I haven’t really posted too much on meditating but it can really be a HUGE factor in relieving stress and getting your mind right.

I want to get at least one meditation in a day, I usually prefer the morning right when I wake up or later in the afternoon.

And I can promise you that the days I make myself sit down and do some meditating TOTALLY changes my outlook on the day.

I awaken in a better mood and much of the stress and self-talk goes out the window.

Today I’m putting in a video of one of my favorite meditations.  It’s only 10 minutes but it’s completely positive and will hopefully improve your mood and stress-levels.

Take 10 minutes today and sit somewhere it’s quiet and get rid of all the distractions that could disturb you.

This means no cell phone, no electronics, find a quiet place and don’t let anyone bother you for the next 10 minutes.

Sit down with your legs crossed and take a few deep breaths and allow all of your attention to focus on your breathing.

Do everything you can to not think of anything.  This is where you want to eliminate your ego.  Don’t allow any self-talking or for your brain to wander.

Place all your focus on your breathing.  Listen to the meditation and follow along.  I promise it’ll make a world of difference.

Enjoy.

This is a post that’s hit really close to home since I’m a guy who can go 0-60 all the time.  So much I find my body and my mind crashing more often than the norm.

All day you see people cutting other people off when driving and giving others the bird.  I personally try to avoid car traffic at all costs simply because it’s a thing that can really annoy the frick out of me and it never fails to put me in a bad mood.

Another trick I’ve picked up is to try and take 2 deep breaths before I react to anything.  So if somebody just cut me off while driving, I’ll take 2 deep breaths and then react to it.  This totally lessens the intensity of the anger and frustration that can build up with these little things that happen every day.

But I know all stress isn’t avoidable and that’s why I’ve started doing things that I know will help with my stress levels.

I’ve slowly begun implementing some stress relieving systems into my life that help me keep my sanity and retain the natural balance in my life.

One thing I’m starting to do is getting a massage once a month.  I train pretty darn hard and my body can seriously take a beating, so I thought I owed it to my body to get a professional massage once a month, and my body has thanked me for it!

Here’s are some tips that I’ve picked up along the way when it comes to getting rid if stress and keeping the balance in your life.

1. Exercise.

I recently read a study that found exercise to be one of the most effective ways to combat depression and rightly so.  I know I’m not the same if I don’t exercise for a few days, the negative hormones really build up and cause chaos mentally and physically.  But if you are over-training you can end right back up where you started with depression and sleeping problems.

2. Sleep Better.

After exercise they found sleep to be the second biggest factor to relieving stress. If I’m having a crappy day and I’m in a real bad mood I’ll try and take a nap for a half-hour. I also try to get to bed by 10/10:30 when the body is prime for recovery and regeneration.  It’s just nit the same going to bed at midnight and waking up and 9.

3. Meditation.

Coming in third was meditation, this has been another element I’ve been trying to do more often. I try to sit quietly with no distractions (TV, music, iPhone, electronics, etc.) and just focus on my breathing for just 5-10 minutes. And trust me it really does make a world a difference in my day. The key is really trying to clear the mind so it doesn’t keep spinning in circles and making your mind go crazy.

4. Talk About It.

Being able to talk about your problems and worries with somebody who genuinely cares can be a terrific way to get rid of stress.  And this doesn’t necessarily have to be a significant other but it could be a close friend, brother/sister, parent or mentor.  Sharing your problems with someone you care about can do wonders for all of us.

5. Get a Massage.

I can’t stress this one enough, releasing all the tension in your body from life and exercise is necessary in this day and age. I’m trying to get one a month to help manage my stress, but I’m also doing it myself everyday with the foam roller. And my total investment for the foam roller? Only $25 bucks.

To get more information on foam rolling I just released my DVD, The Secrets of the Foam Roller.  <= Click here to discover my #1 secret for instantly increasing your flexibility and more self-massage techniques.

Have any other de-stressing techniques, please share your comment with the world…let us know that you’re alive!

“Some people say motivation doesn’t stick. Well either does a shower-that’s why we advise you to take one everyday.” – Zig Ziglar

Today I wanted to share with you a little motivational film, 212 degrees, that always gets me inspired up to take my game  to the next level.

I was first given the book to this by Todd Durkin and it had a big impact on me as a fitness professional as well as a person.

If you need a little kick in the pants right now or if you’re having a crummy day then hit the play button on the video below.

I like to watch this video when I’m feeling lazy or down in the dumps and it really helps me to re-focus and get out of my funk.

This film will show you how much taking your game to the next level really means and the power of discipline when it comes to achieving your goals and dreams.

Here are a few key points that I personally took away from the 212 degree video…

Good is the enemy of Great. I know everybody doesn’t necessarily want to put the work into having a perfect dream body, most people just want to look hot in their bathing suit.  But if that’s not motivation enough to be great, to you what is?  Maybe you want to have a high position in your occupation or you’re want to be a great parent or a great spouse.  Whatever it is you truly want to be great at, it’s all about having the discipline of being great, and not just settling for “good.”

The Margins of Victory are Small. Finishing those extra few reps when your muscles are burning and your hearts pounding out of your chest will get you those results that you truly want.  Doing your workout from start to finish when you’re dead tired and cranky as heck will completely set you apart from those who would rather sit on the couch and watch the boob tube.  Doing the small things consistently can make a champion out of you.

