Strength for Life

Why Today is the Wrong Day to Start Your Fitness Program

Jack LaLanne is the original fitness guru—enthusiastic, motivating and authentic. This is simply the way he is—it’s not some persona created for TV.

Today, you can hardly turn on the TV without getting a dose of some over caffeinated, ponytail slinging, tattoo sporting fitness guru screaming at you to get moving, NOW!

Well, today I’m going to tell you why those who implore you to get moving now, to start getting fit today are wrong.

And I’m not just talking about the way they say it—but the fact that this over hyped, urgent approach to fitness is counterproductive to the desired result. For most it will actually set you back—quite possibly the #1 hidden reason for fitness failures.

From Stress to Stress
If you’ll follow along with me, I’d like to make this experiential. Here’s what I need you to do:

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What's the deal with cantalopes?

Smart Girl, Dumb Cookie

A cookie with vitamins? Seriously...

Have you seen Hungry-Girl? Like me, she has a new book out so it's hard to ignore her. She's done an amazing job of creating a large audience of hungry-girls to whom she offers recipes and various tips and tricks on how to eat. It's not really nutritional advice just "opinion" on eating.

Well, today I get an email from Hungry Girl (I have to admit I don't know "her" name) and on it is boldly featured a cookie called a Vitatop. Evidentially, these are cookies with vitamins on or in the chips.

Seriously... no joke.

Now, I love food as I make clear in Chapter 10 of my new book. I support a healthy relationship with all foods--a sort of Nutritional Freedom, the freedom to eat great food and enjoy a high energy, vibrant life. It's quite literally the antidote to dieting (see the 10 Steps to a Lifetime of Nutritional Freedom in my book). I'm not into dieting.

But this sort of "good and bad" strategy really gets me riled up.

If you want a cookie you should be free to eat a cookie--a real, well done, hopefully organic cookie and even two at the right times. If you do already take vitamins, great. You know when to take those. But this "vitamin cookie" disrespects three parties:

First, it takes you for a fool... so dim that you'll fall for eating more of a "bad" food because the vitamin chip "dressing" relieves your guilt. Now, clearly, you've got to be operating slightly below the "full steam" from the neck up to fall for that one.

Second, it disrespects the vitamin... like so many foods and even supplements, this falls into the "pixy dust" approach at best. It's not an effective or quality delivery of any serious vitamins--that's not even it's purpose. It's the equivalent of low calorie water. Nonsensical.

And finally, it totally disrespects the cookie. You have to know that anyone doing this is not fully and deeply committed to making the best cookie. It's a cookie fraud... and vitamins can not possibly enhance the taste.

My advice, from this Fully-Satiated-Guy, don't fall for this trap... eat a real, delicious, home made (or nearly) cookie when it's in your plans and enjoy it from a place of freedom. And take your vitamins at another time.

P.S. Upon further review I came to discover these "cookies" were really "muffin tops" which is essentially the same thing. Right? I just hope someone is paying proper royalties to Seinfeld for this for it was Elaine and her boss Littman who came up with the muffin top concept.

New Flash: Maybe It’s Not a Weight Problem?

We hear about it every day... Americans are overweight. It’s beyond being collar grabbing news yet it’s a story repeated over and over.

Seems the media is playing the game of self-deception that any parent of a young child has engaged in: the false belief that if we say something enough times, and speak it loud enough, it will somehow result in a behavior change. It doesn’t. This much any parent can confirm.

Now, I believe I’ve uncovered some REAL NEWS here. You see, as I was being reminded (as if I needed it) of just how much weight the average American has added in the last 4 decades, it hit me...

Perhaps it’s not an issue of weight at all?

I propose that we’ve been looking at "the problem" all wrong, through a conditioned lens that has tainted our view. If you stand back, get out of the conditioned assumptions and take a fresh look, you too may see that it’s not that we’ve become too heavy but that we’re too short!

Have you ever seen an overweight player in the NBA? Exactly. Need I say more.

Yes, I think that’s it. The weight we’ve added, some 24 pounds on average between 1960 and 2002, may be the result of natural evolution of man but something has prevented us from growing in height!

Look at it this way... it’s simple math. As the average American has added 24 pounds * (likely more since this study but this is close enough for the moment) all this “average person” need do to stay at the same BMI (body mass index) is to add between 6 and 8 inches to their height. Heck, that’s less than one-quarter an inch per year!

Is that expecting too much? I, for one, don’t think so.

(* according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

Then why have we not kept up with the demands on our height?

It could be toxins in our environment, the transfats, high-fructose corn syrup, global warming or even fluoridation… Clearly something is stunting our growth. And with the increasing burden of our growing weight we can ill afford to be stuck at this height. The ramifications are immense (no pun intended… well… not really).

