This past weekend I had was able to relax a bit and hang out a bit. On sunday I met up with a friend of mine I hadnt seen in a while and we grabbed something to eat.

It was pretty cool because I havent seen this dude in a long time.

This guy has always been a positive person always seeing the good in things and looking at the big picture. So I was surprised when while at a stop light a ferrari pulls up next to us and my friend starts talking smack. Look at this a**hole in his ferrari, he probably inherited a bunch of money or something. Prick!

By a show of hands how many of you have friends or know someone like that?

If you dont know anyone like that ill explain why at the end of the blog post.

Like I said I freaked out that this was his reaction, the main reason why I freaked out was because I actually know who the dude in the ferrari was. He was an old client of mine that was a retired plastic surgeon. What freaked me out the most was that my friend didnt even know my old clients story or background yet went on about how he was lucky and got it all handed to him.

My old client was an immigrant who struggled to put food on his kids plates when they moved here. Worked odd jobs and went to school part time, did that for years till he finally graduated and got a job. Then years later opened his own clinic. Then years later finally got himself that car after he retired at 71 when his hands werent steady for procedures anymore.

Point im getting at is without knowing how much work it took, my friend just bashed him.

I asked him why he wasnt in a ferrari? He had excuse after excuse about how its hard for him to study because he cant retain anything.

How he cant get a job because he doesnt have the time because of school. How he couldnt work weekends because he needs those to relax.

This could go for fitness too. How many times have you heard someone say of course that persons in shape, they dont have kids. Only to find out that person has 5 kids.

Or of course that person is fit because they dont have a job only to find out they have 3 jobs.

A friend on facebook shared this video and ive watched it all weekend. I STILL GET CHILLS WATCHING THIS!

Michael Jordan said it perfectly………maybe its their fault for making it look too easy or effortless

Remember earlier in this post I asked if you knew someone like that? And that if you didnt know someone like that id explain why at the end of the post.

Heres why……………..

Take a step back and look around at your friends……….if they have their hands raised up and are staring awkwardly at you

………………….maybe you dont know anyone like that because that person is YOU.

Self Awareness time

Comfort zones are what keep us where were at. Paralyzing us keeping us from greatness. Fair warning, I might get a little deep as I just finished an hour of reading Some of Paulo Coelho’s stuff so I’m in that kind of mood. If you don’t know who he is I strongly recommend you reading his stuff.

Anyways, as the old saying goes “if you do what you’ve always done you’ll get what you’ve always gotten”. I think that’s how it goes.

I’m gonna share with you my a ha moment of comfort zones. It’s a little embarrassing but it’s funny.

You see years ago I met this beautiful woman, today she is my fiancé. She is about 7 feet or at least it feels like that to me.

One of the first times I went to a dance with her I was terrified.

1. Because I’m not a good dancer. After a couple of drinks I’m a great dancer…in my eyes. To everyone else, I’m worse than before.

2. Jen is way taller then me so I didn’t wanna look like Chelsea handler and Chuy.

But after I got over my fears and got outta my comfort zone I went and danced. It worked out for the best! Fast forward and now im engaged, so I guess my moves impressed her

that or the whole comfort zone thing.

There are plenty of other times that stepping out of my comfort zone helped me accomplish things but that one stood out the most.

Anyways think back to some of your proudest moments and biggest accomplishments….What got you there?

Im willing to bet it took stepping out of your comfort zone and doing things you dont normally do.

So whats holding you back from your goals this week? Every week try and do something outside of your comfort zone. Try something different and see what cool stuff happens.

Success is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

Have a great week!

Im ready for October!

I know its tuesday not monday but why wait all the way till monday to do a motivational post! Alice in wonderland has an un-birthday so why not. (Jens favorite movie thats how I know)

(By the way if I had a daughter, these 2 would be the last 2 dudes id want her taking drinks from)

You dont have to have a set day to be fired up!

Check out this cool video! I love it! It asks how bad do you want it. It doesnt matter what goal you have or what  you wanna do. All that matters is how bad do you want it!

Ive heard it all, I wanna be fit and at a better job but im 40yrs old with 3 kids…….I cant.

Im not telling you to quit your career and tell off your boss, whoa whoa pump your brakes. Ease into that one.

All im saying is replace the word can’t with lazy.

“Laziness is resting before you’re tired”-Unknown

How bad do you want it?

Ive heard I dont have the time for it. Or I cant give this up, or I cant do that. Then you dont want it bad enough and sorry if it sounds mean but you dont deserve it. If you dont want it that bad then quit thinking about it and move outta the way for the next person who does want it that bad.

The one I hear alot is I cant do it because of this person or that person. Or this person wont let me, or theyll laugh at me or hate me.

Warning: Cover your kids eyes

Thats my response to that one.

When you see the best at something, most of the time those people have gone through hell and back to get there. Every single adversity to be where theyre at. They wanted it that bad.

