Please "Fix Me!!"

Here I go on my soapbox again. Why is it that there seems to be an attitude of "fix me." A lot of people want to lose weight,get healthier, or get rid of pain but really do not want to do the necessary work. It's much easier to take drugs or have someone else do the work. The reality is that drugs may take away pain temporarily, drugs may help you lose weight initially and drugs may trick your body into feeling healthier but it's not a long term solution. You must take an integrated approach to health and fitness by doing much of the work yourself. Here is an example you see a chiropractor and can't seem to hold your adjustments maybe you should look at an exercise program that conditions the spinal stabilizers so that they hold the vertebrae in place better.

Now I do believe drugs can help with certain conditions but they should not be the only form of treatment or the only thing you use to lose weight. I'm going to pick on ALLI because it's a good example of how far people will go to lose weight without exercising. If you take ALLI and eat junk food guess what you could crap your pants!! It even says a warning about this in a more discreet way on the manual that comes with it. I heard a woman being interviewed when it was released, she said "I don't have time to exercise so this is what I'm going to do!" So she would rather risk having an accident in public than start exercising and eating better. How pathetic!!

Really the best thing we can do to alleviate pain, lose weight and start to feel better is start to move more, learn to move better(shameless plug for personal training) and eat less crap and more whole foods. The more I train the more I realize that God really made the best machine ever designed when it comes to our bodies. They are set up to work efficiently but we screw it up by letting ourselves go. It's no different than maintaining a house or car if you don't keep the parts in good working order the structure or engine will cease to function.

People need to get this through their heads. They often say "I have a bad back or bad knee" really when you observe them you can usually see the following:
(All which lend to more stress on the joints)
1.)They are overweight
2.)They have poor core stability and balance
3.)Their muscles are out of balance from sitting all day
4.)Their movement is faulty

All these things can be improved with exercise and nutrition. Does that mean you can completely cure post surgery joints or degenerative discs? No but you can definitely get the body to move more optimally and restore function to a high level. Having surgery isn't death sentence and neither is growing older. I have a 77 year old client who is in better shape now than 10 years ago.

The bottom line is doctors, chiros, massage therapists and trainers are great at assisting you to get to your goal whether it be pain management, weight loss, or general fitness but you need to do some of the work on your own. My dad used to say "do it the hard way, and you get it done right." I used to scoff at that but now I realize that maybe he was right and we as a society need to take more responsibility for our health, and get off out butts and start taking a proactive approach to our health versus a reactive one by eating better and getting more active.

Response Doing It Your Own Way

This is SO true! There is nothing more frustrating than feeling like a gerbil on an "exercise wheel". Doing allot of work and hardly seeing any results. When you decide to get some help, scrutinize whom you're asking for the help. Make sure that they "practice what they preach". It is also important to remember that nothing good comes easy! It's always good to have another "set of eyes". Doing it on your own and at your own pace is great and admirable, but nobody's perfect so you should check in with someone.

I've had the fortune of being fixed (operated on) by some of the best orthopedic surgeon's in the country. I believe that they are at the top of their game because they have to "answer" to someone (the American Medical Association). They're continually at workshops and conventions learning new techniques and exchanging ideas. Obviously everyone's not a Dr.. But if it's really important to you, get someone to instruct or coach you on how to make a plan to achieve your goal. When they outline a fitness or diet plan for you.....STICK TO IT!! Cheating only hurts you and your efforts to meet your goal. Whining and complaining will do nothing for you. It's great to wish for things, but actions speak louder than words. Nobody that I've ever met wants to help or offer advice to an individual who won't make the effort to change. Until you've had every ability taken away and had to relearn what used to come naturally, please don't complain and follow the advice if Nike....."Just do it"!
-Susan Peters

Doing It Your Own Way

So many times in life I see people who are struggling with their exercise and eating keep trying to do do it on their own. Many of these people continue to struggle with the same barriers and make the same mistakes time and time again. Others realize the futility of this and ask for help.

