SMART Goals for 2010!

It’s a whole new year and you are looking ahead to what you want to accomplish this year. As your trainer, I need to get an idea of what you want to do and how I can best draw a map to assist you on that journey to your “holy grail” of fitness and wellness.

 Take some uninterrupted quiet time to really work on this so 2010 is an awesome year of accomplishments and take you to new levels of optimum performance and fitness that can last a lifetime!




Use the SMART Method when setting resolutions and goals. This will clarify
where you want to go and what you need to measure to track yourself. "

"We can’t improve what we can’t measure."


S=Specific-
Determine exactly what you want versus a vague idea

Examples: “I want to get in shape”-vague

“I want to lose 3 dress sizes and 15 pounds”-specific



M=Measurable

Examples: “I’d like to get lean for my beach vacation coming up”


This doesn’t define lean. What do you consider lean?
“I want to weigh 200 pounds at 6-8% Body fat.” Right now
I’m at 12% weighing 213. Now there’s something we can track!
It is also important to track your goals.
We check in along the way to make sure you are on track to
achieve your goal.


A-Attainable

Set yourself up for success. To say “I want to lose 40 pounds this month”  is not realistic, regardless of what some ads say.  Make goals so you have to work hard for them but not kill yourself and get discouraged or give up your life to hit them.



R=Realistic

This goes hand in hand with A. If you are 5’ and weigh 200 pounds don’t set a goal of looking like a 19 year old supermodel or Arnold Scwartzenager. Stay away from the land of make believe that’s for people who watch Mr. Rogers.


T= Time Specific

Let’s face it, we work better and stay on track when facing a deadline. When I was bodybuilding I knew I had to get up on stage in Speedo-type posing trunks soon. That was motivation for me to stay on track with eating and training because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I’m not saying run out and do a bodybuilding show but pick personal events such as reunions or trips to use as your deadlines. Good examples are: “I want to lose 30 pounds by Memorial Day weekend so I can wear a 2 piece and feel good about myself” Or maybe “I want to eliminate my back pain so I score in the no disability range on the pain scale by April 1 because that’s when golf league starts this year.”

Checkpoints/Short Term Goals

It’s important to have checkpoints along the way to keep you motivated. If you say “I need to lose 40 pounds by May” that’s a big number and a long time from now.


In addition to setting your final goal, set smaller goals such as “I need to lose 8 pounds each month. This will help you keep on track and gives you victories to celebrate along the way!

Make Your Goals Juicy!!!

As well as making SMART goals, it is important to add a little salsa to the mix and spice those babies up.


Which sounds better?


Example A: “I’d like to lose 20 pounds this year to feel better about myself”




Example B: “I’d like to discard 20 useless pounds so I’m a well oiled machine that
can kick some butt in tennis and at the same time dazzle my spouse
and turn heads in the room when we go out for dinner. This will
give me self confidence and energy to excel at my job and will
allow me to do active things that I couldn’t do before such as
hiking and snowboarding.” 

Happy New Year!!

Our mega cool holiday campaign to provide potable drinking water for a village!

1 in 8 peopl in this world do not have potable drinking water available to them so we want to do our small part to change that.!  We have teamed up with a cool organization called Charity Water that build wells in these places that can provide whole communities and villages with potable drinking water.

Check  out this video below where I get out of "Grinch mode" and actually wear a Santa hat. Beth Dean of Kaizen Fitness and I talk about our joint venture to raise $5,000 this holiday season in order to make this all happen.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjsdZwyfFeE


Click the link below it to go to  our special charity website and help us provide drinking water for a village in Africa.

http://mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=2605

Top 4 most clueless people I've seen in the gym

Have you ever gone to the gym or local health club and been annoyed at the cluelessness of some of the other members there? I have seen some of the most idiotic and rude practices there.  These are people that probably hold down professional occupations but for some reason go brain dead when they arrive at the gym.

Anyway here are the top 5 of my biggest annoyances at the gym.

1.) The camper outer- This person usually has a newspaper or appears to be taking nap on the equipment. They seem oblivious to others wanting to use the equipment that they are on.  When you ask them to work in they tell you they have some insidious number of sets left like 10 and make it clear it isn't okay to work in with them in but laying on the equipment like a couch for an hour or so is.

2. The screamer- This is usually some meat head who is trying to feed his ego by yelling so everyone can watch him lift.  The funny thing is that when you really look at these guys lift their form is pretty lousy and many times they cheat.  I'm no psychologist but I think these guys must be filling some need for attention that they do not get elsewhere. Unfortunately for them most of that attention they get is negative and really they impress no one.

3. The robo-lifter-This guy usually has every strap, wrap and belt known to man on him. He spends an hour just getting on all his "gear".  I'm sorry but if you have to wrap and strap for every weight you are lifting guess what it's too much weight!!   Like the creamer thus guy is a poser he justs wants to look like he knows what he is doing but really he doesn't.

4. The player- This guy seems to focused on one thing and one thing only picking up women. He does a few sets of curls here and there but most of his time is spent talking to various females. Someone needs to tell him that this is not a singles bar. Sometimes this guy can become a camper outer as well if there is an attractive lady on the next piece of equipment.

5. The thief-This person can be male or female.   They will take over a piece of equipment that you are using even if you put your towel, workout book and engrave your name on it.   As soon as you turn your back your stuff is flung off so they can get their sets in. You probably would have let them work in had they asked but they don't ask they just swoop in and commandeer the equipment like pirates taking over a ship. 

Well, I don't like to be negative but I'm human there are things that bother me. I wish every health club and gym would make etiquette classes mandatory. Think of it this way. If you went golfing, would you talk loudly on your cellphone while someone was teeing off or would you budge in front of another foursome? No way. So there is no reason for anyone to behave this way in the gym. 

My top 4 meal replacement bars

There are a lot of  meal replacement bars on the market. Many make claims such as "zero net carbs" and "perfect ratio" etc. but there are some I really like based on cost, ingredients and overall nutritional breakdown. A good meal replacement is useful for filling gaps between meals so you don't get into starvation mode and overeat during your next meal. They are easy to transport and use while you are out and about. 

Here are my top 4 that I recommend and why:

1.)USANA Peanut Butter Crunch Bar-I'm  a little biased here because I'm a USANA distributor I admit, but that is exactly the reason that I carry their products.  I feel they are top quality. The peanut butter tastes great, has low sodium(135mg), fiber, a good mix of carbs protein and fat (50% carb, 30% protein, 20% fat).  It is only 150 calories and contains no high fructose corn syrup unlike many other other bars that can spike your blood sugar. 

2.)Zone Perfect Bars-I used to be down on these guys but have recently changed my tune. These bars taste great and have a great ratio of carbs proteins and fats(40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat). . They have lowered their sodium to 200 mg down from 250 mg. and have 2g of fiber as well.

They have low calories at 190 calories per bar and are also very cost effective; sometimes less than $1 a bar. In addition, there are a lot of flavors to choose from.

