Here's What the Champions Do...

The psychology or thought process behind why a person does what they do is more important to me than what they actually do.  
 
For example, if someone donates to charity strictly because they want to help a needy  cause - that is fantastic!  
 
If someone only donates because of what the donating party can gain because of donating such as tax write off, exposure in the community or other self motivated reasons, their charitable contributions aren't as impressive to me.  
 
It's still great that they donated but the motivation behind it changes my outlook on the situation a bit. 
 
Did your girlfriend/boyfriend start a fight with you because you legitimately did something to upset them or is picking a fight with you their way of showing you that you are not paying them enough attention?  
 
There is a big difference because one motivating factor comes from the heart while the other is just because you screwed up. 
 
What really impresses me are champions.  
 
To be more specific, world champions.  
 
Yes, the fact that they won a world championship is very impressive but what is more impressive to me is the mindset of the individual that won the world championship.  
 
The reason why that is important to me is because I want to know what makes them tick so I can learn from them and become better at my craft.
 
I have a lot of friends and network connections in the fitness industry and have strong relationships with some of the biggest, most popular names in fitness.  
 
Recently I was having coffee (actually bottled water but it was at Starbucks) with 2x Ms. Olympia Figure Division champion and Arnold Classic champion Erin Stern.   
 
Erin and I workout at the same gym and have been friends for about 3 years.  She is a very sweet, humble person and is great for conversation.  
 
One of the questions that I asked her was "What does it feel like to be the best in the world at what you do?" because I really wanted to know what that feels like. 
 
She just kind of smiled and took a very humble approach in answering the question but that is just Erin being Erin.  
 
However, if you have ever seen her workout or how she approaches life, everything is fitness related in some sense.  
 
She never drinks, smokes or eats anything remotely close to what I would consider a "cheat meal".  
 
She works out like a beast and I don't know of too many men or women that could hang with her for a workout.   
 
She lives the champion's lifestyle and she has earned everything that she has accomplished through some of the hardest work that I have ever seen, extreme discipline and a pure love and passion for fitness. 
 
I workout hard 6 days per week, my diet is impeccable and I LOVE fitness but there is no way that I could do what she does because I don't have the passion to take it that far.  
 
I like to drink some beer, eat some pizza, go out a bit, etc.  Although many people consider me to be VERY disciplined in my fitness, I am nothing remotely close to her level of discipline.
 
Legendary former NBA coach Pat Riley who won 5 world championships as a head coach, one as an assistant coach, one as a player, and three more as team president of the Miami Heat had one of my favorite speeches in sports history.  
 
One of the hardest things in the world to do is win a world championship but what is even harder is winning another world championship after you have already won one.  
 
They say it's because a bit of the hunger, motivation and drive wears off after you win one and complacency sets in.  
 
Complacency is one of the worst things in the world for anybody but especially an athlete or business owner.   
 
So how does a world champion maintain their determination to win again?
 
When Pat Riley had just won a world championship with the Lakers almost 30 years ago the entire team and coaching staff were celebrating with one another, drinking champagne and truly loving the moment of a well earned victory.  
 
The team earned the right to be a champion so they deserve the right to celebrate and enjoy the moment.  
 
After things settled down in the locker room, Pat got up to give his speech to the team.  
 
His speech was primarily about congratulating the players.  He was proud of all of their hard work and their commitment to excellence but he was smart and wanted to make sure that the Lakers would win again the following year. 
 
While he was giving his team their well deserved praise, he also started getting them mentally prepared for the following season.  
 
Pat had told them that they all did an exceptional job but then he asked them if each individual player could give 1% more than they had that championship season.   
 
He told them that the only way that they could win another championship is if they would all give 1% more next season because their "100%" this year wouldn't be good enough for the following season.   
 
Also he knew that it is very rare that people, even professional athletes give 100% of what they are truly capable of. 
 
When he asked if they could all give 1% more, every player on that team said that they could.  
 
Long story short, the players all gave at least 1% more the following year and they won another NBA World Championship.
 
