Be Active Daily

Get Healthier For You and Your Family

I don’t even know how to start this one. So instead of creating many lines of filler words that fitness articles use to make their posting longer, we’ll get straight to the point.

Winning

The only thing keeping you from doing what you have to do and want to do, is your mind. You have to win the war against your mind. The one that tells your to hit the snooze button. The one that tells you to grab a soda instead of a water.

When you keep up with general fitness over the course of months, you naturally begin to fall in love with it.

There are people that get to where they want to be much faster than others. There are many reasons, but to name a few, it could be due to their attitude towards eating foods with far less sugar, their exercise intensity or simply having a little more time.

Hating how you feel is one of the most detrimental types of attitudes to have. It wreaks havoc on so many peoples lives. It leads to depression, low self-worth and worst of all, suicide. Having such low self-worth easily can destroy someones chance at a promotion at work, ruin relationships with friends and family. I’ve had some low lows in my life and I know that there are times when climbing out of the what seems like a bottomless pit seems impossible. You can win though. It’s possible for everyone and it’s been done.

A large reason so many quit exercise is not because they can’t handle the workout or don’t have time. It has to do with anxiety. Being in a gym filled with people you don’t know, using machines that you’ve never seen before and of course, once in a while seeing someone butt naked in the locker room. Most people that quit are uncomfortable, have little training in the past, are anxious about not knowing what to do and complain that they just don’t have the time.

The fight that needs to be fought is the one in our minds. You have to win against your own mind and it’s insecurities. What other people think of you have no bearing on your workout, at least it shouldn’t. You need to hand yourself a win by working out when you don’t feel like it. Instead of hitting the snooze button, get up right away. Winning the battle with your mind will change your life.

The average person that sign’s up for a gym membership usually doesn’t keep up with their workouts for longer than a week. Although I’m not bothering to fact check that statistic, I would bet it’s darn near close. This is how gyms are able to stay open. Keep charging customers that are not coming in until their membership runs month to month or until they finally decide to cancel, or start again next year as part of their new years resolution. Don’t be that person. WIN

Losing

What happens when we lose is simple, we stay in the same place we’ve been for a long time. We stay static, in the place we’re not happy. Why not make a change? Why be miserable? You’re putting yourself through it. You’re letting your mind win the battle. You’re staying up late, you’re waking up late. You’re told what to do at work by someone you don’t respect. You can’t possibly have respect for anyone if you don’t have any respect for yourself. You have the power to make the changes in your life that will bring you into a happier state so why wait? Why keep going through the motions? “In too deep” doesn’t work here. You can always do better. Always.

In the end, there is no one to blame your health but yourself. Now of course there are those with underlying issues that keep them from doing what they want or have to do but it is RARELY the case. So quit leaning on that being a possibility for you. Go see a doctor if you’re not sure.

Time

So many people use the excuse that they don’t have time to workout. I have two kids. Because of this and the inconvenience of having to drop them off at my in-laws so that I can go to a gym, I slowly emptied out my basement and bought fitness equipment. I work out at home. My youngest plays with her chew toys in her sit-me-up and laughs as I do squats. The older one stay with my spouse on the main floor. But that’s my situation. We are all different. Maybe you have three kids, single and live in an apartment and hold two jobs. You can still find 15-30 mins throughout the day to exercise. You don’t have to be the next Mat Fraser, Tia Toomey, Larry Williams or Stefi Cohen.

A friend of mine has very little time in his life outside of work. Luckily he gets a one hour break every day. He uses 40 minutes of that hour to run about 4 miles or do bodyweight exercises. Sure, people can poke fun, but that’s more their insecurities talking. They can continue to breathe heavily all of their lives just getting to the front door of their house from the driveway.

Don’t let your perception of time destroy your health. If you’re not going to get healthy for yourself, at least do it for your loved ones, your spouse, your kids. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to see you gone any time soon, especially if you’re their base of support.

When it’s too late

Don’t wait until you’re laying on a hospital bed after having a heart attack to decide to change your life. Although it would definitely be the number 1 priority, please, don’t wait for something like that to happen.

Worse yet, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people die every year due to illness that could have been prevented by an active lifestyle. You don’t have to be able to run a marathon. You don’t have to deadlift 500 pounds. But exercise itself is incredibly powerful for longevity on top of good rest and diet.

There is someone that lost their parent or grandparent, sister or brother, aunt or uncle, best friend, to unfortunate causes that could have been totally prevented had they looked after their own lives.

My brother died of COVID-19 in June of 2021. He and his mother were hospitalized. He was put on a ventilator. I asked him several times to take better care of himself, eat better, exercise, walk, run, whatever, just get healthier over the years. I hate to say it this way but he thought he was superman and he wasn’t. My father almost died of COVID-19 a year earlier, but thankfully he’s still here.

What do they have in common? They’re obese. All three of them. There are studies that have proven that being overweight or obese triples the chances of hospitalization. My father thankfully got better at home. My brother on the other hand was put on a ventilator and passed away about 3 weeks later. It hurts so much to think that he could still be here if he did something more. He didn’t have any underlying issues. He just didn’t want to give up the foods he was eating, he didn’t want to exercise. He could still be here for his son, my father, and I. It’s tragic.

Don’t wait until something bad happens. Take care of yourself now.

Welcoming 2022

I’ve done more jotting down blog post ideas in the notes section on my iPhone than actually posting. I’ve had my priorities elsewhere but I didn’t forget about what I’m doing here. I love blogging. Whether it be topics on fitness or not. It’s always been enjoyable for me. More so on a computer, but this iPhone will do for tonight.

Welcome 2022! How I will learn to love you. I expect to start a new job, watch my daughter complete her first year of daycare and witness my youngest daughter take her first steps. I will compete in my first powerlifting competition and I will run a 6 minute mile. I will do many more things I don’t quite have the time to name but I expect this year to be one of the greatest ever. So many things to experience, so many things to do and so many things to try.

