What an amazing concept it is that you can change your entire life with a question and the consequent actions. In 2014 I had been a fitness trainer for 2 years and my career really began picking up steam. I had a ton of clients, was gaining a lot of experience and really enjoyed helping others, but I was also still serving on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. This caused my work week to last 80+ hours and that was not sustainable. In August of 2014 the crossroads were closing in and a decision had to be made. It was time to determine if my 10-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard or my blossoming 2-year career as a Fitness Professional was going to end? So, I asked 2 questions to help me make the decision!

1. Who needed my services more?

The Coast Guard would just replace me with another E6 and keep plugging away because that’s what the system is built for!

My clients on the other hand may not have the same opportunity to keep plugging away if I wasn’t there supporting them. You see, I work with many 70+ year old’s and I literally feared that they may not stay active if I wasn’t around to help them.

2. God, what should I do with my life?

I lifted my question to the lord and he delivered as always. I went to church that week and the Mass’s homily was built around using your God given abilities to help others and improve the world.

Believe it or not this was the moment I knew what I had to do and went to work. I went back to school and earned a degree in Exercise Science, started building tools to help me and my clients, began preparing financially to transition out of the U.S Coast Guard and saving for the down payment on our gym, talking to the owners of my current gym about my potential future with them, convincing my then wife it was a good idea and I would succeed, attending as many workshops as possible, and listening to or reading as many books as I could find. Click here for a short list of my suggested readings to live and work better.

As you can see I didn’t just jump off a cliff hoping to find a parachute, I built a plane first. The decision to make massive changes in your life is scary, exciting and difficult, but asking the right questions will help you envision the right answers. Are you happy, healthy and excited to be alive? Only you can change these answers. Don’t let another day go by without asking and answering the most important questions in your life!

In 2018 a new age is upon us. The age of defying how our greatest generation, lives, works and plays! If you are lucky enough to experience a long life, what do you think your later years will look like? Are you worried about how vibrant and enjoyable these years will be? Well, stop worrying and take action instead. If you want to increase your chances of being active and healthy tomorrow you need to get active and make healthy decisions today.

Define Your Life

Despite what society has said over the past 50 years there isn’t a magical age where you stop working and living life and go off into the sunset. It doesn’t matter whether you are 20 or 100, plan your ideal life from finish to start and live it. Struggling to wake up with no goals, dreams, or aspirations isn’t good for anyone at any age. Stay active, keep planning your future and take adventures daily. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest every second!

Habits Are Either Deposits or Withdraws from Your Health Account

Most of your habits can either be categorized as healthy or unhealthy. Some of them will be out of your control and that is ok. Take for example, the habit of eating a donut at the local coffee shop every morning with your friends and solving all of the world’s problems. To fix this, just get rid of all of your unhealthy friends and family members and you’ll be good. Right? No, it’s not that easy. Make a conscience effort and record your habits. Next categorize them as either healthy or unhealthy. Decide which habits could be adapted or gotten rid of. What new habits should you adopt? Be a conscience consumer and remember each habitual action throughout your life is either a deposit or withdraw from your health account!

How do you expect me to enjoy life when I am always in pain and tired?

Evidence and science supporting the health benefits of exercise are strong (1), but the real question is how strong are you? Exercise will slow and reverse some of the effects of aging and alleviate many negative side effects of the illnesses associated with aging. We have discovered the fountain of youth and it looks exactly like regular vigorous exercise. The best part of all this information is that you have access to this fountain every single day! At TriAffect, our programs are designed to safely & successfully challenge your body, improve your physical capabilities, and reverse & slow the effects of aging. I tell my clients regularly “If you move more today you will maintain your ability to move independently tomorrow”.

Isn’t it dangerous to lift weights, jump around and move fast when you are over 50?

I consider this belief a health epidemic as it can cause our 50+ community to fear the #1 thing that will help them live healthier and more active lives! (2) Lifting weights and exercising faster has proven to have the biggest positive impact on the way our aging population lives. When done regularly in a structured and safe manner, you can see immediate improvements in eye hand coordination, reaction time and ability to contract muscles quickly and effectively. I have used this training with my clients 75+ for the past year and it has been extremely effective even with limited use. Osteoporosis is a big risk for many and jumping exercises (3) are actually encouraged in women at risk for osteoporosis as it helps increase their bone density. (If you already have osteoporosis you should consult your Dr. before adding jumping exercises into your program.) When you break down anatomy, biology, biomechanics and exercise science to their basic principles you will discover your body is a machine that adapts to the job you are asking it to do most regularly. Now, how cool is that!

How will exercise help me remember where I put the remote?

