Did You Run Today? A Hearty Question!

I ask that question a lot! I know it and I know it bugs some people and yet...

If you aren't daily active in your life, you can't even begin to imagine what you're missing.

And I know... you're tired already and how could you possibly find any more time to fit exercise into your completely packed schedule and you have aches and pains and every other excuse (or reason if you prefer) as to why you don't exercise.

Let me ask you one simple question; "What if exercising could give you back more time and productivity into your schedule?"

I recently took a train ride across this great country. Its a topic for a different blog post on a different blog yet what it did point out to me is how much I need exercise in my life.

The train from Los Angeles to Holland Michigan is just under 48 hours. That's two full days of sitting. Yes, you can move about the train, but without annoying the other passengers you can't really work up much of a sweat.

When I arrived in Holland I was exhausted and cranky. What did I do? First I slept. Then before anything else I went for a 13 mile run! Later in the day I added a 4 mile walk and another 3 mile run.

Net result: I felt rejuvenated!

I shouldn't have been surprised and honestly I wasn't. I've learned over thee years that the biggest key to overall health, happiness, mental crispness and just plain well-being is to get out and move.

Now I know I'm a little (OK maybe a lot) nuts and you may not be interested in running at least 20 mile a day and yet if you just walked two miles... 30 minutes a day, you would be amazed at the improvement in your overall health.

Tell me you can't find 30 minutes a day and I'll say I've found someone who isn't interested in truly enjoying life. Get up a half hour earlier. Stay up a half hour later. Instead of stuffing your face at lunch time, go for a walk or run or bike ride.

You can do this!

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise (a fast walk) 5 days a week can yield a significant improvement in cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular health is the key not only to making you physically stronger but also mentally sharper.

Think about it...

Literally every body function from movement to thought requires the delivery of nutrients and oxygen and the removal of waste products in the cells to happen. Don't believe me? Stop pumping oxygen rich blood to your brain and see what happens. Or try stopping the delivery of the right nutrients and fluids to your joints and see how well they work. Or how about stopping the flow of blood to your liver or kidneys?

We need oxygen and nutrient rich blood throughout our bodies to live and the number one way to ensure that is to take care of your cardiovascular system.

And... how do we do that? Move!

So the next time you hear or see me asking: "Did you run today?" Hopefully you'll understand, its not just because I want you to run. Its because I want you to live!

Now go get active!

It's Not That Complicated

More Than Just A Lifestyle Change

As I work with individuals looking to regain health or maybe go to a new level of fitness, the conversation often goes to "lifestyle changes".

I am a big believer in changing lifestyles for lifetime maintenance of health and vitality.  As Zig Ziglar says... "You wouldn't keep a million dollar race horse out all night, drinking and smoking!"  Its critical to long term success to look at life in a different way, find the things you enjoy because those are the things you'll do consistenly that will keep you healthy and quite frankly to place a higher value on your personal health annd well-being.  If you can manage to make these mental changes, you will have success in changing your life and setting up a life of great health.

However... all that being said, there comes a time when if you want to get results (make changes), you are going to have to put in some good old-fashioned supreme effort!  While it is true that once you reach your desired level of fitness and weight you can maintain it doing things you enjoy including anything from bike riding to walking to gardening and even housework, when it comes to getting to your desired goal you are going to have to put in some work... OK... a lot of work.

You don't drop 20,40,60,100 lbs or even more over the course of a year by simply going out and mowing the lawn every other week.

You may hate walking or jogging or running or riding an exercise bike or lifting weights, but if you want to drop the weight and get back into a state of excellent health... well quite frankly you can't avoid them.  And, although you may be able to maintain your health with  a 3 mile run three times a week at a leisurely pace, that's not going to cut the mustard while you are dropping the weight initially.

I'm sorry if I'm the first one to say this to you but... you didn't gain the extra weight overnight and totally by accident.  You didn't just wake up one morning and find you were overweight.  I did not simply go to  my closet one day and find that the only pants I had to wear that I could fit into were size 42!  And quite frankly, I did not just wake up yesterday and suddenly realize I could wear size 32 jeans.

On the contrary, over the last year I  have worked my butt off! (literally)  I have logged thousands of miles both walking and running.  I have done more crunches in the last year than I had done in the previous 45 years of my life.  I've donne more pushups and curls and presses in this last year than in any other year off my life including those years when I was bodybuilding in my late teens and early twenties.

I have weeks when I am in a constant state of soreness.  I have ignored pain that in the past would have had me avoiding workouts for days or even weeks.  And most importantly, this time around, I have done it all for me.

As I was out on a run today, I caught myself doing what most of us do at some point... comparing myself to the other runners I saw on the street.  I know I'm not the only person who does this.  For me it usually happens when I'm on a long run and someone goes whizzing past me.  Now quite honestly, I really don't need to compare myself to anyone else and quite frankly because I'm running  over 10 miles on most of my runs I can pretty easily explain why someone running a couple miles is moving faster than me, but still I can't help it.  The problem is, when I do this I either spped up which only throws me out of my rhythm or I just get distracted and end up slowing down.  Either way the result is not productive.

Today, when I found myself doing this comparison thing, I finally smacked myself and said; "This is not about anyone else!  This is only about you!"  It worked!  And it was true.  This last year of training has not been about impressing anyone else, its been about taking back my life and creating a lifestyle I enjoy and that I can maintain for the rest of my life.

If I have my way, I'll still be running when I'm 100 and loving the freedom it gives me.  I happen to love running.  Maybe you love tennis or walking or yardwork.  Whatever you enjoy that keeps you active, I hope you enjoy it well into your later years in life.  But if you are out of shape now, you are going to have do some work, some of it not  so enjoyable to get back into shape.

I think a lot of people get frustrated with a training routine because they don't enjoy it and quite truthfully, I don't blame them.  I'm not a big "gym" guy any more.  I really don't enjoy weight training and yet, I know that to regain the health of a lifetime, that is the short term price I'm going to have to pay.

I'm here to tell you that there will be pain.  There will be days when it hurts just to run a mile.  There will be days when you will feel like throwing up after a particularly tough strength training session.  You and I made our choices in life up to this point and now if we want to get back to health, we are going to have to put in the effort.

The upside...

One of the best parts of working out is the way you feel when you finish!

The way you will feel when you reach your goal weight or run your PR in a race or finish your first marathon or whatever else it is you're seeking, is absolutely incredible!

Your whole life WILL work better if you have great health and an active lifestyle, its a proven fact!

You will be extremely proud of yourself when you finish a workout that a few months ago you wouldn't even have considered doing!

