We have two new success stories!

Many of you know that on Sundays (weather permitting) a small group of my very committed clients meet me at the Rockwood Summit High School track to conduct various cardio routines.  Yesterday, Sunday, February 28 both Byron Keelin and Becky Litherland meet me at the track to train for the St. Patricks Day 5 Mile Run.  Typically we do a series of interval training; but today I decided it would be best to train for distance, so we ran at a medium pace for 1 hour.

Both Becky and Byron ran the furthest they have ever traveled on foot!  Byron ran 5 miles in 1 hour and 2 minutes and Becky ran 4 miles in 55 minutes.  I’m proud to be a part of their accomplishments and I know they will have many more!

For those of you who are hesitant to run the St. Patricks Day Run with us you must look at these two for inspiration.  Neither of them are athletes, nor do they look like distance runners; but they did it.

Stop whining and start winning!  I know that every single one of my clients can travel 5 miles on foot.  Of course it’s tiring!  All of you have survived an hour with me conducting a high intensity total body resistance training workout which is much more difficult than running 5 miles, yet it takes the same amount of time.

I hope to see more of you at what I refer to as “cardio club” on Sundays and I expect all of you who have not reached your ideal weight to attend the St. Patricks Day Run unless your kid has soccer and no one can drive them or you must work and will get fired if you request off.  I trust you to be honest with your excuses.  Remember, you don’t have to attend every single soccer game but you do need to live to see your grand children.

Religion and Exercise

On occasion a client will ask me about my faith and I respond with “I don’t have one.”  I get this look of “God bless that poor man” in response.  God is a grand idea but so is Santa Clause, the tooth fairy, and Super Man.  Why are so many stuck on only one among many mythological people?

FEAR is the reason.

Death is scary because the possibilities are endless, but it’s likely just the end.  Shabam! We no longer exist!  That seems to be the most logical conclusion.  Why do you believe we are higher beings?  Is it because we are innovators?

As I see it we are on earth to destroy it.  Do you believe in doing what benefits the greater good?  If so then you need to wake up because religion harms more people than it helps.  War occurs for one of two reasons: religion and resources.

Rest assured I did not write this to criticize, in-fact I’m here to praise one aspect of religion.  Oh yes, that’s right I believe!  Even though religion is not for the greater good it does serve the believers as a support system.

Due to human emotion, life can get pretty tough and at times we feel alone even when in a room full of people, but those who have a faith and use it tend to prevail and excel in life’s pursuits.

Something that baffles me is that if you truly believe in God then why don’t you use that support to help you with your health and fitness goals?

It’s not selfish, if you’re truly a “giver” then the world will benefit having you around longer.

Use your faith to find strength for willpower and discipline when it comes to your diet and exercise.  Use your belief system for something that really matters.  Your existence!  Your health!

I am very acceptant that people want to believe in whatever and I think they are predominantly good. I respect the beliefs of others and feel there is room for all of our beliefs.  Although prayer can be helpful in gathering and focusing on what we want in life, our actions will be responsible for the results derived, prayer will not solely be responsible.  So if you are a believer then I recommend two things.

1. Be accountable for  your actions or lack of
2. Ask God for help “If you ask you shall receive”

A wise person once told me “god watches after those who watch after themselves.”

Be Selfish!

Selfish is good!  When you put yourself FIRST you will be better at everything else that matters to you.  You may be asking “what the hell are you talking about Mike?  How will putting my-self first benefit my children and family?  I need to be the best mother in the world!!”

Slow down there super star! I do not mean you must hog the appetizers at dinner or eat all of the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer without sharing.  Nor do I suggest never attending your kids soccer game or spending the household’s discretionary income on clothing that you may never wear.

All I am trying to say is that if you put your health and fitness goals before everything else you will substantially increase the odds of you living long enough to be an even better mother, husband, sibling, and child.  After all if you are in and out of the hospital frequently at age 45+ due to obesity or other disease related issues then how do you suspect this will impact your family?  They will miss work to see you.  They will have to help with the insurance bills because they will continue to climb and they will be emotionally exhausted.

If you put your health and fitness first you will project positive energy and look more attractive and people respond better to both characteristics.

A healthy and fit lifestyle will enable you to have a greater influence on those you love most.

I am discussing this today because too often I hear someone say something like “I wont be able to workout much for the next 4 months because I have to see every soccer game my kids play.”  Or in some cases a client is back in school and will only exercise 3 days a week because they have a family and school to focus on.  The truth is you don’t have to attend every single soccer game to be a supportive mother and if you manage your time better you can still exercise 5-7 days a week while in school, but you don’t necessarily have to got to the gym to do so.