How does Erin Stern and Pat Riley concern you and your PT business?
 
To be the best at what you do you have to be willing to do the things that others are not willing to do.  You have to be willing to give that extra 1% very few are willing to give. 
 
You have to go above and beyond what everyone else is doing and you have to go above and beyond anything that you have ever done.  
 
The only way that your business will continually get better is if you are truly willing to give at least an extra 1% in all areas that you do. 
 
Whether you want to be a world champion, the best trainer in your area or the most successful trainer that you can be you have to be willing to do the things that non-champions don't do.  
 
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.  
 
Commit to having the mindset of a champion, give 1% more every day, do what others may not be willing to do and you will be a champion.  

How to Afford Isagenix

How to Afford Isagenix and
SAVE Time and Money Each Month!!!

TIME...do you have a BJ's or Costco card?  Yes or no...Why do you/people go to BJ's and Costco?  To buy in bulk to save time and money because by buying in bulk you get a discounted price, right?  Isagenix works the same way, EXCEPT Isagenix is shipped to you every month on the day that you choose...so you don't have to go to the store!!!  We are saving you time so now you will have more time to do what you want!!!

MONEY...Isagenix IS NOT an added expense, all you need to do is reallocate your money!!!  Let's try this exercise...get a piece of paper and pen and write this down!

Write down your Monthly Income                                                                 ________________
Write down how much money is going out each day (TOTAL from below) ____   X 30 =  ____   

DAILY 
Groceries                                                                     _________
Breakfast                                                                     _________
Lunch                                                                          _________
Dinner                                                                         _________
Fast Food/Take Out/Eating Out                                  _________
Coffee/Energy Drinks                                                 _________
Snacks/Candy/Chips                                                   _________
Sports Drinks (gatorade, vitamin water...)                  _________
Misc (wal-mart, target)                                               _________

TOTAL                                                                 _________


Place your total in the line highlighted in green then multiply that # by 30 and that is the money that you will be putting towards your Isagenix!!!

HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO INVEST IN YOUR HEALTH?

YOU CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT...THE BENEFITS ARE LIMITLESS!!!

20 Signs You're Unhappy (But Don't Even Realize It)

BY DR. LISSA RANKIN
JANUARY 23, 2014 7:53 AM EST

Our entire culture suffers from what the shamans call “soul loss,” a loss of meaning, direction, vitality, mission, purpose, identity, and genuine connection; a deep unhappiness that most of us have come to consider as simply ordinary.

The soul is our source of absolute uniqueness, a place within that connects you not only to your own value and essence, but to the value and essence of every other living being. What makes soul loss so subtle and dangerous is that very few people have realized that it has happened. Most of us do not know that we have disconnected from our soul and have come to accept as normal a numbness and lack of meaning in our lives.

Because we all belong to this culture, we all suffer from soul loss. It's epidemic and blinds us from seeing the potential for joy and wholeness in ordinary life. When you heal from soul loss, you see familiar things in new ways so you can increase your joy in what you already have.

Not sure if you’re suffering from soul loss? Here are 20 diagnostic signs that signal soul loss:

1You feel like you’re not as good as other people.

2You yearn to be of service, but you have no idea what you have to contribute and why it matters.

3You find yourself striving in vain for an impossible-to-achieve standard of perfection.

4Your fears keep you from living large.

5You’re frequently worried that you’re not good enough, smart enough, thin enough, young enough, [fill in the blank] enough.

6You feel like a victim of circumstances that are beyond your control.

7You feel like your daily life is meaningless and task-driven.

8You often feel helpless, hopeless, or pessimistic.

9You protect your heart with steel walls.

10You often feel you don’t really matter and your love doesn’t make a difference.

11You’re always trying to fit in and belong, but rarely feel like you do.

12You feel beaten down by the challenges you face in your life.

13You suffer from a variety of vague, hard to treat physical symptoms, such as fatigue, chronic pain, weight gain or loss, insomnia, skin disorders, or gastrointestinal symptoms.

14You struggle with being able to accept love and nurturing.