Now that the real problem is clear it’s time to switch our focus, stop obsessing on weight loss (sorry Weight Watchers) and start resolving the real problem. Height!

Toss out the scale and bring on the tape measures!

It's Something You Need to Read

Oh, not sure I told you. And if I didn't…

I’ve got a new book out.

Do you care? Should you? That’s the issue at question here.

Over the last two years I poured my mind, heart and soul into this book. It consumed my focus, my time and challenged me in ways I never imagined possible.

Ah, but why does it matter to you?

Fair question. I’d be lying if I didn’t say at times I do feel like you should buy it because creating it nearly killed me—as if some how "my personal purple heart" means something to you. Of course, I realize that this is my life and writing this new book was my choice.

Having been so deeply entrenched in this project for last few years, it was a blog post by Seth Godin that invited me to take another, deeper dive into this question: “Why is my new book important for you to read?”

In a recent Blog Seth posts:

“Here's an interesting dichotomy:
 
Watch this because I’m in it
vs.
I’m in it because you’ll enjoy watching it.
 
Or,
 
I published a book so I need you to read it
vs.
There’s something you need to read, so I wrote about it.”

Point well made. Great distinctions.

Given that I’d recently eagerly sent a copy of my new book to Seth with, I couldn’t help but take this as a bit of a personal challenge.

So what’s my answer:

First thing that pops into my head is that this is a “reality fitness book.” No, not reality like those not-so-reality TV shows but reality as in real—meaning it’s authentic—and genuine wisdom tends to transmit and transcend the subject, serving to inspire excellence in all areas.

Strength for Life is the product of my 20+ years in the field of practical application of fitness, nutrition and mental performance. It’s a work of service and passion by a busy entrepreneur, husband and father. It’s not a rah-rah “fitness-fantasy” book by a spandex wearing made for TV trainer nor another celebrity fitness book ghost written by the usual suspects.

And that alone makes this work unique and more accessible to real people. A decade older and an equal number of years wiser, means a more holistic, sensible, balanced approach. The result: 33% less time training, a simple, successful nutrition guide and all around life-enhancing program that works from the inside-out.

But, what’s in it for you?

As my book does sit on the shelves of the Health & Fitness aisles, typical thinking would be to show you some delicious photos of bodies which have gone from yuk to yum.  No doubt an effective strategy. One my bro used with great effect with Body for Life, to the tune of nearly 6 million books sold.

Nice work! But I passed on the bathing suits for two reasons: One, with the success of Body for Life it’s become standard formula—everyone has done it—and it would be to follow to closely. And secondly, because strength is more than skin deep—it’s an inside out path to your best life that I offer here and I didn't want to be another one sending you on the wild goose chase to be someone else.

And as you would expect, Strength for Life also includes a brilliantly effective and optimally efficient “12 week Transformation” phase should you desire a leaner, stronger, more energized body and mind. In it, you benefit from a decade of transformation wisdom—for there’s much to learn from both what worked and at least as much from what failed. This could well mean a greatly improved chance of making a successful “Transformation.”

But what if you’ve got the body you want or want the body you’ve got?

How about this…

Simply read one chapter—and you will know that Strength for Life is not another fitness “to do list” but an inspired calling that will wake you up and guide you to embrace your life to the fullest. It elevates you beyond health, out of the “good enough” mentality that is sabotaging America’s greatness and presents the first, true next-level solution to the “code-red” personal and public health crisis that is undermining our individual and collective strength and wellbeing.

<< Download a Preview Chapter Here  >>

In Chapter One, Beyond Health, you come face to face with the silent killer: Health. You learn how our obsession with health has lulled us to sleep, allowing millions to settle for less from life. This is an insight so stunningly clear when you see it that you either embrace if like the rising sun on a crisp spring morning or fervently reject it like a 4 am wake up call after a late night. There’s just no in between.

As for “Strength,” there’s no question that this title presents a challenge for at a glance many will mistake it for a muscle book. But it takes only a few pages to see beyond this narrow view and gather that strength is more than skin-deep.

Is Your Financial Goal to Avoid Bankruptcy?

Now that’s a crazy question, right?

You wouldn’t do it.

Yet, this is precisely what you're doing when you accept "health" as your “good enough” standard for personal wellbeing.

As you will learn in Strength for Life the tragic reality is that to the vast majority of us health is quite literally defined as the “the absence of disease.” We may like to believe we want more, that we desire more vibrant health but the painful reality is that we’re settling for just "not being sick"—satisfied to avoid physical bankruptcy.

“No, this just can’t be,” you say. “Not me.” 

It seems wise, a good thing to be “healthy.” However, when your aim is to "avoid illness," you stop when you stop at "good enough." That’s how goals work. 

The problem is quite simple: With health you’re not aiming high enough rather you're settling for less than you deserve.