“I’m not going to do that. I’m fine and that’s just not going to happen”.

OK.  That’s your choice, but you’re going to have to accept the reality that it will take longer to reach your goals.  My old boss used to say, “you get what you measure”.  If you don’t have a way to measure your progress, you’ll never know when or how long it will take to get where you’re going.  You’re just guessing.

I had this picture in my mind every day while training for the climb

Information gives you a realistic picture of how much weight you can expect to lose and how long it will take to accomplish the goal.  Here are four ways you can stay on track toward your goals.

1. Be clear. Before you begin tracking the progress toward your goal, you’ve got to have a good goal.  Your goal must be crystal clear. You should be able to create a picture of what your goal looks like. A goal like “lose weight” is junk. It’s meaningless.  Think differently. How will your life be different when you’ve lost 10, 20, or whatever number of pounds you want to lose? What will you do with your life that you aren’t able to do today? If you really want it, find a picture of your goal and post it on your bathroom mirror. Each day when you brush your teeth you’ll see your goal.

2. Know how much you need to eat and keep track of what you eat. Everything, no exceptions. Yes, it’s boring and a pain in the butt. But you’ll have a much better idea of what you eat, when you eat, and why you eat.  These are important things to know. Without this info, everything else is just a guess. You’ll probably be surprised at the number of calories you’re taking in, as long as you’re being truthful with yourself. You’ll also find that you eat certain foods in certain situations. If you’re a data geek like me, you can use a device like a BodyMedia FIT to take control and achieve your weight loss goals by knowing how much you burn.  If you’re a member of LifeStyles Fitness Center, you have access to a great tool called DotFIT that can help you with this part of the process.

3. Get a heart rate monitor. This little device will tell you if you’re really working or if you’re just kidding yourself.  I use mine religiously.  There are times when I might think I’m working hard and I’ll check my monitor, only to realize that I’ve got a long ways to go.  Here’s an article I wrote about how to select a heart rate monitor.

4. Have someone you’re accountable to.  That’s where a good trainer can help you.  We’ll ask questions, observe, develop plans, and push you to try things you might not do on your own.  Ultimately, our goal is to help you reach your goal.

Put these four things in place and you’ll be on your way to reaching your own goals.

How many times have you seen and heard the phrase “no pain no gain”? How about “Pain is weakness leaving the body”?  I saw a tag line on a friend’s e-mail that said ”You can be sore tomorrow or sorry tomorrow”.

Each one of these indicates torture to the non-exerciser.  If you’d rather avoid torture, here’s the best advice I can provide.

Do something that you enjoy.

That’s right, it’s that easy. Exercise doesn’t have to be limited to plodding endless miles on a treadmill (yuck!). Find something that makes you feel alive.  Something that gives you a goal to work toward and offers a sense of accomplishment. Something that you can immerse yourself in and make part of your life.

Here’s a list of the things I can think of off the top of my head that I’ve done this year that I would consider exercise:

• Paddled a kayak through the Dells of the Fox
• Ran multiple 5k’s outdoors
• Went geocaching with my kids
• Rode my mountain bike in the Iceman Cometh Challenge with my family cheering at the finish line
• Rode 100 miles (twice) on my road bike…before lunch
• Paddled a canoe on the Du Page River in the middle of winter
• Summitted 14,255′ Longs Peak with my daughters
• Spent 8 hours adventure racing through the Michigan woods
• Ran the Warrior Dash on Father’s Day with friends and family
• Rowed 1.3 million meters on the Concept 2 rowing machine
• Played golf with Sara
• Set multiple personal records in the deadlift
• Swam whitewater rapids (on purpose) to practice swiftwater rescue
• Completed the TRX 40/40 Challenge
• A couple of times, for a little variety, I even ran on the treadmill. 

Sunrise over Twin Sisters Peaks

Aside from the actual exercise part of each of these activites, I experienced moments I’ll never forget. 

I stood 6 feet from a herd of deer while riding my mountain bike, neither of us wanting to give up the trail. I watched the sunrise from 11,000 feet above sea level. I got caught in wicked thunderstorms and sleet storms. I witnessed the absolute silence of the winter woods after a big snowfall.  I watched coyotes, eagles, and hawks when they didn’t realize anyone was watching.  I waded through waist deep water fully clothed at one time and waist deep snow at another. I listened to the laughter of children and the look of amazement as they accomplished goals they never imagined.  I felt the pride of accomplishment in reaching my own goals.     

Each one of these experiences helped me be a better person, a better father, added years to my life, put a smile on my face and the faces of others around me, and yes, each was a form of exercise. 