Wouldn't you seek out help on trying to invest money or start a business because these things require expertise and important decisions to be made. Why is exercise so different? If you do it incorrectly you can end of damaging your back, neck , shoulders or another part of your body. You can also waste precious time slaving away and getting zero results!!!

I can't tell you how many times I've had conversations where people tell me what they are doing and I almost cringe at their thought process or sometimes they ask me for my advice on an exercise or nutrition related topic but give me the "that's not the answer I wanted to hear so I won't do that" look. These are even close friends and family members. I have several overweight and poorly functioning family members who will openly talk in front of me about some stupid diet plan or exercise routine that is "the best" and yet the next family gathering or function 6 months down the road, they look the same or worse.


I personally believe if you want to accomplish something big you need to have coach. That coach needs to have knowledge in the area of the goal that you want to accomplish. They should also have a track record of practicing what they preach. That person will draw out a strategic plan of execution to get you to your goal in lot less time than you could on your own.

That is really what a personal trainer is. They are someone to draw out a plan to help get you there faster thus saving you alot of the precious commodity we know as "time." I view myself as a coach and also buy what I sell which is essentially coaching.

I pay to be in a business development coaching company because no one ever taught me about marketing, business ownership and how to really run a business. These guys have done it successfully and they keep me challenged and motivated. On my own I tried doing these things and it was pathetic compared to what I am doing now with my business. I've learned so much in a short time. I still have a long way to go but feel I've made drastic improvements as to how I run my business. It has given me back time and allowed me to work smarter not harder so I can keep my life more in balance. This is just one example. I have always looked at buying coaching as an investment versus an expense.

If you have struggled with exercise, weight loss, or something else health and fitness related, quit wasting your time!! Bite the bullet and hire a good trainer or get involved with an exercise group or coaching program. Quit trying to do it on your own. You have to come to the realization that you suck at it. And that's okay, we can't all be good at everything. Get off the hamster wheel of starting and stopping exercise as well as dieting and hire a good trainer to get you on track and keep you there.

This shouldn't require you to take out a second mortgage on your home. The more often people come they do see results quicker but not all of us can afford to do that. If you are on a tight budget I would suggest you start with a couple of initial sessions to get you going on the right foot and then checking in for 1-2 sessions once per month. This will keep you challenged and motivated as well as allow you to monitor your progress. The clients I see that get the best results generally do alot on their own and utilize a trainer to tweak and change their plan to avoid plateaus and keep them progressing as well as interested. Don't we all get bored of doing the same thing over an over again?

So if you are a doitonmyowner , I would like to ask you " are you getting results that are moving you closer to your goals?" if you can't answer a resounding yes than it's time to suck it up, throw aside your pride and get a better plan for success that will get you there quicker.

Discussion Question Of The Week...

What has been your biggest barrier to hitting your fitness goals??

The Importance Of A SMART Goal

One thing that seems to be consistent with people that have success with their fitness program is that they have a SMART goal. We always ask people during consultations what their goal is? When they respond "To get more toned" or "to get in better shape" it can be recipe for failure due to the vagueness of their goal. There is no timeline, no specific and objective result to measure with that kind of goal.

That is why we direct them to a SMART goal that is described as the following.

S-Specific(weight to lose, bodyfat percentage, inches of butt, waist etc.)
M-Measurable(we need something to measure bodyfat, pants size, weight lifted etc.)
A-Attainable-(You can't drop 30 pounds in 30 days regardless of what the garbage magazine in
the checkout line says)

R-Realistic-(Most of us will never get the body of a pro-athlete or supermodel so get real!!)
T-Timely- (We all work harder and are more focused when we have to get something done
by a certain time)

A good goal would look something like this "I would like to get my bodyfat to 10% by my
class reunion on October 11th. Currently I'm at 12% so I need to lose 1% per month to get there"

Exercise becomes more motivating when we have a purpose to it. I know one of my secrets is to plan different phases throughout the year and base my training schedule much like athlete in training. For example before a big beach vacation I do more bodybuilding workouts so I look good on the beach. Before my annual ski trip out west I do more functional training to get my knees ready for bump skiing and tackle Vail's toughest runs. This makes it more purposeful and enjoyable to go to the gym instead of just to "work out"

I would suggest making a yearly plan and base training around what you have to do. A good trainer could help you create this and I know of some. I write this entry because I currently am floundering a little trying to find a good goal now that I've hit my other ones. I notice I'm slacking a bit on my eating and discipline so today I'm going to plan something new to kick myself in the ass and get focused for the rest of the year.

