needed an expert's help. Just a few that come to mind: One woman told me she thought she was eating a high protein diet, I asked her what protein she was eating, she said, "crackers." And she was serious.

Another woman told me she couldn't sweat because it made her make up run, and she was serious. Aw shucks, your make up might run? Then screw exercise!

One time a older man told me he wanted to get into shape because he was single, didn't have money and thought the only way he could get "a nice young wife" (as he put it) was to get fit. I asked him how young he was shooting for, his reply was "About 22-24." He was 61. Hey, I guess it could be possible!

I need to end this now because I am getting a headache. Think I'll go in the basement, it can't be as loud down there.

Train smart,

RL

PS - I know I was supposed to talk about the joint mobility exercises again today, I'll get to that on Monday. Patience is a virtue you know.

Move dem joints

Joint mobility exercises. What are they? How important are they?

Well, they're very important, especially for the more "mature" people out there. You see, as you age your flexibility and mobility are the first things to go. Performing exercises that promote them are crucial to maintaining a functioning, reliable machine (your body.)

Joint mobility exercises are exactly what they sound like. You move a joint through its full range of motion either with or without resistance (depending on what you're doing.) You focus on just moving the joint.

Some might ask what the difference is between joint mobility exercises and just regular exercises. I mean, when you do a exercise of any kind you are moving a joint aren't you? Well that's what I am going to cover tomorrow.

Until then...

Train smart,

RL

PS - Make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Water lubricates the joints. You must stay hydrated or you're mobility and flexibility will go down the tubes.

Weird time

I've always thought this week between Christmas and New Year's was a weird time. It's almost like this one week exists in some sort of time dilation like in Star Trek. It's hard to get people to focus during this week. They're busy thinking about vacation time, family, new presents they received, and just overall stressful holiday stuff.

But this morning I had a session with the ONLY client I had today due to vacations, she said something that reminded me why I do what I do. She said, "Ryan, this is the first time in my life I lost weight during the holidays. Thank you."

She should thank herself. I guided her but she's the one who did it.

All you need is the right information and the proper motivation and you can do anything you want. Even the impossible, losing weight during the holidays!


Train smart,

RL

Right now.

Hello again, I have to admit I almost forgot to post today. I took 4 days off and got out of the habit. Did everyone have a good Christmas? Mine was good except for the cold I caught. I'm just getting over it now.

So, now that the new year is just around the corner many of you may be thinking about finally getting into shape. Well that's all well and good but it's all talk until you do something. I never really liked the idea of new year's resolutions. It shouldn't matter what time of the year you decided to start taking care of yourself. What should matter is that you decided to do it and actually follow through.

Make the decision now that 2007 is going to be THE year. Write it down somewhere and commit to it. Do you like it when someone tells you there are going to do something for you, then don't? Well then why would you do that to yourself?

Make the commitment now, today, forget about waiting until next week. There's no time like the present. Commit yourself this very second to having a fit and heathy lifestyle and make at least one change in your routine today that will help you reach that goal.

You only live once, make it a good one.

Train smart,

RL

Merry Christmas

I know this time of year can be hard on you. Your mind and your body. You don't need me to tell you that people gain weight during the holidays. They eat bad, stress out and don't exercise. That is a recipe for disaster.

Try to focus on the real purpose of this season. Get together with family and enjoy your time together. The better your fitness is, the longer you'll be around to enjoy them.

I'm not going to be posting again until the 26th so I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. And don't forget to get in the holiday workout like I've mentioned before. That's right, exercise on Christmas day. Why? Well, because if you workout on Christmas than all the other days of the year should be no problem right?

Train smart,

RL

Simple

A very simple exercise you can do that will get your blood pumping, build your wind and make you feel awesome is something called High Knees.

It is exactly what it sounds like. You basically run in place, but get your knees up to at least waist level. And you pump them fast. Each foot should only touch the ground for a fraction of a second before it's going back up again. Also pump your arms like you are running.