When you finally throw away your "fat" clothes for the last time, knowing you'll never need them again, it will be one of the best days of your life to that point!

The day will come when you look forward to being active every day!

Here's a bonus thought from today's run.  If you are self conscious about working out in the gym because you think everyone is watching and judging you... forget it.  No one is evaluating you if you are overweight but are working out and trying to improve.  If any one is having thoughts about you at all it is generally thoughts of encouragement.

People do however notice you if you are overweight carrying the double bag of McD's or the two for one pizza deal!  That you should be self conscious about!

Its time to stop making excuses.  Get ready  for a little (who am I kidding.. a lot of) worthwhile soreness!  And look forward to the day when you can do whatever activity you want to maintain your new healthier you!

A Year Behind Me!

Today is the one year anniversary of my heart attack.

How am I doing?

Well, let's see... this Saturday and Sunday I did the Relay for Life 24 hours of walking/running.  I logged just over 75 miles in about 22 hours on the track.  I guess I'm doing OK!

My blood pressure is 106/60.  I guess I'm OK.

My resting heart rate is 43.  I guess I'm OK.

Looking back at the last year, I've made a lot of new friends in the health and fitness world.  Very cool!

I'm not exactly certain how I expected to feel today, what I do know is that I am definitely blessed!  And that is a pretty good place to be!

And now I think I'll go for my second run of the day!

Avoid the Post-Workout Rewards System!

Okay, so yesterday about five miles into a twelve mile run I started to get hungry.  No big deal, I am certainly not going to pass out from being a little hungry during a run of that distance.

The problem was where my thoughts went.  I started to think about "rewarding" myself for a good run with a big juicy double-cheeseburger and fries from the local diner.

So, what's wrong with that?  Lot's of people do that.  I mean, come on!  I did the work, shouldn't I be able to reward myself for all of those calories burned?  What, after all is the point of working so hard if you can't enjoy the fruits of your labor?  Right?

You will not win this particular argument with me so don't bother trying.  I know the truth from personal and observed experiences.  I believe it is one of the major faults with a whole lot of the current weight loss programs on the market today.  They in one way or another offer you a "Cheat day" where as long as you're good the rest of the week, you can eat whatever you want for one day.

There are two problems with this approach.

First, if you're overweight, you didn't get there because you followed the best eating habits in the world.  Let's be honest.  I didn't get overweight because I did what was right for my body.  What did I do?  I ate the wrong foods and I ate them consistently.  Then as a form of appeasement, I'd go out for a run every once in a while and tell myself I was earning that double-cheeseburger and fries!

The rewards system, puts the total focus on food.  It creates a relationship with it that makes it  the total and only objective of exercise.  It even makes eating right the rest of the week something you do just so you can "pig-out" on that one day.  Using this type of system, you may;  in fact if strict enough... absolutely will, lose weight.  The problem is since the relationship is with food and not with exercise and all of its benefits, when you have difficulties in life and stop exercising for a period of time (which will inevitably happen, like it or not), you still have a relationship with food.  And food becomes your source of escape and comfort instead of exercise.

Whether we like it or even admit to it, all human beings operate out of one of two contexts most of the time.  We are either working to avoid pain or to gain pleasure.  You can deny this until you're blue in the face and yet the truth is whatever you are doing is moving you in one of those two directions.

Think about it for a second; when you finally decided to lose weight what was the motivating factor?  Were you tired of being embarrassed by your weight?  Were you afraid you might not be healthy enough to play with your grandchildren?  Or maybe, you wanted the joy of sharing a great moment running a race with your friends and you knew you needed to lose weight to do just that.  What ever your reason(s), you were avoiding pain or seeking pleasure.

What's the point?

For most of us, food has become a quick way to gain instant pleasure.  Even if in the long run, too much of the wrong stuff can cause extreme pain, in the moment when you are seeking escape from the pain of the moment, food offers instant relief.

And so, when you use food as a reward system for exercise you are setting yourself up to never be able to escape the cycle of using it as a tool for release.  And eventually, any gains you have made through exercise will be wiped out as you even substitute food for exercise to find relief in your day to day life.

The second reason to avoid using food as a reward after exercise is really only important if you are truly committed to getting the most out of your exercising body.

The period immediately after exercise, say 30 to 60 minutes, are the critical time for providing your body with the nutrients it needs for recovery.  Whether you are brand new to exercise or have been training for a long time, you need to make sure that you are giving your body exactly what it needs when it needs it. This is especially true during this post-workout time frame.

Post-workout, your body doesn't need just any old food you can throw down.  It needs a decent combination of protein and some high quality carbs.  Depending on your body weight you should being consuming 10 to 25 gms of quality lean protein within the hour after your workout.  This is the time when your body may have during exercise utilized protein (its least popular source of energy) to supplement the other sources of energy in your body depending on the intensity of your workout.  You need to replenish the protein in order for your muscles, tendons and ligaments to fully recover prior to your next workout.

You need the carbs to replenish what are known as glycogen stores in your muscles and liver.  Glycogen is the energy source used most often for quick bursts of strength and also during the initial stages of exercise before your aerobic system kicks into gear.  Glycogen is also utilized by your body when your aerobic system is over-taxed and can't produce energy, but the supply is very limited.  You may have heard of marathoners doing something called "carbo-loading".  The glycogen system is the focus of this practice.

All this being said, how do you avoid the food reward system?

You need to find something else to use as your reward.  And it has to be exciting for you!  Maybe its the shopping trip you're going to take when you reach a certain weight to replenish your closet.  Maybe its the 5k race you're going to complete with your friends and all of the excitement that goes along with that accomplishment.  Maybe its something as simple as rewarding yourself with a dip in the pool after a warm and exhausting workout.  It could even be a quick little nap, that just simply says to you; "Go ahead you've earned it!"

What ever it is you choose, its got to feel rewarding to you and it can't be food!  Sorry, I know that's a tough one but its the truth.  If you're really serious about this, you can't go on attaching everything in your life to food.  If you're not really concerned about enjoying a long and fulfilling active life where you get to enjoy your family and friends and grandchildren in good health, then by all means... eat what ever you want when ever you want.  You might as well get as much of it as you can while you still can!

I'm not saying you can't enjoy the food you eat.  Not by a long stretch.  You have just got to at some point beginning changing what you use to reward yourself and focus on those things instead of the quick escape of food.

Avoid the reward system and you'll find your results sticking around!

Why Your Health Is So Important To Me!

Another Saturday training session on the books! We had a great session, with everyone feeling like they could have done more and still we were out for 50 minutes, twice what the schedule called for! I think everyone should be as proud of their efforts today as I am of all of you!

