The voices...

"I hear voices in my head

They council me

They understand

They talk to me"

I keep hearing these voices in my head, or maybe they're not in my head.. maybe they're in background of my daily life.... or is that the radio? Actually it's coming from a variety of different sources and it's beginning to create a path of increasing insanity throughout the world.  

It could be voices talking about political issues or voices reaching out for someone.. anyone to care about them.  Sometimes the voices can be heard and the immediate picture that comes to mind, is tears.  Seems like all the voices are sad.  Sad that things are not working out.  Sad that someone won't listen.  Sad that life has become so mundane.

If you let them, the voices will grab hold of you and pull you in, increasing pressure until it starts to suffocate you.  You want to help but you know and understand that the lost are the lost and your help does not even matter.  The voices truly, deep down, with complete honesty do not care.  They scream in pain for help and attention but then... life goes on.  

But some voices are there, here, down yonder.. for one reason.. to help.  They know the voices don't care and they know the other voices are almost guaranteed to not be listening.  But it continues, daily, and with increasing determination to help.. to change.. or...to silence?

What voices do you listen to?  Do you listen to the sad voices or the motivated voices?  Do your voices joke and laugh at seriousness or do your voices preach consistent effort?  Do the voices that you come in contact with have dedication to becoming better or are the voices determined to bring your voice down.. or worse.. your mind?  

The voices I listen to are knowledgeable with the intent of becoming better.. everyday. The voices I hear that stick in my mind have dedication, determined, and they are demanding.  Those voices speak the truth and have an incredible passion for the things that MATTER.  

So... what kind of voices are you reading?

The Last "diet" You Will Ever Need...

I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist so I have no right or legal ground to be telling you what to eat.  You CHOOSE to read my OPINION on what to eat.  It is not may fault if you drop dead of a heart attack or grow a third boob.  This is what I would do if I was you.  You give up any right in suing me or whatever the hell tickles your toes by reading this.  Have fun and good luck.

Every book, magazine, website article, blog, whatever has some kind of latest diet advice or macronutrient ratio to follow.  Most of it is bullshit when they try to sell something to you.  This is NOT always the case but most of the time, it's all just too hard to follow or it doesn't give you enough room to enjoy food.  That is why I decided to write this blog for you to try. I try to stick with organic and free range foods as much as possible, I understand some people can't do this.. so what.. that's okay.. BUT there are some rules:


Rule # 1- I must exercise 4-6 hours a week and I am NOT afraid to lift weights.  The more- the better results I'll get.


Rule #2- I must exercise 4-6 hours a week and I am NOT afraid to lift weights. The more- the better results I'll get.


Rule #3- I will try not to drink my drink of choice until after my meal.


Rule #4- I take this as opinion and not a prescription.


Rule #5- I must exercise 4-6 hours a week and I will lift some fucking weights. The more- the better results I'll get.


Rule #6- I will avoid as much processed or GMO'd food as possible.


Rule #7- I will dedicate one meal per week to whatever the F**K I want as long as I exercise 4-6 hours a week. 


Rule #8 which should be Rules 1-8: I WILL STICK WITH THE PLAN FOR ONE YEAR AND NOT QUIT.  MY RESULTS DEPEND ON MY LIFESTYLE CHANGE AND I DO NOT BELIEVE IN QUICK FIXES. I WANT TO BECOME AWESOME SO I WILL DO AWESOME THINGS AND USE MY FOOD AS FUEL.

Ok, ready?

Breakfast:
4 whole eggs
1 cup Broccoli or Veggie of choice
1 handful Almonds/Peanuts/Cashews/Whatever Nut chosen
Now if it's a Saturday or Sunday, even a day off, treat yourself to BACON.  Cut the nuts out and eat 4-6 slices of bacon.  Near identical calories as the nuts and the Fats in Bacon, will not kill you.