3.)Balance Bars-Very similar to the zone bars a little higher in calories at 210 per bar but a good ratio of carbs protein and fats(40-30-30). Low sodium at 140 mg per bar, no high fructose corn syrup and very cost effective. They also have a lot of flavors to choose from.

4.)Supreme protein bar-These taste great but are little more expensive. The protein content is a little higher in relation to the carbs

but this is okay for those trying to lose bodyfat and increase protein. They contain high quality whey protein and are low in sodium
(150 mg) for the small bar. The original is version is300 calories and 300 mg sodium for athletes and bodybuilders but the new carb conscious bar is only 150 calories.  It was voted "Protein Bar of the Year" in 2008.

So there you have it.  Four bars I feel are good choices for meal replacement bars. Try them all and rotate so you don't get bored with them. Each company keeps coming out with different flavors for variety. I don't believe that you should live on protein bars but they can be a great tool to keep you on track by adding them in for your 2-3 daily snacks along with 3 meals. This is much easier than carrying food with you all day. Give them a try!

Also you if you have a favorite please reply to this post and let us know what it is and why.

My Top 4 Eating Out Choices in the Area

Eating out can be game of food roulette. When you are trying to lose weight or stay lean it is always good to plan ahead, especially when it comes to eating out.  Here are my top 5 top choices in the area. Please feel free to share any of the good options that you find so others can benefit. I've included the restaurant and why I like each of these:

1.)Walnut Gorgonzola Salad-(Chianti Grill)-A tasty salad with a light dressing, good fats from the walnuts  fresh, chicken(protein). Overall good mix of nutrients!

2.)Cranberry Chicken Salad-(Doolittles)-Another yummy salad with good fats from almonds, light but delicious dressing,  good crunch to it as well.     Plenty of good protein from chicken.

3.)Chopped Chicken Salad-(Jakes)-This salad is one of my favorites. Jake's is awesome for watching a game and has awesome salads as well.  Good balance of vegetables and protein. A nice crunch with scallions , craisins, feta cheese and sweet poppyseed dressing to really give it some taste.




4.) The #3 Unwich Tuna Lettuce Wraps-Jimmy Johns- This is my favorite on the go meal. Unlike a lot of other fast food places the tuna here tastes great and there the ingredients fresh. Many clients have told me these have been lifesavers. Although I am not  a huge fan of fast food this one gets my thumbs up!

These are just a few of my favoirtes but please post any healthy choices you may have found so we can share it with others. Eating out definentely does not mean you have to blow your plan!

Prep the body properly!

For many people a warm up simply consists of 5 minutes on a cardio machine and just a few stretches. This is not always very efficient or effective. One warm up that we employ at Puravida Fitness was developed by Chuck Wolf,  a guru in the fitness field, called the "Flexibility Highways".  You are basically stretching every muscle in your body in every direction in 5 minutes!  Unlike static stretching which can actually shut the muscles down (not something that you want to happen before exercise) the "Flexibility Highways" warmup utilizes active stretching which prepares the body to move.  We made a short video detailing the 4 exercises involved in this warm up.  Check it by clicking the link below and go to the multimedia training center under videos to see this warm up. Give it a try before any exercise that you do.

http://www.puravidafitness.com/

kare11.com | Twin Cities, MN | Woman told she'd never walk again picks up the pace

kare11.com | Twin Cities, MN | Woman told she'd never walk again picks up the pace

The Breakfast Solution

We look at people's food journal's all the time. One thing that many people neglect is eating a good breakfast many times it's one of two things

1.)No breakfast at all which cause low blood sugar that eventually turns to hunger later on in the day. This is not an ideal setting for burning fat and maintaining lean mass. We want to stoke the metabolism in the morning with some good low glycemic carbs, high quality protein, essential fats and fiber. That is an ideal breakfast.

2.)Eating too many high glycemic carbs-Another thing we see is someone who eats a bagel, juice and cereal many times which are high glycemic and not very nutrient balnced. This actually send the blood sugar up causing a spike which leads to a crash later in the day and causes cravings as well. Once again not an ideal situation for those who are trying to lose body fat and add lean mass.



Even though people know this is a bad habit they still find it difficult to fix when they are dealing with kids, getting ready etc. They just do not have time to get up and fix themselves a peoper breakfast so what should you do.


Here is a great solution! A high quality meal replacement shake you can blend up in a matter of minutes and one that contains all the essential nutrients that we are talking about. We like to use our USANA nutrimeal shakes which contain low glycemic carbs, high quality whey and soy protein, essential(good) fats and fiber. We can mix these with fruits and other ingredietns to create a quick, tasty and most importantly HEALTHY breakfast option, This works great for many of our clients.

Here are some of our 3 of our favorite smoothie recipes we like.

Banana Smoothie
2 scoops Vanilla Nutrimeal
8 oz. orange juice
4 oz. water
1 medium banana
1 scoop Soyamax



Pina Colada Shake

2 scoops Vanilla Nutrimeal
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 cups (2 tbsp) crushed pineapple (or fresh)

Mix well

Cappachino

Dutch Chocolate Nutrimeal
Soy Milk
ice
Splenda, instant coffe & dash of cinnamon
Mix everything together with a blender.
You will be amazed at how good and legal this is.

Chocolate Malty

2. scoops Dutch Choc. Nutrimeal
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 sm. banana
1 scoop Soyamax
12 oz. skim milk

Do you buy what you sell??

Personal training has really taken on a new direction these days. It's becoming more focused on coaching instead of just administering workouts. I've seen my own career evolve over the past 15 years. Recently I saw a blog post by one of the coaching organizations I belong to. It was titled "do you buy what you sell" and it was geared at us trainers. The basic premise was that we as trainers are good at coaching others and we believe in our product which is essentially coaching but do we invest in coaching ourselves. This was a big time calling out of personal trainers.

I may be a good trainer but have struggled with owning my own business; definitely the biggest challenge of my life. I had invested in coaching programs before but they typically only lasted 6-8 weeks. The problem I was finding was that while I was making changes during the coaching class, a few months after it was done I would start reverting back to old bad habits. I decided to take a look in the mirror and honestly answer the question "As a coach, do I really believe in coaching?"

Well, I went to a mega training event for fitness business owners in Florida last weekend. There was nothing in the subject matter about being a trainer! It was solely about being a good business owner; a totally different type of event than I was used to.

As I sat and listened to some great presentations by people in my field, I started to realize that it was time. Time to step up and really ask for the help I need to take my business to the next level. I pulled the trigger and decided to commit to a major business coaching program and really focus on creating a more powerful business that can impact larger numbers of people and create full time jobs for trainers I bring on board. I had to admit that I can't do it on my own. I need help and there is no shame in that!

In life we are all given different attributes. Some of us are skilled at developing businesses and making them thrive. Others are better technicians, like myself. The fact is we all need to rely on each other. I often tell people who beat themselves up for not being disciplined enough to exercise on their own and eat right, "Look if everyone was good at this fitness and nutrition thing than I would not have a business."