That being said, there are many who have not even made one session yet and at the risk of offending, you need to make this a priority. The question begs to be asked; “If not now... when?”

I thought I would share with you why this is so important to me and why I may be a little pushy on this subject. Hopefully give you an understanding of where my passion comes from.

Each and everyone of us has our own reasons for wanting to do this. For some its just simply to shed a few pounds. You may not even be that convinced that you need a lifestyle change as much as you just want to get rid of the pounds and move on. Still, for others you may have been told by your physician that you needed to make a change. You may be committed to losing the weight, but still figure once you've lost it you'll be able to get back to normal. There are certainly countless other reasons for undertaking this program. For most of you at this point, to take part or not is still a choice. Count it a blessing that it is still exactly that... a choice you can make.

Here's my inspiration:

I have been an on again off again runner and fitness enthusiast my whole adult life. Through March of 2008 I had run 4 marathons and countless shorter distance races. I had even competed in a bodybuilding competition in my late teens. And yet, that didn't mean I was always in great or good or even fair health. I certainly knew how to take care of myself. I am after all a Certified Endurance Fitness Trainer and Personal Trainer. And still, knowledge doesn't guarantee results, action does!

Its funny, if you asked most people who knew me they would tell you that I was active, I mean I was a marathoner you know! What most people didn't realize was that I was the “Grand Poobah of Yo-Yo'ers. No question that in spite of everything I knew; I ate the wrong stuff, drank too much and even smoked! Great example of health, right?

Monday May 18^th, will be an anniversary for me. It will be exactly a year ago and 60 lbs heavier that in the middle of a 40 mile bike ride I had my heart attack. Yes, at 45 years of age, my refusal to apply what I knew caught up with me.

You might at this point be thinking; “That could never happen to me!” Guess what? I thought the same thing. To a person, everyone who knew me thought it should have happened to them not me. I was after all the active guy.

My one concern in telling this story is that you might take away from it what some of my friends did. If the healthy guy has a heart attack, then what's the point, I might as well have another beer and a cheeseburger!

The fact of the matter is, I only appeared to be healthy. I am a big guy, frame-wise and so even with an extra 60 lbs of body fat, I didn't appear to be overweight. I had that “Week-end Warrior”, “Guy” mentality that said I could eat what I wanted, when I wanted, drink what I wanted, when I wanted and then just workout once in a while and everything would be honky-dory.

As an example; I had almost a full year to train for my first marathon from the time I signed up until the time I had to run. Guess how many times I ran during that year? 300? 200? 100? 50? 20?

How about none of the above! I literally ran 10 times in the year leading up to my first marathon. Everyone knew I was training for the marathon. What they didn't know was that I would go home from work, put on my workout clothes, sit down and turn on the TV and never get out the door. Pretty soon all I did was think about putting on the workout clothes and just go right to the food and TV routine.

Don't get the impression that if you are genuinely active, you are no better off than if you just say forget it, because I was not the stellar example of health everyone thought I was.

The fact remains, when I hear someone talk about how they are going to get active and healthy and then they come up with every excuse in the books as to why they don't, I know exactly what's going on in their brain at that moment. I've heard, given, used and created pretty much every excuse you can imagine as to why tomorrow is a better day to start getting healthy than today. You can't surprise me with one I haven't at least thought of at some point in time.

Truth is; you still have a choice and that may not be the best thing in the world. I don't have a choice.

Actually, I do. Live or die!

Which would you chose? I've opted for living. I've kind of grown accustomed to it!

You have lots of choices that I no longer have. If you are a Weight Watchers member, you have a points system that pretty much allows you to eat anything on the menu as long as it falls within the allotted points. I don't! I am a Midwestern boy at heart. Which means I do love food! Food is now fuel for me. The leaner and more pure it is the better and enough to keep me running in top condition is all I'm really interested in. I have zero cravings anymore. Why? I want to live and after a year of very pure eating for fuel, I just don't' crave anymore. I know by how I feel exactly what type of fuel I need and that's what I eat. No more, no less!

You have the choice to be active or not. I don't! For the rest of my life, I have to constantly work to improve my cardiovascular endurance and cardiovascular strength. Its not an option, its a must!

Fortunately for me, I find extreme joy in running! And, now that I'm actually doing it on a regular basis, I'm enjoying it even more.

Don't get me wrong, I love my active lifestyle. So much so that I'm training for my first ultra marathon next January of 50 miles. Its just that getting to this point became non-optional.

So I hope that you can understand, that when I am pushy about getting you out to our training sessions its not for me. Its that I would never wish what I went through on anyone... ever!

And when you throw out your excuses, I'm not being judgmental, but in the back of my mind I do hear myself throwing out the same excuses over a year ago. Trust me if you haven't figured this out already, once you come up with one way to let yourself off the hook, it just gets easier and easier with every one.

No one who has been to our training sessions would walk away saying anything but how enjoyable walking with the group is. I truly enjoy it myself. I also enjoy the solitude that a long run by myself brings.

Please get active, while you have a choice. I will do everything in my power to help make it something you enjoy now and for the rest of your life and yet it all begins with you!

Have an incredible day and go get active!

Sometimes...

Sometimes you just have to talk about what's in your heart. This is not exactly on target for a blog called Big Bad Runners and yet it is. My goal with this blog has always been to empower people through advice, techniques, encouragement not just in fitness but in their all aspects of life. Giving back or contribution is one of those incredibly empowering aspects of life. No matter how much or how little you have, when you make a difference in someones' life the joy you experience can be overwhelming!

This is actually from my other website, which I don't mention here because that's not the point.

What's In Your Closet?

If I asked you to go to your closet and dresser and take out everything you haven't worn in the last week, how big would the pile be?


OK, so maybe one week isn't realistic. Let's go for two weeks. How much stuff now?


OK, maybe you've been busy and so you haven't worked out in the last couple of weeks. Take out five days of workout clothes. What's left?


Why do we have so much?


More importantly, why do we have so much when we pass people on the street everyday who have nothing more than the clothes on their backs?


Now maybe you're saying, come on Tim, that's not my thing! Times are tough enough, don't ask me to give at a time like this. Maybe you can barely pay your bills as it is and the thought of giving to someone else is not remotely on your mind.


Let me ask you this: If you're really in financial trouble right now and are about to lose your home, wouldn't you want somebody... anybody to offer you the jacket you needed or the sweater for a cold night or the blanket for your child?


How much clothes do you and I really need? We wear the same ones most of the time don't we? Get real here! Think about what you wore in the last two months. Wasn't it the same one or two pair of jeans, the same shirts, the same underwear (washed of course), the same few pairs of socks, the same one or two dresses or skirts?