** OK you don't have time to grab food and get out of the house because YOU CHOOSE not to wake up early enough.  This takes dedication and you should get your ass up early and find something to eat.  Go ahead and grab a handful of nuts and call it "breakfast" if you're running late, It won't kill you.  Just add some more Protein to lunch or grab a Whey shake for a snack later with a piece of fruit.**

Snack (can be skipped if not "hungry" and used as dessert)
1 piece of fruit

Lunch
1 handful of lettuce.  Two won't kill, nor will three. Neither will the dressing if reasonable (2 TBSP)
**IF you don't like Salads and lettuce DON'T eat it. Not going to kill you if you skip it**
1 veggie of choice in lettuce
1 handful whatever nut added into lettuce *Now be reasonable with this*
4-8oz Protein (Chicken, Salmon, Beef, Buffalo, Turkey, Ham, Venison, ETC)

**Here is lunch and your boss told you to meet them at Applebee's, what do you do?  Easy- you follow the god damn plan!  Get a plain salad, with olive oil, an egg or two, and some GRILLED chicken, grilled fish, or steak strips. You want about a fist size of meat.  Any extra, wrap it up or leave it...  If your waiter, waitress, or dining place of choice won't make you this- go into the back, grab the chef and kick his/her ass... you train 4-6 hours a week and eat real food (not like a bird) you should be able to..**

Snack (Can be skipped if not "hungry" and used as dessert or added to your lunch.)
1 piece of fruit

Dinner
2-5 handfuls of lettuce (2 TBSP dressing)
1 Veggie of choice in lettuce
1 handful whatever nut added into lettuce *Again- You're feeding Rhode Island and NOT Asia.*
6-12oz Protein (Chicken, Salmon, Beef, Buffalo, Turkey, Ham, Venison, ETC)
1 **SERVING** (Meaning whatever a serving size of whatever chosen is) of Rice or Potato.

**This dinner is easily replaced with whatever chosen to eat at a restaurant (in a reasonable manner) if you choose to go to eat. That means an entree only.  No side dishes, apps, breadsticks, salads, sodas, etc...Also cook your meat on a grill!** 

Dessert
If you skipped the "Snacks" and want the fruit for dessert go ahead and add a reasonable portion of whipped cream and enjoy..

Follow this, with healthy, fresh, organic foods for 6 MONTHS AT LEAST and you'll be a different person. This is roughly a 2,000 calorie diet.  I chose to make the plan based around 2,000 calories because women and men should never go below that, I don't understand any need to.  If you eat 2,000 calories and get your "SMART" exercise in you will have a great body and be a healthy person.  Food is first and ALWAYS fuel.  It is not for comfort or passing time and remember that you are small, you're not some giant.  If you feel hungry after eating this I do not know what to tell you.  Drink more water or stop watching TV with Doritos commercials making you think you are.  If you want to build muscle add a carb (Rice, Potato, or some starchy carb) at every meal and drink some good Milk. You are NOT a pigeon, you are a fit female or a strong male, this is not too much food- it's a healthy amount.  Now, go be awesome.  Push a prowler, lift a barbell, and worry about becoming better everyday at everything you do.


"Food doesn't make you fat, that's a skinny jeans fuckfack."- Jim Wendler

My Army of Awesome

"I won't accept anything less than the best a player's capable of doing... and he has the right to expect the best that I can do for him and the team!" Oliver Wendell Holmes

Major change is starting to sweep across the country and throughout the fitness world.  Niche gyms are opening in nearly every major city and some small towns.  CrossFit (meh...I'm talking the business model) has become a huge success and group training is taking charge over one on one personal coaching and the monotony of the sea of cardio machines and useless exercise machines found in a "GloboGym".

People who make the jump and run out of the "box gym" into a smaller, niche like setting are starting to realize that they have been lied to for so long.  So many people who belong to Corporate Gyms, that have exercised for years, are nothing but weak, skinny, and unhealthy individuals.  For x amount of years these people, men and women alike, have been "doing it" wrong.  Told to warm up on a treadmill for 5 minutes, do a circuit of 5 machines, and run on a treadmill for 20 minutes these folks know nothing about being strong and fit, and their results are always lacking.  

The "New Era" of health and fitness is blossoming into an awesome situation.  We are getting out of the gyms with four walls filled with mirrors and off our hamster wheels.  We are starting to become stronger and healthier while refusing to consume the lies.  Are you a part of that?


Small "niche" gyms, strength and conditioning gyms, and CrossFit gyms are popping up all over the place.  The reason being, is people want to be a part of something bigger.  People want to train like a team and compete against themselves and each other.  People, women especially, want to train in a group setting and not by themselves.  Training as a part of a team gives you a sense of responsibility and makes you work harder. 

