Some things to think about...

...when hiring a personal trainer.
Experience is important. 
     How many clients have they trained?  What was the variety of the client base?  Have they ever trained anyone with similar goals to yours?  Its OK to ask for references and a resume.  Remember, you're about to spend hard earned money and your health and safety is at the hands of someone else, don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. 

Is longevity is important.
     Not quite the same as experience, but this is actual length of time/years.  Knowing someones been around a few years might feel a bit more comforting than someone brand new.  That being said, I still train quite a few people that I met at my first real training job.  After all, a new trainer has to start somewhere but again, you need to feel comfortable.  Plus there are quite a few "old," trainers still teaching very old methods and never evolved.. so maybe new is better? 

Education is important.
     The trainer needs to be able to answer as many questions as possible with facts, not opinions.  Yes, there are many theories as to how to obtain certain goals however, this is also a science.  And not having the education and understanding how muscles "fire," how joints move, how the metabolism slows down and how to speed it up, how different stresses on joints effect the muscles differently and stimulate growth, can hinder your progress, it can put your body in danger and it can waste a lot of your money.  I have seen many, many clients spend money and a lot of time and still look the exact same. 
    If the trainer does not know the answer, he/she needs to say so.  For instance, I know my weaknesses.  I know I cannot comfortably plan someones weekly or monthly meals.  #1 I'm not a nutritionist or dietitian.  I'm pretty sure if an unlicensed trainer does write meals for you and something were to happen, there could be a law suit.  (Someone told me that.) 
     #2 I'm not a nutritionist or dietitian. 
     More personal side note
     I do not have a degree. 
     However, I read an incredible amount of health and fitness related articles and training case studies out of the National Strength & Conditioning Associations monthly journals.  They cost a lot of money and are very specific.  I hate wasting money so I read as much as possible to stay up on new tests, other styles that are going on worldwide and whats happening in college weight rooms. My main certification covers a very large portion of what is covered in most exercise science and physiology courses. 
     I read, I stay up date but not all trainers do.  This goes back to my top point, ask questions, especially if you have some special needs or any lingering/rehabbed injuries.  If they don't have the knowledge to program your training that best suits your goals and your body, they're not a good fit.  They might be an OK trainer, just not a good fit for you.
     Not having a degree only hurt me on paper early on, before a resume was built/established.  I have trained professional athletes who have literally walked out of the workout to grab their cell phone to call their head coach and talk about the work outs.  No lie.  I don't brag or talk much about who Ive trained, but when cool things like that happen... its kinda worth repeating... a few times.  Prior to coaching changes over the last 12 months in the Big 10, I had open invites in the top 2 football schools (in my opinion) to come in and work with the teams whenever I liked.  That's not offered to just anyone.  That sounds like a pretty cool "degree." 

Professionalism is important.
     All of these points I feel are important, but this might be 1 or 1A.  If you're seriously considering hiring a personal trainer, first scout him/her out.  By "scout," I mean watch from afar.  Go to their gym and watch them interact with their clients.  Watch their routines. 
-Do they repeat for everyone, 4 sessions in a row?   How much thought do they really put into a session if everyone who comes in is getting the same workout?
-Do they text or play with their phone during the session?  You'd be amazed how I often I see this.
Are they dressed appropriately?  If theyre wearing jeans, how can they show you how to squat or do anything below the waste?  If theyre wearing a tnak top... why the heck would they be wearing a tank top?  To look at themselves in the mirror?  Again... hang with me for a few days, in the 3+ gyms Im in... you would be amazed.
Then watch them when they walk away from their client.  What vibe do they send off?  Hows their energy? 
Again, its your money.  Spend it wisely.