Why do we need so much?


For once in your life, do something for somebody who really needs your help. I'm not talking about the $20 donation you made under duress to the local charity because all of your friends were doing it. I'm talking about maybe even going out yourself and finding someone shivering on the street and for no reason other than because you see a need just giving them a jacket or a shirt or a blanket. Not because they asked, but because you saw a need.


This raises another issue. Do you and I look the other way when we see a homeless person coming our way?


How many of us make jokes or mock the homeless? Maybe you believe it's all their fault and its not your problem and they should just get over it and get a job!


Do you know how hard it is to get a job today? Even a low-paying minimum wage job? I do and so do hundreds of thousands of other Americans, in fact there are millions of unemployed people in this country right now who would take even a minimum wage job just to feel some sense of dignity. I'm not even talking about sending money or donating stuff to people in other countries, I'm talking about right here on our doorsteps.


How can we just look the other way?


No, one person can not end homelessness all by themselves, but you and I can change the world one life at a time.


If you find it too difficult to look someone in the eyes who has absolutely nothing but the clothes on their back and give them something just because, then seek out organizations who will do it for you! I've provided a list of a few good ones at the end of this note.


And yes, I have cleaned out my closet. I now have two pairs of jeans (I'm dropping some weight right now and as soon as I'm out of the bigger pair they're gone as well), a few t-shirts, a weeks worth of running clothes, three dress shirts, three pairs of dress pants, one suit... I hope you get the idea.


As a runner the hardest thing to sort through was running shoes, I rotate them to keep them fresh, but no area was sacred to the process. I mean, just imagine if the only shoes you owned were on your feet and had holes in the bottoms. How would you feel then? I'll bet a pair of slightly worn shoes would look pretty good wouldn't they?


Do this! It's not a big deal to you and me but to someone who has nothing it is everything!


If you don't want to go through this exercise, I understand and I pray you never need someone else to help you out in your time of need. Seek out one of the organizations I've listed or a local church or the Red Cross or Salvation Army and make a financial donation.


You can't even begin to imagine how incredible you will feel to help out! If it stretches your budget and yet you know you have really helped someone in need you will know true joy maybe for the first time in your life! Knowing that for once in your life you selflessly gave to another just because is an experience you can't compare to much in this life. It's incredible!


Here are a few of the places you can donate clothing:


Salvation Army


Goodwill Industries


Big Brother Big Sister


National Coalition for the Homeless


You don't have to give up all of your clothes, it was just a thought that bugged me until I did something about it. Maybe the next time you're walking down the street and you see a homeless person coming you offer to buy them lunch or even a cup of coffee. You can make a difference in someone's life with a simple act of kindness.


You can think whatever you want to think about that person, but that doesn't change the fact that they are a fellow human being. And you can say that you would never allow yourself to get to that point, but you've never been there and in that moment when you've lost everything and you don't know where to turn for help, it's not so easy in that moment to say what you would do.


There are millions of Americans who are one paycheck away from being homeless. Maybe even you. Don't turn your back on them like they don't deserve to be in your presence. Someday they might.


Say you don't care about the homeless guy who lost his job, his house, his family? How about the 1.3 million children who are homeless in America? What did they do to deserve this?


But that's the governments job, right? Even if it is, how many children are you willing to allow to go hungry one more night or spend another sleepless night on the streets of America while we wait for a government who can't provide health care or fix a broken economy. I'm not blaming any one person or politician, after all, we elected them and the solutions are not simple. What I'm saying is, if we wait for the government to solve the problem of homelessness in this country, its never going to happen and a lot of people (children) will suffer needlessly in the meantime.


It doesn't have to be this way! We all can do something. If you don't know what to do, send me an email, I'll help you get started.


A Caveat! Before you go out and give money to the homeless in your community, check the local laws. It turns out that many cities in an effort to remove homeless people from their communities have made it illegal for an individual to give money or even food directly to a homeless person.


I would certainly not want to be the person who encouraged you to break the law. If your city has such a law then alternatively they should also have a program designed to offer another method you can use to help out. Such programs are not always the best and certainly don't always address the issue of a person going hungry or cold at night but if they are the law they are the law.


Changing the laws is a whole other issue I'll address another time.


Please get involved. If nothing else, I hope you think about it the next time you open your closet door!

Stretch before or after?

While there is no disagreement that you should stretch, there are still two schools of thought on when. Is it best to stretch before or after your run or walk?

The advice from this trainer? If you already have a routine of stretching that works for you... don't change it! If aren't currently in the habit of stretching I recommend doing it immediately after your workout session.

Doing flexibility training after you regular workout can reduce the risk of damaging muscles that is associated with stretching cold muscles before a workout.

That being said, its important to warm up your muscles before doing your training and a slow five to ten minute walk will allow you to get the blood flowing and reduce the risk of injury.

So why stretch at all?

Flexibility training (stretching) gives you a couple of benefits. First, it allows for a greater range of motion about a joint. A greater range of motion means less chance of injury to the joint. When the connecting muscles, tendons and ligaments are too tight, the joint is not free to move in its optimal motion and thus often causes grinding of bone on bone as the joint is pulled out or causes tearing of the tissues surrounding the joint.

The second benefit of stretching is the increased blood-flow to the exercising tissues. Any aerobic exercise requires great amounts of oxygen. The better your body is at delivering blood to your muscles and the connective tissues around your joints, the more oxygen is capable of being delivered and the more efficient the body becomes at utilizing its available energy stores which require oxygen to burn.

All of that put together simply means... stretch! If you're set in your ways and stretching before you run, keep it up. If you haven't been stretching, get a good warm up beforehand and stretch afterwards.

Stretch! You'll be glad you did.

The More You Run...

I have to admit, I've been puttering around with runs of 3,4 or 5 miles lately. Just enough to get the blood flowing and yet not real solid training for me.

Today however, I had to go to Culver City (5 miles one way) and so I decided to strap on the backpack and run!

It's a few hours later and I am still flying high! Mentally, emotionally and physically, I'm on a cloud 9 ride.

Sometimes as a runner we get caught up in everything else and forget just why we run in the first place. Yes, there are obvious health benefits and that is something I can truly appreciate (heart attack May '08). At the same time its so much more than just that.

Running relieves stress, increases your metabolism, helps your body create endorphins (I like to call them the "happy" chemicals) which in turn stimulates overall good feelings. I find myself much more powerful, enthusiastic, outrageous (in a good way) and empowering when I am running longer distances regularly.

If you are a new runner just getting started, I know that it can seem a daunting task to consider even running three miles and yet maybe that's just because the "carrot" you're after isn't compelling enough.