At Activate Fitness I am in the beginning stages of creating my "Army of Awesome".  The people who find what I say and my style of training, to be what they feel they need, have given all of their trust to me and I am slowly turning them into "All American Badasses" as they become part of my "team" or "army".  

We train outside on my blacktop driveway or inside my small garage gym with nothing but a Squat Rack, some Barbells, iron plates, a Prowler, Battle Ropes, and a few other minor gadgets.  This is all I need to get my Army into amazing shape.  Their days of running like a hamster watching The Maury Show are over.  Instead they focus on the intense exercises I throw at them while enjoying the view of a farm and some green grass in my front lawn.  There is no more buying into the quick gimmick lies that are so abundant on television or in magazines.  I do not lie to my Army, nor do I make promises I can't keep.  I will not sell them on some fantasy adventure of a quick fix to a problem that has taken many years to develop.  I demand excellence and effort.  I dedicate my time to help them become stronger and better.. Everyday.  I am determined to mold my Army into a strong species that can walk tall, proud, strong, and be in charge of their own lives.  I do not want my clients to focus on fads or the latest science.  I have them focus on the basics with a side dish of fun.   

They trust me and I admire that.  I respect them for looking up to my leadership and I demand my own excellence in giving them the best of my knowledge, the most of their time with me, and the support they need to keep their focus on becoming better.  Everyday is different, everyday is adventure, and when push comes to shove my Army will walk all over the puppets on the hamster wheels inside the cage of a GloboGym.  My Army will lift weights, my army will push the prowler until they feel like puking, and my army will get the results they pay me for, or I have failed them and they have failed me.  It isn't just the time with me they focus on.  What happens the other hundred or more hours during the week is up to them, but with the basic information I hand to them, they become survivors. 

Each day the "Army of Awesome" that I am so lucky to lead becomes stronger and more alive.  There is something very special about helping people become better and I am so damn grateful to be able to give that to others, through intense exercise, nutritional information, and motivation.  It's time to step out of your hamster cage and find yourself a great team, a great "army", and become your very own "All American Badass".

Thank you to all of you who are part of my "Army"

-Activate Fitness

Dedicated. Demanding. Determined.

My Fasting Experience.

"Instead of using medicine, rather, fast a day."- Plutarch

For the past two years or so I have dabbled into the world of Fasting.  Fasting is the act of voluntarily abstaining from food or drink.  This is something most people have heard about regarding certain religious beliefs from a wide variety of religions.  Widely used in the ancient times and throughout other parts of the world, fasting is growing in popularity in the United States.  Although a lot of people are using fasting as a means to burn body fat, I have decided to use for it other reasons.

If you read my post about being a Lifer, or the one about how I care not to look like a God, you know that I am more concerned with the health of mind and body then the look of it.  For that reason I have decided to introduce organic foods and grass fed meats to my fasting diet while removing anything made at the hands of man.  I, like many other people, felt like shit while I was eating processed foods or foods laced with toxic chemicals.  This is a huge concern for myself and I hope others are starting to realize how poisonous our food supply really is. 

I first heard about intermittent fasting through the forums at Bodybuilding.com as many people talked in such high praise about Leangains.com and it's creator Martin Berkhan.  Many people feel he is the godfather of intermittent fasting, I agree he brought it's attention to the fitness industry, but fasting goes back to first recorded human history and medicine. Very brilliant minds such as William Shakespeare, Herman Hesse, and Benjamin Franklin all were active "fasters".  Franklin once said "the best of all medicines is resting and fasting." and Herman Hesse said if a man had no food, fasting was the most intelligent thing he can do.  After I discovered "leangains" I was very intrigued by the way I felt doing intermittent fasting and continued to learn as much as possible about it.  I stumbled upon Brad Pilon's "Eat stop Eat" book and most recently Jason Ferruggia's The Renegade Diet.  Brad Pilon writes about fasting for 24 hours and Jason follows the leangains model of a 16 hour fast followed by 8 hours of eating.