The point is, I'm no different than the client who works with a trainer and gets results but goes on their own and starts slipping back to eating junk food and skipping workouts. I'm the same way - just in a different aspect. I admit some of my pride was keeping me from asking for more help in an area that still challenges me.

I've decided to get real with myself and get my own "trainer" for my business so I can get results just like my clients do and will quit spinning my wheels.
I really do "buy what I sell."
What are some areas you could currently be investing in? Maybe it is not exercise but maybe it's home repairs or finances. Whatever the case, I encourage you to take a look at the areas you are struggling in and ask for help. I bet it will feel like weight has been lifted off your chest. Let me know!

The biggest enemy facing you

I've spent 15 years as a personal trainer and when it comes to people having success; whether it be weight loss or lifestyle changes, there is one enemy that consistently rears it's ugly head.

You probably know this enemy because you see it everyday. Have you figured it out? Who is the #1 person who will sabotage your efforts and set up the same old road blocks? THAT PERSON IS YOU. Yes, many times you are your own worst enemy.

We can be hard on themselves. We expect perfection out of ourselves and when we slip up or don't achieve our goals, we beat up on ourselves. The bottom line is none of us are perfect..... not even close.

Many people think that because I'm a trainer I never eat junk food and always feel like working out. The reality is, many times we trainers struggle as much or more than the average person. We tend to put pressure on ourselves to be role models for our clients. Sometimes when we spend time managing everyone else's programs our own routines suffer.

Making lifestyle changes can be looked at as a war with yourself. You will win many battles and lose some along the way,but if you keep trying you will be victorious in the end! So when you have a setback don't get down on yourself. Look at it as a learning experience. Maybe you went to a party without eating something first so when you got there you were starving and all the treats were too tempting to pass up. You could say next time "I am going to eat something healthy beforehand so I'm not hungry" and those temptations won't be as strong. Maybe you tend to skip exercise because by the time you get done with work you are too mentally and physically fatigued. The solution may be getting up earlier and getting done first thing.

My final point is that you have to believe in yourself. I often tell clients that if this stuff was easy for everyone that I wouldn't have a business. There is no shame in asking for help, either. We are all blessed with different strengths and attributes so we need to rely on each other. I might be good at exercise and eating right but really need accountability in other areas of my life such as finances and spirituality.

Remember in life nothing good comes easy and when it comes to taking care of yourself, remind yourself that "YOU ARE WORTH IT."

Fix the flat!

I see many times people quit the first time they eat something bad or miss a workout when they are trying to lose weight, get in shape and make positive changes. Many times we think that we have to perfect when it comes to losing weight or getting in better shape.

This is simply not the case. Getting healthier is about being consistent not perfect! It's usually tow steps forward and one step back. If you were to move two steps forward and one step back everyday for a year you would be 365 steps ahead form when you started not at zero! My point is that there will be days you stress eat or overindulge but if the days you stick to your plan significantly outnumber the days you fall off than you will make tremendous progress. I've seen it happen many times with clients who keep pushing forward even when they have bad days or weeks.

I like mountain biking because the courses are very challenging and unpredictable. I liken the quest for better health and weight loss as very similar. If I was on a tough mountain bike course that I always wanted to do and i had a flat tire, I would not throw my bike in the woods and quit. Instead I would fix the flat tire and move on.

You should look at those days were you blow your eating or skip your exercise as flat tires. Figure out how you can fix your ""flats" and move on. Maybe it's moving your workouts to the morning when you have more energy and more free time or perhaps it's carrying snacks on you so you curb your appetite in the afternoon and avoid the overwhelming hunger that seems to come during dinner which causes you to overeat each night. Whatever it is you need to fix the problem and move and also forgive yourself because anything that is truly worth it is challenging and flat tires are part of the journey. Look at them as temporary setbacks and learn from them instead of beating yourself up and completely giving up.

Getting Out Of Your Box!!

Everyone likes to talk about going to the gym to do cardio or weights. We get into a mindset that we always need to either be on a machine doing cardio or running outside. That's about as creative as it gets. Well, dare I say it, that can get BORING! That's coming from a personal trainer.

Doing the same thing over and over again leads to monotony and stale fitness routines. I know over the past year I have replaced my favorite cardio activities with mountain biking because it gets me out enjoying area parks and gives me a great cardio workout at the same time. In the past I never would give it a chance because I viewed it as something that wasn't for me.


Often times I see people do this. They discard something as "not for them" before even trying it and when they actually try it guess what, THEY LOVE IT!! The challenges/events we run during The SUMMIT and JUMPSTART CHALLENGE as well as our fitness retreats are designed to get people out of their boxes.

Last weekend we did several "out of the box" activities such as a power hike through a State Park where we had the hikers track their heart rate and calories burned. Low and behold, at the end of the hike many of them had burned hundreds of calories while pushing their heart rates into a good working range. Who would have thought a walk in the woods could do that?

We also did kayaking. Talk about a great core workout! Where would you rather be a sunny day in Minnesota. On the water or in gym on an elliptical?

My take home point from all this is that fitness needs to be lifelong. There are many ways to challenge your body and they don't all have to be in the gym. Yes cardio machines and weights are important but they are only part of the puzzle.

We have some great activities available to us here in Minnesota. Hiking, canoeing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, kayaking, rollerblading to name just a few. I'm sure there are other activities that I have missed but my point is, the next time an opportunity comes up to try something new don't disqualify yourself. You might find that it is just the refreshing challenge you were looking for!

Competitive Spirit!

Many times we are told that competition is bad and that everyone should be a winner. Personally I think this is a crock. Competition is what makes us better. When people don't have anyone pushing them they tend to coast and not give it their best.

Last weekend I did a mountain biking race for the first time and I had some friends doing it with me. One of them is an active 50 year old who is competitive like me. We pushed each other during the race and I know I worked a lot harder than I would have had he not been on my tail the whole time. Him trying to catch me.... me trying to stay ahead. In the end we were congratulating each other for pushing each other hard.

Right now we are running the Jumpstart and Summit programs and it amazes me sometimes how people shy away from a challenge so easily. There is an old saying that says nothing good comes easy. If you look at life everything is competition in some form.

You compete when you're out there dating and trying to find a spouse. You compete in business. Everywhere you go there is some form of competition. The concept that everyone should play nice and just get along is a sham. I do not mean that you have to be a jerk. I always respected people who give me good competition because it makes me bring out my A-game. Otherwise I would probably slack off.

So to put my money where my mouth is I'm going to jump in the Jumpstart challenge with a fellow trainer. We will compete against the clients, not for places or prizes, instead so we get better. Sometimes we are so busy taking care of others we let ourselves go. So it's time to put up or shut up.

Some of you I know won't agree with me and that's okay but in my own life competition has made me better and forced me to keep moving ahead and improving. During our last Jumpstart contest I saw it do the same for many of our clients as well.

And really competition does not have to be against someone elsehead to head. It can be mastering a tough mountain bike course, beating personal your best 5k time or doing a triathlon. My final point is that it is good to push yourself and get out of your comfort zone. You may find it addicting and rewarding at the same time!