Make your New Years resolution to complete a goal you set for yourself that you’ve failed. But instead of just setting the goal and winging it, Make a plan and follow that plan.

Do something for you. Do something for those you love. Get moving and active everyday so that you can extend the time you have here with your loved ones. And believe me, you’ll have fun doing it!

How To Not Care What Other People Think

Don’t go thinking that there is a spontaneous cocktail you can gobble down to cure your anxiety, insecurity and/or irrational feeling of inferiority. Because although there are many…ahem…”things” you can take or induce so that you don’t feel so self-conscious, there are more natural ways to go about things. I’m not talking about any ‘natural’ products on the market or anything like that. I’m taking about you being aware of yourself and your thoughts. I’m talking about you taking control of those things and realizing that it’s not all about you and it is all about you. You’ll understand in a bit.

I like to give some context as to where I get information or how I came to think the way I do. It helps people connect better and get a better understanding of how they can help themselves. It’s all about making you feel like you can be you without having to be so concerned with how people DO or DON’T think about you. Hear me out…I had just put my daughter down for a nap so I had some down time, a special something we all crave once in a while with not only how busy we can be with work, but how busy our personal lives become too. I yanked my phone out of my pocket and I tapped on the Reddit app and began scrolling through. A post caught my attention and I opened it right away simply based on the question it asked. It went something like this:

“What’s something you’ve changed your perspective on now that you’re older?” I scrolled and scrolled and took in a few things, but only a few out of many really stood out to me.

“I spent a lot of time when I was younger worrying about what other people thought of me, when actually, most people are just thinking about themselves and worrying about what other people think of them”

So isn’t this a wasteful way to think? YOU don’t care about what YOU think of ME because YOU’RE too worried about what I think of YOU. And if I’m having the same thought process as you are…then aren’t we truly just thinking about ourselves worrying about others and what they think of us? It’s maddening!

So I have a challenge for you today. No matter where you are, whether you’re working out, going for a walk or at a grocery store. It doesn’t matter. If you’re in a public setting, be yourself. Get out of your shell a bit. That’s all. Don’t worry about what others are going to think of you. They’re too self-conscious as it is to worry about how they think of you at all! Instead of asking you to come to a traffic light and look over to the person next to you, staring until they look your way and then you instantly smile…I rather just suggest you do something safer instead of getting shot. Get out of your comfort zone. Sing while food shopping, or go for a jog in a pink dress. Who cares?

I have to fight these same things as you do. Some have had it as bad as I have and very few have had worse. Dealing with social anxiety is no joke, but I’ve defeated it for the most part and I don’t let it rule my life anymore. Again…that’s another post entirely.

Anytime I head to the beach or go for a run in my neighborhood with my shirt off, I’m definitely self-conscious at times but I have to reel myself in and not waste my time caring about that. These random people I see on the street have the same insecurities, why not show them they can be free from their constrictive minds too?

All of this takes work, but it can be fun.

There are times I’m recording video for youtube wherever it is that I’am and I stop suddenly because someone is staring. I put the phone back to my side and question why I just reacted that way. I take up the challenge of continuing what I was doing. Why? because what is that person going to change about my life as I record? They’re just going to be curious. They’re going to go about their day wondering if they just saw a famous youtuber…which I’m not. But I won’t affect them in any sort of way. I would just be allowing them to affect ME, by not continuing my recording.

I think it’s so important to feel free in our lives to do what we enjoy. We hold ourselves back from simple escapes and pleasures because we let our MINDS hold us back. If I want to shave my head bald, I’m going to do it. The only people that are poking fun are those with a small mental capacity because they know nothing more than their bubble they’re living in. They don’t explore outside of their comfort zone and never have. I don’t let those things bother me anymore. If someone wants to act negatively towards me, they bring no positive value to my life and I should continue on without them. There are exceptions of course with friends and/or family that have fallen ill or have some sort of dementia. But we’re not talking about the exception to the rule.

Do yourself a favor and chip away at that wall. Your life will not feel so bound by insecurity. You’ll feel free. Stay active my friends.

The Man on the Withlacoochee Trail

I always like to preface my longer posts with “Don’t expect high quality writing”

So we continue…

A long ride. A very long ride. One I will never take again. Driving that is. 1,100 miles with two kids is not the most fun you can have on vacation. I should have known that from the start. There was nothing they did wrong though. IT was me though I won’t get into specifics in this post other than me not being comfortable with them in an airplane. The trip was well worth it overall though. I wouldn’t make those same sacrifices again, but I’m glad everyone enjoyed the time we had there.

Let’s talk about Effort.

There was one day in particular that gave me some perspective on “effort”. My step-father asked me to go on a bike ride. I brought my bike with me for this very reason. Florida has some wonderful paved trails. The closest being 5 miles away from my parents house where we were staying. It’s also the 2nd longest paved trail in the state of Florida at 46 miles. I didn’t have the time to travel that distance though. I kept at my step-fathers pace for the better part of the ride. I would speed up for short spurts without having him feel abandoned since one of his friends tagged along. We turned around at the 8 mile mark (Their usual turn our point). From there I kept pace with them for another couple minutes. We weren’t traveling more than 12 miles-per-hour. I needed to get my heart rate up so I picked up some speed…

I came to a crosswalk where cars were flying by. I didn’t have to wait for than a few seconds for someone to let me go. I get back on the trail and another rider flies by me. “Oh no you don’t!” I thought to myself. I’m not too familiar with the difference between a TT bike and a bike used for Triathlons but it doesn’t matter, it was one of those. The guy was flying. I picked up speed and caught up. He was keeping up a very high average speed…at least for me. It took me more effort to keep up with him than it took for him to keep up the speed he was traveling. He may have had a lighter bike, better hardware and what not, but he was still at a disadvantage. He was a bigger man and he was breaking the wind for me.