At some point in our lives we have got to commit to something even if at first it seems like we're climbing a mountain. We all start somewhere. I remember, five days after my heart attack I was chomping at the bit to get out and go for a run. I had a mission and I was going to achieve it no matter what!

That first run was a whopping 1.57 miles and took almost 30 minutes to complete and yet I did it! Having run marathons, it would have been easy to get discouraged. I mean here I was celebrating completing 1/20th of a marathon like I'd just done the whole thing!

It took weeks and even months to get my distance up over 10 miles again and yet through perseverance, I made it. But it was more than just commitment that kept me going. After every run, the feeling of health and vitality and the bump in endorphins had me looking forward to the next run.

And then there was that other "Carrot". On January 11th of 2009, I retraced the route I was on when I had my heart attack and "Conquered My Demons!"

It was the longest single run I had done since March of 2008's LA Marathon. And it sent me soaring!

I guess what I'm saying with all of this is running (or walking) gives us so much more than just the perceived health benefits. That's not down playing the cardiovascular and weight management benefits. If those alone aren't getting you through the tough walks or runs then find a better carrot because they will take you to places you've never experienced before.

The pure joy that comes from running is inspiring, contagious, empowering and incomparable in its power!

What ever level of walking or running you're at, I encourage you to get out there and be consistent. Put in the extra effort when you feel like giving up or backing off. The rewards will be worth it!

A New "Sub-blog"

We run, bike, swim, walk, lift weights and all other forms of exercise and yet...

We treat our bodies like they're a $200 beater car ready for the junk-yard!

What did you eat today? Do you even know? How many carbs, fats and protein? How often did you eat today? Once? Twice? Three times? Four? Five?

Why do we have more excuses for not eating right than for just about anything else in our lives?


Get the info you need to get it right on my new page

Welcome to Big Bad Runners

When I first started writing this blog, I think my outlook on running was in a little different place than it is today.

I was tired of lining up for a race and being twice as big as most of the runners who were expecting to be competitive in that particular event. I was tired of lining up at the back because I wasn't an elite runner and feeling in someway that I didn't even belong there.

Let me just say... it was all in my head. Oh sure, there are runners who would take a look at me today and figure there is no way I'm running this race! It just that those people are the "few and far between", not the norm.

Generally, the running community is incredibly warm, friendly and supportive to runners of all shapes and sizes. Go to a group of runners and ask a question about a running problem you're having and most of the time they will share openly and genuinely try to help.

I've spent a fair amount of time in discussion rooms on sites like Active.com (a great resource) reading the concerns, questions and general thoughts of new runners or folks trying to get back into running after long lay-offs from activity.

The underlying theme of most of the posts is that people are just looking for advice and sometimes good old-fashioned encouragement.

With that in mind, this blog has become a place for just that. I try to keep it entertaining and yet mostly, I hope that it truly is informative and encouraging.

If you are someone looking to get into running or walking, whether it be for the first time ever or the first time in many years, this blog is here to empower you to take those first steps and to learn how to make health and fitness a lifestyle not just an occasional distraction.

Any and all honest and sincere feedback is always welcome.

If you have questions or write on the discussion board, I will try to tailor the blogs to the topics of interest.

Don't get me wrong... I still enjoy lining up at the back of the pack in races and seeing the looks on peoples' faces when the big guy passes them, its just not the overall theme of this blog! :-)

Thanks for checking out this blog!

I Remember When... Use It or Lose It!

If you're just getting started in a fitness routine, you probably have a memory in your mind of a time when you were fit and active. Maybe it was high school or college and as you remember it, you were the Energizer Bunny.

Today however... five, ten, fifteen or maybe more years later you are kind of wondering whatever happened to all of that health and energy.

Where did the flexibility go and when did a 5 pound weight get so heavy and who on earth moved the mailbox so far from the front door that you have to stop half way there to catch your breath?

Fear not, you are not alone. Many have gone before you! Even some of those folks you think are fitness buffs have had their moments. Anyone who has had an on again, off again relationship with fitness has experienced this incredible disappearing act of their athletic prowess.

Welcome to atrophy! The actual definition... a decrease in cross-sectional size of a muscle resulting from inactivity or immobilization. It affects not just your limbs but your cardiovascular system as well. We see it most commonly in someone who has had an injury where they are immobilized for a period of time. In those cases atrophy can begin to set in as quickly as two to three days.

In our case, where we have been sedentary, it is a slower and more gradual process and yet over time the effects are the same.

Now that I've depressed you, the good news is that it can be reversed and does so at a much quicker rate than it occured.

Muscular strength can be maintained with as little as two moderate weight training sessions per week and cardiovascular fitness can be improved depending on your current level of fitness with as little as 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise (walking,jogging,cycling, etc) two to three times per week.

Research has shown that cardiovascular fitness in folks who have been inactive will improve with an effort in the range of 45-55% of Maximum Heart Rate, and that... is a slow walk!

Remember when, because it will give you something to aspire to! Actually... forget that because we can never go back. Create a new picture of the you that's in your future and go for it!

All you have to do is use it!

Sometimes a lousy run...

Ever have one of those runs?

You know the one where maybe you didn't feel like it or maybe you got going and just felt like garbage?

Maybe after only a mile or even less, you found yourself with an urge to walk or even turn around and just head back home?

I just had one of those runs. About half way through, I just wasn't feeling it and I started to walk. At first I was frustrated by my inability to motivate my performance and then I began to think about how I would feel when I finished. Knowing full well that even if I just walked the rest of the way, I had gone out and trained.

I thought about how great I always feel after I get done training. It hit me that even if this wasn't the most stellar performance of my life, it was still movement and that is key.

I am a student of human behavior and I have learned most of the ways to get the most out of yourself and surely if I'd dug deep enough I could have found a way to keep myself running instead of slowing to a walk and yet sometimes that's not the point at all.

Sometimes it is just moving. If you exercise; walk, jog, run, weight train, yoga, Pilate's, whatever it is you do; you are doing something for your health that not a huge percentage of Americans do at least not on a regular basis. To have great health doesn't require huge blocks of training, it requires consistency. It requires movement!

It doesn't always have to require great effort in order for it to be a great workout.

Just a thought!

Training_Log

Had an awesome weekend. Went down to Orange County on Saturday and hung out with my brother, sister-in-law and niece. We had a little, post-birthday party for me and pre-birthday party for my niece. I'll be sure to post the video of her with her first birthday cake it's hilarious!

Sunday morning it was me and my brother up while the girls still slept for a run! I have to say, although he didn't admit it, my brother had to feel a little like he was running with an anchor tied around his waist. My training has been a little off.