15You feel depressed, anxious, or chronically worried.

16You feel like you’re not appreciated enough.

17You find yourself judging others.

18You frequently numb yourself with alcohol, drugs, sex, television, or excessive busyness.

19You feel disappointed with life.

20You’ve forgotten how to dream.
How soul loss shows up at the doctor’s office

As a physician, I’ve had years of experience diagnosing soul loss in my patients, but Western medicine has no framework for this kind of diagnosis, and as doctors, we’re not taught to treat this kind of suffering, so we wind up mistreating it.

What people suffering from soul loss need is the deep medicine of reconnection with the soul, but in our culture, we tend to treat soul loss too superficially. We treat the chronic pain with pain medication. We treat the insomnia with sleeping pills. We treat the weight issues with diet and exercise. And most damagingly, we may label soul loss as mental illness, such as depression, and cover up the symptoms with psychiatric medications that may make things worse by slapping a Band-aid on a wound that’s not healing underneath the bandage.

The treatment you really need

Sometimes the soul needs space in order to heal, and this may require the courage to make some external changes in your life. Perhaps you need to switch careers in order to give the soul more room to breathe. Perhaps an unhealthy relationship is constricting the soul, and it’s time to get into therapy, set boundaries, or even end things. Perhaps you need to find more people to love or relocate to a place that helps your soul come alive.

Perhaps you need to give your soul permission to engage in more creative activities. Such eternal changes may be part of the prescription the inner doctor of your soul writes. But very often, those kinds of major life overhauls are NOT NECESSARY! Reconnecting to the soul allows you to find peace and happiness right where you are in ways that are much simpler and more profound than you might think. It can be astounding to discover that you’ve had what you needed all along and have been looking in all the wrong places. Perhaps all that is needed is to see the life you’re already living in a different way.

What is Isagenix?

 WHAT IS NUTRITIONAL CLEANSING?

 

 It is an all natural system of products that is organic where possible and doesn’t contain artificial flavours, colours, fillers or sweeteners and uses the highest quality  ingredients.

Nutritional cleansing is about bringing the body into balance by gently cleansing away toxins while feeding it high quality nutrients and minerals.

It’s not a ‘’single organ” cleanse….. EVERY SINGLE CELL in your body, including your brain is cleansed without the nasty, ill effects that some detoxes result in.

Our Nutritional Cleansing System is actually not a “weight-loss program’’. As your body moves into an optimal state of health, excess fat and fluid are released while preserving your precious lean muscle mass. In fact, the same program used to lose weight is used by elite Olympic Athletes like Jana Pittman and Natalie Cook that have very little body fat!

The system is not a liquid or starvation diet, you continue to eat frequently and abundantly throughout the day and your body is rejuvenated and replenished with natural botanicals, trace minerals, enzymes and incredible nutrients that are all scientifically proven to allow the body to be the miracle it is.

Ever wonder why you get that Yo-Yo effect with diets – lose weight then get it all back plus 10% more than you started with? It’s because they don’t address one of the main causes of weight accumulation – Toxicity. The body is protecting our organs from these toxins by creating more and more fat cells with which to coat the toxins and chemicals. Simple isn’t it? Get rid of the toxins and the body doesn’t need to create more and more fat cells.

Isagenix is for anyone that wants to look better, feel better and sleep better or just to de-stress. The ultimate goal is to get the mind and body in perfect balance through cleansing the body of toxins and providing it with all it needs nutritionally. The aim is to move the body from an acidic to an alkaline state and to reduce inflammation in the body. It’s fantastic to support gut and brain health and to boost the immune system by up to 500%.

To be ‘on a diet’ is depressing and boring. They are often hard to stick to and require a lot of motivation and effort. If something is too hard to maintain you won’t stick with it. The Isagenix system is not a diet or a quick fix, it is a lifestyle change. If a pack isn’t right for you for any reason, you may benefit by just using a couple of the products, be sure to contact us.

If you are on prescription medication you need to be monitored by your regular Doctor. Please seeFAQ’s.

