Nothing is Impossible

When I was first inspired to start Trinity Fitness in the Fall of 1998, I did so with the intent to encourage and help people become more fit physically, mentally, and spiritually. Since that time and more specifically in the last few years, I have experienced that for myself first-hand. Physically, I train and eat better than ever before. I am stronger and more fit than I was in my early 20's and I definitely eat better which has resulted in a more healthy lifestyle.

Spiritually, I have been on a journey and back. Just in the past few years, I have gone through what I consider the toughest years of my life. Besides the normal stresses of everyday life that included job transitions and family additions, I was battling a unseen force that was making me feel bad physically. After years of tests and procedures I was finally diagnosed with Celiac disease in the summer of 2009. I immediately adopted a wheat and gluten free way of life. For those of you who are not familiar with that diet, it basically takes out any and everything that has flour in it. I even had to travel with my own toaster so that I wouldn't cross-contaminate my food with restricted food. It definitely put a strain on me and my family although it is a better way to eat.

I made the following comment from a post back in October saying, "I have been diagnosed with IBS, Celiac disease, and have had my gallbladder removed with horrible side effects. I am no longer able to eat anything I want and that will be the case for the rest of my life." Well, apparently God didn't agree with my blog post that day. The Bible says in Luke 18:27 that "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

In March I went back to my doctor and he wanted to do some additional tests on me that would include more specific tests for Celiac disease. I had to reintroduce wheat and gluten back into my diet for the test to be accurate. I noticed that I was not having any side effects. I took my tests and received word that I had no trace of Celiac disease. What tested positive last year came back negative this year. Celiac disease can only be managed through diet and is considered incurable and untreatable. I guess the doctors forgot about the ultimate physician who is not limited with man made medicines and prognosis.

I know many may try to dismiss my healing as this or that but I am going to give credit where credit is due. For the last year I have had to live under the umbrella of Celiac disease and now I don't for the "Son" has come out and the rain has stopped.

Why Exercise...Because I Can!

Ecclesiastes 11:9 - Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.

Do you love to exercise? When you are breathing hard and sweating, are you thankful? Believe it or not, I am. I consider it a blessing and very satisfying to sweat. Sounds crazy I know but there is a good reason for it. I have no intentions of taking my ability to be active for granted. If you would like to get a better understanding of what the title of this article means, I want you to take a trip with me to a couple of different places.

The first place is a children’s hospital. This is a place filled with children who would love to do nothing more than to play. These are children who hope for the chance to do those things that most of us tend to avoid... you know, race up a flight of stairs, take the dog for a walk, or even help mow the lawn. They would love to have the chance to run at the park or exercise with the other children in a P.E. class at school. Yet, most are still happy to be alive. They have some of the most beautiful smiles you'll ever see; a smile that can make you forget that you are in a hospital and believe, if only for a second, that you are at an amusement park.

The second place I want you to visit with me is the nursing home just down the street. It is filled with people whose only chance at the fountain of youth will be in their memories. Some of these people have no regrets. As a matter of fact, some senior citizens are still going strong, determined to make the most of their lives. Others may have many regrets that stem from the uncertainty of what could have been. Some may be haunted with the thought of “If I were only 25 again, I would do things differently.” Whether you talk to a person with no regrets or a person with many, you can bet that their advice will be the same.

Seize the day!
Run like there is no tomorrow!
The future is now!

These are only a couple of examples that can inspire through their message. Time shows no partiality. It is constantly chasing each and every person. So my suggestion is to make the most of every moment.

Why?

Because I can!

Before and After

This is a video of my wife before and after she started doing our Crossfit-style workouts. She was bored and therefore very inconsistent with her training. She was weaker than she had ever been. Her body was changing not only because of having three kids but because of her age as well. She natually has a small frame but her body composition was changing in a way that didn't make her happy or confident...that is until now!

Amber and I can't say thank you enough to those of you who have been supporting us and Trinity Fitness. We have loved getting to know each of you and are enjoying every minute of seeing you getting stronger and more fit with each workout. Our only hope is that you are feeling the same. We know that we are small potatoes compared to others but that is the way we like it and we can't do it without you. We want people with a sincere desire to be the best that they can be. Just think about the example you are setting for others, especially your children. They are seeing their mommy and daddy taking care of themselves and striving to live a more excellent life. That is what being a role model is all about.

We all have different goals, desires and intensity levels when it comes to training but as long as you have the desire to get better, we want to help you get there. Amber and I want to be the best examples we can be as well. That is why you will see or hear of our experiences with the same workouts you are doing. We practice what we preach. Our kids are also taking notice. They talk about exercising and always try to set up neighborhood workouts with their friends. The way I see it, these kids will be more fit, strong, confident and better suited to handles life's challenges than those who don't exercise this way. That is why we are preparing and have already begun classes for kids that will mimic the same movements as the adult classes but with a little more fun mixed in.