Exercise increases, blood flow, oxygen uptake, endorphins, and so much more. When you perform exercises regularly and challenge the body adequately the brain becomes more adaptive (4). Depending on the specific types of exercise the brain will strengthen more in some areas than others, but all exercise is good for your brain! Any increase in oxygen and blood flow is good for living tissue. So, the next time you lose the remote go outside and walk or run 10 sprints and you’ll remember exactly where you put that remote 😊.

Each day you wait is a lost opportunity to protect your body and mind, renew your sense of adventure, and take on new challenges. So, contact your local Functional Aging Specialist today and start turning back the hands of time!

 

1. http://www.newsweek.com/exercise-anti-aging-younger-cellular-level-telomeres-607228ging
2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/strength-and-power-training-a-guide-for-older-adults
3. https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2017/how-to-strengthen-bones-photo.html#slide3
4. http://www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences/fulltext/S0166-2236(02)02143-4?cc=y

It was a beautiful Tuesday Morning in sunny Houston Texas and a determined 33-year-old man began to take his dream of starting a gym into his own hands. You see, he had been obsessed with this for over 6 years and finally took the massive leap to leave a 13 year career and make it happen! Nothing was going to deter him from moving forward no matter how big the obstacle or small the success. Life was now 100% determined by his effort and output. Just as he wanted, but man was this a little unsettling at times.

From an outside point of view, you might think that he wasn’t succeeding with his dream. He had made the decision to leave his position at a gym despite knowing he had to face a 12 month non-compete clause; 3 banks had turned him down for loans; and a business agreement with a local medical professional fell apart unexpectedly. Any one of these things could have been a deal breaker if he didn’t have a strong vision and well thought out plan. He knew his mission was to improve the lives of others and there was no other option!

The day before Christmas the crazy idea popped into his head to build a gym in his garage. It could be a smaller version of what he had always wanted and an opportunity to see what size space he would need for a commercial lease. Besides, he had always used functional fitness training in a small space with limited equipment anyway. A few days later he woke up energized with a plan and tunnel vision focused on making this dream a reality!

Step 1: Get rid of anything in the garage that hadn’t been touched in over a year. (Goodwill, trash and Recycling were the trick!)

Step 2: Surgically clean every corner, horizontal surface, base board, ceiling and floor. (With the military like precision engrained in him from his early days serving)

Step 3: Get needed equipment for under $1000 was the goal.  (Craigslist & Facebook Forums)

Step 4: Design, Organize and decorate (Hardest part for me :0)

Step 5: Train, Train, Train (Change Lives)

The reality is, there are many different steps to take, ways to accomplish your goals and definitions of successful living . At the end of the day what matters most is that you are fulfilling your dreams and living your best life despite the challenges you’ll inevitably face. Go down fighting for what you know is right and the hard work will pay off!

*If you haven’t figured this out yet, I am the 33-year-old and I am on #4 of the process so, I will keep you up to date on my progress and share photos of the finished product once I get it all set up. Thanks for reading!*

What are you going to do today that will boost your energy and motivate you to do more? Chances are you are going to drink some coffee, check your email and go do a job someone else created for you. Wait, but what if you had designed this day for yourself? What would “work” consist of? Life is short and you deserve to get some benefit out of each day. That’s where your personal challenges come into play. The truth is success breeds success and action breeds action. So, the more successful things you do today, the more successful things you’ll do tomorrow!

First, we need to discuss will-power because it is said to be a finite resource (1) and it must be leveraged if you want to live with intention. You’ve always been told you should make your bed in the morning, but why does this really matter? Your choice to take time and complete this task can help jump start your motivation and build up the strength of your will power. These small daily tests may not seem like much, but remember that the next time you avoid chewing out your supervisor over that same pointless spreadsheet, or manage to relax and breathe as you unknowingly become a closely followed pace setter for the Daytona 500 on the interstate. This is called using will power and we need a lot of it to survive!

Now let’s take this a step further and harness some of this new-found self-control to create intentional challenges each day. These small challenges should be designed to help you further develop, respect and enjoy all aspects of your daily life. The key is to keep them basic, mildly difficult, rewarding and unique to your life. If you have a large challenge you’re working on, these small challenges could be the steps to accomplishing that as well.

Here are a few challenges that I have used over the past few months that worked out well:

1. Stand all day except for putting on shoes, eating, driving and using the restroom

(Really wasn’t so difficult and I felt accomplished at the end of the day bragging to my Girlfriend!)

2. Fast for 20 hours

(This one was difficult in the beginning, but my girlfriend and I do it weekly now and the benefits are many!)

3. Call or contact a loved one every day for a week

(This is an easy for me as I call my Father daily)

4. Send hand written thank you/love notes to your family or close friends

(I really enjoyed this one and could tell my siblings appreciated it. I always keep cards for sending!)