If the products are not suitable for you or for any other reason, there is a 30 day money back guarantee.

Isagenix does not intend to diagnose, cure or prevent disease.

We encourage you to contact us for help with the most cost effective way to tailor the products and programs to your needs.

 

TRADITIONAL DIETING

The main reason why a lot of traditional diets fail is that many actually starve the body of what it needs nutritionally. The body needs nourishment to function properly.

Some diets and detoxes are so extreme, the body needs protein and if it does not aquire that through good nutrition it will start to break down muscle tissue. You think it’s fat and fluid loss that you see on the scales and it might be but it also might be the breakdown of your muscles. Lean muscle mass is so important for your metabolism and burning calories.

The Isagenix systems flood your body with all it needs nutritionally and at the same time assists it in removing the toxins and impurities that make us sick, tired and fat. All the products are 100% natural and all sourced from  the highest quality ingredients. The products are all food. Superfoods in fact.

 

 

Family Fitness Challenge

Simply stated, a Family Fitness Challenge is an exercise and healthy habit plan to try and make healthier choices. Here is the fitness challenge:

Eat 3 healthy meals 6 days a week

Exercise 3 times a week one of which has to be as a family

Eat only 2 junky snacks a day

Eat only 1 sugary cereal 1 day a week

So if you are looking for some creative ways to get your family moving here are some tips and suggestions to help you get your Family Fitness Challenge going:

Make your goals as a family, asking one of the older children to write them down.

Make your fitness goals realistic.  It is better to start small and then build up rather than set them too high and fail.  Be mindful of your family’s schedule, routines, and personality while writing your fitness goals.  Make your fitness goals fit your family rather than forcing your family to fit your goals.

If your family fitness goals include cutting back on junk food, you may have to consider thinking through and defining as a family what is and isn’t junk food as well as appropriate serving sizes. 

Use a fitness chart to track your progress and let your kids take turns handing out the gold stars.  You can create your own or use our template.

                Family Fitness Challenge Progress Chart – PDF Version

Build in rewards along the way.  For example, a possible reward may be a night at the movies after 4 weeks of consistently meeting your goals.

Don’t set weight goals for your kids.  Keep the goals focused on fun, eating healthy, and exercise.

For more complex goals, consider using a fitness notebook to help keep track of your progress.

Good luck!

Muscle Up with the “Protein Window”

The right kind and right amount of protein after a workout supports maximal muscle synthesis.

You’ve just finished pushing yourself beyond your limits at the gym. It’s that euphoric time when you celebrate your victory over the voice inside your head that tempted you to abort mission on working out in the first place. You welcome the screaming after-burn from your decimated muscle because it represents one thing: change to your body that is sure to come, change for the better. But what if nutritional science offered you a way to take your hard-fought training to the max? Call it a short window of opportunity to make the most of your workout and boost muscle gains.

Enter the “protein window”—the 30 minutes following an intense bout of exercise is that short, sweet window of opportunity where you can capitalize on your hard work to the greatest degree. The tough part is done. Now to get the most bang for your bench sets, you need to feed your body. Getting the right protein in the right amount after a workout will maximize your muscle gain and recovery. After all, failing to take advantage of the protein window is like working a 40-hour week and never cashing your paycheck.

What happens during the “protein window”

In the short period following a workout, your body is extremely sensitive to nutrients. This is directly related to the energy demands of exercise and the force placed on contracting muscle (1). During a hard training session, the body is fueled by energy from fat as well as sugar stored around muscle (glycogen). As working muscle burns through glycogen reserves, the hormone cortisol is released. Cortisol acts as a messenger to tell your liver to start making sugar from protein. Most of the protein that is used to make sugar comes from muscle, which is broken down when cortisol is high. Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone” and it tends to run high during stressful periods of fuel shortage.