Empathy is important.
     This was my other 1A point.  Empathy.  Merrian-Webster defines it: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.  They need to be able to feel you.      
     To understand your why.  Its critical.  If they cant understand your why, there will always be a connection missing.  In my opinion, the training will suffer.  Without empathy, theres just an "x" factor that will be missing, a partnership.  My clients goals become my goals, theyre now our goals, we're a team and I dont let teammates down.  Those goals will happen.  No one quits. 
     They have to be relateable, and this ties in with empathy.  If they cant relate to you and feel your struggle, feel your passion, your drive, your intensity, how can they train you? If they cant pick you up and lift your energy and remind why you signed up, how can they train you?   They have to be able to read your mood and feel your energy.  With the ability to relate and feel and connect, the link to motivate will not be there fully.  It might be there, but it wont be as strong as it could or should be.

...
Oh yeah!  Get a background check too!  Again, you're about to write a check for $500...   you'd be amazed what you'll find out.   


Wrap up it fella!
I have never lost a client due to lack of experience.
I have never lost a client due to any educational issues.
I have never lost a client due to anything that would/could be deemed unprofessional.
I have never had a client, fully commit and NOT reach their goals.  Never.   Full committment means train when its time to train, follow the homework and follow nutritional guidelines (especially those that now meet with Nick Kelly from Spotlight Nutrition, Blue Chips newest branch.  See, I told you there I things I dont know, so I find a really, really, really smart guy who does know it). 

I recently met with someone who I feel can take Blue Chip to another level, a level it needs to go.... stay tuned.  Its going to get better and better.

Chill Out

(Written some time in May or June of 2012 but recently revisited it, made some changes and addded some things.)

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need." Tyler Durden

Ironic... the week I remove the blog for being "too personal," is the week I find the need to write something really personal. Often, and I've hinted or maybe flat out wrote it, that these are directed back at me at times. So when reading this, don’t take it personally... I'm also talking to myself.

That quote at the top popped in my head today and maybe I shouldn’t admit that they often do. Fight Club quotes? Kinda weird, no? But it fits.

We're very busy people these days. We're working overtime or 2 or 3 jobs. “Stay at home,” moms are nearly extinct. Prices are going up, yet our wages are staying nearly the same. I was talking to a man who has been driving a semi for nearly 30 years. His son is graduating high school in a few weeks and then off to college. We somehow got to talking about school funding and how horrible he felt voting down his local levy. "I make the same amount of money now as I did in 2002... But everything around me is more expensive." So he needs a second job.

There are people I don’t see in the gym as often as they'd like to be there. I ask "where are you?" and they're busy... and they are. I know it’s not an excuse. I know they're not blowing me off, it really has zero to do with me or the workout... they're just flat out busy. School, work, the 2nd job, then errands and managing life, kids, dinners, little leagues... then we get a free second....

...and that’s where my mind is. What are we doing with the free moments? When the day is finally coming to a resting point... what are you doing?

It's 11:43 pm right now... My resting point began about 90 minutes ago where I wasted some time watching a sitcom and Greys Anatomy (and what a waste that was! Terrible season finale!). I'm not overly thrilled about wasting my time in front of the television right now... I never really have but it’s kind of been automatic, and I'm working on changing that.

I went on a vacation a couple weeks ago and had some excellent time to read and write. I remember sitting there thinking something along the lines of how amazingly ironic that I had to fly to another country to find time, to force myself to find time, to sit down with my thoughts... and do nothing but stare into space... and that’s exactly what I did.

I sat. I read some. I wrote some notes and observations... random thoughts. It helps clear my head and put everything in line.

Then I got home and thought "That habit isn’t lost in Mexico... I need it here." I need to find time to stop and breathe. We all need that time. We all need to find a way to sit down and do absolutely nothing.

No television. No computer. No cell phones. Sit and breathe and that is all. Does that sound crazy? What if you showed up to an appointment with me... and instead of heading to the treadmill, we sat in a quiet room... and did nothing but breathe? For 30 minutes, you will sit there and breathe as slow and as deep as you can... would you be mad at me?

What if that was the best part of your day? 30 minutes of turning the world "off." What if you did that every day? What if I told you, you'd start to feel less stressed and that you'd start to see things differently?

I get it... but I don’t get it. The car that you thought you needed to make you happy, is the reason you need to work 2 jobs... still happy?