The man looked back a few times, I figured he was getting a little uncomfortable with me following just 10 feet behind him. I shouted over to him…”Don’t mind me! I’m just trying to keep up, you’re making me better!”. I didn’t know what else I could say. He understood though. Along the way he gave me hand signals as we approached more road ways that we had to cross to continue on the trail. This must have been the fastest 6 miles I’d ever covered. We couldn’t have averaged less than 20 miles-per-hour. I could have went another 8-10 miles at this pace. A pace I never thought I could average over this sort of length. There was no head, tail or cross wind. We were very lucky. It was a beautiful day.

There were moments where I started to fall behind. I didn’t want to kick myself for staying behind so I pushed on and caught back up with the athlete.

Why do I call him an athlete?

I’ve been alone in my fitness journey most of my life. I haven’t been impressed often. This man on the Withlacoochee Trail impressed me. He couldn’t be any younger than 63 or so. This man is an athlete. I’m not the fastest, strongest and definitely not the biggest. There are people far more fit than I’ am, but I don’t see them often at all. I wish I’d met people where I live that kept up with their fitness like this man. It would push me to do things I didn’t think I was capable of and I would do the same for them in return. I haven’t met many people that share my passion for fitness due to time constraints, not because they’re not out there. No other reason other than that.

I do have one thing I could have done differently on the ride. As we blew past several walkers, runners and other cyclists I realized my ride was coming to an end. The place where we parked was very close and I wouldn’t be following this guy anymore. The trail took a winding left turn and I stopped just before it straightened again. I had to make a right. The man kept going straight. I shouted a “Thank you”. He waved and continued on.

I stayed behind. I wish I hadn’t. The trail led straight to my parent’s development 6 miles away. I could have gotten back to the house in the time it took my step-father to catch up to me after I’d stopped. My keys were in my truck. I could have called him and let him know where they were. The past is the past. I’m glad I had the experience and I know to take advantage of it next time.

This month I’m planning my century ride that was supposed to take place last month. Time has been tight recently. Nevertheless, I gained confidence in taking that ride.

Thank you sir, whoever you are. I won’t forget the man that pushed me harder and faster than I thought I could handle. That man on the Withlacochee Trail.

It’s Okay to Fail

This post will probably be the longest and most emotional so I’d either click the back button now, or start reading. There will be a video attached. I wanted to post the original, raw video of the failure I experienced but it’s simply too long due to long pauses so I cut it down a bit. So let’s get to it shall we?

We’ve all failed before at many things. If you haven’t failed at work, your relationships, games you’ve played, contests, your workout (or maybe even a spelling bee?) then maybe you either just don’t do enough to put yourself in challenging situations or you’re a deity. I’ve failed many times at many things in my life. I think it’s because not only do I put myself in challenging situations, but I think I borderline do it too often. But can you do something like that too often? Who knows? But that doesn’t make me any better or worse than you. We’re just different. Blood, sweat and tears come from one source. Ourselves. But what can cause it? You could be trying to become a top tier director in Hollywood, the best boxer since Ali, the fastest runner since Bolt or even touch the world like J.K. Rowling did with her Harry Potter series. We all experience the same emotions along different avenues when vying for something with everything we have.

I haven’t found my niche as far as my career and I’m going to be 32 years old soon. It feels like a dream. It was just yesterday that I was 22 years old thinking I had all the time in the world to figure it out. I’m still trying to figure it out.

But one thing that’s stayed consistent in my life (for the most part) is some sort of fitness. It’s what I’ve loved more than any hobby I’ve ever taken a part in. I’ve grown to love it so much but it’s almost broken my heart very many times due to my own lack of discipline. I could be thrice the level I’m at today if I took advantage of my energy and seriously dedicated myself to it as much as I wish I had just 10 years ago. But it’s okay. If I do it now, I can look back 10 years from now and be happy with my results hopefully.

So what did I fail in you ask? A lot of things. But the trigger is pretty simple. A few weeks ago, I was incredibly stressed out. I had worked out a bunch the day before to help myself relax and release some of that negative energy I was holding onto. The next day, I was feeling the same way again. There was too much going on and not enough at the same time. Too much to do but nothing that involved moving forward in my life. That terrified me. I didn’t realize I hadn’t eaten anything that morning. Nor did I eat any lunch other than a small bowl of oatmeal I think it was. Not sure. I hadn’t had much more than a half bottle of water. Second nature was akin to doing laundry. I simply forgot.

But I knew I needed to Run.

So I did. I was going to run 8 miles. Be outside, on my own, running at my own pace. I had brought a water bottle and my AirPod’s with me. Three miles in the run I realized I wasn’t even listening to anything. I should have seen this as my first sign that something wasn’t right in my head. Three miles in I feel quite tired compared to how I usually feel at this distance but I shrug it off and keep moving. Three miles in I should have turned around. But I didn’t. I kept going.

I reach my turn around point at four miles. Four and a half miles and I wanted to stop running. I wanted to walk. I’ve never done that before. I’ve never stopped and walked in the middle of a run and I wasn’t going to start today. My pride was getting in the way. Am I really this tired or am I in my own head? I just finished all my water.

I Know How to Push Through.

So just keep pushing. Five miles down, three to go. I’ve slowed down considerably. My mouth is dry. I’m having trouble breathing. I’ll be okay.

Two laps + 1 mile and I’m Home.