None of these required any special skills that anyone else couldn’t obtain.  Just a level of commitment and creativity that many aren’t willing to pursue.  I’m just an ordinary guy who doesn’t want to live an ordinary life.

Each was exercise. None of them were boring or torturous. Every time I went to the fitness center I was there with a purpose in mind.  I knew that every squat was going to help me on the mountain bike or make it easier to haul a 55 lb. backpack up a mountain. Every rep had a purpose.

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring. Think outside the box and find what you enjoy.  And do it, often!

My daughters, Rachael and Sara, and I spent five days in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park this summer.  The highlight of the trip was a successful summit of Long’s Peak.  At 14,259 feet, Long’s is the highest point between it’s location in Northern Colorado and the Arctic Circle.  As one of the most coveted summits of Colorado’s 54 peaks over 14,000 feet, it has captivated me for 30 years.  From my first visit in 1981 I knew that someday I would stand on top.  The first opportunity came in 2004 with a successful attempt in winter conditions with my father.  My daughters, after hearing my stories of the mountain, chose to make it their goal too. 

In January, we entered a contest through TRX Suspension Training to earn a sponsorship toward our goal of climbing the peak.  We created and posted a video to You Tube and garnered over 10,000 views to win the award.  Upon winning, my daughters leaped into action to organize the entire trip and train for a difficult attempt.  They planned the entire trip, including travel arrangements, car rental, hotel, campsite locations, and developing a gear list.  My role was to help them prepare physically and guide them to the summit.  They impressed me with their commitment to the goal.

The process leading up to the expedition and including the actual climb, taught them a lot about themselves and their capabilities.  It helped me see them not only as my kids, watching for their safety, but as capable and strong young women with the ability to do amazing things and persevere through adversity.  They came off the mountain feeling invincible, a feeling I know they’ll carry throughout the rest of their lives. 

As we were returning from the summit, I began thinking of how fitness has made all of this possible for us.  Without it we would never have experienced the glow of the rising sun on the mountain’s East face, the breathtaking view of Glacier Gorge as we pass through the Keyhole, our route’s signature face, and the exhilaration of standing on the summit.  Most importantly, we had the endurance to make it back to our camp safely despite a sudden sleet storm. 

You might not aspire to climb a mountain, but I’d bet that you’d like to live your life to its fullest.  It’s never too late to start.  We met people from ages 7 to 75 on the climb, some with the summit as their goal and others just planning to reach their own personal high point. 

What can fitness do for you?

Courtesy of TRX Training, my daughters and I are going to climb Long’s Peak this summer. I couldn’t be more excited and I know they feel the same. I’ve always loved the mountains. Rachael is too young to remember her trip to Alaska when she was 2 and Sara’s never been to the mountains. Neither have ever been above 5000 feet except for a few trips in an airplane. Winning the contest was the easy part and now comes the preparation, planning, and training.

In addition to my other fitness related articles, I am planning to document the trip and our preparation for the climb on this blog. Before you begin thinking that this doesn’t apply to fitness, let me explain.

One of the most important parts of your fitness journey is setting a goal. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it. If you don’t have a goal, what are you doing and why are you doing it? Second, reaching your fitness goals involves more than just working out. It involves a personal commitment beyond the weight room or cardio machines. It involves you and those around you supporting your goal. It requires planning and preparation of your mind to visualize reaching the goal. It involves asking yourself regularly, “is what I’m doing today right now, helping me reach my goals”. Our goal is going to be completed one step at a time, literaly, and so is yours.

With that in mind, our goal is to be standing on the summit of Long’s Peak this summer. I look foward to sharing our progress with you!

They didn’t get there by accident. Above all, they’re each students and their class grades take priority. Under IHSA rules, they have to be passing a minimum of five core classes. If they fall below in any class, they become ineligible. As you can imagine, to play at a high level they’ve all got to be there for their team by being on top of their class work.

In addition to their studies, they’re practicing mornings, after school, weekends, and then also playing 33 games over three months, including trips to Tennessee, Arizona, Ohio, and of course, Bloomington.

It takes dedication. They didn’t expect to just show up and win. There are no shortcuts. Just hard work. There’s no magic pill that a player can take and instantly have better skills. Just more hard work.

Fitness works the same way. Have a plan, be consistent in your efforts, work hard, get a coach, and never, ever give up, and you’ve got a better chance of reaching your goal.

Vote for our video and help us get to Long's Peak

My daughters and I have entered a contest through Fitness Anywhere, the makers of the TRX Suspension Trainer, and we need your help.  We’ve created a video and all we’re asking is that you watch the video and share it with all of your friends.  Each view counts as a vote and will help us get to our goal.