Does exercise help with weight loss?(Time Article reaction)

Recently a client of mine handed me an article featured on the cover of Time magazine called the "The Myth About Exercise." The author of the article, John Cloud, talks about the fact that people who exercise don't always lose weight and sometimes even gain weight. There are a few things in the article I agree with and a few things that I disagree with.

Agree-
Exercise by it itself will not help you lose weight. I said previously in one of my e-blasts that losing weight is 80% nutrition. You can burn 500 calories in an intense workout and quickly erase that calorie deficit with a poor food choice. I've seen this so many times where people reward themselves with a pizza or something because they just did a cardio class. I've even heard instructors talk about this. Personally, when I did bodybuilding I really learned that nutrition is what brings out muscle definition and washboard abs not tons of cardio and crunches. People really need to understand that they can exercise all they want but if their eating is not dialed in, it can be an ineffective weight loss tool.

Disagree-
He only talks of calories in/calories out in the article. He talks about intense appetite after exercise and tending to want to eat more. Not once does he mention insulin resistance and high glycemic foods.

Dr. Spieth from Children's Hospital in Boston did a study with two groups of obese children. Group #1 ate the standard low fat high glycemic carb diet and did moderate exercise. Group #2 ate a more balanced low-glycemic diet. The children in this group were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted. They followed both groups for 4 months. Group #1 did not lose any weight but group #2 lost an average of 4 pounds each. He also found that when kids were given a high glycemic meal versus a low glycemic meal for breakfast that they tended to eat 80% more calories during the day.

In my opinion and based on studies that I've seen, many times hunger comes from eating the foods that spike your blood sugar or when your body is deprived of essential nutrients. If you avoid eating high glycemic foods, eat frequent, smaller meals and provide your body with proper nutrition, You should not get massive hunger bouts.

His premise is that exercise will only make you eat more is absurd to me and gives Americans another excuse to be lazy.

The tone of the article discounts intense exercise but this to me is an integral part of boosting metabolism. Research has shown that intense cardio and weight training can keep your metabolism elevated up to 48 hours post workout. There are also studies showing that people who exercised at a higher intensity lost more bodyfat than those who hang out in the low intensity "fat burning zone."

The bottom line is I have 15 years experience and what I have seen is people who combine exercise aqnd good nutrition have much better results than those who simply diet. Others who try to compensate for bad eating with tons of cardio usually do not have much success with weight loss. I know plenty of people who go to the gym, do hours of exercise but never seem to change their appearance just like the author of this article.

Eating right takes discipline. Unfortunately for many people they are not willing to do what it takes to eat right so they will continually struggle unil they make their nutrition a priority along with their exercise.

The scoop on Puravida Fitness retreats and the Jumpstart from actual clients

Below we have 2 video interviews with actual Puravida Fitness clients. On the top is an interview with Kathryn Cashman on her retreat exeperience last year at our first annual retreat and on the bottom is Jesssica Breyer one of the winners from our spring Jumpstart challenge sharing why she did the Jumpstart and what she though of it. These two programs are approaching fast so we wanted those of you interested in one or both of these programs to hear from people who have experienced. Check out my high tech microphone in the first interview.

Interview about the Summit program with Beth Dean

Check out the video below where trainer Beth Dean talks about the new Summit program she created to help clients reach their fitness peak.

You really don't have it that bad!!

I'm going to rant in this post. I'm tired of hearing people whine about how tough they have it and hard their life is. If you think your life is stressful just remember that there are a lot of people who are dealing with much bigger issues than you.

I recently attended a deployment ceremony for one of my best friends. He is heading off to Afghanistan for 1 year, leaving his wife and three kids. I bet his everyday thoughts are going to be about staying alive so he can get back to his family. Kind of makes things like kids activities, keeping the house clean and problems at the office look petty. Still, I find myself feeling very proud of him for his sense of duty, discipline and overall positive attitude about the whole situation. It makes me more irritated with people I listen to here in our cushy society.

I have noticed people have a hard time committing to things and tend to flake out and make excuses for not following through on something whether it is an exercise program, a volunteer activity or even social plans.

What I really respect about our military personnel is that they understand commitment and see things through without whining, bitching or making excuses. They just get it done.

So what have you been complaining about lately? Ask yourself are you just making excuses or blaming others for something that is really your fault? I hear things like "I can't lose weight because I have to cook for my_____ ." Does that mean you have to cook crappy food and eat it too? Could you not cook healthy meals? Here is another one - "you need to motivate me to lose weight!" No, I'm sorry it has to come for you. Or my personal favorite "it's so hard, I'm so busy." Do you think you are the only one that's busy? What it comes down to is priorities. If your priority is shopping, sleeping in, or watching TV during times that you could be exercising than quit whining. You make time for what your priorities are. If weight loss is a priority than you need to make time to exercise, plan meals and shop for healthy foods. Otherwise, you have no one to blame but yourself.

So the next time you find yourself complaining or having your own pity party, ask yourself "is it really that bad" and if you are blaming someone else, take a look in the mirror. As the saying goes "we cannot complain about what we allow!"

Real Fitness Is Like Bingo!!

The other day in our trainer meeting one of our trainers had this great concept about what true fitness is. He said it's a lot alike the game BINGO. He compared different components of fitness to letters on a BINGO card and the goal is to fill out each letter until you have a complete "BINGO."

B-12 could be being able to run 5K, I-23 could be the ability to deadlift 100 pounds, N-4 could be the ability to hold a yoga pose. I think you get the point. Most people keep doing only what they are good at or what feels comfortable to them so they only really have a couple letters of "BINGO" covered.

In today's world true fitness isn't one dimensional. It's about being versatile and about having ability in multiple areas instead of just one or two. I used to be all about weights. All I cared about was how much I could lift and how big I could get. Now I can run 10 miles, mountain bike, hold yoga poses and I still am able to lift respectable weight. More importantly, I feel much better and from what people tell me I look better. No more musclehead looks AND I can see my neck again!

What letter do you need to cover on your BINGO form?

The Laws Of Lifetime Growth

Here is a cool handout that I have posted in my office. I find it''s great for review to help me stay focused in a world where several distractions can knock me off course.

The Laws Of Lifetime Growth

1. Always make your future bigger than your past

2. Always make your learning greater than your experience

3. Always make your contribution bigger than your reward.

4. Always make your performance greater than your applause.

5. Always make your gratitude greater than your success.

6. Always make your enjoyment greater than your effort

7. Always make your cooperation greater than your status.

8. Always make your confidence greater than your comfort.

9. Always make your purpose greater than your money.

10. Always make your questions bigger than your answers

The Smith Machine Is Evil!!

Why the Smith Machine Is Evil!!

Recently one of my friends injured himself very badly doing squats on the smith machine which many people will do things such as squats and bench press on. I also knew a large bodybuilder who completely tore his bicep doing curls on a Smith Machine They feel that this is safe because

it has latches and is fixed so in a sense you can self spot yourself. Makes sense doesn't it?? Don't fall for it. This machine is actually in my opinion very hard on your joints and your spine. It forces your body to stay in a limited range of motion not allowing your body to make adjustments through a free range of motion to reposition your center of gravity and the stress on your joints and body. This can lead to an overload in one area causing an injury.