A good way to use this exercise is in interval training. For instance, sprint it as fast as you can for 20 seconds, then rest 20, and do another sprint for 20, and so on. You do that for 10 sprints and you'll see what I mean.

Remember give it everything you have for every sprint. The sweat will be flowing and you'll be huffing and puffing.

This is just an example of how simple functional fitness training can be, of course you can get much more complicated, but this is a good way for the beginner to get started.

Make sure you have some comfy shoes and/or you are on a padded surface. Oh and make sure there aren't any 1000 year old vases on shaky pedestals around you..the ground will shake like it's the Big One.

Train smart,

RL

One thing

Have you ever seen the movie "City Slickers?" I'm sure you have, most people have. It's a good movie. One of those rare ones that combines humor and drama and does it well.

Jack Pallance's character, Curly, had a line in that movie. He said the only thing that matters in life is one thing, and you have to figure out what that is on your own. Emerson has a great quote along those lines as well, "Do the thing and you will have the power."

You see, people like me can motivate you, maybe even inspire you (yes motivate and inspire are different.) But only you can figure out why you want to do something.

We spend our lives fulfilling our needs. We need food, water, shelter. We want to be happy and to reach our dreams. And for a lot of us that includes being in good physical shape. But we as humans need a reason to do it. We are goal striving organisms.

Finding out what that thing is, what will drive you onto those goals, is probably the most important thing you will ever do.

Think today about what you want. Think today about why you want it. Then plan today how you will get it. You are only limited by yourself.

Train smart,

RL

Mall fitness

I'm surprised people gain so much weight during the holidays because of all the extra walking around malls they do.

Of course the mall food courts with the junk food those people shovel in while shopping probably negates any benefits they would get from the walking.

I was at a mall last night. And I'm the sort of guy that likes to walk to where I'm going as fast as I can, get what I want, and get out. I was noticing all the people who were getting seriously tired from just walking around the mall. Some of them were teenagers. Fighting over benches and cushy seats stationed throughout the mall.

If you can't walk around shopping for a couple hours without feeling like you need sleep 12 hours to recover you should take a serious look at your fitness level. Now I know shopping can be exhausting because of other factors, mostly mental, but that's different. I'm talking about if you just can't physically handle walking, if that's the case, you have a problem.

If I could get away with it I'd probably run around the mall just so I could get out of there faster. But I'd probably be tackled by the mall security folks thinking I stole something.

Take an honest look at your fitness level and make this coming new year your year for improvement. If you're already in good shape, then find one thing you would like to get better at and focus on that. There is always room for improvement, no matter who you are or what you do.

Train smart,

RL

Reluctant rest

This past week I have been working out hard and often. I've been doing my own stuff then going to wrestling practice and partaking in some of that as well.

Anyway, when I woke up this morning my body was screaming at me. It was telling me to rest. I felt sick to my stomach, I had a headache and a slight soreness all over my body.

When this happens I know it's time to lay off a bit.

Everyone usually thinks I'm all about working out all the time as hard as you can. Well that is just stupid. Eventually you will just do more harm than good. You'll get hurt and set your training back more than just one day for rest.

But, there is a major difference between legitimately needing rest and just being lazy. The only real way to understand the difference is to experience it. You will know when your body needs rest. Trust me.

After taking this morning off I think I will still roll around a little at wrestling practice. After all, I need to keep those boys in line.

Have a great weekend of holiday shopping. Make sure to take exercise breaks.


Train smart,

RL

Explanation

First of all, deep breathing by itself is great for your body and mind. That is why it exists in almost every culture on the globe. Your breath is your power, your life.

Now in reference to the exercise I taught you yesterday. It hits little muscles deep inside your abdominal region that sit ups just don't hit by themselves. It will strengthen the abdominal wall meaning you'll naturally be "sucking it in" without consciously "sucking it in." Your posture will improve because you won't have a weak stomach just hanging. It will have muscular support from deep inside.