Except I wasn’t. I use this lake to add extra miles on my run if I need them. One lap is point nine two miles (.92) I just have to go around it twice and run just over a mile to get home. I’m reaching the half-way point of the first lap. Things have been getting fuzzy and it’s gotten worse. I need to stop. I was incredibly light-headed. A nice woman that was strolling through the park asked if I was okay “Yeah, I’m fine, just taking a breather, thank you for asking!” (Of course I’m not okay.) “Do you have any water?” I didn’t ask.

Side-note: I haven’t found a way to respond to someone in a way that doesn’t sound rude or sarcastic. Any tips? I genuinely do appreciate their concern.

I took a breather for about 10 minutes. I’ve never stopped like this before. no matter how tired I was. Was this “The wall”? that marathon runners talk about? I got up. I was feeling a little bit better. I’m going to start at a slower pace and pick it up if I feel I’m able to. After just a quarter of a mile I’m feeling even more exhausted than before. I slowed my pace.

Wait…

What if I pick up my pace? I’ll get home sooner and get to rest…sooner.

I pick up the pace again. Maybe I can break through this wall. I’m coming up on that woman again. The one that asked if I needed any help. This would be embarrassing to stop again. But why do I care so much about what other people think of me? Why am I letting my pride get in the way? I have a very busy mind.

The wall

I realized later that I hit the “Wall” on mile four and a half. I pushed through when all I wanted to do what stop. I pushed far passed what I should have. I’m losing my breath. My lungs feel like they can’t expand any more than they already have. I don’t remember what my heart felt like. I would be lying if I said it was beating out of my chest or the opposite, that I didn’t feel it at all. I reached a tree about three quarters of the way through the first lap, I slow enough to a walking pace. I’m gasping for air. I collapse to the ground on my hands and knees. I move back into a sitting position with my back against the tree. I can’t move. I don’t have anymore energy. Of course I picked the best place to sit in the entire park. On an Ant colony at the base of a tree. I didn’t notice until it was too late. They were crawling on me. I sat up on my hands and moved a few feet away. I looked up for a second. Maybe I could find a place to sit that wasn’t infested. Lo and behold, it was as if a bench came down from the heavens just 20 feet away.

Phill, your wish is my command. Here is your seat.

I don’t know how I missed it having chosen to sit at the tree. There was a man sitting there. He was eating. He had multiple drinks. Would he offer me one? Did I have the courage to ask for one? I gave myself another minute or two, I don’t remember. I stood up very slowly. I felt even more lightheaded and my legs wanted to give out from below me. I found the strength to hold it together and walk to the bench. I took the corner seat, the closest possibility to where I was standing. I thought to myself that it was important that I remembered this, so I took a video which you can watch (Wherever it is that I decided to post this in this blog. Beginning? Conclusion?)

I felt completely broken. I’ve never felt so exhausted in my life. I thought I had felt exhaustion before. I was wrong. This was true exhaustion. I thought I may die. I was afraid I may have a heart attack. I’ve never felt closer to death. Not on my Motorcycle accident, not on the airplane that took a nosedive on my way to South America, not being head at gunpoint in the Jewelry store I worked in. I felt closer to death on this run. I don’t remember at what point I called my wife to ask her to pick me up. Whether it was before or after I took the video doesn’t matter I suppose.

I began to realize so many things. I need more follow through in my life. Just because my business ventures don’t take off instantly, doesn’t mean they’re going to be a failure. Just because I didn’t finish college doesn’t mean I can’t be successful. Just because there are decisions in my life that I could have made differently doesn’t mean the decisions I did make were the wrong ones. We all wish we could have done things differently, so why not make those decisions now and change the way we go about things?

This simple Eight mile run changed my life. Though I didn’t complete Eight miles. I completed Six and a half miles. What was shocking about all this was that I’ve run 13 miles before. What’s not shocking though, is that exhaustion occurred. I didn’t have any food in my system. I wasn’t hydrated. I completed depleted myself.

It gets worse before it gets better. I had to crawl.

When my wife finally made it to the lake with my daughter in the back seat I felt even more discouraged than before. Why? I couldn’t have picked a worse place in the park to stop. There was about thirty-five to forty yards of green between myself and the car. I took a deep breath. I can make it. I made sure to walk very slowly. It didn’t matter. My legs gave way, I slowed down my fall as best I could. I looked up at the car while on my hands and knees. I looked down at the ground below me and took another deep breath. I don’t care if anyone sees me anymore. I need to make it to the car. I’m not embarrassed. I’m way past that. I began crawling towards the car. I felt so much shame when I reached the car. My wife knows me. That last thing I would want is help. I reached for the door handle, and pulled it open. I pulled myself into the car and reclined the seat as far as I could. We stopped at a local Seven-Eleven convenient store. She picked up a couple large Gatorades. I downed one of them in less than a minute.

My breathing didn’t slow for hours.

It’s okay to fail. I failed on whatever day this was. But as long as you learn from it, as long as you make better decisions because of it, wasn’t the failure more of a blessing in disguise? I learned a lot that day. I took a good rest for 3 days and ran again. I felt good. Since then I’ve ridden my bike over 20 miles a day for a week and have changed a lot of my habits.

I’m seeing things through a lot better now. I’m gaining focus on what I need to do with my life at this late stage in my life. I’m not starting something unless I’m planning on finishing it.

Failure is okay. Pride getting in the way of your life isn’t. I didn’t listen to what my body needed, and my pride didn’t allow me to ask for help, or to slow down and walk the rest of the way.

I’ve failed at many things

More than I can count and more than I feel like sharing right now. But I’ll keep pushing forward towards success. I’m 31 years old. It’s taken me a little longer than most to find what they’re calling is, and although I THINK I know what it is, I’ll keep it to myself for now. My focus can be many places at once and I have been reeling it in to hone in on whats really important.

More posts will follow this one. I was on vacation. Really needed a breather. Onward we go!

