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Oct 21 2014

How 1 Hour And 17 Minuets in Santa Fe Put Me In My Place…

A couple weeks back I competed in and finished the Santa Fe Triathlon, and boy did it teach me a lesson.

I think of myself a pretty good athlete. Picking up sports and learning new physical activities has never been that difficult for me. We all have our talents, and that is one of mine. Wanting to be fit and healthy has led me to be a personal trainer and to start a personal training company here in Santa Fe, New Mexico so I can help others achieve their health goals also.

Ever since college I have thought it would be a good challenge to do a triathlon. That year I incorporated it into my program and went for it. Problem was I didn’t have a bike and there weren’t any near me. “Oh well” I told myself “I tried.” Then about 6 years ago in LA the Malibu triathlon was coming around and I caught the need to do it again. Again I trained and raised funds for it, but right before the race, I hurt my knee. Nothing serious, but there was no way I could run long distances on it. “I tried” I told myself, but I was annoyed I again couldn’t do it.

The Santa Fe Triathlon provided me a way to get that monkey off my back.

I have always used visualization to propel me toward my goals. I have been doing it so long it wasn’t called making a “vision board” it was putting pictures on the wall of things you strived for. About a year before I moved to Santa Fe I made a “vision board,” putting all things I wanted in my life on it. And of course I put all the usual suspects on the board: career goals, family, individual goals, and within all this, something was right in the forefront: “Try a Triathlon.” I stuck it in there not knowing when it might happen.

When we moved to Santa Fe we were unpacking the boxes and my wife came in and asked if I still wanted to have my vision board up. At first my feeling was “Ah that was a long time ago, I need new goals.” And I was about to tell her to throw it away, but something stopped me. So I told her I would put it up. And after that I really didn’t look at it to much until….

Sticking to your goals will help you do the Santa Fe Triathlon…or any other goal for that matter.

I was at a Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce event talking to a group of people when all of a sudden somebody mentioned they were doing the Santa Fe Triathlon and immediately I perked up. It was the same feeling I had had the previous two times, but this time everything was lining up. It was three months away, I had a road bike, and I know how to train to keep my body in balance so I wouldn’t get hurt. Oh it was on!

I set my program and was off! And then something funny started happening to me. Negative thoughts and feeling. It didn’t make sense to me. I was SUPER ATHLETE! I could do anything! But the thoughts and the feelings stayed. And even worse they got more significant as the race got closer. And it still didn’t make sense because I had really progressed in my training. I was down 20 lbs, I had knocked off a minute per mile in my run, and I could make the 400m swim now. Demons were in my head, but I persisted.

Three fourths through my training both my wife and I noticed something on my vision board.

I had totally forgotten about this! This gave my confidence that I could do this even though I felt like my stomach was going to crawl out at any point.

It all came to a head the day of. Of course I hardly slept and my stomach resisted the food I was trying to give it. I always get a little “ancy” before anything athletic and especially before a competition, but this was way overboard. I had to make a conscious choice to go slower than I wanted. Had I gone out the way I wanted I would have destroyed my nervous system and once you push your nervous system too far, the only way to “get it back” is to rest. Resting is not the best way to compete in a race.

Then it was time for the race. I went at the pace that I felt was appropriate concentrating only on what I was doing at that time. Pretty soon I noticed that “what I was doing at the time” was passing people. I was actually kind of in shock, but I tried not to think to much about it because in the Santa Fe Triathlon the swim is last and I didn’t want to drown.

I finally go to the swim portion and I had no idea where I was in the race, so I continued along my pace. I just cleared my head and dove in. I am a very good swimmer, but I did not know if I could run, bike, and THEN swim.

Again, I stayed at my pace and swam. Once again, to my amazement, I started passing people. At fist I didn’t want to because I thought that I would get in people’s way, but once I started I really started gaining confidence. Half way though I was so stoked because I realized that this wasn’t that hard for me and that I should go faster!!! It was awesome!!!