Before you say this person has awesome genetics and can literally do one pushup and gain muscle, forgot those. Nothing against them but they should be in their own continent in atlantis and leave “real” people without Adonis genetics alone.

So again how bad do you want it?

Just as things are starting to calm down here at HQ other crazy things pop up like the texas fires. I hope everyone around there is safe.

This weekend Im heading out to vegas for a seminar and spending some time with one of my mentors. I feel blessed to have mentors that I can easily reach out to whenever I have a question or want to learn more.

Sometimes after a long day my minds always racing and that doesnt let me get alot of sleep. So I turn to the first thing that I love doing but know itll knock me out quick……reading. I love to read, only thing is if its late at night ill only get to about the 3rd page before I K.O.

Last night I was reading some old nutrition texts that I have and read a sentence that I thought was the best out of the entire book!

It said “good nutrition is honest and outcome based.”

Its like one of those sayings that stick with you. An old powerlifting coach of mine used to tell me everyday before I entered the gym “leave your ego at the door!”. Youre not here to show off your here to perform better.

“good nutrition is honest and outcome based” is one of those sayings.

Its true! If your nutrition is really on point then you should be getting results. If you say I eat clean but Im still overweight. Or my nutrition is great Im just not getting results. Chances are your nutrition isnt that great.

At least he’s honest

Whats the best way to find out?

Self awareness. Being honest and self awareness are a pain in the ass but youll be surprised how great it works. Why do you think keeping a food journal is one of the best ways to keep you on track.

If you really need even more self awareness then take it a step further and take a picture of each meal, sometimes you dont really eat what you think you do. At the end of the day writing down what you ate changes, a 4 oz turkey patty and 1/2 cup of brown rice turns into a 4oz turkey patty with cheese and fries and 1 1/2 cups of brown rice. Taking a picture of it wont change. Youll see exactly what you ate.

What you thought you ate

What you really ate

It helps show the difference of what you thought you ate and what you really ate. You dont really have a good idea of what you eat or do unless you journal it.

This tiny tweak can help you big time! If you have a smart phone then its even easier.

My favorite app of all time is Evernote !

For someone as unorganized as me this is perfect. You can create different journals and folders. I have one for my workouts, one for my nutrition, and so on.

The coolest part is if I can use it on my phone or if im on my laptop I can use it there. So I dont have to wait till after a meal to go to my journal and write it down. I can do it then and there.

Ive learned that anything that deals with me writing physically is a pain. Im not sure why maybe its the new age where texting is 100x faster but the actual process of writing is a hassle. So evernote helps me get around that.

Not only that but it uploads pictures, videos, music, recordings ect. So if I dont have time to write what I eat ill take a picture and upload it to my nutrition folder. If I have an idea for an article or workout ill voice record it and upload it. Easy!

Make this a habit and watch the results pour in

Im back!!!!!!

Well sort of……..still going 100mph which means ill throw you a motivational monday and a cool article a friend of mine showed me.

First a quick video.

Since monday is one of the hardest days to get over (its one of my favorites), I like to post some motivational stuff to keep you trucking on.

One of my favorite actors is the Fresh Prince himself Will Smith. Not just because he makes me laugh but because hes one of the most positive people around. I think if youre about 10miles around him youll be able to feel his good vibes. We need more people like that. Check out some of the stuff he sais.

“If you are not making someone elses life better you are wasting your time. Your life will become better by making other peoples lives better.” – Will Smith

What he sais about the treadmill is awesome! Thats the only time ill get on a treadmill

Second thing is a cool article by Jason Seib

He talks about a mind hurdle ive been getting to throw away. His example with Deb is perfect!

So if you still just look at the scale for progress, this ones for you

http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/06/22/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/

Now back to normal programming

Todays post is a little off topic and I know ill probably get some heat from it…….

Ill call it self awareness day. One of the best things I learned from one of my mentors as a kid was self awareness. Ill never forget it “self awareness is a pain in the ass! But without it youd never know what to improve on”. Nobody likes to know or even acknowledge their weaknesses.

Thats why nutrition journals are so effective. You really have to write down everything you ate and at the end of the day you realize you know what, I ate like crap today. But if you didnt then youd go on about your week thinking you did great. Again nobody likes knowing what they suck at or need work on.

So heres why a self awareness day is needed and my main point of todays post.

A friend of mine forwarded this video to me and in the midst of going 100mph with work I stopped dead in my tracks with my eyes glued to the screen!

Seriously! Its called soreness because the kid plays video games instead of playing outside. When I was a kid I used to wanna play outside all day! Pushups were fun to do NOT punishment. Punishment was keeping you after school so you wouldn’t play outside. A friend of mine is a PE coach and told me youd be surprised at how many kids bring notes from their parents to skip PE because theyre not feeling well or their doctor said not to exert themselves.

I understand if you have a doctors note and have asthma or something that really keeps you from just plain old activity.