5. Give 5 nice greetings to strangers throughout the day

(This is a daily thing for me now and I love it. It is nice to see the smiles.)

6. Avoid social media or email for 24 hours

(Liberating and nerve racking all at once, but so important!)

7. Read at least 10 pages of a book in 24 hours

(I read much more than I used to because of this and thoroughly enjoy it.)

8. Write a heartfelt page in your journal or diary

(When I do this I think of telling a story and this helps me write more heartfelt)

9. Reorganize a part of your home and give things away or throw them out

(Freeing and liberating to see the clutter gone. Plus, I’m building my garage out as a training studio)

10. Show your significant other or a friend you love them in 3 different ways in 24 hours

(My Girlfriend is awesome so she makes it easy for me.)

These are only a few of the infinite number of ways you can challenge yourself each day. By choosing to get focused and staying grounded in this often distracting and shallow world you can avoid wasting your will power. Write out a list of 10 challenges and begin choosing the path you set for yourself. You have the ability to overcome any challenge, but can you build you build the will power? Stop giving your energy to all of your obstacles and heartaches today and start challenging yourself to create a happier and healthier way of living!

 

(1) http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/willpower.aspx

There are millions of you serious about making a New Year’s resolution to get healthy with the exact same plan you had Jan 1^st of 2017, but why will 2018 be any different? I can see it now, you’ve got the latest workout gear, the most inspirational 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s beats playlist from Spotify bumping in your way oversized headphones, heck you even picked up one of those metal water bottles all of the cool kids are rocking. Your motivation was almost enough to trick you into joining Joe the “CrossFit Bro” for his WOD, but hold on, wait a second let’s do things differently this year!

Seriously though, how are you more prepared to succeed this year compared to last? Did you study all year to gain the scientific knowledge and know-how to build muscle and lose body fat? Do you have healthier friends and a better social support system this year to hold you accountable and keep you motivated? What about those professional coaching skills needed to make real habit changes and behavior modifications?

Well, would you rebuild your radiator or design the blueprints for your house? Then what makes you qualified to be your own fitness professional, health coach and motivational speaker? It takes experience, knowledge and support to make real habit changes and to build a safe and effective training program. That’s why real people pay real money for real help and support. You don’t have to go about this alone and I suggest you avoid it all costs if you want to succeed and enjoy your healthier approach to life. There are many fitness and health coaching options to choose from and I guarantee there is one out there that will help you!

Let’s get the most important thing out of the way. It may very well be dangerous if you choose the wrong training program or coach without getting a baseline idea of where your health and functional movement are. Before running to the nearest boot camp and slinging weights over your head, jumping on boxes or slamming your chest on the ground 1000 times for fun, think about this. Would you tow a boat with 3 good tires and one flat? Then you must think of fitness training the same way. You need four good tires to operate smoothly. So, ensure you’re ready to begin working out by getting a proper physical movement assessment and health screening. Good professional coaches will always gather this information to guarantee you are ready to train. At Triaffect we use the Functional Movement Screen FMS™ as our tool to evaluate your mobility and design safe and appropriate programs specifically for your health.

How about we take it one day at a time!

To have your best year you must first have your best day! This is the real secret to making manageable and sustainable changes in your life. Don’t get caught up in any of the quick fix gimmicks whether they are services, products, programs or anything else being sold by a 6-pack wielding snake oil sales associate. IT TAKES DAILY EFFORT TO MAKE ANY PROGRESS IN LIFE! “If you are always looking forward to tomorrow, or back at yesterday, you will end up lost today”. Being present and operating in the moment will allow you to recognize and manage the habits and behaviors that lead to a healthier life not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.

Plan your day with the end in mind. You know where you are, and you know where you want to go, now how do you get there? If you want to exercise today what will it take to accomplish this? You will need to schedule a time, a place, and have your workout gear ready! Planning the steps are the hardest part, but it can be easier if you just break them down to the smallest tasks possible. Check out the example below:

By the end of 2018, my client wants to lift a total of 10x his bodyweight (168lbs) across the 3 big lifts: Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press. 1700lbs lifted by someone who weighs 168lbs pretty much seems impossible right? Well, not when you break it down step by step. Believe it or not and it was done in 2017! https://www.powerliftingwatch.com/records/raw/world
Deadlift: 700lbs
Squat:     550lbs
Bench:    450lbs
TOTAL: 1,700lbs= Success by 20lbs :}

Now how would he do this? Well, we know strength is best built with low reps at maximal weight with optimal nutrition and recovery. His program could look something like this!