Here I was, the big bad athlete who thought he could do just about anything athletic, being “taught a lesson” by the Santa Fe Triathlon.

My fear tried to prevent me from participating and winning, but through focusing on my goals, and win. I am getting all emotional about it right now just thinking about it!

This is not something just I can do. I’m sharing this so you’ll know that if you set your goals and focus on the task at hand you’ll know that what you are doing is winning!

CLYDESDALE DIVISION RESULTS

356 EKEMBA SOOH TOTAL PLACE #1 SANTA FE

RUN #1 23:57 1:55.4 transition

BIKE #1 39:23.0 3:00.0 transition

SWIM #2 9:18.5

1:17:33.3

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Sep 07 2014

You don’t have to work out like an NFL player.

By the time this blog is posted, the NFL season will be on its way. YEAH! I love NFL football, and since moving to Santa Fe, I miss living close to NFL action.

But don’t think I’m going to ask you to work out like an NFL player. I know what an NFL exercise program is like and I know it’s not complete. But there is something to be said about the NFL player’s exercise routine, which includes consistency and pushing yourself a little beyond what you can do each time to get a little bit better each day.

Consistency, pushing yourself, and trying to get a little better each day — these are the keys to any exercise program. And that last part is something you will hear NFL players and coaches say all the time: “We’re just trying to get a little bit better each day.” It is cliché, but it is absolutely true.

How to put a little NFL and a little kaizen in your exercise program.

Kaizen is a Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement in all areas of business practices and personal development. I preach similar principles to all my clients and the people I work with here in Santa Fe. Gradual, steady improvement is the only way to approach a long-term goal without driving yourself crazy. I wanted everything now, so this was a big, uncomfortable pill for me to swallow, and I still choke on it now and then. But the alternative — the highs and lows and the stress that it produces — is not worth it.

You need a laid-out, realistic exercise program in which you push yourself a little further than you are comfortable with. And uncomfortable comes in many different flavors — physical, mental, and emotional. For any success to happen you have to be OK with the uncomfortableness.

This means your muscles may burn a little more than you’d like, or if you live in a high altitude as we have in Santa Fe, you may be huffing and puffing more than you’d like.
This means you may have to put away your ego and what you think is right, trust in the program you have chosen, and do it.
This also means you will have to be OK with the feelings that come to you before and during your exercise program. Nothing comes for free; you’ve got to work it.

Say yes to your inner NFL player.

Scene: You standing at the mirror looking at yourself in the morning. “I’m just trying to get a little bit better today.”

Sounds hokey, doesn’t it? It feels even hokier when you actually do it…at the start. It gets easier and easier each time you say it. You don’t have to use that exact sentence. Keep the idea and find your own words.

From Washington, DC, to North Carolina to Los Angeles to Santa Fe I have used this with varying levels of consistency and with my own words. When I am more consistent in saying those words, they come true. Now combine that with a thought-out program and being OK with the uncomfortableness that goes along with it, and what do you have? Success. Meaning you are a success. Now go stand in front of the mirror and make yourself uncomfortable.
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Aug 23 2014

These 3 Motivational Words Will Put Your Exercise Program In Overdrive And Have You Looking And Feeling Better Than you Have In Years!

What three motivational words can you say to yourself that will put your exercise program in overdrive and make your fitness dreams come true?

“I Want To!”

Too often we approach our fitness routines with the thought “I have to,” and it produces a counterproductive attitude toward our fitness program. Say both phrases out loud (if you’re in a public place you can wait till you get home…or not) and pay attention to how it feels within your body. “I have to” produces dread and a “heavy” feeling. “I want to” produces an extra pep in your step and a joy associated with whatever you want to do.

How I used this phrase to help me.

I’ll be honest, getting myself to work out is not difficult at all. I just set a plan, follow it, and adapt along the way. It’s one of the reasons I became a personal trainer; it has pretty much come easy to me. But there are goals I have had that have really challenged me mentally and emotionally. In fact I am going through one right now.