You are better off doing squats and upper body movements with a free bar. On squats squatting with a free bar allows you to move your hips back supporting your spine versus doing them on a smith machine which does not allow the hips to fully work compressing your your discs like an accordion! Use dumbbells or a bar for bench press versus a fixed bar because a smith machine will literally force your shoulder into a position it might not be ready to go causing an injury to the glenohumeral joint or ball and socket shoulder joint at the top of your arm.

The bottom line your body is challenged more with free weights than fixed machines, your joints have to stabilize more, your muscles are worked in more of a 3 dimensional versus one dimensional. They are also safer and allow your body to make adjustments to avoid over stressing an area and properly distributing the load so your body can lift it safely.

We are the champions!!

Irrational Behavior crowned 1st place in 1st annual Jumpstart Challenge!

It was close but only one team could prevail and thank God it was one of mine(I offered free rent for 1 month to any trainer's team who could beat mine).

Irrational Behavior a.k.a Danielle Pinneri and Jessica Breyer have won the first annual Jumpstart challenge. They pushed each other as teammates and tried new challenges which included boot camps, triathlons, and mountain biking.

They also really dialed in their eating and overcame many obstacles that normally would have set off overindulgence. Their discipline and hard work has earned them an overnight downtown Minneapolis with a celebration dinner.

They plan to enter this fall's Jumpstart which will be slightly re-tooled and revamped. We will announce the dates in August for the official start date. Check out our website for testimonials and rules at www.puravidafitness.com

Way to go ladies! I'm proud of you and my pocketbook thanks you too.

A Brush With Kindness

Our First Habitat For Humanity Project!!





At Puravida Fitness we believe it's very important to give back to the community that supports us. Especially to those less fortunate. We've been very blessed this past year especially in down economy. We never want to forget what is really important and why we are successful. It's because we believe in serving others whether it's our clients our the community, bottom line we are here to serve not be served!

On July 22nd we did our first official habitat for humanity project with their "A Brush With Kindness" division which helps people with low incomes and disabilities repair their homes. Here are some videos and pics of the day. We hope you can join us for our next project.

Below are some videos of the homeowners we helped and some of the volunteers who were there:

Volunteer Laurie Anderson

Homeowners Nancy And Clarence

Volunteer Phyllis Thomson

The WOW factor!!

Recently I met with one of my trainers and they really wanted to work on improving the WOW factor here at our fitness studio especially now since we are taking on members. I couldn't agree more. How can we improve our WOW factor?

For those that don't know what the WOW factor is, it is basically when someone comes here and experiencing being a client or member of our facility they say "WOW." That is something that we constantly need to be improving and paying attention to. Because it can easily be taken for granted.

I am buying new equipment, new paint, new fans etc.. But what else!! I think are best commodity is our trainers here at the studio. So I'm going to start utilizing them to showcase all of their talents more. We are going to start monthly educational seminars along with a revamped nutritional support program!

I have my ideas but I would like to hear from our clients and customers about what they think will improve the WOW factor. In the end it is their perception that is the the reality of where we are at. So please respond to this blog post and tell us what we can do better or what we are doing well. Constructive criticism is appreciated!

As we move forward this feedback will be critical to ur long term success.

Our youngest client!!

Check out Puravida Fitness's youngest client! This is my daughter Alannah and I doing a short functional training session in our new space. She's a natural and probalby will follow in dad's footsteps.

Jumpstart Update-Friday is the final day.

Final Jamboree Last Saturday!!

Here's a sneak peek at some of our remaining contestants hitting it hard!

We are in the final week of Jumpstart right now it looks like the top four teams are:

(Not all points are final but we are pretty close and still have to add bonuses in)

1. Irrational Befavior 5300 pts(through 10 weeks)

2. Erik's Angels 4245 pts (through 10 weeks)

3. BFDs 3680 (through 9 weeks)

4. Bk Broilers 2925 (upated to week 7)

We will be nominating most improved(200 points and rockstar(200 points) as well as 3 honorable mentions next week so we will have everything finalized then.

Jumpstart Update -Finish Strong!!

Jumpstart ends in 2 weeks-It's time to finish strong!!

We are just over two weeks from wrapping up the first Jump Start Challenge!

Right now here are the top teams. I'm only going to post them because we have all their points up to the last week. Their final tally is still confidential until the contest is over we will then post all the points in final format.

Chad Krueger of Team Dynamite earns player of the week for losing 18 pounds and his consistency with training and eating well over the past few weeks. Currently he is preparing for a triathlon. Click on the video above to hear his interview.

Right now the top three teams are:

#1-Irrational Behavior

#2-Erik's Angels

#3-BFDs

Other teams that are close are TNT, Double Ds, Team Dynamite

There is still enough time and races out there to rack up some serious points before this thing ends. Good luck and finish strong!!

ACE Hardware Vs. Home Depot

When I was in high school I worked at mom and pop hardware store in Prior Lake, Minnesota. It was a great experience because of the atmosphere. We knew every customer on a first name basis and many times customers would stay around long after purchasing their merchandise just to shoot the breeze. The owners of the hardware store were never going to be filthy rich but they made a living and many loyal friends in the process. Most importantly they seemed happy and content with being an instrumental part of the community. I always knew this experience would be a great influence on me in the future.

Two years ago I moved to Apple Valley a suburb here in the Twin Cities area. We have both an ACE hardware and a massive Home Depot. I frequently have to go to our neighborhood ACE hardware which is a mom and pop store for various projects for my house and our rentals. I always prefer to go there because someone is always right there to help me, they are knowledgeable and the fact that they are a small business like myself. They are family owned trying to make a living helping people get things done around there homes.

Other times I have had to go to Home Depot the mammoth super center where it is nearly impossible to find someone to help you and when they do many times you get poor advice or end up with the wrong item. I don't know anyone over there on a first name basis like I do my local ACE. Even the other day, I had to go there for something because it's close to one of my rentals. It took me forever to get help and when I did the employee gave me the wrong part. I feel like the people there are just there to colect a check there is no vision or vested interest in truly serving like the smaller stores have. It's about showing up and getting paid to take up space not about building true realtionships with your customers. Which to me is the key to long term stability with your business.

The only thing in Home Depot's favor is the their prices are slightly lower. Personally I don't mind paying a little more for better service and to be treated like a VIP every time I walk in.
I also feel good about supporting the little guy at a time when Corporate America is devouring them up.

This why we have decided to offer the chance to be members at our facility. It's smaller not as fancy as Lifetime or other clubs but we will offer the mom and pop atmosphere people seldom see these days. All of our clients will be treated like family and we will create that small town mom and pop atmosphere that seems to be so lacking in many businesses these days.

Long live the little guys!!