It improves your digestion. It gives a nice "flex" to your digestive track. In fact, you may find you need to visit a bathroom while doing this exercise sometimes. But that's okay. I've seen people take inches off their waste doing only this exercise. No crunches, no sit-ups of any kind. Of course, sit ups off all kinds are still a good thing.

Not to mention all the mental benefits you'll get just from the act of breathing deeply and focusing your mind. That alone is reason to practice this exercise.

Don't overlook dynamic deep breathing exercises. They can literally change your life.

Train smart,

RL

Sorry it's not wrapped

Today I am going to give you a little Christmas present.

I'm going to teach you a simple deep breathing exercise that I usually only teach to my paying clients.

While this exercise is simple it is also very powerful. I guard these secrets closely because I went through a lot (and paid a lot along the way) to learn everything I know. But yet there are always some exercises, ideas, and/or techniques that don't exist in any course or program out there. You literally just have to be in the right place at the right time to learn them.

Ok, stand tall, feet together, hands on your hips.

Take a nice slow deep breath through your nose. Think of breathing from your feet and filling your whole body with air, and energy.

Now begin to exhale, through your mouth, but keep your teeth together, just open your lips a little and exhale slowly, you will make a 'sssss' sound. It should take at least 5 seconds for you to fully exhale.

While you are exhaling bow forward slightly, and imagine you are sucking your belly button to your spine and pull that stomach in as hard as you can. Think of it getting flatter and tighter the more you exhale.

Once the exhale is complete, flow right into another repetition or take a normal breath in between if you need to.

Don't worry if you get a little light headed the first time you do this. That is normal and will fade away over time.

Tomorrow I'll tell you why you should do this exercise and how it hits muscles you could never hit with any sort of crunch sit-up.

Train smart,

RL

Break out the blue!

Today I'm not going to talk about health or fitness.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this on this blog before but my wife is currently pregnant with our second child.

Well, we had the ultrasound yesterday and we found out the baby is 100% healthy and a boy.

I am happy because I have had pressure on me my entire life to have a son since I am the last male in my line.

Needless to say, I'm in a good mood today. I'm going transfer this positive energy into a good workout...okay , I went 4 sentences before mentioning working out. That might be a record.

Positive energy is contagious. Try to catch some today. It's good stuff.

Train smart,

RL

Tree haulin'

Like many of you out there I got my Christmas tree over the weekend. And yes, it is a CHRISTMAS tree, not a holiday tree. Anyway...

There was one person there who was also getting his tree who caught my attention for a brief moment. I noticed him because I thought he was about to have a heart attack while he was pulling the cart with his tree in it out of the farm grounds. He was overweight, but not obese. If you looked at him you would think he probably could lose 30 pounds but still seemed like he was strong and tough.

Apparently not.

His face was bright red and he was sucking wind something awful. Just when I thought he was about to drop; one of the farm employees came over to help. He was saved.

Now these carts actually make the trees seem pretty light and it was not difficult to pull one. That is why I'm convinced this man had some sort of pre-existing condition, like heart disease, slowing him down.

If you have heart disease that is not necessarily a death sentence. You can still, and should, exercise regularly. But you have to know your limits. It probably is not a good idea to push your heart to its limit everyday, until your doctor says it's okay.

I hope the man I saw is already under some sort of care. If not, I hope his outing to get his CHRISTMAS tree opened his eyes and got him to go see his doctor.

If you find that doing ordinary tasks that should be easy for even someone who is in bad shape, get yourself checked out. All too often people are in much worse condition then they think. Don't let pride get in the way of living.

Train smart,

RL

Let yourself do it

Human beings by nature are goal-striving organisms. We get an idea in our head of what we need, or want, to do and we explore every possibility to reach that goal.

That is unless we have already told ourselves we can't.

I've had people tell me before that they just can't reach goals, they just "aren't a goal driven person." But that's not true. We all reach goals everyday.

If you get to work, if you eat, if you go to the bathroom, you are reaching goals. No matter how small they are, they are still goals. And you do reach them don't you? If you didn't reach goals you wouldn't be alive.