Back in February I threw caution to the wind and hired a French teacher to, well, teach me French. I knew French back when I was a wee tike but lost it when we moved to the States. And ever since I could remember I have wanted to relearn it. So I started doing my research, looking for a teacher, and I found Sabine. Born in France, she has a PhD in French studies and is a teacher…DING DING DING! I stalked her down and got her to meet with me, and after a nice chat I knew it would work. So even though I was still trying to build my business, take care of a baby, and learn a new city, I committed. I told her I would be with her for at least a year, and we got started.

(P.S. There are a lot of really good teaching points in this last paragraph about achieving your goals. You might want to go back and reread it.)

This Santa Fe French teacher is kicking my butt!

I was so gung ho those first couple of classes, and I was feeling really excited about finally being able to speak French. And then I got hit smack in the face with reality. I remember it really clearly, that feeling of being overwhelmed and all the negative thoughts flooding into my head. “There is no way I can learn all this.” “You’ll never get this.” Etc., etc. I continued because I do not like to quit, but I was trying to power through these thoughts and feelings. I “had to” do this! Push Push Push!

Then the thought came to me, “I want to do this,” and I felt the calmness that came with it. Done. I don’t question things when they are this clear. So I started to approach learning French in this manner, and it has helped me tremendously. Do I still get frustrated and impatient? You bet I do! But I don’t let it become me. Because I “want to” I can now relax, have fun, and consequently learn more efficiently.

What’s running in your head?

Do you “have to” go work out? Or do you “want to”? If you “have to,” you are fighting yourself and it will make accomplishing your goals exponentially harder. If you “want to,” you are enjoying the process and it will allow you to get to where you want to go quicker. So add a little “want to” in your life.

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Jun 25 2014

Add A Vacation To Your Exercise Programs

How adding a vacation to your exercise programs will help you lose weight, have more energy and keep you motivated!

I recently took a trip to Oregon and Washington to visit friends and family and I was supposed to be taking a break from work and my exercise program. Above is the view from my mom’s window which looks directly out onto the MaKenzie River, outside of Eugene, Oregon. Horrible, I know. My wife told me I wasn’t allowed to work on vacation, but it’s not working if you love what you do and I just had to share this with all of you.

Everyone has heard the success story in which a person goes away on vacation, loses weight and comes back with more energy and feeling really motivated. This is the same weight that they had been trying to lose for the past X amount of time, and then they go some place- relaxing, eat whatever they want, doing fun activities and POOF it melts away.

Adding some down time will not only help propel your exercise program, it will improve your life.

I recently came back from studying with my teacher, Guy Voyer and we were talking about Periodization. For the non inclined, this term simply means how to progress somebody through the different phases on an exercise programs. There is A LOT to factors to consider when you are developing and individualizing an exercise programs but the main thing to consider is “take your time” (in a french accent, of course.)

To stop and not do anything for small and big amounts of time (ie. vacation) does not mean that you are not making progress in your exercise program.

Exercise is an education to your whole being, and you’re whole being needs time to adapt to the information you just gave it. So scheduling time off will give your body time to adapt.

This is best done through three ways:

Cycling your workouts. If you are consistently doing the same type of workouts in your exercise program, not only will this NOT be challenging enough, but you WILL be overworking and damaging your body through repetitive movement patterns.
Taking time off throughout the week. Doing more, does not mean you are getting more. You must give yourself “off time” through out the week and month to let your body adapt to all the good information that you have been giving it with your exercise program. This will also allow you to track, re-assess and plan any changes needed in your exercise program.
And DEFINITELY, Take some vacations. You will see your body change as it now has time to relax. Your parasympathetic nervous system is involved in the repair and rejuvenation of your body and it is not used unless you get proper sleep and time to relax. An Exercise Program without this is destruction to your body and more importantly to your mind and motivation.

Anybody who knows me knows that I work hard. Anybody who REALLY knows me, knows that I also relax hard! So, if you haven’t already….plan your summer vacation, and then get back to your program.

P.S As you can see, you can still workout on vacation….just make it fun…and relaxing!!!

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