How To Start Working Out

I’ve told you my story in my second podcast episode which I’ll have posted here. But you’re not here to hear my story of how I started my fitness journey. You want to know how you can get started on your own. How you can finally start getting into shape without feeling intimidated or judged. Like I’ve said in a previous post, there isn’t a magic pill that will make your insecurities go away, but maybe I can help in a way that will change your perspective.

There are couple of things you need to do to get started:

Proper clothing
Goals
Youtube
Plan
Pocket Notebook
WATER

1. Get proper clothing.

I shouldn’t have to say much about that. Make sure it’s fabric that will keep you cool if you’re working out inside or in the heat. Make sure the fabric will keep you warm and comfortable if you’re out in the ice cold. Preferably something that is form fitting. If you don’t feel comfortable, wear something a little on the loose side, but don’t go crazy. It can be dangerous around certain equipment. Also, always make sure you bring water with you. A full bottle and drink throughout the workout even if you’re not thirsty. STAY HYDRATED

2. Goals, Goals, Goals.

Your goals are just as important as everything else that is and will be on this list. Goals. Many people say they just want to “get in shape”. But what does that mean really? Do you want to be able to run a mile in 8-9 minutes? I mean for someone to be able to do that, they have to be in some type of shape. Is your goal more to run a five minute mile? How about lifting weights? Are one of your goals to deadlift twice your bodyweight, maybe even thrice?

You need to establish your goals. I led a large part of my fitness life without solid goals. Today my goals are set and I have a solid plan to chase them. It’s also much easier and more gratifying to achieve the goals you’ve made for yourself than to just fly by the seat of your pants. When you achieve your goals, you open up possibilities to chasing goals that once seemed elusive, impossible.

I wanted to bench press three-hundred-fifteen pounds a few years ago. That’s three forty-five pound plates on each side of the forty-five pound barbell. I followed a program and achieved it a week earlier than the program asked. I was thrilled. I could see that far bigger numbers were possible in my future.

Today, I’m chasing the 6 minute mile. But I’m not going crazy about it. It’ll come in time. I have other goals that take priority like completing my first century (100 mile bike ride). I have many others, but I’ll share those another time. I shouldn’t have to say much about that. Make sure it’s fabric that will keep you cool if you’re working out inside or in the heat. Make sure the fabric will keep you warm and comfortable if you’re out in the ice cold. Preferably something that is form fitting. If you don’t feel comfortable, wear something a little on the loose side, but don’t go crazy. It can be dangerous around certain equipment. Again, very important. Always make sure you bring water with you. A FULL BOTTLE. Drink throughout the workout even if you’re not thirsty. STAY HYDRATED

3. Youtube is your friend!

Head to Youtube to learn the exercises you’ve read about. Practice the movements for a few minutes so the muscle memory can kick in when it’s time to put some real weight in your hands. There is a near infinite amount of videos on all types of exercises on youtube. This source will be your best friend. If you’re unsure or maybe you forgot how to perform a certain exercise, pull out your phone and go to youtube, even if you’re already at the gym. Make sure to use the bookmark/favorite feature on youtube to put all the videos in one place. There are also several apps, but i don’t recommend them as they don’t show true perfect form. Drink water.

4. Plan, Plan, Plan So let’s say your goals are set. Find a plan/program to get you there. Don’t get thrown off by my website suggestion but Bodybuilding.com is an excellent resource when it comes to weight training. They have programs for almost any goal. There are plenty of other sites you can find by a google search or even by searching on youtube. Don’t get caught up in big and small numbers. You’re focusing on yourself. There is no reason for you to be comparing yourself to others unless you’re competing. Who cares what I can lift or how fast or slow I can run compared to yourself? I don’t. Water is your friend, drink it.

5. Pocket Notebook

Go buy one, they’re about $1.00 from your grocery store. Easy right? Your goals are set. You have a program. You’re bringing your notebook with your notes, anywhere you go. A tiny pocket notebook that way you can track your workouts, how much weight you’re lifting and how many repetitions you have to complete as well as how many sets. You’ll be able to see ON PAPER, how you’re progressing and it’s wonderful. Let’s get working. Are you going to the gym or doing another type of exercise? Going on a hike where you want to beat your best time? Are you lifting weight and want to be able to curl a thirty-five pound barbell? It doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, be prepared. Also, drink water.

Focusing on your plan focuses on you. No one else in the room matters.

This is very important and you’ll notice the change in your behavior when you’re more focused on yourselves than others. When you’ve gone to the gym any other time, without goals or a plan, you felt as if people were watching you. When you took a couple minutes rest, you watched others. Maybe you weren’t judging but you were far too aware of everyone else and not focused on yourself. By carrying that little notebook, you’re counting your repetitions, your sets and weight. You’re writing it down and seeing on plain paper how much you’re progressing. The external disturbances don’t exist anymore.

You need to build that confidence by putting yourself in more uncomfortable positions and realizing that it’s all irrational. If people are bringing nothing but negativity in your life, then why do you allow them in to begin with? You will realize that no one is thinking about you per se. They’re concerned of how you think of them. The same way YOU used to think!

No matter what fitness level you’ve achieved so far, whether you’re new to this whole fitness thing or not, get out there with a goal and a plan. And Stay hydrated, drink water.

See you on the next one.

You Don’t Get Stronger in the Gym

Many people think they do but it’s far from the case and actually quite the opposite. If you think about it on your own you’ll be able to figure out the why on your own. I’m not going too far into the science. It’ll bore most people. I’ll tell you why you don’t build muscle in the gym first and then I’ll go into when muscle building is actually taking place.

