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.