Again, we thank you for trusting us with your fitness and for humbling yourself to workout with us at our own home.

A Lifetime on the Hips

Yesterday I did something that I have not done in over a year. I ate a couple of bites from a donut. Not breaking news for most but for me it was a big deal. I have been under the gluten sensitivity umbrella since June. I have not had one bite of anything that would contain wheat or gluten since my diagnosis of Celiac disease. That means no pizza, bread, cookies, donuts, cake, or anything that has flour in it. I have some new tests coming up that requires me to re-introduce gluten back into my diet. So I figured what better way than with a fresh, chocolate-iced donut.

I tried to do it as unceremoniously as possible but couldn't help but notice my family starring at me eager to see my reaction of either sheer pleasure or to see if I would spontaneously combust. Well, I didn't explode and the sheer pleasure was not as pleasurable as I thought. After a year of missing "the wonder" that is a fresh donut, it wasn't all I had made it out to be. Yes it was good but it only lasted a couple of seconds, then came the dread of the unknown. How would I feel? How would my body react?

That is when I realized that many people are addicted to seconds of pleasure rather than a lifetime of good health. For the last year, I have been in innumerable situations of people enjoying foods that were not healthy in any way but were fun to eat and I had to endure the smells and sights and not have one single bite. At first it was a little more difficult but before long I had absolutely no problem denying myself of these foods and opting instead for my more simple and routine diet.

Now that I have been able to experience what I was missing, I realize that I wasn't missing all that much. I am not saying that we shouldn't enjoy life and indulge here and there but developing a habit of always indulging is what will keep you from being healthy. The next time you walk through your break room at work and see a big box of donuts just remember "a second on the lips, a lifetime on the hips!"

When the Going Gets Tough...

...just grab another Twinkie? Wait a second, that didn't sound right. How about "When the going gets tough, just quit." No, not right again, or is it? It seems that for many people today that is exactly how that phrase ends. You have probably heard many times that if you want something you don't have, you have to do things your not doing. That means you have to leave your comfort zone and do things differently than whatever you are doing now that has led to a necessary change in your life. It will not feel right. It will not be comfortable or easy and that is exactly when you have to become the kind of person that this phrase is talking about...Tough.

That is right, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Not the weak. Not the fat and lazy. Not quitters, whiners and wimps. The Tough get going.

As a trainer, my turnover rate is relatively low and that is good. For me to help people with their fitness goals, I have to have time for that transition to take place. A couple of weeks or even months may not be enough. I have noticed a pretty consistent trend though and that is with the type of people who quit. Most of the people who quit are quitting in less than a month. They are the ones who are missing training dates and wondering why they are not seeing results. People who quit so easy are also the ones who usually always have a problem. It is usually a knee, or a headache, not enough sleep the night before. I think it is just a learned behavior. It has become a bad habit by quitting at the sign of anything remotely challenging.

To be one of the "tough" will require hard work. There is no magic pill or easy way out. If you are looking for an easy way out, you are already on your way to being defeated. Ultimately you need to decide what results you really want and then set a up real plan that will help you realize those goals. You have to decide what you would be willing to sacrifice to accomplish those goals. Those sacrifices may include some discomfort, time or money but you have to look at the tradeoff. The tradeoff may be money on donuts and fastfood for a personal trainer. The tradeoff for your time may come from spending less time watching tv and more time exercising or cooking home-cooked meals.

If you really want change, you are going to have to do the opposite of these learned responses. If your first response is to quit, that is when you have to tough it out. If your response to a challenging workout is to slow down, maybe that is when you have to push through that barrier and speed up. You will never know if the sky is the limit until you are willing to leave the ground.

Back to the Future

Do you have any regrets? If you could go back in time would you have done things differently? I remember a show from the 80's called Fantasy Island. It was about this island that people could go to and relive certain parts of their lives as to see how things could have turned out had they made different decisions. Are you living the life you had hoped for? Are you the person you hoped to be?

I heard the pastor of my church say that "Your life in the future will be determined by how you live in the present." Will you be fat, thin, rich, poor, happy, sad? The way you are living right now will determine those answers in the future. That is why it is important to take a look at the choices and decisions you are making right now and determine if they are going to lead you to the future you hope for. Do your hopes for the future include sickness, pain, and poverty or the opposite?

I have written in the past about my made up acronym WIWT(Will I Regret This). For example, a high school student may ask themselves if they will regret not finishing and getting their diploma. The fact is that if you have to ask yourself whether you may regret something or not, it is a pretty good indicator that you may. I don't have to ask myself if I will regret working out or being friendly to others. My past regrets DON'T include eating right, spending time with my family, or striving to live a life of excellence, but my past regrets DO include not doing those things.

Take inventory of your life right now. The fact is that today is the future of yesterday. Is it all that you had hoped it would be?