If we get enough votes, TRX will sponsor us on a climb of Long’s Peak and give us a video camera to document the whole thing.  Please help us make the dream happen!

Copy the link below and share it through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, every method you can think of:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zyHkBH2rPU

 In addition to sharing the link, click below to watch the video right here!

Like I mentioned in a recent post, exercise is a means to an end and for me, it’s about creating lasting memories.  This one will be with me forever.  I had a great time.  I learned a lot about self-organizing a mountaineering trip in a foreign country.   I saw things I never expected and it really opened my eyes to a culture outside my own. 

It was a great experience and I hope to have the opportunity to do it again in the coming years.  Ultimately though, without fitness I would never have been able to consider a trip like this or any of the other crazy adventures I’ve had over the past few years. 

What’s fitness going to do for you?  Where will it take you?  Leave a comment below and let others know how fitness will change your life.

Read all about our trip to climb the Mexican Volcanoes right here.

John and Rachael at Iceman 2004

This is going to be a really quick post. 

Today, it’s your turn.  I’d like to know what’s your motivation?  What’s your reason for working out?

For me, a workout is a means to an end and something that helps me toward a goal of creating a lasting memory.  I enjoy riding my bike and my workouts are geared toward improving my performance on the bike.   One of my favorite memories is the Iceman race in Northern Michigan.  I’ve ridden the race 17 times, but specifically the five times I’ve ridden the race with my daughters have created the greatest memories.

Leave a comment below right now about your motivation and what you’re doing to create those memories.

The worst push ups ever!

Before the middle schools in the meet took the track, the high school team was still completing their practice. There was a group of 20 or so male athletes on the infield grass. They were going through a series of conditioning drills which included lunges, squats, reverse crunches, planks, and more. Their form was terrible and they really looked like they were just going through the motions, thinking about how fast they could get through the exercises and not focusing on quality and getting the benefit from the time they spent. Especially when the coach turned his back.

One exercise really caught my attention though. The worst push ups EVER! Bodies were flopping around, middles sagging, butts up in the air. One participant was pretty tall and from a distance looked like he had a bit of muscle on his frame and he probably had the poorest form of all. His arms were moving and his chest was coming up, but the rest of his body was staying on the ground. His waist and legs never left the ground the whole time. Imagine Gumby doing a push up, how’s that for a visual?

These are high school athletes?

A couple of lessons here:

1. Focus on quality. Don’t just blast through the workout to say you’re done. Think about your goal and how the workout is getting you a step closer. If your goal is to get it over with, blowing through the workout as quick as possible so you can get back to your cell phone and catch that all-important text message, then follow the high schoolers routine. If you really want to get stronger, do it right. It doesn’t take much longer. Everything else is just a waste of time.

2. Learn do exercise properly. Maybe they didn’t know they were doing it all wrong. Maybe nobody ever worked with them to show them how to get the most from the exercise. Maybe you’ve never had that help either. If you’re not sure if you’re getting the most from your workout program, ask for help.

If you want to know the right way to do a push up, here are a couple of examples that anyone can do!

Rather than close the center, we kept the center open and let our members know that some of the equipment would not be available. We have another location a couple miles away and members could go there instead. Alternatively, we promoted this as an opportunity for people to try something different with their program. It’s an opportunity to change from having a “routine” to something exciting and different.

The carpeting process was scheduled to last three days. On day 1, members came in at 5 AM and a few were shell-shocked. They wandered around trying to figure out what to do, randomly pulling a cable here and doing a rep there. A few said, “I can’t do anything today”. One nearly climbed over a few cardio machines that were pushed together just to get to the one machine he uses every single day. He looked quite relieved and proud that he did the same thing as yesterday, and the day before, and the days and weeks before that.

Your body is a pretty amazing system. It adapts to the positive stress of exercise. When you place a load on the body it adapts to that load by getting stronger. Soon, the body sees that load as normal and unless you place a different stress on the body it hits a plateau.

If you do the same walk on the treadmill, at the same speed, for the same distance, over the same duration, your results will not improve. That program will work at first, but the Law of Dimishing Returns says that sooner or later the result will be zero. My point is that you need to keep the body guessing as to what’s coming next.

Take a look at your personal program.

Are you still doing the same thing you’ve been doing for weeks, months, years? If so, turn it upside down, make it tougher, and get ready to see results!

• Are you doing just cardio? Add weights
• Are you just doing weights? Add cardio
• Are you doing your cardio at the same intensity? Maybe you’re ready for interval training?
• How about trying a total body exercise like swimming?

Need help creating a new program to get the results you’re looking for? Give me a call at (630) 269-8992!