I talk to so many people everyday... all week and everyone is stressed. Right now as I write this, I'm thinking of someone who works too many hours... someone who is in school and working two jobs.... someone who is so stressed they can’t get their thoughts straight... someone who sits up til midnight working on a website, emailing, facebooking, and writing crazy blogs that only his parents read :)

Hi Mom

Take a break... the weather is going to be beautiful this weekend... go to a park... go sit down and be alone for 30 minutes.... and do nothing but breathe.

Trust me. You won’t regret it.

New part:

What if I left the door open to the yoga room?  And bought a bunch of pillows to sit on... Would you go sit down?  No charge.  Just a room, an open door and comfortable place to sit quietly, would you go?

What we started a class like that?  Or ended like that?  20 minutes or so of nothing but deep breathing… so deep you forget where you are… so deep, 20 minutes felt like 5.  And you want to go back and do it again because you actually cleared your head and it felt unbelievable.

Side note:

Things are headed in a direction, I think you see that.  The current classes are strong and feel really solid.  Everyone is getting stronger, looking good and having a good time.  And very, very soon it’ll be time to add some new elements.  You will be meeting a few new faces, very good people, with fantastic intentions and a gift and an insight to share.

As more classes are slowly added and new people are with us, the entire concept will come to light.

I hope you enjoy it.    

Hi! (random updates)

And Welcome! A lot of new faces and people that I haven't seen in a little while are making their way back, so I wanted to take some time to let everyone know whats going and maybe a sneak peak into whats coming up.
First of all, for those new to reading these blogs, know that I often get off topic and talk about random things... then I write "What the heck am I talking about?" and get back on topic. Its all good.
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My #1 goal for Blue Chip will always, always, always be to work to create, develop and offer highly effective classes and training at an affordable rate. Whether its one on one personal training, yoga, bootcamps, whatever they may be, I want it to be an experience. I want it be worth your money, worth your time, I want you to get what you came for. Scott's Yoga class is incredible, Alex and Mimi too when they come back, Nick is getting Ready, Set DANCE rolling along, Power Yoga Plus is... I'm continuously amazed every single week with the people that come and just let it all fly with no fears or doubts at all.
The BootCamp ties it all up and takes you to a different place. Ive always said "Yoga is the best training," and that wont change, but the Boot will take it somewhere else, not better/worse, but different results.
Point is, I never want you to leave and say "That class sucked, no clue what we just did."
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I'M LOVING MONDAY NIGHTS! Absolutely having a blast with that class from creating the play-lists the days leading up to it, to getting there early and cranking those heaters, setting out the sign in sheet, chilling til you get there, hitting the lights and letting it fly... what a great night, every night. The heat, the intensity, the music, your flow, your effort and intensity, your desire and how you bring it every week... I'm in awe. Truly.
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Kinda getting pumped for the summer! I'm 1000% confident that this is the year I'll finally be able to run the class I've been daydreaming about. But I do know, all spring/summer/fall, I'll be waiting for 60's and a slight overcast with a nice breeze... that's in my daydream too.
Ive tinkered with some Boot/Yoga concepts over the past few years, but they basically turned into just an outdoor yoga class and we missed the point. But this year is going to be different. "How?" In the past few years, Ive asked other instructors to run the yoga part because I wasn't confident I could transfer from "Boot-Brain," to "Yoga-Heart," and the class come off smooth. Issue dissolved :)
And I have a funny feeling the cost on these will be around... $0. Why not?
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Indoor Boots started last week and they TOOK OFF! Pretty excited to watch this group grow as well as adding new toys and eventually a weight "room," which will probably be up and running by the end of March. When that happens... look out! One goal behind this class, especially when the weights are more involved, is to teach you how to train when you're not with me. A lot of people have gym memberships, but don't really know what to do, so they take a class. Problem with that is, most gym classes are just a "5," and we want "10's!" So with this class, you'll learn how to take yourself to work at a "10."
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And we'll be calling the BootCamp, Training Camp from now on. Its not a Boot, at least not what other local group fitness instructors call a boot. Their Boot is standing in one room using 1 or 2 pieces of equipment and... I actually dont know what they do for 90 minutes. But I do know if it can last 90 minutes, yet your feet are pretty much stuck in one place, it cant be a very hard "BootCamp." So this is BlueChip Training Camp, because we TRAIN.
I promise you will see results. No doubt about it.
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Schedule wont change much into March. The Training Camp might bump up to 6:15pm but we'll talk about that as a group. I'd like to choose a time that's most convenient for everyone. I know I cant please everyone, but I can try.
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Again, thanks for coming in, coming back and getting the most out of the classes you've experienced so far... its going to get even better.
J

We dont get paid...