Funny how even someone like me who is all about running can go through a running funk and not train literally for weeks on end. I guess once you don't get out for a couple of days the itch can sort of fade a little.

One solution... a training log. If you use one no matter what the variety; paper, electronic,etc, you kind of hate to go back to it after a few days if you haven't been training and see all of those missed workouts or blank pages.

The other thing it does for you is help you track what things occur before and after you have a training funk so that you can see it coming and take action to avoid it.

Aside from that its just a great way to help you monitor your progress and motivate you on those not so great days.

I use an electronic one from Active.com. You can find it here. There are both a free version and a paid version depending on just what you want it to do for you. You'll also find some great training plans if you're not sure what to do to get ready for your next big race adventure!

Gotta go run! I'm back on track.

Gratitude

I haven't written much about running lately and today is not going to be much different.

Today is my birthday and a very special one indeed. Not because I'm a certain age, I'm 46 (which is not exactly a milestone birthday as near as I can tell), rather because this is the one that almost didn't happen.

If you don't know me well then you may not be aware of the fact that last May, I had a heart attack and it was a doosie! So the fact that I am here to celebrate another birthday, this being the first since my heart attack makes this a pretty special day for me!

What do you do on such a birthday?

As with most days, it starts with a good long run! And then I will do what most of us don't do enough of. I will spend the rest of the day in total complete gratitude!

I believe one of the most powerful tools or gifts we can give ourselves is gratitude.

It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of every day living or "the daily grind" that we lose sight of all the things in our life we have to be grateful for.

It seems it is easier sometimes to focus on all of the negatives or the things we don't have yet or how bad things are with life or the economy. This makes for a pretty miserable life! And even worse, it sets you up to get more of the same!

No matter where you are at in life, if you are living and breathing, you have something to be grateful. And the more you are grateful the more empowered your life will become.

As Zig Ziglar says; "The more you show gratitude for the things you already have, the more you will have to show gratitude for."

So where will I begin?

Obviously, I'm pretty grateful to be here to have another birthday. You know, once something like a heart attack happens to you its hard to look at life the same ever again. (Its a shame that for some of us bull-headed people we have to go through something like that to finally pay attention.)

Then it's total gratitude for my family and my incredible friends. And how about the fact that I can write this. And then of course there's the fact that I live in sunny Southern California. My list will go on for hours and hours I'm sure because as I show gratitude for one thing another will come to mind. By the time my day is over I will be unstoppable!

Gratitude is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself. If you practice it regularly, its life changing!

I personally can't think of a better gift to give myself on this a very important birthday than gratitude!

Have an awesome day!

Pay Attention!

You may have heard this joke in one form or another already, but here it goes:

There was a man who deeply believed in God.

One day a flood was approaching his house. A car came, the driver said come with me and be saved from the flood. The man refused saying "No I will wait here, God will save me."

The waters rose to his porch. A boat came, the captain said come with me and be saved from the flood. The man refused saying "No I will wait here, God will save me."

The water rose to the roof. A helicopter came, the pilot said come with me and be saved from the flood. The man refused saying "No I will wait here, God will save me."

The flood raged and the man drowned. At the pearly gates he asked God, "Why didn't you save me"

God said "I sent you a car, then a boat then a helicopter"

Most of us go through life wanting things to be better or changed in some way. We want more money, better health, improved relationships, a nicer house, a new job... and the list goes on.

The problem for most of us is that we spend so much time focused on the distractions in life that we don't see the solutions when they arrive. Life, or if you believe as I do God, sends us answers all of the time. He'll send you that little hint here or there. Or a big event that demands we do something. And we go frantically cruising through life, never catching the clues as they come along. We get so focused on what we don't want that we don't ever see that what we really do want is passing right in front of our eyes.

I decided that after twenty some years I wanted to change careers. I felt I wanted to make a difference in peoples lives. I was inspired to follow my life long love of fitness and become a personal trainer and personal coach. I spent a fairly substantial amount of money buying the best training programs I could find. I bought the "home study" versions because I had a very busy career and felt this would be the best way to get things done.

I still remember when the first kit arrived. I was like a kid in a candy store! Eyes wide open, jaw dropped, I rifled through the package. I was absolutely beside myself with excitement. I had a couple of things to do around the house before I could get down to it, but I decided I would get started that first night with my studying.

And study I did! That first night, I literally studied through the night. I mean I found myself at the kitchen table still going strong at 5 o'clock in the morning. Soon though, the studying became too much. As the material became more difficult, I found myself spending less and less time moving towards my goal. The other study materials arrived and received the same treatment. Soon they became nothing more than a cluttering distraction on the kitchen table.

Deep down inside, I knew that this was what I really wanted. I knew it was time for a change in my life and the time was now... or maybe I should say when it was convenient.

I did what most of us do when we want change to happen in our lives. I got all excited and certain. Made my plans. Took a couple of steps in the right direction... and then faded like somebody an overused light bulb. Soon I stopped paying attention to opportunities. I mean I had the chance to do some really great things. I literally had people coming up to me and asking for my help with personal coaching or personal training (you think those might have been clues I was moving in the right direction?) and we'd talk for a few minutes and then the subject never came up again.

A Myth...

"Before you can do whatever it is you want to in life, you must be fully educated and prepared, before you get started!"

With a few exceptions, such as, if I needed brain surgery, (I would prefer someone who spent the time getting the education prior to the operation), it is more important to get going than it is to learn more. Too many of us spend too much time being prepared. In fact, we spend so much time focused on preparation that we miss the opportunities when they arise.

A Question...

"Do you think if I had taken on one of those people who had asked me to help them with personal training that I would have screwed them up because I wasn't completely finished with my certification?"

The answer is a resounding, NO! The truth is I have been involved with weight training and running all of my life and have a pretty strong knowledge base to begin with. The certification for me is really more of a trophy to hang on the wall. Maybe more of a "Proof of Who I Am" that people can look at hanging on the wall or posted on my website to add a little bit of credibility to those who don't already know me. Certainly for me who has been training people in a different environment for a whole lot of years, that certificate would not suddenly make me a different person more knowledgeable and capable than I was without it. I already had those qualities.

I have over analyzed myself to death and in the process, missed opportunities that have been knocking on my door which could have ultimately resulted in much greater results. I am as guilty as you are of ignoring the "Hints and clues" of life which lead to the life we really desire for ourselves.

So what do we do?

