Rage Against the Dying of the Light

Sometimes it seems so easy to just give in, give up, and go along with the status quo.  Such a relief to just let go and allow yourself to become that proverbial  fat, dumb, and happy person.

Carving your own path can be too challenging and fraught with many risks and dangers.

Going with the flow, following the pack, doing what normal people do (whatever that is these days!), is so much less trying.  Traveling the well worn path with the masses rather than the road less traveled makes so much more sense to most and  requires so little thought and effort.  It’s safe.  The risks are minimal, the rewards are known.  It’s a sure thing.  Continue reading

No More Excuses

Most days I love training.  No secret there.  But every once in a while, when I’m not quite feeling it, I catch myself looking for an excuse.  At these times the flimsiest, lamest excuse will do.  You know what I mean, right?  The funny thing about excuses is that to someone outside looking in, they seem to be the most ridiculous and inane things, yet to we who are making them they seem to be perfectly logical and iron clad.  Fact is, once we set our minds on an excuse, it takes a huge, overwhelming effort to push it aside and get done what we need to do.  Continue reading

Training When Sick or Injured

This post came about due to several avid blog readers sending me questions on how to, or if, one should train when sick or injured.  If you have any particular topic in mind relevant to health, fitness, strength & conditioning, or martial arts that you’d like to see discussed on the blog, please email me HERE and let me know! Continue reading

Don’t Fall Into This Trap

The other day as I was running around teaching classes at the gym, working on various upcoming projects, and writing articles, I suddenly found myself running short on time for my own workout.  I had planned to have an hour to myself before going to pick up the kids, but somehow it didn’t quite work out that way.  As I looked at the clock, calculated how little time I actually had left before having to run out, it didn’t seem possible to accomplish the workout I had planned for the day.  Continue reading

My Super Secret Recovery Method

In addition to my usual compliment of recovery drills consisting of mobility exercises, yoga asana, and compensatory movement, for the past year and a half I have been using a top secret protocol in my exercise recovery work. This exceedingly simple-seeming protocol has consistently accelerated my recovery, allowed me to reach new levels of relaxation, and strengthened the mind-body connection beyond any work I have ever done. It has also managed to increase energy levels while fortifying my body against the daily rigors of life, work, and family stresses. Continue reading

Work Smarter OR Work Harder?

In the ever evolving and changing world of fitness training there seems to be a long standing rivalry between 2 divergent camps of philosophy that never quite goes away. The 2 camps I’m referring to are the Work Smarter Not Harder Camp (WSNH) and the Just Work Harder Camp (JWH). These 2 rivals have very strong proponents on both sides of the fence and some really strong opinions about each other. Continue reading

The Pain of Transformation

Every now and then it’s good to remind ourselves of the initial pain we all went through when starting a new exercise program.  After we have been training for a while and our body has adapted to the positive stress provided by the workout, we sometimes forget how difficult it was in those early days to take the first step and to persevere.  We may have had a few false starts where we thought this working out thing wasn’t for us and we shouldn’t go on, but then we do. Continue reading

Quit or Destroy

When faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle in life, you really have only 2 options – go forward or go backward.  Backward is to quit, to give up, to walk away.  Backward is not a viable option unless you don’t mind living with regret.  But regret is a pain that does not go away.  It haunts you forever.  It’s like dying a little bit each day, over and over again for the rest of your life.  No thanks.  Not for me.  Pass. Continue reading

Breakfast, the Most Overrated Meal of the Day

Most of us have grown up with the phrase, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” drilled into our heads.

We’ve heard it thousands of times and perhaps have even quoted it to others thousands of times as well.  No harm was meant by it, in fact, the people who said it to us had nothing but the very best intentions in mind.  Didn’t matter if you were hungry or not, our Moms made us eat breakfast, right? Continue reading