Since the dawn of modern bodybuilding and the supplement industry becoming a billion dollar per year market we have been told to eat every 2-3 hours, that breakfast is ABSOLUTELY crucial, and that in order to keep the metabolism stoked you need to keep "Fueling the Furnace" by eating 6-8 times a day.  I believed it, I always ate breakfast, and I had meals every 3 hours, and I hated it.  I grew tired of walking around with food or counting the hours before "feeding" time.  I stopped listening to the lies once I wandered off into the world of fasting that many people look down upon.  If it is so bad for the body, why do doctor's recommend it? Why would one of the founding fathers of Western Medicine state "to feed the body when sick, is to feed your sickness"?  

When I first started fasting I did it for the convenience of eating when I had time and to get away from "needing" meals every 2 hours.  What I didn't realize was how awesome I would feel.  The first two weeks were tough, I won't lie, and I nearly gave into the hunger pangs that riddled the foundation of my body, but I acted like a man and held tough.  After the initial first weeks when the body is beginning to alter from the fed state to the fasted state my energy levels skyrocketed, my mind became clearer, and most importantly I became stronger.  I was fasting for 16 straight hours and eating only in an 8 hour window.  I started with my lunch, then a meal after I trained, and finally a huge dinner.  After dinner I wouldn't eat again until lunch and more then half that time was spent sleeping.  A lot of people actually fast and don't even think about it.  How many of you have gone from dinner the night before to not being able to eat until a late lunch because you were so busy at work?

Fast forward until just recently after reading like a nut on Paleo diets and Primal eating and the toxic chemicals in foods to help the shelf life I got sick from something I ate, but before this I still felt like I was missing something and so I went to the local farm.  I happen to be quite lucky having this amazing local farm no more then 5 minutes from my house.  They had everything.  All organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and more importantly grass fed beef, buffalo, and free range chicken.  I never knew how good "real" food actually tasted and the way my body feels at the moment is amazing.  

After almost two and a half years of fasting, although at times I stepped away from it, I feel great, I feel younger, and I feel healthy.  I have used intermittent fasting with a 16 hour fast/ 8 hour fed schedule and I have included 24 hour fasts all while gaining strength, muscle, and times of body fat reduction.  I am anxious to see where my organic eating goes and if I go to a friend's house and they make me pancakes I will eat them, because they are good.  This is a lifestyle more than a diet and it won't hurt to have some treats here and there, and I love beer, but the majority of what goes in my body will be healthier food and it'll happen after a daily fast. AND Yes, I love carbs and I'm not a Paleo hacker.  I eat rice and potatoes!

Some quick facts about what fasting does:

Increased Growth Hormone- a hormone vital in fighting the aging process, recovery from training, and overall energy levels.

Decreased Insulin- During the day.  Insulin is the most anabolic hormone and people who lift weights need it but only during the right times.  Obesity can be linked to high insulin levels due to the fact people are always in a fed state.  Staying in a fed state never gives the digestive system or body a total chance to recover.

Better Sleep- Could be due to the fact your biggest meal comes before you head to the bed? Carbs after 7pm at night don't make me fat and help me fall asleep faster.

Increased Energy- During the day, during the fast, with insulin levels low- I have more energy.

Convenience- I find it more convenient to eat after work when it's time to settle for the night. I don't really lug around meals and coolers filled with chicken anymore.

Promotes Fat Loss- Even if you are aiming to build muscle, it'll be tougher to gain fat, and losing fat is always helpful...

System Cleansing and Body Regeneration- During a fast your body is focusing outside of the digestive system, repairing tissues, organs, and other important shit.  When the digestive system is in overdrive from eating every 2 or 3 hours you are never giving the body a chance to use those nutrients effectively to restore the damage that occurs from everyday activities. This is a contributed factor to the rise in obesity in the United States.  People keep eating while not letting the food (or should I say energy) do it's job and it gets stored as ugly fat. Maybe this is why we see a rise in abnormal hormone functions...? Plus you get that toxic shit out of your blood stream quicker..

This is not medical advice or something you have to follow, this is solely my opinion and if you disagree that's ok, but I am nearing 30 years old and I feel like I'm 12.  My strength levels are continuing to rise while sticking with the 5/3/1 program and I am building muscle.  My goal is to be healthy.  I want to give my wife beautiful babies and I want to see a fourth generation come.  I want to be able to continue to lift heavy and run while not breaking down.  I choose to fast to make this possible.  If it fails me, I learn.  If I live to eighty and can wipe my own ass and lift a barbell, I achieved my goal.  I will continue to eat organic foods, not because I want to be hip and do what's "in", but because I feel better and I do not want toxic chemicals in my body.  Some may feel this is pushed out of proportion and that our food supply is doing okay with genetically modified garbage, but why are American's sicker than any other country?  Why do other countries refuse to import our food?