Think about that. I mean really think about it, and make a list of all the goals you reach everyday. This is a good practice for those of you out there like the person I mentioned above.

Realize you are a goal striving organism. Then put your focus on your fitness/wellness goals so you will live a lot longer to reach a lot of goals.

Start small. Take baby steps. Your success will feed of off itself and before you know it you will be reaching goals you thought would never be possible. I know, I've lived it.

Now go get started.

Train smart,

RL

Cut yourself a break

Self-Criticism. It's a killer.

"I'm not good enough."

"That's not enough reps."

"I'm terrible at this exercise."

"I'm not losing weight, why even try?"

So on and so forth.

Self-Criticism is not a good way to motivate yourself. All it does is amplify any negative energy around you and basically, bums you out. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like doing anything when I'm bummed out.

Instead of criticizing everything you do, analyze it. Stay objective and relate what you are doing to the goals you have set for yourself.

"I can do 10 reps now, I want to get to 25, so I'll try to add one rep every 2 days."

"I want to get better at this exercise, so I will focus on it intently for the next 2 weeks."

Think that way instead of always thinking you're not good enough, or CAN'T do something.

If you think you can't, then...you can't. If you know you can, then...you guessed it, you will.

Train smart,

RL

Fulfill this!

Have you ever heard the term, "self-fulfilling prophecy?" Sure you have.

Don't let the idea that you're a failure at fitness, that you are destined to be fat, cause you to not even try. If you do, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I heard a woman talking like that yesterday. She was complaining about how she is just naturally a fat person and nothing, I repeat NOTHING, she COULD do would make a difference.

Well I guess you can't argue with that huh?

She may be more naturally predisposed to gaining weight and fat, but that by no means mean she CANNOT do anything about it.

If she worked hard and watched her eating she would lose fat, that's just the biology of it. It WILL happen if it is done correctly. The problem is most people don't do it correctly. Or even know how.

Here's an idea, turn the self-fulfilling prophecy angle into a positive one. "I know I'll get into shape because I have the knowledge and the will to do it." Now that's a prophecy worth fulfilling.

Check your negative attitude at the door and come into my world. Constantly strive to improve and get the Max Q out of you.

Train smart,

RL

Scary

Today I just going to share something I heard some young wrestlers in the state think is a good way to keep their weight down.

It just proves how little some of these kids know about actual nutrition and the proper way to lose weight.

It's kind of funny and at the same time troubling.

I heard one kid say in order to keep your weight down you should eat cool whip and popcorn, because they don't weigh that much.

Scary.

Train smart,

RL

Pay off

We're one week into wrestling practice. And so far so good, I have no real complaints. For the most part the team has been performing well. We've had a couple whiners but nothing too bad.

Having the negative energy of just one kid who doesn't want to be there in the room can bring the whole practice down. This is why we tell them, if you don't want to be here, then quit, no hard feelings.

You have to understand the reason for what you are doing and use that as the motivation to "enjoy" it. If all you're thinking while you are exercising is how much you don't want to do it then that negative energy will carry over and you won't see many results if any.

I've worked with people before with such negative attitudes that it seemed to me like they would stay up at night to think of new ways to complain. And lo and behold, those were the very same people who would not see any great improvements. Gee, I wonder why? They would probably say it was my fault.

Understand, your mental state is important. Don't just drudge your way through a lame workout. Get excited about what you're doing. Sure, it may be tough, but enjoy the challenge. Feed off of it and I promise it will pay off.

Train smart,

RL

Diamonds

I know I often talk about how soft kids are today.

But every now and then I come across one or two that remind me of why I do what I do. I have a couple like that on my wrestling team right now. They work hard and never complain.

They get back up when they get knocked down. And that is important, not just in wrestling, but in life.

Remember, if you get knocked down, get up. If you fail, start again. Work hard, and see improvement. That's the way it works.

There are a few diamonds in the rough out there, and I predict they'll grow up to be important contributing members of society. I don't know about you, but that's what I would like my children to grow up to be.

Train smart,

RL