5 Reasons Why I Love Being A Trainer!!

You hear alot of people complain about what they do for a reason or they just seem to be going through the motions at their job just so they can pay the bills. I'm lucky, I do something that I'm passionate about and love doing. I generally am excited to go to work(if you want to call it that) each day. So since I like what I do I should come up with five reasons why I love it. Well here they are:

1.)Developing solid relationships-I love becoming friends with people. How often do you spend 2-3 hours a week with someone, not very but the people I see regularly often become friends as well as clients. You get to know alot about them and their life. You become their confidant, cheerleader and friend. It's cool to go to work and hang out with your friends all day.

2.)Fitness always evolves. They say if you are not growing you're dying. I've found that the fitness industry is constantly evolving and challenging me. Which keeps me from getting bored or complacent. There are always new directions to grow and learn.

3.)Making a difference! I've seen what I do make a huge impact on people's lives. From helping someone walk again to weight loss to improving lower back pain, it's nice to know what you do has improved the lives of others.

4.)Lots of humor. In my studio we are constantly ribbing each other about music, clothing, or whatever it makes for a great environment. Even if my fellow trainers still don't get that my music rules. I think having a fun and positive atmosphere really can energize people and turn bad days into good ones.

5.)Allowing me to be creative. I was a park and rec major so programming and creativity has always been big in my book. I get to think of special workouts and programs and implement them much to my clients' dismay sometimes. Some favorites are counter terrorism training, muscle beach, and football training.

Oh I've thought of 6. Here's a bonus one...

6.)Being around other passionate people. I'm talking about the other trainers. It's energizing to be around other people with a like mindset. I think our dedication and positivity is contagious. I'm proud to have some of the best trainers in the Twin Cities at my facility.

Jump Start Partcipants Take On Rock Climbing Wall!

Jumpstarters attack rockwall at Lifetime!!

Last Saturday 9 Jumpstart partcipants took on our rock wall challlenge for our Jumpstart conest. It ws led by trainer Andrew Franz who himself is an avid climber. Sandy Larson was the top dog making to the top twice. Everyone did extremely well their first time out and most importantly had lots of fun. It was such a hit that we will be doing some ongoing climbing events in the ear future.

Check out our jumpstart contestants in action below...

Player of the week Kelli Carter struts her stuff on the "gauntlet"

Jumpstart Contest Update

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Down to the Wire!!

Some teams are finishing up this week and they are piling on the last minute points so it should be an interesting finsih. As I stated in last week's email all final scores will be kept confidential so the newer teams won't know the point totals to beat. We feel this is fair for everyone.

Kelli Carter was player of the week. She broke 30 minutes in her 5k somethoing she could never do and she has been doing bootcamp another new and challenging activity for her in fitness regimen. According to her coach Andrew Franz she has really stepped it up lately for her team the BK Broilers. Other honorable mentions are Jessiuca Breyer of Irrational Behavior with a whooping 415 points for her last week's totals a new record for Jumpstart.

We will be posting video from the climbing wall challenge last Saturday this week.

Current Standings

Irrational Behavior 4215

Erik's Angels 3695

TNT 2695-not all points reported

Enforcers 2567.5

BFDS 2430-not all points reported

Sweat 530-not all points reported

Pony Pals 1185

Team Dynamite 1085

BK Broilers need points from 1 team member

Team Speedwagon need points from team members

Jumpstart Bootcamp Highlights!!

Highlights from the Jumpstart Bootcamp

Wednesday night 12 out of the 22 Jumpstart Participants conquered the Puravida Trainer's bootcamp challenge while braving a wind tunnel outside and as always the sick and twisted exercise routines that our trainers come up with!

Here some some video highlights below...

Up Downs With A Special Chant For 80s Hairbands!!

The Pony Pals And Sweat In Action!!

The Push Up Gauntlet! Looks Like Fun!!

The Push Up Gauntlet! Looks Like Fun!!

Bootcampers at Puravida give us their 2 cents!!

Cathy Geckler Busy Mom From AM Bootcamp

Barry Van Duyn PM bootcamp veteran

Jumpstart Contest Update

Irrational Behavior overtakes Erik's Angels Again!

Irrational behavior regained the lead over Erik's Angels again. It's going to be a battle to the finish as the teams duke it out in their final weeks. The Double Ds and TNT are still a viable threats as well.

With 3 challenges and 1 seminar next week it should be a great opportunity for some teams to finish strong and others to get some early momentum.

This week's player of the week is Andrea Vircks who has been a steady performer from day one. She takes the morning boot camp here at the studio and just completed her first half marathon as well. She also has dropped 2.6% bodyfat and 7.5 pounds as of her half way point check out her video above.

Other honorable mentions Sandy Larson of Pony Pals, has come out with both guns blazing. She has overcome numerous kids parties and post tennis Applebees outings where there are plenty of temptations. she has already noticeably leaned out alot. Kelli Carter of the BK broilers has started off strong with her consistent hard work in the gym and with her cardio. Her teammate Breet Sweer is doing a fitness camp for a week which should generate them some huge points as well.

Team Dynamite member Chad Krueger has also dropped 12 pounds so far with cleaning up his eating and ramping up his exercise program. As always Cheryl Lewis keeps trucking she is down 75 pounds since kicking into overdrive over the holidays and the contest has just elevated her intensity. Look out for Danielle and Jessica of Irrational Behavior they have some devious tricks up their sleeves to pull this one out according to reliable sources. Peggy Sherman did a triathalon and continues to improve her routine and lose weight as well.

Great job everyone!

Here are the current standings..

Irrational Behavior 3445

Erik's Angels 3305

TNT 2695

Enforcers 2257.50

Double Ds 1950(still need to report some points)

BFDs 2430

Sweat 530(Need to report some points)

Team Dynamite 1085

Pony Pals 965

BK Broilers Need to report some points

Team Speedwagon Need to report some points

Puravida Fitness at Cinco De Mayo!!!!

Feliz Cinco De Mayo!!

Last Saturday Puravida Fitness was privileged to join Blue Cross and Blue Shield a health insurance provider based out of the Twin Cities, at the Cinco De Mayo celebration in St. Paul. We sent Erik and Felipe the two bilingual trainers on staff at Puravida to interact with the local Latino crowd. We hope to team with Blue Cross in the future to help them better serve their cusotmers by providing education and instruction to help them live healthier lifestyles and prevent health problems down the road

We led festival goers through exercise while handing out prizes and exercise guides in Spanish for spanish speakers who were interested in learning more about exercise and weight loss programs. What a great day to be a part of such a cool event. Thanks to our friends at Blue Cross.

Watch training in Espanol with Puravida!!

ain

Jumpstart update! The competition is intense!

Erik's Angels retakes the lead!!