Let me ask you a few questions “silly goose:”

1)  Do you look and feel the way you desire?

Don’t lie now….Odds are your true answer is NO.  67% of the population is overweight and nearly all women who are not self absorbed believe they are fat even if they are thin.  If you eliminate this constant emotional stress you will function exponentially better in all aspects of life.

2)  When you do not look or feel the way you desire, are you emotionally happy?

I can answer this for you.  NO you are not emotionally happy. Sure you experience joy at times, but what about when nothing joyous occurs?  Greater levels of happiness are dependent on looking and feeling great. Granted appearance is not everything, it is something.

How often do you say to yourself “do I look fat in these jeans?”   How many times have you bought something you absolutely loved in the store and returned home to try it on again and came to the realization  you were delusional because the jeans make your hips look big?

As a personal trainer in St Louis who deals primarily in weight loss I know that physical appearance plays a significant role in your “emotional wellbeing.”  When it comes time for measurements or simply steeping on the scale I can almost see your pulse rise from a distance and then when a client has worked their butt off for a week and has not lost a significant amount of weight they often reach a breaking point and begin to cry.

I understand why this has a significant impact on you and I am not making a joke but I am trying to make a point.  BE SELFISH by putting your fitness and nutrition before everyone!  I promise you will be a better someone if you do.

3)  Why did you not lose weight or inches yet you worked your butt off at the gym?

One word… DIET.

Diet and exercise complement one another.  If one is lacking the results will NOT show and you will be sad, not happy but SAD.  BE SELFISH!

Okay, so what do I mean be selfish?  Make diet and exercise a priority.  Every day you should plan ahead and have most of your meals already made, packed, and ready to eat.

You do not need to exercise first thing in the morning but you should schedule it without failure to complete the assigned task.

Really I’m not even asking you to be selfish, all I ask is for you to devise a plan and stick to it.

If you are a client of mine then frequent exercise is not the issue, however a balanced and scheduled eating regimen is.  It is imperative you get this “in check” immediately!

When I ask the client “Why did you not eat correctly?” I get various answers, but in the end there is only one solution.  BE SELFISH and plan ahead!  Typically I receive two different responses to “Why did you not eat correctly?”

1) I seldom get to eat breakfast because I have to get my kids off to school in the morning and my husband is not much help in this department. Stop blaming others for your faults!  The real answer should be “I did not prepare Mike.  I should have awoken 20 minutes earlier and made my breakfast before I prepared my children for school because my # 1 goal is too look and feel fabulous!  When I look and feel fabulous I will have a greater impact on all of those I care most about and I will no longer be a crabby mother when my kids are behaving like kids.  I will be orderly and structured and best of all I will be HAPPY!  In addition you may even be a better wife and in turn your husband may be a better husband.  This is not because he is more attracted to you but because you are more emotionally stable.

2)  I’m not hungry in the morning so I just can’t eat.  Let’s think about this, it is likely you almost never eat in the morning and then you go about your day for 3-6 hours without eating and then you are starving!  So hungry that you could eat everything in sight and you have likely done this for years.

Okay I’m going to be a smart-ass and highlight that this is the exact behavior that made you overweight or obese so don’t you think it’s a good idea we do something different?  I do, and if you choose not to offset this pattern you will remain overweight or obese.  BE SELFISH  and stuff that face with 300-400 healthy calories every morning and then continue to do so every 3 hours for the remainder of the day.  If you remain consistent for 2 weeks you will begin to awake hungry and eating will no longer be an option.

You know what!?  It’s not even a matter of being selfish; it’s a matter of self development.  Obesity and being financially illiterate are caused by the same thing.  Lack of discipline and awareness.  It is time you create plan with a calorie budget, scheduled exercise, scheduled eating times, and less complaining.

Are you a whiner or a winner?  Winners have a plan to overcome the difficulties and whiners complain about how difficult it is.

Stop whining and start winning!

Michelob ULTRA St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run

Local events are a fantastic way to promote your health and fitness ventures and St Louis has many to offer.  We train in the gym almost daily and now its time to hit the pavement with the rest of the St Louis community to put our cardio respiratory fitness levels to the test.  Lets lose some weight together at the 2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run!

Remember that your not competing against the others, your competing against yourself.

The 2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run takes place on Saturday, March 13, at 9:00 AM. One of the largest events of its kind in the St. Louis area, with over 9,000 participants, the 5 mile Run travels the streets of Downtown and Midtown St. Louis.

Date: Saturday, March 13

Time: 9:00 AM

Distance: 5 miles

Race Website: St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run

Race Registration: St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run Registration

Cost: $19

Comment below if you would like to join me.

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