Simply put, when you head into your local or home gym and you pick up a dumbbell and start hammering away, you’re tearing yourself apart. Yup, you’re tearing up your muscles. Micro-tears that is. With every rep, you’re breaking down your muscles further and further. You’re getting weaker while you’re working out! Way to go you! You thought you were building muscle in the gym weren’t you! Fools! I kid I kid. So as you break down your muscles no matter what type of exercise you’re doing, you also tend to feel fatigued. Most people can’t go longer than an hour under intense exercise, but nor should you. Taking on intense exercise for long periods of time lead to injury. And what happens when you get injured? No exercise.

So what’s actually going on Phill? Well, let me give you the best analogy I can come up with off the cuff. Good thing I prepare these blog posts days in advance that way I can give myself some time to think about these things. Ha! So here is my analogy; What needs to happen to add a second story to a home? Do you just cut a staircase sized hole into the roof and build from there? no. You need to break the house down first. You remove the shingles, some of the framing and reinforce what needs to be reinforced. When everything is broken down properly, building can begin. Now that you added a second story to your imaginary home, years have passed. You want to add one more, so you go through the same process again.

You break down your muscles are the gym and they rebuild later. “But when do they rebuild Phill?” They start rebuilding as soon as they’re fueled properly. This is why eating is very important as soon as you’ve finished your workout. We don’t live in a perfect world so it’s not always possible for all of us to stick to that rule of eating within thirty minutes to an hour for maximum muscle growth. Let’s not forget you’re also burning calories while exercising so some of that needs to be replaced too or else you’ll be depleting your body far too much, even if your main goal is to lose weight.

But there is a second, more or less obvious factor to building muscle. It’s not only nutrition. It’s not only going to the gym (although like I mentioned, you’re actually breaking down your muscles in the gym). It’s the magical four-letter-word, REST. You need rest. Your body needs to recover to build muscle. You can’t work out the same muscles every single day because it needs rest. It needs time to rebuild, recuperate. That’s a lot of “R”‘s.

And to end this semi-short post. DRINK WATER. It is your fuel. If you think you’re already drinking enough water, you’re probably not. You should KNOW you’re drinking enough water. Not think it. There are many calculators online that can calculate what your water intake should be. Follow a trusted source and consume the correct amount of water. Think of it like gasoline for your car. If it as an empty tank, it’s not going anywhere and neither are you.

Muscle breakdown – Your workouts

Muscle building/Recovery – Rest, food

Tootles 👋

How You Can Be More Confident At The Gym

I always try to stray away from cliche. None of us want to hear the same phrase repeated to us from person to person or from post to post. Confidence isn’t so easy to come by but it’s possible for all of us. It just takes a reflective moment and consciousness of what matters for you to be able to chip away at that barrier.

Some days you’ll feel unstoppable. Others you’ll feel as if the wall didn’t just keep you from moving forward, but it tipped over and crushed you. But your job is to get back up.

If You Conquer Your Mind, You Will Conquer Your World.

There are different variations of this quote but this one is my favorite. I first heard it from David Goggins. He’s too intense for some people and just right for many. I like him a lot and I appreciate his story and the lesson he teaches his fan base. Goggins was over 300 pounds at one point in his life until he decided to turn it around. He’s has accomplished more than just becoming a Navy Seal and running 100 miles in less than 24 hours but I wouldn’t be able to name them all.

When I heard him say this I added it to my belt. I had an additional perspective on how I should view my wins and losses every day mentally.

After reading the two scenarios below, I want you to close your eyes for a few seconds and picture yourself in the moment I’m describing. I’ll be the vulnerable one here and share my emotions in the moment, don’t worry.

Scenario 1. Today is the day. You’re going to start taking your weight and your health seriously. It’s the middle of the year, that “Monday” you were finally going to start on finally came. You’re driving down to the local park or beach boardwalk. You’re going to power walk if you have to. Do a couple laps around and go home.

Scenario 2. You found the confidence to sign up for a gym membership whether it be today or last month (last year maybe?). Nevertheless it’s time to start going. You pull into a parking spot. The plan is to hop on the treadmill, elliptical or bike and then lift some weights. You watched some youtube videos to get you started.

Take the time to soak in the moment. I’ll tell you how you’re not alone. Although our scenarios won’t be exactly the same, maybe not even close, you’ll know you’re not alone.

Scenario 1: When I first started running, I ran through my neighborhood for the first month and a half. I wanted to run at the beach but there were too many people. When I finally decided I would drive over to the boardwalk it was Ten O’clock at night. Tired after work. I pulled into my parking spot and made sure I had everything I needed. I had my phone, ear buds and I wore the wrong sneakers. But it was okay. These sneakers would be okay this one time.

It was very dark. Not many people occupied the boardwalk thankfully. There were some runners, joggers, walkers and some just standing against the rails listening to the water. It took me ten minutes to start the run. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make the distance because my cardio wasn’t all that great. The distance itself isn’t important. All in all, I played my music and blocked out all external distractions the best I possibly could. When I came to the tail end of the run I was surprised at how much energy I had left. I picked up the pace. I distracted myself by sprinting past five dim light posts and jogging another ten. Some distractions are good. By the time I was a football field away from the end I gave it my all. I ran as fast as possible. I didn’t care anymore…that day. It took some confidence building along the way but I did it.

Running along the boardwalk with runners everywhere would have discouraged me that’s why I went at night. Slowly building my confidence. But this is only one way. I’ll explain in another blog post how not to care what people think of you.

Scenario 2. I pull up to the gym and stare into the windows. How many people are working out? Is there any cradio equipment available? How many people are lifting weights? Are there any guys in there jacked to the gills that are going to judge me? I get in. Headphones in and find any cardio machine for my warmup. It’s a brand new gym to me so I’m uncomfortable. I see some muscled up guys near the weights. I need to go there for my strength training.

What if I’m too weak around them and I embarrass myself?