Check out the following sites for more info: (Leangains and the Precision Nutrition articles are free)

www.leangains.com 

www.eatstopeat.com

www.renegadedietbook.com

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting 

“Fasting must be recognized as a fundamental and radical process that is older than any other mode of caring for the sick organism, for it is employed on the plane of instinct and has been employed since life was first introduced upon the earth. Fasting is nature’s own method of ridding the body of ‘diseased tissues,’ excess nutriment and accumulations of waste and toxins.”

       -Herbert M. Shelton (DC, ND) The Science and Fine Art of Fasting

I'm a Lifer

The United States has become an extremely fast paced society where the weak and vulnerable are left behind if they're not quick enough to keep up.  We live in an "I need it and I need it now" society that doesn't need anything.  We want it and we want it now.  Lately I find myself slipping to the side of this not because I am weak or vulnerable, but because I do not need it now.  I can wait because I am not in a rush to die.

Every year people commit to a New Year's Resolution to get back on track, get in shape, become healthier, or whatever they seek to make them happy. The week following Christmas has many people starting to think about what they can commit to in order to fill the status quo of having a resolution.  Come January the masses of people, who have decided the New Year was the time to change, begin on their journey.  I would really like to see statistics on how many people achieve their goal, how many fail, and when they fail (or quit).  Committing to a New Year's Resolution that involves fitness, weight loss, or becoming healthier probably sits in the top 3 every year.  The problem is many people "want it now".



I'm a Lifer.  If I were to ever make a resolution, it'd be to add 30 or 40 pounds to my bench press, by next January not 12 weeks or 6 months.  What happens, when a person commits to a goal and says, "I will lose xx amount of weight by March 1st", is that they have already decided their fate.  Come March 1st and that "resolution" or goal has not been reached, what is going to happen?  Many people will quit and go about their lives as they do every year.  March goes, April springs, May flees, June and July you were too drunk to remember, August you're on fire, September you're getting the rest of the summer out before October and before you know it, it's Holiday Season and "Nobody" has time.  After those 8 months of being "too busy" or failing to make proper steps to be successful, it's time for your "resolution" once again.

I'm a Lifer.  I don't focus ten months in advance.  I worry about the weight I'm going to be moving on Monday not Friday. I make long term plans with various levels of achievement and chip at them one at a time.  I do this because in order to reach your goals you need to be diligent in your planning while not getting ahead of yourself.  Start your 30 day shred or P90x without a plan and you'll have to do it again once you're done, and this is very discouraging.  We don't have to keep this focus on just your level of fitness or body fat, look at your professional life or your finances.  Everything needs a plan and nothing happens overnight.  You will be far more successful in anything if you make long term goals that have shorter term goals.

Right now I have it planned that I am going to compete in my first Powerlifting contest come September.  I need to make my weight class of choice so the weekly focus is based around getting as strong as possible without gaining weight.  My long term goal is to become competitive and for that I have given myself 10 YEARS.  Yes 10 years.....I'm a Lifer. Why should I care about becoming competitive right now?  It won't happen and that is not a negative thought/emotion or putting myself down, it's reality. I don't hide behind the truth hoping it ain't so. I am not in the level that current competitive lifters are at and it will take those 10 years until I am.  I'll be 40 in those 10 years and I don't care, that is just a number. That is why I am a Lifer. I need to be a lifer because I need to make sure I do it right everyday so that in 10 years I have a better chance of being competitive and that at 40 years old I am healthy enough to even be able to hoist a few hundred pounds on my back. I am not in a rush for a trophy, I just want the experience, and if it happens in 5 years- good- I worked hard enough.