The competition is heating up as Erik's Angels regained their spot at the top. Double Ds and Irrational Behavior are still right in the mix for top dog position. Our player of the week was Jessica Breyer of Irrational Behavior, who dropped 10 pounds and 3% bodyfat in her first half of the contest. Awesome job, Jessica! Also noteworthy are the Enforcers who are hanging in there Andrea Vircks has dropped 7.5 pounds and 2.6% bodyfat and her teammmate Peggy Sherman is down 5 pounds and 2% bodyfat as well as 8.25 inches total lost from her initial assessment. Irrational Behavior reportedly has some tricks up their sleeeves but wuldn't reveal them in our player of the week interview above. We'll see if they can back it up.

We will be mapping out the rest of contest through May and June now that the weather has turned warmer. We'll announce the final schedule of seminars and challenges later this upcoming week. Evr

New Teams Enter The Battle!!

Three new teams have jumped in ther contest! Erik has added two teams the Pony Pals and Team Dynamite. Trainer Andrew Franz now is represeted with the BK Broilers and Team Speedwagon. That puts us at 11 teams total to round out the roster.

Current Standings (Some points still need to be updated)

Erik's Angels 2435

Irrational Behavior 2305

Double Ds 1950

Enforcers 1577.5

BFDs 1230

TNT 1115

Sweat 530

Pony Pals 320

Team Dynamite-new

Team Speedwagon-new

BK Broilers-new

Eeyores Vs. Tiggers

Recently in the studio one of our trainers started a conversation regarding people who are like Eeyore and people who are like Tigger. I was a Winnie the Pooh nut when I was a kid so this was near and dear to my heart.

Basically she had seen someone speaking on breaking people into 2 groups Eeyores are people who are always down, complaining, making excuses, nothing is going right, life sucks blah blah, blah

Tiggers are always upbeat energetic and positive, eager to get out and get going.

I really liked this concept because I see it all the time. People who constantly fail have a self-defeating mentality. Life always sucks or they can never get a break or "this happened so I couldn't get this done ." You know the ones always excuses for why they can't succeed whether it be weight loss, business or personal lives. They can just never get a break.

Whereas Tiggers always look at the bright side. Even when things don't go their way they use it as alearning experience and move forward. They don't make excuses they just keep trying. They remain upbeat and positive about life and don't blame other people or circumstances for their failures or as they look at it "temporary setbacks."

So the big question is which are you. I believe we have days where we can be Tiggers and others where we are Eeyores. The goal should be to have Tigger days that far outnumber Eeyore days. If you find you are constantly blaming other people, things, situations circumstances etc. for your lack of succes then look at the common denominator it's ....you!!

You need to change your attitude. You ultimately control how you allocate your time and what you choose to focus on. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say "I have no time to exercise" but they seem to have all the time to watch every TV show in primetime. They should just say "exercise is not my priority, and other things are" instead of making lame excuses. The people I know who are Tiggers get things done. They might get up early to exercise but they get it done. The Eeyores whine and say "I could never get up that early."

The bottom line is the Tiggers know if you want something bad enough you will do whatever it takes to get it. The Eeyores want to just blame everyone and everything else so they don't have to take responsbility for anything.

They are also draining to be around. They suck your energy right out.

I'd rather be around Tiggers who give me energy and keep me from getting the contagious Eeeyore disease. Ever noticed people who are Eeyores like to hang around and just complain together. What an utter waste of time and energy. That accomplished nothing!

I'll wrap it up with this. If you are an Eeyore it isn't permanent. You just need an attitude adjustment. As Charles Swindoll says life is about 10% of what happens to me and 90% on how I react to it. So your car needs new tires or your kids are misbehaving or maybe you had rough day at work. Did anyone die? Do you think you are the only one who deals with this? Is it really that big of deal. Put energy into positive things and thoughts don't waste your time on whining and complaining it will get you nowhere fast.

Irrational Behavior Takes The Lead!!

Irrational Behavior takes the lead!!

After 4 week from the initial start date Irrational Behavior has taken the lead over Erik's Angels with a strong performance from team member Jessica Breyer who came in down 10 pounds and losing 3% bodyfat. However they face a tough challenge with both team members going on vacation in the upcoming week which is always difficult when trying to maintain healthy behaviors. With Erik's Angels the Double Ds and TNT all nipping at their heels we wish them good luck holding the lead!!

This week's player of the week is Julia Dugan who has come out with both guns blazing and already dropped 5 pounds as well as being super consistent with her eating and excercise plan. You can see her and her coach Scott Fjelsted in their video interview earlier today posted above.

There is still alot of contest left! It is going to come down to who is strong down the stretch!! Awesome job everyone! Close competition always increase focus and intensity. Please get your numbers into your coach so we can update them.

Current Standings

Irrational Behavior 1685 points(4 weeks)

Erik's Angels 1630 points(4 weeks)

TNT 1115 points(3 weeks)

BFDs 1055 points(4 weeks)

Enforcers 945 points(3 weeks)

Double Ds 1120 points (3 weeks)

No Sweat 165 points (1 week)

Jumpstart Competition Heating Up!

Awesome week partcipants of Jumpstart we have a tight race for first!! This will only make you all really focus your efforts. I'm hearing some amazing stories of accomplishments. I'm stunned that the current teams have dropped a total of 58 pounds after just a few weeks. You are all doing awesome. If you are not involved in this contest, you really have to do it. I'm loving the efoort we are seeing from everyone. I'm excited for the final results of all of you.

Congratulations to Danielle Pinnieri who has been Ms. Consistency she is "player of the week" she gets 50 points bonus for her team "Irrational Behavior". Her interview is above. We will announce the next challenge and seminar on Monday!!

More teams are entering so it should get even more interesting!!

Here are the standings updated with the latest scores:

Erik's Angels 1190 points (still holding the top spot)

Irrational Behavior 1140 points (look out Erik's Angels!)

TNT 1115 points (knocking on the door)

The Enforcers 630 points (still threatening)

Double Ds 495 points(points not all updated)

BFDs 440 points (points not all updated)

Bootcamp rocking at Puravida Fitness!

Cathy Geckler has been a personal training client for many years. She is a full time mom and active in their family businesses. She has alot on her plate but still makes her fitness a priority. She has been doing bootcamp for the last 2 sessions at the crack of dawn. She has noticeably gotten leaner and more toned throughout her entire body. Check out her quick interview above!!

Jumpstart Player Of The Week/Current Standings

Six teams are currently battling it out. Irrational Behavior has made a strong comeback after a tough week one. Four more teams have jumped in with two more for sure starting up in April. We will be announcing the next fitness challenge and seminar next week.

Above is Cheryl Dugan our player of the week for her gutsy performance last Saturday during the Jumpstart Jamboree. She continues to compete despite having to work around an injurty suffered from a fall. Check out her interview above.

Current Standings

Erik's Angel's 830 points(2 weeks completed)

Irrational Behavior 695 points (2 weeks completed)

The Enforcers 315 points(1 week completed)

Double Ds 190 points(1 week completed)

TNT (Points not updated yet)

BFDS (Points not updated yet)

Jumpstart Jamboree was a blast!!