It’s Up to You. All of your success and failures will come from yourself and yourself only.  We all hear stories of people going from rags to riches because they had a dream and worked their butt off to accomplish them.  It’s easy to say some people are successful because they were “born” to do it and because of some of special circumstances.  But I’m a firm believer that anybody with their head on straight can accomplish anything they want.  But it comes down to the fact if you have the discipline and passion to give that extra degree.

Being a personal trainer in general usually means I’ll be spending a lot of time in the gym whether I like it or not.

And to be honest I don’t know everything and don’t think I know everything.

But sometimes I see people doing the dumbest or weirdest things imaginable.

These dumb things happen in just about every gym in America and if I’ve seen it then there’s a good chance you’ve seen it.

So I in this post we’re going to celebrate gym stupidity at it’s finest…

1.  The Over-Functional Training Guy – this is the guy working out with on a Bosu ball while standing on 1-leg and doing biceps curls.  He’s trying waaaay too hard and wasting his time as he jumps on 6 lined up Bosu balls.  And the worst part is people who don’t know what they’re doing or are newbies to the gym watch this guy and start copying him because he’s never seen anybody else doing it.

2.  The Person Wearing the 1980s Work Out Gear – This is more embarrassing to the person wearing the 80s gear than us who are the ones who somehow secretly know we’re living in the new century.  Get with the times and stop shopping at the Salvation Army.  Invest in so

me quality workout attire and everybody will thank you because of it.

3.  The Guys Who Look At Themselves In The Mirror Every 15 Seconds – Probably the biggest cliche in the fitness industry are these giant ego guys who can’t help but look at the extra little growth they’re seeing from pumping a bunch of blood to their muscles.  It also makes me want to shake my head when they tell me they’re on an Arginine supplement to get more blood pumping to their muscles.

4.  The Perv Who Just Likes to Stare At Girls – Probably one of the biggest things that scares women off from going to the gym during the male dominated hours.  Let’s be frank here, the gym caneasily become a meat market and we’ve all seen that guy who does one set of bench press and spends the rest of the time sitting around and staring at women.  This guy needs to get a life and stop taking up space.

5.  The People Who Never Work Out – You’ll see these people reading a magazine or newspaper while sipping a cup of coffee as they have absolutely zero training productivity.  These people are here for the social scene and prefer not to break a sweat but instead talk the whole time and bother every body else.

6.  I’m Not Hot But Dress Like I Think I Am – You’ve seen these people working out at the gym in the skimpiest clothes possible when they really shouldn’t be.  They’ll wear a sports bra top and let their pot belly hang out for everyone to see.  Not to mention the super tight spandex shorts they’ll be wearing so we can all see their chunky monkey.

7.  I Walk Around Buck Naked In The Locker Room When They Really Shouldn’t Be – Yeah I said it!  I saved the best for last.  These are the people who are constantly walking around the locker room buck naked and don’t even bother to wear a towel.  You do your best to not look but can’t help it sometimes, it grosses you out and makes you never want to shower at the gym again.  You’ll also see these people brushing their teeth naked and blow drying their private parts right in front of you.

Well there it is, my list of the dumbest and weirdest things I see people doing in the gym. If I left anything out please leave a comment below and let us know what other crazy things you’re seeing in the gym too.

Hey hope you’re doing great with your weight loss journey and you’re enjoying some of this spring weather.

I want to tell you my sandwich story.

After a hard workout I strolled over to the local Whole Foods for a sandwich and as I was walking outside to take a seat and enjoy my sandwich I noticed that all the tables were filled. (This isn’t unusual when the weather gets nice).

So I asked this middle aged man who had a table all by himself if he would mind if I could take a seat next to him.

He nodded and as I sat down I started some obligatory small talk with him.

Eventually we got to the point when he asked me what I do and I told him, “I help transform people lives through exercise and nutrition while motivating them to become happy and healthier.”

He then threw out the joke that I often hear, “So your the guy who likes give people pain!” and he gave a chuckle.

I chuckled back to be polite but told him that I enjoy helping people transform their lives and like anything you really want you have to put some hard work in to achieve it.

I even told him to check out some of my training services but he told me he couldn’t afford the “expense” as he chugged a soda and ate potato chips.

I tried explaining that it’s more of an investment and he could either pay to transform his life now or wait it out and pay the doctors and the medical bills later.

He then told me that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the workouts.

I told him that we have progressions for every exercise so even if you’re a beginner you can still work out with the advanced guys.

Then he told me he has a bad knee and lower back and he would just hurt it even more…and as he said this you could see his shoulders rolled forward and he was slouching.

I told him we go through a foam rolling and stretching warmup as well as muscle activation, joint mobility, and a correction of body imbalances throughout the workout.

He then told me that he gets bored easily and works all the time so he won’t want to commit to anything.

And then it dawned on me, whatever I told this guy he was just going to come up with another excuse.

So I quickly hurried up and finished my sandwich, wished him a good day and went on my way.

There are so many excuses out there and the worst part is that people choose to fill their lives with them.  I’m not saying he should  train with me but take the initiative and stop making excuses.

“What the mind can believe the body can achieve.”

Whether it’s with getting your dream body, building your business, or having a loving and happy relationship.  You’ll get whatever you put into it and excuses will only hold you back until it’s too late.

This is a great quote from the man Tony Robbins: “Changing our belief systems is central to making any real and lasting change in our lives.”

Our bodies naturally always want to take the easiest way out, unfortunately it’s rarely the right way.  Have a great weekend and decide what you’re going to do to take action!