Being sick and tired of the way you feel everyday or the way you think you look is a good way to start on a plan towards whatever makes you feel better and feel happier, but in 12 weeks.... don't quit.  Just because you lost twenty pounds in twelve weeks doesn't mean you're done.  Maybe you lost fat doing some fad diet during that time but how healthy are you?  I am a Lifer because I first and above all care about my health and longevity. When you're 80 years old in a nursing home, I'm going to be on the home front sipping my beer while still having the ability to wipe my own ass.



I am a Lifer!

The fall of MANkind.

The whole world is on a skinny jeans kick and visible abs are “in.” 

Back in the early days of weight training and professional bodybuilding, I'm talking Reg  Park era, there were only a handful of exercises men would do.  They all had something in common.  A Barbell was the tool of choice and the iron, concrete, or steel plates was the nail used to create the foundation of what were some very impressive physiques. These men worked out for hours at a time and ate a ton of red meat.  They did not focus on their abs.


Before the dawn of corporate fitness and the influence of the Joe Weider Era, gyms were only visited by men wishing to get stronger and had the intensity and desire to perform heavy movements on a daily basis.  These guys never questioned one of their coaches or mentors, they never asked for the latest research.  They did what worked and their results spoke for themselves.


So what did these men do?  They stuck to the basics, the Squat, the Deadlift, the Bench Press, and the Overhead Press.  Most of these men walked into the gym and performed these movements 3 times a week, for five sets of five or more.  Over-training was not nearly as big of a problem then as it is now.  I am not even sure if the word was even used.  Most likely this is because it should not exist.  The majority of us are NOT elite athletes training 10 hours a week, most of us put in 2 to 3 hours at most, complaining about over training or lack of results makes you an instant loser and you have fallen into George's picture of the pussification of the American male.  Get into the gym, warehouse, basement, garage, or driveway (it didn't matter if they had to lift in an RV they would), lift heavy, go home to eat, and mate.  That was the daily schedule after the necessity of making a living for most of these brutally strong men.  


So what happened?  How come nearly every town in this country has some shoe shined Joe Schmo gym where the majority of space is taken up by cardio machines and less important weight training machines?  How come the little boys who think they're men are afraid to use the free weight section and stick with the Nautilus machines?  Why are gyms across the country not filled with platforms and men doing deadlifts and pushing heavy shit over their heads?  Nowadays you can get kicked out and banned from a gym for showing any sign of effort.  Dare not to grunt or a lunk alarm will blare throughout the gym making you look like an outcast.


Why do we continue to let this bullshit consume us?  Is our government behind it?  Do they want men to stay weak and little sissies who fear effort?  


The majority of the "men" that belong to a gym are not doing it right, actually they DON'T want to.  They are afraid, they are afraid to lift heavy and put in the effort that will guarantee they see amazing results.  Time and time again those little boys complain their workouts are not working, they need the next best supplement to achieve results, or they are afraid they're going to hurt themselves and "Can't afford to be hurt", shying away from the Squat.




These statements they stand behind that make them feel better are backed by nothing but excuses.

1. If your workout isn't working- ask yourself why.  Are you eating enough?  Are you progressing weekly? Are you doing the exercises that are proven to work?  Do you Squat?


2. They need the next best supplement.  Why?  Because Flex magazine said so?  STFU and eat more.  If you don't squat over 300 pounds, deadlift over 300 pounds, and bench over 225 eat more food and keep working on it before you introduce a supplement.  I know first hand, I wasted hundreds if not thousands of dollars caught in some gimmick.


3. Afraid you're going to get hurt?  Man up.  That's it.  There is nothing more to it...simply Man the F up.  Learn from a professional, get technique down, and work on it.  Grow a pair.


This article is not just for the little boys who pretend to work out and get off over the pump.  It goes to all the guys out there that need to be men.  If you have a family, a job, or dreams and have a penis you need to act like a man.  No more being afraid of shit.  Say a 250 pound man came into your house while you slept with your wife.  You never worked out before and weigh barely 150 pounds soaking wet.  The 250 pound man came into your bedroom and grabbed your wife.  What the hell are you going to do about it?  You will "man up" and try to defend your family, maybe you have a gun, maybe you have a baseball bat, but.. maybe you don't.  At a weak 150 pounds do you think you can overcome someone 100 pounds heavier then you?  If you do not have any sort of Mixed Martial Art training or hand to hand combat under your belt, most likely you'll be getting your ass kicked.  Just some food for thought.