3 Repetitions @80% of His 1 Repetition Max

3 Repetitions @80% of 1 His Repetition Max

2 Repetitions @85% of His 1 Repetition Max

2 Repetitions @85% of His 1 Repetition Max

1 Repetitions @90% of His 1 Repetition Max

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Squat	Bench	Deadlift	Rest	Squat	Bench	Deadlift

 

This would be a 12-week program with %’s adjusted weekly based on the increase in his 1 repetition max. We will measure his progress weekly and adjust from there! His food intake would stay consistent to what he eats now considering he is recovering adequately, making strength gains and doesn’t gain more than 20 lbs. He should add more naps, deep breathing, self-myofascial release techniques and massage for recovery as well. This is his plan for success. Now, what’s yours?

Put me in Coach!  

Your body and mind are very intricate systems with many variables that must be taken into consideration when developing a healthy approach to fitness and nutrition. Luckily, Fitness and Health coaches can be your #1 asset if you choose wisely. I suggest looking for someone who has more than 3 years of experience, a health-related college degree or 5+ certifications as a fitness professional. This will ensure your coach is serious enough about their education and knowledge to help you get serious results.

True professionals chose their craft because they are passionate about helping others. Keep in mind it takes a lot of energy and courage for a Fitness Professional to prove themselves over and over again to gain the respect and business of skeptical clients. These pros are dedicated because they have seen how transformative a healthy life can be when a good coach and a dedicated client work together as a team!

Look for a good coach in your area first as we know convenience is important, but don’t sacrifice convenience for finding the right professional to help you. The truth is a good coach is worth 1000 times more than the most amazing equipment and luxurious amenities. So, don’t get caught up on how nice a gym is, how great their marketing, how many cool gadgets they have or how great of a deal they are offering if their coaches aren’t right for you. Let me put it this way, how well would you operate a Stealth Bomber compared to your 98 Corolla? Progress must start with the skill not the tools. 8 sessions with someone who has the knowledge experience, patience, and passion needed to help you move better, get stronger and lose weight can literally change your life forever. Show up ready to learn, work hard and you will get way more than you pay for!

Are you seriously going back to the gym today?

Another big obstacle in your way to a healthier 2018 is the nonexistent social support system and lack of culture in most gyms or fitness programs. It’s no secret that social support matters as much as anything to keep you excited about working out! Even at some of the best fitness facilities as a newbie you will feel intimidated, overwhelmed and self-conscience. That is perfectly normal, but the gym staff and coaches should welcome you and ease some of this trepidation. If the staff isn’t friendly or even worse they make you feel intimidated? RUN!! At Triaffect we base everything off how well we treat our clients from the moment we begin working with them. We require our members to be a part of our fun, fitness family!

Find a fun shake or kick your booty fitness class and sign up even if it’s not your thing. New challenges always open the door to new opportunities, new abilities and new experiences so don’t be too afraid to grow out of your comfort zone. Once, In the class take time to introduce yourself to some of the members and ask about their fitness journey’s. You may just realize that you have it easy compared to some!

Reach out to a few of your friends and challenge them to join you for a small group training class. Tell them they probably can’t handle it, but they could try. If you only ask they may be liable to make an excuse, but if you challenge them you’ve added pride into the mix. Most facilities will have free introductory classes that you can all experience together.

You look so much happier what are you doing differently?

Last, but definitely not least. Remember that you must act in order to experience a healthier life not just magically change your mind and expect a totally new way of living. We are going to spend our time on this planet with a majority of it as we choose so, why not choose to live a grateful, connected, fulfilled, vibrant, and healthy life? These are all things that you can control and create each and every day.

You are an amazing creation with unimaginable abilities and unimaginable energy, but too often you let the world define your abilities and filter out your energy. You can stop this though by applying daily practices that help you dig up these buried emotions within. Developing the skills and practices to keep a positive and productive perspective will allow you to continuously cultivate happiness from the inside out!

Small consistent effort leads to massive trans-formative changes. This is harder to do then it sounds, but there are a few ingredients I think make it the perfect recipe for success:

1. Ignore all doubts, fears, obstacles or limiting beliefs. They don’t help you so why are you focusing on them?
2. Take action no matter how small it may seem. Action follows action! Stop over analyzing and adjust instead. By taking action you will know whether it works or not and can make strategic adjustments.
3. Put things into a positive perspective by writing out a few of your blessings and gifts each day.
4. Seek to understand the reasons people or circumstances in your life anger, irritate or annoy you instead of sitting on the emotion and letting it control you.
5. Decide to follow that which fulfills your soul not that which distracts it. Discover this by envisioning what you want your life’s work to leave as a legacy!

Yes it’s uncomfortable to challenge yourself and build the skill set to live life in HD as I like to call it, but it will eventually become even more painful not to. You should wish to inherit your sight from the blind and your hearing from the deaf as it takes believing before you can ever see and silence before you can ever hear. Now let’s do things different in 2018!