As I get older I see a common theme keep popping up. My grandpa used to tell me stories like when I was a kid we did this and this. I used to say times change dont get too worked up about it. Then my dad used to say the same thing when I was a kid we did this and this not that and that. I would say the same thing to him. Funny thing is now im the one saying when I was a kid id do this and this not that and that. Thats because each generation is changing but sometimes not always for the better.

Im not much of a political person, to be honest with you I wouldnt know who is president if Obama wasnt always on TV. But hearing about all the programs that are being cut because of budget and the first ones to go are PE and music stuff.

hmm with all this happening and child obesity is literally an epidemic wouldnt it make sense to keep PE truly PE. Physical education. Teaching kids to keep fit and healthy.

Maybe we should be like PE in Russia

Im not cold hearted, I actually feel for the kid in the first video. Nobody likes being sore especially so sore you have to go to the hospital. But maybe, just maybe, its time for a self awareness day. Time see our weaknesses and how we can improve them.

Take some time today to see what you can improve on. It doesnt only have to be fitness.

I know for me its I should call my grandparents more, I should write more, finish 2 books I left lingering, etc.

have a great week!

Again sorry if I offended anyone

What a great way to start the week! Has there been times that everythings going great and smooth and then outta left field BOOM!

The unexpected happens and sets you back so much you feel like giving up completely. It could be a small hurdle like youve been eating great then friends come to visit and your whole weekend went to crap.

Or it could be something huge like an injury or something.

Whatever it is IT SUCKS! Theres one thing ive learned and thats

SHIT HAPPENS

Dont let that be an excuse or stop you from keeping on.

Whats your mindset like? No one got to greatness without the right mindset. All the training and preparation in the world wont help without the right mindset. This video shows that, it wouldnt be possible without the right mindset.

Check this video out.

Theres no better way to describe it than the description of the video itself.

“Heather Dorniden of the University of Minnesota races the 600m at the Big 10 Indoor Track Championships. She reminds what a race really is about. What life is really about. We will fall. We can rise.”

Next time you fall, how will you react?

Yup you know its time for another motivational monday!!!!

Although you may hate mondays, everyday is a monday for our Navy Seals, think about that . Proud to be an american.

Ok onward! This video was pretty cool because im a big fan of quotes. It doesnt take a genuis to create a great quote, but the a great quote is GENIUS! This video puts together a bunch of my favorite ones and some ive never heard.

Check it out.

Some of my friends ask me why I read so many motivating quotes and stories and why I “waste” time watching motivational videos. I always send them to the great Zig Ziglar and one of my favorite quotes.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar

On another note im excited to have partnered up with San Antonio Fitness At The Park! For the whole month of may we will be doing FREE bootcamps at San Pedro park at 10am every saturday! Feel free to jump in and bring some friends its gonna be fun

When it comes to fat loss and looking better naked everyone wants the secret. The secret can be either a magic pill or mystical workout that will make you drop fat instantly.

I stopped believing in that when I found out the tooth fairy isn’t real. (my mom was really good and sneaking stuff under my pillow, The whole time I thought it was The Rock).

I thought that the whole magic bullet question was dead until a couple of days ago. The other day I did a  post where I put up Stefanie’s before and after pics. (if you missed it you can find it here). Well after that I had tons of emails, calls, and even some clients coming up to me asking what was her secret. Some were even upset thinking I had hid some magic secret from them.

Truth is there is no secret. That was my response a couple of days ago. There is NO secret.

Fast forward to today. I had finished my workout and was outside “recovering” ( laying on my back panting like a dog. Complexes are killer) and a thought hit me.

Maybe there was a secret. Maybe there is a secret that every successful person has. After comparing alot of things I finally found it!

I found the secret!

(Great book and movie by the way)

You ready for it? ok…

*Warning: if youre still expecting some magic bullet stop reading here*

The secret is ACTION! Just like filming a movie the magic doesnt start happening until the director sais ACTION! In this case youre the director and your body’s just waiting for you to take ACTION.

Even now if you arent part of any of my programs or anyone elses. Information is everywhere. You have all the resources you need. Whats missing is taking action on it.

What did Stefanie do to get those great results. She took ACTION. She started working out, got the nutrition guide and took action on it. Asked questions and took ACTION on the answers.

Taking ACTION goes with the saying “In order to get what you dont have, you must do things you dont do”. I cant remember who said it but its pretty spot on right. If doing what you normally do got you where you are then it only makes sense to do something else to get you where you wanna be.

Now that you know the SECRET that every successful person has what are you gonna do with it?

I hope this finds you well and you had a great Easter weekend!

This Easter weekend was awesome!!! Thats 2 holidays (if you count fiesta week as a holiday) back to back. So of course today is gonna need another Motivational monday!

But before I get into it heres some funny easter pics I found

Ok so heres this weeks motivational monday video! I really like this one. It really breaks down what motivates us. The coolest part about it is the guys drawing the whole thing.

Im a visual person so seeing it while hes talking about it really made sense to me.

Have a great week!