I believe there are two things that happen;

One is we finally come to the understanding that we need to do more than we analyze. If we let ourselves be open to what's going on around us, many times the answer will come right up and sit down next to us (sometimes literally, sometimes metaphorically). Being a even a little less analytical will allow you and me to go with our first instinct instead of waiting until everything is exactly perfect before we do anything. It will open us up to the subtleties of life, allowing us to get more guidance from our daily living. This in itself will empower you as you move through life.

Sometimes we just don't get it and the clues and hints of life aren't sinking in. For me personally, I believe that if it's important enough to God and we aren't paying attention, the type and severity will increase.

I am case and point. After everything I shared with you earlier about changing directions in my career and life, I found myself fluttering aimlessly back towards the profession I had been in for almost twenty-five years.

Why?

Any number of reasons could fit here. Perhaps, "Path of Least Resistance" is the best description. And then... I had a heart attack! No, not metaphorically, literally! When I talk about the type and severity increasing, I think now you can understand what I mean!

My personal belief is God sent me a car, a rowboat and a helicopter and I ignored them so He then sent an aircraft carrier to snatch me out of the water whether I wanted it or not!

Now let's say for a minute you don't buy the fact that this was the doing of God. I'm sorry if you don't, but let's make that assumption. Let's look at it from a purely psychological perspective... shall we?

We all operate primarily in two planes. The Conscious and the Unconscious. I have witnessed these two at work and at times at odds with each other.

When I ran my first marathon, at 252 lbs, after literally training ten times over the course of a year in preparation, my conscious mind thought I was nuts. Your conscious mind is that part that deals largely with the here and now, in the moment kind of stuff, based on all of the latest data.

The data for that first marathon looked kind of like this:

This is really cool!

Look at all of these people!

If that guy can do this, so can I!

Pain!

I've only gone a mile!

I'm thirsty!

More pain.

I'm never going to make it.

Is my leg really cramping at only mile 10?

I can't do this.

Did we make the right turn here, cause there's only about three runners as far as I can see?

I'm happy.

I'm sad.

I'm stupid.

Call your brother, he's got to be finished already.

I want to run but all I can do is walk.

I don't think anyone will finish behind me.

Two more miles to go, I don't think I can make it.

Last quarter mile I better run to the finish line.

Hey there's my brother.

There's the finish line.

I'm going to make it!

I want to cry at this point.

I'm never going to do this again!

When's the next marathon?

At some point in time over the years leading up to my first marathon, I had committed to myself that this was something I absolutely at all costs was going to do. When my brother finished his first marathon in March of that year, there was simply no turning back. At that point I had permanently and indelibly planted in my unconscious mind that this was a MUST not a should for me. In fact, I signed up for my first marathon on the day my brother completed his first.

The unconscious mind is that infantile part of our mind that takes what we truly believe and firmly implant as a must, and not knowing anything but this is what we are supposed to do, makes it a reality.

In the case of the marathon, my unconscious mind would have run me into the ground if that's what it took to do something it believed was a life imperative for me. In the case of the career change, speaking purely psychologically and knowing how powerful the mind-body connection is, I got the same result.

My unconscious went; "Tim, we're going to do this and if you won't slow down and change directions... I'll do it for you!" "Ignore this if you can!" And obviously, it's kind of hard to ignore a heart attack.

Psychologically, if you implant something deep enough in your belief system, your unconscious mind will do whatever it takes (sometimes even dangerously) to make the belief a reality.

So which ever theory you subscribe to, the bottom line is the same.

Pay Attention! Allow yourself to be open to the hints and clues of life. Act on them knowing that the knowledge and answers will come to you along the way.

And know that if you really believe it should be... the "indicators" of life will continue to grow in intensity until you do something.

Personally, these days I prefer to take action on the simple inklings or nudges in life instead of waiting for the "Big Events"!

I want my "Big Events" to be celebrations, not major traumas!

Make Today What You Think It Should Be!

Title catch your attention?

Want to learn how?

Guess what?

You already make every day exactly what you think it should be. The only difference is that your level of expectation may be a tad bit lower than it ought to be. If you wake up, get out of bed and stub your toe on the bedpost you might already be predisposed to thinking the day's not going to be that great. If you don't do something to change that outlook you probably won't be disappointed. On a day in and day out basis you get exactly what you expect out of life. Not what you wish for, but exactly what you believe is going to happen.

I've said this before, but it bears repeating; whatever you focus on is exactly what you get. The problem is that most of us don't spend enough time focusing on the results we want and as such we end up getting the things we don't want because that's what we're focused on.

So how do you make the important distinction in your focus and make the change?

Start with something simple. Write down those things that you want from life. This does not have to be your giant elaborate list of goals, just the things you'd like to have happen on a daily basis. Things like; being happy, having a great day, being a good friend, being healthy. Write these things down on a card and keep it with you all the time. Review it in the morning and several times throughout the day. Every time you feel yourself having negative focus, take out the card and read it.

Life is meant to be lived, not survived!

If you spend all of your time focused on the way you don't want things to turn out you will miss the fact that they are actually going the way you want them to. I know this sounds overly simple and quite frankly it is. Get up tomorrow and decide that you are going to have a great day.

Guess what?

If that's what you focus on... that's what you will get.

Why?

Because the little bad things that happen to all of us over the course of a day don't really add up to much of anything in the middle of a really great day. Just think about it. Remember a day when something really good happened to you and it seemed like everything was going your way? There were probably some negative things going on at the same time, but you just didn't even notice because you were focused on the great stuff!

So, my challenge to you...

Decide what you want today to be like and make today what you think it should be!

Talk to you soon!

Stop Saying You Don't Have Time!

The more I talk to people about what they want out of life the more I hear the same thing coming up over and over again... "I don't have any time!"

All I can say is STOP IT!

We all have the same number of hours in each day, so why is it that some people consistently do what they want and others don't? It's simple... they stop the excuses.

Think about it.

What did you do last night?

Maybe you had plans to get home and work on something you wanted to accomplish, but then everything just kind of got in the way. You walked in the door and you needed to unwind from a stressful day so you decided to just sit and watch a little television and then you'd get right to it. Next thing you know its two hours later and now you're surfing around on myspace and im'ing with your friends and you still haven't started whatever it was you planned on doing when you got home. Now your friends call and they want to go for a couple of drinks and who are you to stand in the way of a good gathering so it's out the door and several hours later when you return home exhausted it's really too late to start anything new so you head off to bed... but you'll get started tomorrow after work.

Don't you get it?

We all have time; it's just what we decide to do with it.

No matter what you say you want out of life, if you are doing anything but exactly that, you're lying to yourself. Doing something else or doing nothing at all is the same as saying that your goals and dreams are not really your goals and dreams... they're just fantasies.