This was an awesome first fitness challenge. We had people of all different levels really pushing themselves like they never had before. What a fun and positive atomosphere. This is exactly what this challenge is all about. We had Linda Krueger carry 2 water jugs up the stairs. Cheryl Dugan worked around her injuries. Mary Rud came in and did cardio beforehand and did the challnege afterwards. Scott and I really mixed it up and everyone responded with enthusiasm and determination. Awesome job participants!!

Lu Herbeck Talks About Livewell

Lu Herbeck is our new facilitator for our Livewell Nutrition Program. She has many years of experience in the fitness and nutrition field. She also teaches at the Minnesota School Of Business in their health sciences program. We did a quick interview above to get some insight her plan for our revamped Livewell program which starts in April. For more info on this program or to register go to our website at www.puravidafitness.com and go to the nutrition page.

Jumpstart Week !

Player Of The Week-Cheryl Lewis

Here are the week 1 totals. We have two teams that are battling it out, Erik' Angels with 390 points(Wow!!) versus the highly favored Irrational Behavior with 255 points. Irrational Behavior has the potential to come roaring back next week. There are are also other teams entering this week making big claims.

Above we have our "player of the week" from the Erik's Angels team. Cheryl Lewis is truly in the zone. She has already dropped 9 pounds on the 5-Day RESET Detox plan and she is kicking butt on her cardio and strength workouts. Her knee was giving her problems but know it feels better so look out she is on a mission!! She is getting out of bed at 4am to workout something she never used to do. Other teams better look out because she is on fire and determined to take this thing. We interviewed her this morning before her 5am strength workout at Puravida Fitness. Check it out above!

Bootcamp a great way to start your day

When it comes to bootcamp the may times the title scares people away because they feel it is too intense for them and they won't be able to keep up. That is just not the case, here at the studio it's fun way to start the day. It gets you metabolism going and keeps it revved up to burn more calories throughout the day as well as gives you energy throughout the day! Check out the video above of our current recruits.

Jumpstart Has Begun!!

10-WEEK JUMPSTART FAQS

When do I have start?
You will want to use the whole ten weeks. The contest must
be started before April 17th in order to get a full ten weeks by
The last day which is Friday June 26th.

Do I have to train with a trainer?
No, you only have to report into the trainer who is designated
Your coach once per week to document your points this will usually take around 10-15 minutes. All trainer challenges and seminars are included in the entry fee price. Each trainer is an independent contractor you must check with them regarding any special training packages associated with this event.

I don’t like to compete! Am I going to feel out of my league?
This contest is really about you competing with yourself and how much you individually can improve. Actually those who are more fit to begin with will be held to higher standards.



What if there is an event that I want to do that is not on the list can I still get points for it?
Yes, it must be brought ot your coach ahead of time and then approved by the trainer panel and assigned a point value.

How do I get started?
Once you have found or been assigned a partner, you must name your team, get measured by your designated trainer/coach, pay your entry fee, and decide on your official starting day

The "Scary Times" Success Manual

The Scary Times Success Manual By Dan Sullivan

www.strategiccoach.com

From time to time, economic and political events make people anxious and fearful about their futures. At Strategic Coach®, our business is helping successful entrepreneurs increase their sense of direction, confidence, and capability in all areas of their personal and business lives. In response to many requests from our clients for insight on how to thrive when events seem to be beyond their control, we offer ten strategies for transforming negativity and unpredictability into opportunities for growth, progress, and achievement. We hope these strategies support your creative thinking, communications, and actions.


1. Forget about yourself, focus on others.
Uncertainty can drive people into themselves, making them feel isolated and helpless. The best strategy here is to go in the opposite direction, expanding your connection with others — focusing on helping them transform their negatives into positives. The more you contribute in this fashion, the less you will need to worry about your own situation. You will become a source of confidence for everyone else.

2. Forget about your commodity, focus on your relationships.
In uncertain times, people become frightened about the viability of their “commodities” — the things they sell and the jobs they hold. A more strategic response here is to disregard your own commodity and focus on deepening the power and possibility of all your relationships — with family, friends, team members, suppliers, clients, customers, and prospects. Every time you strengthen a relationship, the viability of your commodity will increase.
A strategic response is to take advantage of every resource that is immediately available in order to achieve as many small results and make as much daily progress as possible.

3. Forget about the sale, focus on creating value.
Most people don’t like being sold at the best of times. When the future is less certain, they turn off, hang up, and slam shut. But what people want at all times is value creation — that is, solutions that help them eliminate their dangers, capture their opportunities, and reinforce their strengths. When you focus on providing these three solutions, the sales will naturally follow.

4. Forget about your losses, focus on your opportunities.
Things you had and may have taken for granted sometimes disappear. Some people never get over this. They keep trying to replay their old games. A better strategy is to start an entirely new game — using new ideas, new energies, new tools, and new resources. As the world changes, opportunities suddenly become available to achieve far more than you ever did in the past.

5. Forget about your difficulties, focus on your progress.
Because of some changes, things may not be as easy as they once were. New difficulties can either defeat you or reveal new strengths. Your body’s muscles always get stronger from working against resistance. The same is true for the “muscles” in your mind, your spirit, and your character. Treat this whole period of challenge as a time when you can make your greatest progress as a human being.

6. Forget about the “future,” focus on today.
The “future” is an abstraction. It doesn’t exist except as an idea. The only future that has any reality is the one that you continually create for yourself through each day’s contributions, achievements, and results. This is an excellent time to ignore all those experts who never saw the present circumstances coming. Focus on what you can do over the course of each 24 hours, and you’ll be the only expert on the future you’ll ever need.

7. Forget about who you were, focus on who you can be.
Many people define themselves by external circumstances. When these abruptly or unexpectedly change, they don’t know who they are, so they keep trying to be who they used to be. From now on, take your cues from the inside — from your dreams, ideals, values, and operating principles. These need never change, regardless of the circumstances. Take advantage of external confusion to become self-directed, self-managed, and self-motivated.

8. Forget about events, focus on your responses.
When things are going well, many people think they are actually in control of events. That’s why they feel so defeated and depressed when things turn bad. They think they’ve lost some fundamental ability. The most consistently successful people in the world know they can’t control events — but continually work toward greater control over their creative responses to events. Any period when things are uncertain is an excellent time to focus all of your attention and energies on being creatively responsive to all of the unpredictable events that lie ahead.

9. Forget about what’s missing, focus on what’s available.
When things change for the worse, many desirable resources are inevitably missing — including information, knowledge, tools, systems, personnel, and capabilities. These deficiencies can paralyze many people, who believe they can’t make decisions and take action. A strategic response is to take advantage of every resource that is immediately available in order to achieve as many small results and make as much daily progress as possible. Work with every resource and opportunity at hand, and your confidence will continually grow.

10. Forget about your complaints, focus on your gratitude.
When times get tough, everyone has to make a fundamental decision: to complain or to be grateful. In an environment where negative sentiment is rampant, the consequences of this decision are much greater. Complaining only attracts negative thoughts and people. Gratitude, on the other hand, creates the opportunity for the best thinking, actions, and results to emerge. Focus on everything that you are grateful for, communicate this, and open yourself each day to the best possible consequences