Because high cortisol causes muscle to break down, it is necessary to lower levels as quickly as possible following a workout. Eating fast-absorbing whey protein and carbohydrate (sugar) within 30 minutes of exercise is the best way to do this (1). During this time blood flow to muscle is still high, resulting in quick delivery of nutrients (2). The body senses repletion of these nutrients and rapidly changes from a state of breakdown to a state of rebuilding and replenishment. This is the main goal of post-workout nutrition. By eating protein along with a source of carbohydrate directly after exercise, cortisol and muscle breakdown stops and muscle growth, repair, and glycogen repletion starts (1,3).

The right protein, the right amount

After exercise your body is like a sponge. The key to optimizing muscle synthesis and repair is getting the right type of protein in the right amount during the protein window. A fast absorbing protein that’s high in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), particularly leucine, will maximally stimulate pathways that activate muscle synthesis. Whey protein absorbs faster than other sources of protein, making it quickly available to muscle (4). In addition, it’s rich in BCAAs and leucine, making it a superior trigger for muscle growth. By eating about 25 to 40 grams of whey protein after your workout, muscle synthesis can be maximized (2).

Eating carbohydrate after exercising is also important, as it will rapidly lower cortisol while refilling the glycogen tank. Not only is the body sensitive to protein after exercise, but it’s also sensitive to carbohydrate (3). The post-workout period is the perfect opportunity to refuel.

IsaPro: Your go-to post-workout protein

By eating quality whey protein within 30 minutes of a workout, you can take advantage of your hard work and gain more muscle, faster. IsaPro is the perfect post-training protein. By pairing IsaPro with a carb source such as fruit or oats, you will get the body you want and the energy you need.

What if IsaLean Pro has been your go-to after a workout during the protein window? You’re not causing any harm, that’s for sure. And there’s definitely some muscle-building benefit to this as well, but the lack of fat and fiber in IsaPro paired with a carb source means that the protein and carb get to your muscles faster and more efficiently. It may be a matter of personal preference, but if maximum muscle building is your goal, stick with the straight protein (IsaPro) and carb.

References:

Ivy J, & Portman, R. (2004). Nutrient timing: The future of sports nutrition. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc
Hulmi JJ et al. Effect of protein/essential amino acids and resistance training on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: A case for whey protein. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2010 Jun 17;7:51.
Aragon AA, Schoenfeld BJ. Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Jan 29;10(1):5. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-10-5.
Phillips SM et al. The role of milk- and soy-based protein in support of muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein accretion in young and elderly persons. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Aug;28(4):343-54.

Owning our financial mistakes goes a long way...

Regardless of what challenges we face in life, whether it’s weight, relationships or finances, in order to solve them we first need to get to the “bottom” of the issue – the real source of the problem.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we know that we will never lose those extra pounds with two feet on the treadmill and two hands in a supersized bag of M&M’s. Something has to give, and it’s up to us to decide what gives.
Financial challenges are crippling our society.  Young college grads are up to their eyeballs in student loan debt. Marriages are drowning in credit card debt and seniors are fearful about retirement, since they have very little saved for the “winter” season of life.

By now, you may be thinking that the financial struggles we see all around us are beyond rescue, but what if I told you that there is great hope in turning this around? What if that hope lies in you? God's word promises that if are willing to humble ourselves, confess our shortcomings, His mercy will reign in our lives! 

Our financial challenges will not go away unless we own the responsibility for our individual financial situation. No matter how we slice it, it’s not the mortgage brokers who are forcing us to buy homes we can’t afford. It’s not the credit card companies that make us charge all kinds of “wants” now so we can pay for them later. Sooner or later, if we really want our finances to get healthy, we need to recognize and own our financial weaknesses.

Here are few simple ways to start breaking our destructive financial habits and acquire financial disciplines that can make or break our financial turnaround.

1.  Take a look at 60-90 days of all your spending. Once you do this, a picture of your financial priorities will emerge. Use this information to start making necessary adjustments. 

2.  Find an accountability partner, someone who will be able to ask you the tough questions and someone who will have your financial best interest in mind.

3.  Set small achievable goals. Don’t try to tackle everything at once. Determine the most urgent problem that needs to be solved, and make a plan to tackle it head on. Small, frequent wins will help you stay encouraged and see the light at the end of the tunnel.