(Note:  95% of this post is directed at some young athletes I train or have trained in an attempt to shed a light on our approach and goals.  But even though its directed at a certain base, you may find something interesting... we'll see how it goes.)

I dont get paid to be your friend or tell jokes.  I dont get paid to keep you entertained on Facebook or Twitter.  I dont get paid to let you take it easy and do it how you want to do it...

I get paid to find a way to help you (or make you) jump higher, run faster, move quicker, and work harder.  Read that again... higher, faster, quicker and harder... and to do it better than you ever thought you could.  Think about that.  You have an image in your head of what you think you can do... my thought to that is "great... and now we're going to take it further."

And thats where we're having some disconnect. 

Maybe it has to do with expectations.  Maybe you're only expected so much...
Maybe I see more.

I told some stories yesterday about my high school days and for old friends who might read this, trust me, there were no lies.  I told them how the coaches and Nack especially would try to catch me before I got the car.
"Where are you going?"  Work.  "You're going to work the rest of your life... You only have one senior year."  And off to the weight room we went... sometimes.

They wonder how I know what it looks like when they fake a sprint... Can you picture it?  You're really selling the facial expressions and body language... but something just doesnt look right.  I know what it looks like because Ive done it. 
"Bic if you dont beat (insert name), the entire team is running them again! AND if anyone lets him win, we're still running them again!"
Oh shit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So back to the expectations and disconnect...
Im pushing them, right?  The trainers and myself, we're really striving to get these groups to turn a corner and work at a crazy speed... a level where their moving and theyre not thinking or second guessing themselves, theyre just go go go go go, fly!  Right?  Thats what we're doing.  The butt kicks need to be harder, the high knees higher, the shuffle sfaster and lower, the frog jumps more explosive.. everything is more more more. 
And I get it... believe me, as i write that I even hear myself and i think "OMG shut him up already! I hear it nearly every room I walk into :)  and i dont care, because I dont get paid to be quiet... I get paid to be in your ear, reminding you of the scholarship on the line... reminding you of the state title or the playoffs or that starting positition... I get paid to be the rubber band on your wrist that reminds you to run, to work, to study, to behave, to be responsible, to train hard, to be a good teammate, to be a good brother or sister, a good son or daughter, its non stop, to be a great person... in the classroom, at home, on the field or court, when someones watching and when your parents are out of town.  Its non stop.  I dont get paid to stop.

I remember there were days where he was so relentless... he just didnt shut up!  He was on our ass from the locker room, to the field, to the water, to the field, to the huddle, to the line, back to the huddle, back to the line, break it again, better stance, do it again, do it again, back to the huddle, better huddle, get down, drills, faster, do it again, not fast enough, do it again... holy crap... relentless.  Thats the only word I can think of.    And it got to the point where all I wanted to do was be so perfect, he wouldnt talk anymore :)  I swear I'm laughing out loud as I write that, but its true.  I wouldve done anything just so he'd stop talking.  Becuase if he was quiet, that usually meant everything was ok... except for those times where if he was quiet, that meant an explosion was brewing and we were about to catch hell like nothing else ever has. 

But because of that "fire," that we went through, we were better people. 
He didnt get paid to win... He was paid to turn us into men.  To get us ready for life.  It was just a coincidence we all played football and he happened to coach it.  He didnt get paid to be our buddy.  He didnt get paid to tell jokes or be a pen pal.  He was to find ways to teach us things he knew we needed to learn, whether we knew it or not, accepted it or not.  I always say "Look, I know I say things that might not make sense to you today, but they will in a year or 5 or even 10." 
How do you think I know that?   Because Im also talking about myself.  Ive been through things and his "relentless voice," popped in my head and I thought "holy shit... thats what he was talking about."  Thats what he got paid to do. 