For more information on becoming awesome and more manly then a grizzly bear read the following books and use the tools they provide:


Jim Wendler's 5/3/1
Starting Strength
Reg Park's Strength and Bulk training
Westside Barbell Book of Methods
and many more.  

You don't need Motivation.

-I need motivation!

-I need that kick in the ass to get started.

I have always felt that if you need to get motivated to do something, you truly do not want it.  Looking for motivation outside your mind and body does not work.  You may have some light bulbs go off inside your head and start to see things a lot clearer but if it's motivation you seek, you will fail.

A lot of people look for trainers to be a source of motivation.  This is good and all, but if you don't have that desire to change inside, you will never reach the goal you seek.  A personal fitness coach can try their hardest to bring out the best in you, they can try their hardest to get you to stick with the plan religiously, but the effort that is needed for success comes from yourself.  

Back to the second sentence of the above paragraph- I used the word "desire". Desire is much more important then motivation and having a "burning" desire to reach a goal is all the motivation you need.  How bad do you want it?  How bad do you want to be successful with your diet and training? Let me step away from training for a moment and ask about a job, a relationship, a baby, or a new house.  How bad do you want that?  A lot of people in this world will go after something so much less important then their health and give it everything they have.

What is important about something so materialistic that in order to achieve it, you risk your health?  Do you really want to continue risking 20, 30, or even 40 years of your life to gain something that doesn't even matter? Nobody has an excuse as to why they cannot try.  Trying is the first step to DOING.  Everybody on this planet has the ability to be awesome.  They are already awesome, they just need to find it.  Instead of seeking motivation from some outside source of information, look inside.  Look deep inside your mind, body, and soul and find where it hides.  Push all of the things that do not matter out of your life and see what is left.

Time and time again people fail.  They blame their motivation level on the problem.  The problem is not their motivation, it's their desire, their will.  Effort is hard when you have no desire.  "Exercise is hard" was first said by the person with no level of desire.  Exercise is not hard, it actually is pretty fucking kick ass if you ask me. Too many people use the excuse of exercise being hard to get out of doing something that requires effort, and more importantly, doing something that they have no desire to do in the first place.  That doesn't make you a bad person, or less of a human then others, but blaming it on motivation or effort is plain ridiculous.  

So next time you seek out the motivation to move your ass or throw away the Twinkies, ask yourself how bad you want it.  Find the desire to change or the desire to be better inside yourself.  It takes effort to change and it takes action. That action does not mean you have to go for the gusto right from the starting gate.  Never do more than your body can handle.  Society is too deconditioned to go all out in the beginning.   Every person is different and every step for every person is different.  Find out where you stand and start there, work your way to awesome one day at a time.  

Do not think about July until you have defeated June. 

I care not to look like a God...

But rather being Healthy enough to have a kid or two and live until I see their children's kids.  

There is a huge change starting to sweep across the country, and maybe even other parts of the world.  I have found myself right in the middle of it.  For years and years the people of the United States of America have been force fed lies by rich companies with really deep pockets.  Deep enough pockets that they have influenced the influence our own Government has on us.  When people blame issues on the President or politicians, I laugh.  How can we truly understand what is right for us and what is wrong, with all of the misguidance and ridiculous stories being told? You see, just because our President tells us it's okay to do whatever he says doesn't mean we should.  Our freaking parents taught us this crap when we were kids.  

"If Sally wanted to jump off a bridge, would you?"

I care not to look like a God, I'd rather have my health.  You see, looking like a God is cool and all if you're a conceited person who values other people's opinions over the truth of one's own mind. If you begin some sort of diet or training program with the goal of being a ripped dude or a sexy chick that drops jaws you have already failed. The people in the USA should not try for this because they are not nearly close enough to healthy.  Almost every person in this country has some sort of disease, injury, imbalance, or nutritional deficiency. There are over 130 million people waking up every morning in the USA that are overweight.  This number rises everyday.  Now when these 130 million people realize they will die prematurely they take action and decide to "get healthy", but they consume the corporate lies and start off on the wrong foot.