Warm up over. I head over and begin my workout. I’m so distracted by what they would think of me on the bench press that I lifted the weight incorrectly. A weight I’ve lifted for several reps before. It came down and sat on my chest. One of the gorillas ran over and pulled it up for me. I was humiliated. I thanked him and continued the workout for the night staying as far away from them and anyone else who caught a glimpse of my mishap. I was embarrassed. Now every time I come around these people they’re going to remember me as the guy who lifted more weight than he should have. But they don’t understand I’ve lifted it before easily, I need to prove it to them. But why? What does it matter now?

I kept going to the gym and eventually became the person people went to when they needed a spotter because I had the strength now. I wasn’t like those muscled up guys but I didn’t quit. I proved to myself and to the others that watched me fail, that I could get back up and push onward.

Wrap up – I can tell you many stories. My severe social anxiety was conquered by conquering my mind. Getting those little wins every day. It still bothers me time to time but the only way to conquer it is by using it to your advantage which I’ll explain in another post.

I hope you got something out of at least one of the two scenarios.

If you don’t have your health, you have nothing.

Let’s go back to the original quote “If you conquer your mind, you can conquer your world”. Your mind is stopping you from doing what you need to do. What you want to be able to do. What you should do. It’s your health after all. If you don’t have your health, you have nothing.

Take a win today. Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Don’t let your mind win. Instead of sitting down on your couch or finding an excuse by taking a second shift at work, go do your workout. Even if it’s at home. Walk a mile outside. A brisk walk. Get a small win today. I never said it was going to be easy, but the more you do it, the more comfortable you feel with it. The more people begin to compliment you on your weight loss and muscle gain. Your confidence starts to build and continues building every day.

Its possible if YOU allow it to be possible. You need to conquer your mind. If you let your mind rule you, you’ll never be able to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Take charge and say no. Say no to your anxieties and that little voice in your head saying “ I can’t”.

You can do whatever it is you want to do. The only one that’s stopping you, is you, if you let your mind win. You can be the master of your body and mind or you can be the slave. Do you really want something else to control your life instead of yourself?

What I learned from riding my bike over 20 Miles a day for 7 Days

Disclosure: I’m not a writer, so don’t expect a masterpiece.

Time to reflect on this challenge I came up with myself. It’s not ground breaking by any means. Many people have done more, many have done less. This was challenging for ME. I did it because I wanted to get on my bike again. I orignally picked up my Cannondale CAAD10 in 2014. I couldn’t tell you if it’s a ’13 or ’14 model year though. I looked for the serial number but it’s covered up by the housing’s for the gear change cables. But it’s not very important so I digress. I always like to get to the point instead of writing a novel so I’ll do my best in summarizing the 7 days of enjoyment and hell, all bundled into one. Though it was more enjoyable than anything else. If you’d like to watch the video instead. Head over to my Youtube Channel: @ PhiLLitup93.

Day 1 :

The darkest day. Literally, not figuratively. My headlight wasn’t strong enough. I could barely see ahead of me when I finally reached the half-way point of the ride. This was the longest ride of the 7 days. The most forgetful day of them all and I don’t know why.

Day 2 :

Didn’t decide I was going to go for 7 days straight until I finished this ride. I felt good. I did reach near 40 miles-per-hour on a steep decline. It was a relief after a very tough climb just a couple minutes prior. I didn’t go crazy but on the main straight of the ride I made sure to maintain at least 16 miles-per-hour given I wanted to have a reasonable completion time and average pace.

Day 3 :

Leisurely ride. Except the downhills of course. I made sure to take advantage of the descents to gain momentum and get up the tougher climbs. I felt fantastic. I stopped a few times to take some pictures and video, but overall, this was my favorite day of the 3. I was feeling a bit overconfident by the end of day 3 though, and it would come to bite me in the butt.

Day 4 :

The worst of all days. Not that the beginning of the ride wasn’t enjoyable. It was for the most part. Other than not having a strong enough headlight that is…Anyhow about 12 miles in, I hit something, hard. I can’t tell you what it was because the street light was out in roughly the same place that I hit whatever the object was. There was a burning smell. I figured that maybe the brake pads had shifted and began to rub on the tire so I pulled over. I adjusted the brakes and brought the bike right-side up. Thunk! Instead of the the tire taking the brunt of force after hitting the ground, it was the wheel. Thankfully it wasn’t all that hard. I proceeded to change the tube in the little light that I had. I removed my frame pump and pumped away. I felt it was going to take a lifetime. I was wrong. I would have been there for eternity. Why? The new tube had a puncture. I was so happy that this was the day I decided to bring my patch kit. It’s incredibly light so the weight savings is miniscule. I had only brought a tube on the other days. Lucky I guess!

I patched the brand new tube, pumped up the tire as much as I could and I was on my way. I took it slow the rest of the way, constantly looking down at both of my tires hoping that this wouldn’t happen to me again. I didn’t have any tubes left.

Day 5 :

Took the same ride as Day 4. It’s a very scenic route, very enjoyable. My drone flew perfectly, picking up some beautiful shots. I wish I had more time but it was well worth the extra weight in my bag. I was feeling a lot more pain. My legs felt very sore and I began doubting myself until I finally got home where I suddenly started to feel better. I attribute this to forgetting about the pain. A lot of the time, it’s all in your head. Other times, you don’t want to ignore actual pain. There’s a difference between soreness and pain. You need to learn what those differences are. There is mental toughness and then there is arrogance.

Day 6 :

Due to the previous day’s soreness, I was going to take it easy. I would stop if I wanted to stop. Not every day is a race and it was a lesson I had to learn along the way. I have a problem with always wanting to beat my best time or speed. This is how you get better. It’s not always about beating your best record. It’s about improving your attitude. Wisdom.