I remember there was a time where I was headed into a different career and gave up on a dream.  For a few years after hhigh school, I was still holding onto playing college football but I just didnt have the grades, the money... and looking back on it, I guess I didnt have the drive either.  So I sent him a letter and expressed some thoughts.  He wrote back "It doesnt matter what the title is of the job, be the best anyone has ever seen."   And those words helped me redierect my energy in a more positive manner.  I couldve moped around about having a crappy job, even if it was temporarly, but instead I made it my mission to blow the roof off the building with my energy, attitiude and work ethic and it showed.  I was working 2nd shift in a crappy factory, but every night, my shift put through more work than other shift.  I refused to take breaks and I ate my lunch as I worked.  All I wanted to do was work as hard as possible as long as I could.

Thats what guys like us get paid to do... find ways to help you become better than anything you even thought possible.  Think about that again... you have an image and I say "great, and lets do more."  Why not?  Fast is fast now, lets get faster on that next sprint.  Strong is strong, lets get stronger.  Lets study harder, lets get straight A's, lets focus harder, lets shoot for perfection... why not?  How can you argue that?

Maybe you need to think about your expectations for yourself and why mine are so high for you.

Do you know how many people have said "F you," to me during a workout?  Far too many to count. No lie.  Or "I hate you."  Probably 75% of the people Ive ever trained have at some point expressed a strong desire to hurt me :) and I smile.  Its the nature of the beast... Im asking you to do things to yourself, that are uncomfortable and eventually painful.  Training and working out hurts... it does.   Being so out of breath your lungs burn, your heart is beating so hard you feel it in your throat, you have sweat burning your eyes, your legs are rubber, you want to rip your shoulders off to stop the pain... it hurts.  But that fire is needed and you have to go through it to change your body.  So I do have pretty thick skin under the circumstances because I know the pain well... I've mumbled my share of "F you's" under my breath too. 

Thats why i love planks so much... its you and your breath and your thoughts.  What are going to do?  Let yourself fall?  Let your mind talk your body into quitting?  You know it doesnt need to drop... but your mind is whispering "c'mon, drop a knee real quick, just a quick break..." but you really dont need to.  Thats the head game we play with ourselves... just a quick break, no ones looking....
or fight the self doubt and fight throught he burn, even enjoy that pain. 

Some trainers say "block it out!  Go to a happy place!" 
Me... no, no... enjoy the pain. Sit in the pain... we go through enough mind numbing moments in our lives... that pain and all the awreness going on, your breath, is a beautiful reminder that we're alive.

Do what you came to do and do it better than anyone ever has before.  Be remembered. 

(Btw Coach... If I wasnt clear above, you know how youve inspired me since the day we met.  Jeez, probably 20 years ago.  Sometimes I get going with these teams and at the end I stop and think "Where the heck did that come from?" and its usually a version of something youve said.  I can only hope these young guys/gals use a peice of what Ive said the way I (and Im sure 1000 other guys) have used things youve said.  Thanks again for everything.)

not a huge deal...

I think I need to find a way to spit this out one time and try not to again. Not because I can’t or wont, but because I’m very not an “I” person and the whole “I” is very ironic considering what I’m about to get into… not to mention I’ve written “I” 9 times already!

 

This is not a religious post nor is it something that will push me towards getting preachy and pounding my chest about. It’s a post to define how and why I plan to take a step back and redirect my energy and focus. Nothing will change with Blue Chip. Training and yoga will continue and probably get better, but my approach may change, I guess I actually don’t know.

 

For a long, long time I’ve slowly gravitated towards eastern cultures and their philosophies. Like a magnet, I feel it’s pulled me into the atmosphere. In some ways very obvious (yoga) and in some ways, very subtle (how I’ve interpreted song lyrics comes to mind).