  

Anyone working in a doctor's office, a hospital, or a private health related practice can attest to the fact that there are many men and women in their 40s and 50s who have diseases or ailments that they should not have.  Most doctor's who are smart and care more about helping a patient rather then steal their money will tell them to get on a diet.  Start losing weight, get active, change your lifestyle.. and it ends there, leaving the patient scratching their heads as what to do. Fast forward to 8 o'clock that night when the patient is sitting on their couch watching a prime-time television show when that commercial comes on for Jenny Cheater or Weight Laughers. They watch the commercial and immediately the doctor's advice clicks in their heads.  So they start on the path of figuring out which diet to start.  They open a book that is on America's best selling list because people are so "healthy on it" and see the diet plan on page 330 written out day by day for them.  All of the hard work is done.  Page 330 tells me to eat x and x at x o'clock, Great!

So why do people do what page 330 told them, lose 30 pounds, and then regain 50 pounds?  Why are people still overweight and still gaining when all of these books out there on the shelves have diet plans for 2 months written out for them?  

Everybody is different.


Every persons diet is different from their friends, family, or co workers. Just because Jenny Cheater told me to eat this and that, doesn't mean it'll work for me, maybe not even for you.  A book with a diet plan written out for you or a book that tells you how many points to eat per day does not work because they do not take into consideration your deficiencies and imbalances.  The goal of living healthy is not attained by starving yourself and eating by a point spread. People need to stop listening to the lies of Corporate Fitness and Nutrition and look first at what THEY need and what WORKS for them. 

"If everyone ate nothing but what they could buy at a farmers market a lot of doctors and hospitals would go out of business and six-pack abs would be as common a sight as leaves on a tree." - Jason Ferruggia

And to add to that "If everyone ate ENOUGH...."  Most people, when they drop their Doritos, begin a diet by dropping their fork also.  How many women do you know that starve themselves day in day out by eating like a pigeon?  How many men do you know that stare at your plate when you're eat wishing they could eat the amount of food you eat?  

The problem with obesity and the unhealthy state of this country is not overeating.  It is eating too much of the wrong stuff.  Processed frozen meals have taken center stage on dinner plates across the country because of convenience.  What the F**K happened to hard work?  Where are people's values nowadays?  Do we seriously care too much about jumping to the couch that we start eating something filled with shit in order to get there quicker?  Are we so drained from crap food, that we can't take ten minutes in the morning to prepare meals for the day while at work?


Stop taking the easy way out. This is your life, you only get one.  Be proactive about your future, save yourself a ton of pain and costly medical bills by being smart with your nutrition.  Sure you can have a handful of Oreo's with Milk one day, but make sure you worked hard at being able to.  If you want to start today on the fast track to a healthy, fit body then get rid of all the processed garbage in your house.  Don't make excuses like "But it's my kids favorite."  So basically, you're saying "It's fine if my kid is not healthy because I'll risk his/her future for my enjoyment". An enjoyment that lasts what, 2 minutes top? Do not use the excuse "But I just bought that and it cost me $10". Tough shit, live and learn and throw it away. Processed food only has one place in our homes... In our Zombie attack emergency survival kit. The awareness of the ill effects of processed foods, the chemicals used, and the conditions where the foods are grown or made is rising in the country.  Farmer's Markets are popping up all over and documentaries about the subject are abundant. Stop using the excuse of "I don't have time" because you do have the time, you just choose to take the easy way.


The days of men and women going to gym to become "sexy beasts" is nowhere near being over.  People will always want this and it'll always be the most popular goal for the majority of gym dwellers or exercisers in this country.  Becoming the healthiest and fittest person you can is not just about training your ass off.  You need to have a good balanced diet or you're just wasting your time.  The main reason we should all want to go to the gym and be healthy, is to fight the future one day at a time. You have control of your destiny, whether it be diabetes at 55,Osteoporosis at 43, Dead of a Heart Attack at 37, or healthy, alive, and active at 87.  Are you going to sacrfice your strength and power to achieve a level of leanness that makes you feel sexy?  What happens when you're out partying and some badass dudes decide to rob you and rape your girlfriend?  Are you going to be able to fight them off on a serious caloric deficit with a massive nutritional deficiency? People need, and some are, to understand that this "life" isn't all roses and butterflies. One day, one event, and one disaster can change your world and your health and fitness will be the deciding factor of whether you live or you die.  Get up, get started, get strong, and do it right.  

Dedicated. Demanding. Determined.