I saw some beautiful things. Fisherman out in the water surprised me. I never realized how shallow the water was during low tide along the Shrewsbury river. The fishermen must have been 150 feet out into the water. It was only waist deep. Waist deep!

I hopped back on my bike and stopped again. I felt like I was in a video game. A woman was on the phone looking down at the passenger side of her car. She had a flat tire and clearly didn’t know how to change it. I learned she was watching a youtube video. Instead, I offered to change it for her.

Not how I expected my day to go.

I said I was going to take it easy, and I did, for the first half. the second half of the ride were a mix of downhills and uphills, but it was a very short cycle of them. The last descent brought the bike and I to nearly 40 miles-per-hour and then to flat ground for the next 8-10 miles. The tailwind behind me kept my average speed up so I took advantage of it. I pushed myself faster than I should have and I paid the price by the time I got home. I was exhausted. But I was still okay. Lesson learned finally?

Day 7 :

The most enjoyable ride, though the least scenic. I’ll make it make sense. I started the ride wanting to take a completely different route than I had taken so far in the past 7 days. One I had taken almost two weeks prior except in reverse. Even with my headlight on, I nearly sped through a group of deer on the roadway. I decided to slow down after that. After all, a headlight doesn’t make up for the lack of natural light during the day. I casually made my way south for some miles until I was reached my turn around point. I circled through a jughandle passing a lake to my right and made one of my last left turns on way back up north for a long stretch of road which took up the majority of my ride. Moving from one end to the other the blackness gave way to normal daylight. Like I said, I was going slow. The boardwalk was near empty. I saw a few couples but more solo walkers, runners and riders than anything else. It was very quiet. What’s normally the busiest part of the city is as close to silent as you can get. I could hear footsteps as I passed them.

What did I take from all this?

I learned a lesson on day 4. I would have been fuming if I had to take an Uber or been stranded, but by being prepared, I saved myself from that. Now I bring a patch kit no matter how long the ride is and two tubes. I’m going to buy a spare tire as well. It’s always better to be over-prepared than underprepared. It may seem like overkill for every single ride but we’re all different. We all have different experiences, different expectations and perspectives. This oddly makes me even more excited for my century ride.

But most important of all…

I describe the last day the best because not only was it the final day but the most pleasing. I wasn’t trying to break any time records or top speeds. I was taking my time enjoying sights I’ve seen all my life in this town I grew up in. It’s very different now than when I was a kid. Being on a bike, or throwing on my running shoes, I’m learning to appreciate what’s around me a whole lot more than I ever have. I still want to move away and see some other places. That’s for sure. But I’m glad I did this. I learned a lot from it. There are other challenges like these I’ll be taking part in every month. I hope to learn something new every time.

Find Your Reason To Get Active

Any fitness blog you’ll ever read will read the same, but different. We all have different backgrounds and different stories to tell you. our fitness levels are all different but we ultimately have a very similar goal; to be the best possible version of ourselves. To live up to the full potential of our physical body and our minds.

Fitness is not only physical, it’s emotional too. And you already know this because you’ve either had to come to terms that you need to do something about your health, you’ve had to convince yourself to get up and exercise on a day you didn’t feel like it, or you’re going through a workout you want to quit, but instead you push and it make it to the end. There are emotional tolls on everyone.

20+mi/day for one week Day 5

You need to find your reason to get up in the morning and make a decision. Are you going to win or lose?

You have two choices:

1. Let your mind convince you that you’re nothing. Continue getting out of bed in the morning, picking up your bagel or sandwich from the same place for breakfast like you do every day. You head into work out of energy wondering how you’ll make it through this day…is it Friday yet? You make it through the day because you have to. It’s not really a choice. Same thing the next day. Always out of energy, always feeling sluggish.

It’s Friday, pants feel a little tighter, you ate a little better today. You get home and plop yourself down in front of your tv with your phone, tablet or computer in hand. You’re looking up workouts you can do at home so that you can finally get in shape. Diets too. Monday is the day.

“I’m going to have all the junk I want this weekend because Monday is the day I start getting in shape!”

Monday morning comes around, your 5AM alarm is going off. You set it on Friday when you were pumped for your workout plan. You hit the snooze button. By the time you get out of bed, there’s only enough time to get ready for work and you say to yourself

“I will definitely start tomorrow”

But tomorrow never comes does it? And that “Monday” that you’re going to start your new life changing plan isn’t coming either.

2. You decided you’re going to get up and win. You’re going to beat your mind. You’re going to workout today. You get up before your alarm and don’t ever hit the snooze button again. You’re molding a life habit.

One day you will have a health scare. We all do eventually. You’re going to wish you had taken better care of yourself. You’re going to have a lot of regret. But now it’s too late. The damage from the fast food has caught up to you. These things will run through your head until you get the news that you’re going to be okay. Will that change your habits?

We are not invincible

The 2nd choice changes your life. You’re energy throughout the day amplified. You feel so good that you become a happier person naturally.

What is your reason? Kids? Partner? Family? Yourself? Travel?

I’ve always hated running. But I had to do it to save my heart. My blood pressure was through the roof and I made a choice. If not for me, it was going to be for my family. My two daughters and my wife. I want to be here for them for the long haul. I don’t want to die when I reach 45 years old. I learned to love it.

You need to find your reason. I learned to love cycling again and I’m doing it now more than ever. Strength training used to be my world, I didn’t stop, but I had to add variance to my workouts.

Find your reason, you will fall in love with being active, trust me. Count down from 5 when you wake up in the morning. When you reach 1, get up. No hesitation. Get up and get moving. Let’s be active together. I will be here every step of the way. No matter when you decide to start winning.

Don’t forget to check out my podcast on Spotify! First episode is up! https://anchor.fm/phillitup-93/episodes/1-Introduction-Welcome-to-the-show-e196974