 

I remember when I was a kid, my grandmother had a golden Buddha statue on her dresser. She called it Uncle Charlie and said it gave her good luck. I was 15 or 16 when she passed, so she probably told me that when I was 10-12, so I never had the opportunity to ask her anything “real,” about it and I often wonder if she was into the philosophies as well. I do remember her often consoling me when I was upset and was the first person to tell me to “smile when it hurts.” Maybe I picked up some things from her and didn’t realize it. I wish I knew where the Buddha statue disappeared to…

 

To keep this short, I’m going to dedicating myself to Buddhism. It’s always felt like “home,” and I’m very comfortable in everything it teaches and guides.

 

I know my hang ups will be in the business world and with “competition,” that’s really my only concern, but its also where my Russell Simmons and Deepak Chopra books have been very helpful and I know as long as I continue to find ways to give and serve, I will be ok. To be honest, I really don’t feel competition and I don’t mean that in a cocky way. I mean that as in “we’re all here to deliver as much good as possible and there are a million people out there, so there’s no reason to compete.” I hope that makes sense.

 

Honestly, even just writing these very brief paragraphs… I feel lighter. I feel like I was keeping a secret and kind of odd. Aaaaahhhhhh… big smile and looking fwd to sharing my experiences.

Power Plus

I have to admit, I've kind of had a difficult time describing the new class... and thats not really a good thing.

The main reason is because I dont want to say "This class is better than the yoga options," because its not. But its also not a better/worse thing, its just different.

Actually, its been a long time since I've written in general about yoga and there is now a lot of new people around that may not have read the older blogs where I wrote about yoga every other day... actually, I'm pretty sure my mom was the only person reading then.

I feel yoga is the perfect "training." Top to bottom, for every reason you can google. I really cant fully explain how much yoga (Cleveland Yoga in particular) has done for me and that was truly to drive behind finding an avenue to bring it the building its in now. Even the location has great meaning for me, as much as its a pain in the ass at times, but trust me, thats being worked on as well (not changing locations but improving the sign situation, lighting and so forth). So believe that yoga isnt here so that I can say Blue Chip has another "service," to offer, its here because I think its amazing and as many people need to experience it as possible.

So then when I spoke with Sara and she decided to take a break to prepare for her baby, I felt this was a good time to shake up the schedule a bit and add an "x" factor class. Something that didnt completely scare off "yogi's," but something different enough to make you say "yes, I want that too." From the beginning of my yoga journey, I've tinkered with combination movements that I felt could cross over from yoga to the weight room and back again and to be honest, we're two classes in and we havent touched one yet. And as much as I think yoga is perfect, I also feel that there is no final answer to training. I think those who only hit weights, need to run and do yoga. I think runners need to lift and do yoga. I think yogi's need to lift and run. So for me, we have to do it all and continue to grow and evolve.

I'll never forget how my hips killed me at my first class and that really opened my eyes to what I was missing. Tonight, we went through quite a few push ups and squats, and even though some people may not have been overly thrilled with it, they may also know "Yeah, I need this too." So this class is that answer. Its the crossover class that takes yoga to the weights and weights to yoga. Its not a bootcamp by any means. We will still warm up w a nice yoga flow and get some heat going (yes, the room is still heated. I'll explain below) and then at some point, we will transition into a training style. I'm very confident in the results this will produce and how this will help you take your yoga practice even further. I posted tonight "looking forward to how we're feeling after a few weeks of this training," and I really, really am. I think you will literally see changes in your arms, legs, abs, shoulders... anything.

Why is still heated? Why not? :) I LOVE training outside in the summer, and I mean 90+ degree heat, so these will still be cranking hard. The goal of these classes is to push it pretty hard and challenge yourself in a little bit of a different way. A little more of a "training," mindset. Again, we'll still get into some flows, we'll still be touching some balancing poses, core and occasional inversions and of course Savasana (everyones favorite part:) but we'll also be squatting, lunging, pressing, pulling, twisting, etc.