So to sum it all up find a purpose to your train pretend you are elite athlete and map out entire year. You can always change things but having plan and purpose makes all the difference towards keeping exercise fun and motivating

Response To Victim Mentality Entry

BRAVO!! There is NO magic pill, food, supplement, or trainer that will take weight off or tone you up. You're the only one who can do that! Diets don't work!! It needs to be a lifestyle change. Start simple and keep a daily log of what and when you eat for a week. Be HONEST and accountable to someone. Analyze what you're about to eat. Is it a want or a need? When I first started to keep a log of what and when I ate, I was shocked at all of the junk and fast food that I ate! Do cardio 3-4 times a week. Start simple. (i.e. If you work on the 12th floor, take the elevator to the 11th floor and use the stairs to go the rest of the way. The next week, get off on the 10th floor, etc..) Walk to the mailbox or the end of the block daily. Gradually increasing the duration till you can walk the entire block. If the weather's bad, use the stairs in your house.
As for exercise there is no good excuse to not exercise. I was in a horrible head on collision that put me in a 3 month coma. Because of no movement for that length of time, I suffered severe muscle atrophie and was told that the chances of my being able to walk again were slim to none. I've completed 3 -5K's and am currently working towards my 4th, despite recent foot surgery. The secret to my success is just taking one day at a time. Celebrating the smallest achievement, learning from my mistakes, and not beating myself up when I goof.
-Susan Peters

Victim Mentality

One thing that seems prevalent in today's society is a "victim" mentality. Many people react to setbacks or negative things with the attitude of "poor me" I just can't get a break or I can't succeed at this because this person won't let me. This type of thinking prevents and sabotages people's ability to achieve their potential in life.

I look at Walt Disney whose business plan was rejected by the bank over 360 times and say "what if he would have had that attitude. There would be no Mickey Mouse or Donald duck. Instead he had a goal he was passionate and an attitude of "whatever it takes." We all know what the results are.

Having worked with many different types of clients I've seen a common ingredients that result in success. One of those key ingredients is ATTITUDE. They don't make BS excuses when they have setbacks and blame others or life's circumstances. What they do is take ownership of their behavior and correct anything that is detrimental to them hitting their goals.As Charles Swindoll a famous author , speaker and pastor says ATTITUDE is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.So let's relate this to exercise. If your someone who constantly struggles with weight gain and dieting. It's time to check your attitude. Quit blaming your kids, spouse, friends etc. Quit using the excuse that it is your metabolism. Please quit saying that you have tried everything and nothing works. It's all crap!!

We find almost all people who say this come up way short when we do an HONEST account of what they have been eating and how much as well as how much exercise that they are getting.So if this blog entry and it hits a nerve please understand it's meant to be harsh in order to change the way people who chronically are failing to change their mindset that causes recurring failure to one that generates success.I've had enough of our media telling everyone there is a new drug or scientists have found a reason why we are so obese a "fat gene" We need to realize that reason we have a high percentage of overweight people in this country is that we eat too much junk and do not move enough it's that simple. If you don't believe me go to a country where people have to walk and bike everywhere and there isn't a fast food joint on every corner. You will be hard pressed to find an overweight person.

So please check your attitude if you are one these people who struggles over and over with getting fit and/or losing weight. You will find when you quit blaming others and circumstances for your lack of success that you start owning the real reasons why you can't lose weight that you will be taking a very big step towards success.