“Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.”  ~William Shakespeare
Philosophers and sages throughout the ages have consistently extolled the virtues of facing adversity for the purposes of becoming a better, stronger person.  No matter what form this adversity takes, wisdom dictates that it must be faced head-on, weathered through, and successfully beaten by coming out the other side, maybe scarred, but assuredly battle-hardened and spiritually tougher.   Oftentimes, adversity comes to us unbidden simply due to the path we choose to follow, or even …

Masaaki Hatsumi, Grandmaster of the Bujinkan Dojo, once stated, “endurance is of primary importance for the ninja.”  One definition of endurance is the ability to resist fatigue.  Looking at the kanji (Chinese character) for Nin, there is the ideogram for “sword” over the ideogram for “heart” giving Nin a meaning of, “even though you hold a sword over my heart, I will endure.” 
How many of us training in the Bujinkan, or any other martial art, can truthfully claim that ability?  How long can you train?  How far can you push yourself?  In …

 One of the greatest challenges a long term fitness enthusiast faces is the debilitating impact of age.  Certainly everyone understands the concept but what does it actually mean?  The average person has a higher metabolism when they are younger, a faster recovery rate, greater use of energy stores and suppleness around the joints.  So why exactly do we age? Well did you know that for the average person the maximum heart rate is 220 – age?  That means when you are 20 your heart can go up to 200 bpm, …

Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology that has its origins in the manufacturing business.  It has been adapted and expanded to cover a wide variety of business products, services, and help foster solutions in terms of reducing costs, removing defects, and continuously increasing efficiencies.
Today, we are moving from the boardroom to the gym and looking at ways to apply a scaled-down version of Six Sigma methodology to improving your health and fitness.  Right now, you are the product and we are looking for ways to foster continuous improvement in …

So many people want to begin a diet or start an exercise program today, but labor under the false pretense that they can’t start because they don’t have what they need yet. I want to start my diet, but I didn’t get to the grocery store, therefore I have to wait. I want to start working out, but I don’t have a gym membership, so I have to wait. I want to start working out, but I don’t have the right equipment yet, so I have to wait. Or, my …