Class is every Monday from 6-6:50, same pricing as the other classes and its included with all other packages.

K, I hope this clears it up a little. And please feel free to get a hold of me any time with any questions regarding this class or any other or to talk about your own training or anything else. Truly, my phone and e-mail is always on and I'll do my best to reply asap with whatever you need.

Take care and see you soon,

J

I dont care...

...about your 6 packs, your defined muscles, your huge muscles, your whatever muscles.

Well.... that’s not exactly true. It is but it isn’t.

We have a vision and that vision is our motivation, whatever it may be. Some say "I want a 6 pack," some say "I want toned arms," or whatever it is, you can even fill in your own as your reading (It doesn't even have to be fitness related.)  

And as you tell me those things, I say "Ok, we can do that, we can do that, and we can definitely do that... we can make all that happen. Here’s what we need to do," then we get into the plan. The nutrition, the cardio, the homework. We text and e-mail. You read my Facebook posts and "like," them and they motivate you and we're on our way.  

But to me, it’s not about 6 packs. Its about your health. Very few people say, "I want to be healthier," or "I want to live a very long time." I know you want it, its not that you ignore that part. It’s just that I see it differently. That’s why I tell you to buy a pair of running shoes. That’s why I try to teach you what to do and how to do it without me. (Reading between the lines there?)

I know certain people read this now and I hope they know I don’t write this stuff while pounding my chest like I'm some amazing leader of training. Far from it. I'm very open with the people I work with and they know we share similar hurdles and I'm on the path with them. Most know, I recently (over the winter) hired a trainer for myself. Jay Ashman writes my programs and it’s been great. For one, it’s so refreshing to not have to think about what I want to do to myself in the weight room. I see the paper and just go. Secondly, I like being held accountable. Its motivating that he writes it. I don’t want to suck! I want to be an example of his programming the same way I reference "Be the Brand," when talking about Blue Chip. Plus all the new ideas, new routines and its forced me out of my comfort zones and pushed me into new areas of training that I never would’ve bothered with. So again, I'm on the path. There's really no difference in me working with Jay and me going to take a yoga class... I’m looking for great ways to train my body.

But back to the health thing... I was recently at a function for my daughter and a woman got up to speak and she was probably 80-100lbs overweight.

I'm struggling in front of the lap top right now, because I really can’t express how I felt... I wanted to talk to her after... I wanted to give her my card and pay for a membership and train her for free. But I can’t just do that. People would think I was an asshole and who knows how she would take that... and I don’t mean it in any way other than, let me help you. I'll do it for free...    

That’s what I mean when I say "I don't care about your 6 packs." I want you to live. Your family and friends want you to live a very long time!

I was on Facebook (which is a great place to read dumb things) and someone said something about "fat and lazy," and I don’t see it that way. For me, it’s always been about self love. If you love yourself and love the people around you, you'll care to stay here and stay healthy and be there for people. If you don’t, you won’t. It’s not laziness, its awareness. It’s being mindful of all decisions. Its knowing McDonald s is slow suicide. Its self love. If you love yourself, you’ll care to put the work in, to be healthy to stay.

I bought a shirt not too long ago that reads "Vote," with the Om symbol on the front.  It got my attention the way that word does every time I think of it or read it or hear it.  You "vote," every second of every day, not just ever few Novembers.  You vote with how you eat, you vote with what you read and what you watch.  You vote with where you work, the car you drive, who you hang with, what types of companies you support and how you spend your time.  So how are you voting?  Are you voting to live to see 80?  Or are you voting for a heart attack at 50?  Think that's harsh?  Think that's intense?  Its reality.  If you had McDonald's today, you voted.  If you fed your kids McDonald's,  you voted!  If you skipped a run, you voted.  If you rocked that BootCamp tonight, you definitely voted.
How you spend your time and everything that surrounds you is a vote.

A fantastic level of health and wellness is the goal and along that path we say "I want a 6 pack," as our shiny medal to collect along the way.  

Whats on your calendar for 2013?  If you have nothing and need a partner, let me know.  Ill sign up for anything right now.