You have got to decide what it is you really want out of life and go for it like there is no tomorrow and you can't stand another minute of your life without it! That my friend is the only way you are going to get more time for the things you want in life.

You won't get more time because you quit school, quit your job, get a different job, or end a relationship. You will get more time by doing the things you want to be doing instead of avoiding them. You will get more time by getting up a little earlier and taking time for yourself. You will get more time by going for it with all of the passion you can muster and not accepting anything less from yourself than you know you are capable of.

That is how you get more time for the things you want in life.

Stop Saying You Don't Have Any Time!

It All Begins With One Thing!

Think about a time when everything seemed to work for you. A time when you had a plan and it actually worked out the way you wanted it to.

What happened?

Why were you able to accomplish this particular goal, while day in and day out you struggle to complete just about everything you set out to do?

Why doesn't everybody accomplish every goal they have?

If you're one of those people (most of us), who struggles with goals and frustration, don't panic! There is a way out. And it's not your fault!

There are literally thousands of books, articles, audio series and seminars on setting and attaining goals available for you today. Most of them are reasonably accurate in their description of the steps to a goal.

The problem with most of them is where they list the most important step. What is that step? What is it that keeps most of us from reaching our goals?

Let's take a look... shall we?

I'm not going to cover the goal setting process here, rather I'm going to say this about it...

the goal setting process is exactly that... a method for figuring out what you want in life and how you will go about getting it.

We are taught through different methods to figure out what we want, decide how to do it, decide what's most important to do first, figure out who can help you (if you need help), and then finally as a subscript to the whole beautiful plan you've created the final step is...

Take the first small step.

An entire 360 page book can be filled all the way to page 359 with how to figure out what you want and then finally, almost as an afterthought, the author suggests that you take a small step, the first step towards your goal.

It's like saying that it's not actually important to achieve the goal, it's just the figuring out that matters!

What?

I am a firm believer in having a clear vision of what's important to you in life and I think it's a shame that most people don't ever have any idea, however, knowing what you want alone is about as fulfilling as as going to a fine restaurant, ordering their best steak and then when they bring it to your table just sitting there staring at it.

What's the point?

Whatever you want in life. Whatever you don't have or want more of or really believe is important in your life, will never come to be unless you do something to move you towards that end!

A new car, a healthy body, a great relationship, an incredible career... none of those things are just going to fall out of the sky into your lap! Yes, fortunately, cars don't fall out of the sky!

The "Last" step in most people's goal setting programs is taking action. WOW! The last step? It's no wonder most folks read a goal setting program and come out with a big list of ideas and not much more!

I love reading and listening to Tony Robbins. The reason? Not because he's a guru. Not because he's so full of energy! No, the reason I enjoy him is because right from the very begin of any program he presents, he is encouraging you to get moving and take action.

And, yes I know, if you do something it could be wrong, but how will you ever know if you don't try?

If you sit around waiting for everything to be perfect or until you know all of the answers or until you think it's the right time... ten years from now you will be in the same place wondering what went wrong!

Do you really want to be sitting around ten years from now making a new list of the same goals you made ten years ago but never went after?

Or...

Do you want to look back ten years from now absolutely amazed at what you've accomplished in life? Do you want to sit sadly wishing for a different life or do you want to look back gratefully at the incredible experiences you've had in life on the journey to your goals?

Don't you want to be sitting down ten years from now setting new incredible goals that are based on the higher level you created for yourself because you actually took action?

I know for myself... that's what I want! And I know that the only way that's going to happen is to DO SOMETHING NOW that will move me in the right direction. And I think you do too!

It doesn't have to be the perfect first step. You just have to take action!

What are your goals?

Whatever they are... do something! Get up and go for a run or go to the gym or read that book or unplug that TV or hire a Personal Trainer or get a life coach or apply for that new job (even if they don't have a help-wanted ad) or sit down for a conversation with your loved one or whatever it is... do something now!

I promise... you'll be amazed!

Easy As 1-2-3!

Imagine you're watching one of those TV infomercials. You know the ones. They talk about how you can have anything you want. The perfect body, the perfect life, the dream relationship.

And it's all as easy as 1-2-3!

Let's be frank here. It doesn't work that way!

If you're like most of us, you have probably even tried some of those things and now you have a collection of DVDs and strange contraptions piling up under your bed or in a closet out of sight.

I am a positive person but, the truth is anything worth having in life takes some effort. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably looking to sell you something!

I mean think about it... "5 minute abs", "3 steps to financial freedom", "start earning huge $$ in 24 hours", "get fit in 10 minutes a day". These aren't actual product names, so if you offer these things don't get offended.

However, if we look at all of these things I listed above, they do actually carry a redeeming quality that is hidden behind the misleading headline.

"5 minutes abs" is designed to reel you in and take action. Gosh, you mean I can have abs in just 5 minutes of my time? Well, not exactly but, if you think about it; anything that gets you moving instead of sitting on the couch watching infomercials is going to have some impact on your health. And... the reality is no one is going to actually spend only 5 minutes doing exercises once they get started.

Therein lies the redeeming quality.

No matter where you are in life. No matter how high or how low, if you want to change your life you have got to get your self to do something.

Think about it. If you're at point "A" and you want to get to point "B", what's the best way to get there? Isn't to start moving in that direction? Isn't it to get off your butt and take action?

It's great to have all kinds of ideas and plans in life, but they are absolutely worthless without action! Without taking action all you have is a great list of dreams. Your first steps don't have to be fancy or earth-shattering but, they do have to be forward and in the direction you want to go.

We all get caught up in the idea that if the first step we take isn't perfect and doesn't get us instantaneous results then it's either the wrong one or just not worth it. Nothing could be further from the truth!

If you're struggling in life right now, simply completing one simple step can be one of the most rewarding and empowering experiences you'll ever have. There is power in knowing that in spite of it all, you are taking control of your life to make a positive change! Believe me I know. Even if you take one step forward and end up sliding three steps back, when you took the first step, you were now finally facing in the right direction!

If you can see where it is you want to go at least you have one thing most people don't: a clear vision of what you want. And that, my friend will give you tremendous power. There is incredible strength in knowing no matter how difficult the journey may be, you have begun!

There will be setbacks along the road. That you can count on, but the power you gain from taking action will help you get through those times and keep you focused on the outcome.

I've been on the bench of life, not taking action and it doesn't feel real good. I've let one day turn into ten years and it happens so fast it seems like all you did was blink. I am happy to say that I am now moving in the direction I want to go and it is incredible! Every day is not perfect and there have already been setbacks and disappointments and still, I am moving forward.

As easy as 1-2-3?

Not a chance!

Worth it?

Absolutely!

See you along the road moving forward!