Start Now!

Merry Christmas! I sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful time with family and friends over this most wonderful time of year. Seems that we too had a very white Christmas.

Getting the opportunity to reflect on the past year as we look forward to 2010 I have an array of things to be so very thankful for. I have a beautiful family, a thriving business in tough economic conditions, and an opportunity to make 2010 my best year yet.

I think often as we approach this time of year we think of all the resolutions that we hope to start the first part of the new year, but I say why wait? Start Now! There is no time like the present to:

1. Read a book for fun or one that will challenge you to grow spiritually or personally
2. Take a step forward in your career by taking some classes at the local community college
3. Make a committment to an athletic event such as Bolder Boulder, first marathon, etc.....
4. Make a personal committment to better not only yourself, but your family as well

Time spent waiting for the new year is time wasted. Any time of the year these additions to your personal resume are going to be improvements. There's always a time for looking back on the things that we have done, however, that time is not nearly as valuable as the time spent looking forward! Here's to your best year yet!

As always I'm here to help you achieve any goals or aspirations so please feel free to post your goals or resolutions for 2010 here and well create a community of accountability.

Cheers to 2010!

Josh

Heart of the Rockies Half Marathon

For those of you who don't know I teach a multi-sport class Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Old Town Athletic Club. The first part of November my core group, Heidi, Cori, Heather, Doug and Arlene decided to sign up for the Heart of the Rockies half-marathon! Very proud moment for me as a trainer!

I did not do a good job of getting everyone together for a group photo after the race so the photo above shows Heidi, Jennifer (Heidi's friend) and Cori at the finish line. We had brunch after the race at my house, it was a fun day. Sorry this is so late needless to say school, family and work have been extremely busy.

Congrats Crew Nice Work and looking forward to the next one already!

Until then run hard

Josh

Correct Execution of the Lunge

The Lunge is one of the best lower body exercises that I know of. It is a great way to challenge balance as well as muscle strength and endurance. Check out the video to see the correct demonstration of the the lunge and one of the most common errors when preforming this exercise.

It's always a good idea to allow the lower body to rest a day between workouts. Add this exercise to your lower body routine you'll be guaranteed to see results.

for beginners start with 2 sets 12-15 reps with body weight only
for the more advanced routine 3-4 sets with a weight that allows for 8-10reps.

New Years Special and Shout Out

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to put my New Years Special on here in case you know anyone who might be interested in getting healthier and more fit in 2010.

The package is 20 training sessions (2 or 3 per week), initial and intermittent body fat testing, heart rate analysis, diet tips and suggestions, and a new work out every time. The package price is $700. That's $5 dollars per session off of my regular hourly rate. If you have trained with me you also know that the work outs will be challenging and fun.

If you can think of anyone who can use my services I would really appreciate your referral. I can train people in their homes, at OTAC, or outside at the track, the park or some combination.

I can be reached at 970-481-3698 or 15.5fitness@gmail.com.

Big applause to the ladies in my morning class who will be competing in their first half marathons and 10K's this weekend. Looking forward to seeing you accomplish such a big goal. Nice work!

Enjoy the weekend :)

Attitude

"The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it." -- Chuck Swindoll

This is such an excellent quote. I have seen parts of it at other times but this is the first time I've seen it all together. We have a choice everyday about the attitude we will embrace for that day...The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. If you think about it, our attitude truly is the only thing we can control. Our day doesn't just happen to us, its mind over matter. What is big enough, important enough, terrible enough for you to let it ruin an entire day of your existence? Not much. Take control of your attitude; take control of your life.

And now, just for fun...here's a few halloween or fall flavored treats that you might think twice about before eating.

1) A medium pumpkin spice latte with whole milk is 410 calories at Starbucks (btw they routinely make your drinks with whole milk unless you specify otherwise)

2) 1 slice of Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake 1, 079 calories!!!! (yum though right!)

3) Carmel Apple Cider 400 calories (actually carmel apple anything is probably wise to eat in moderation)

4) Bite size candy bars. (Yes they are only 100 calories each but when do we ever eat just one?)

Better choices...taffy (55 cals), tootsie roll pop (60 cals 0 fat), gummy bears (10 cals apiece), malted milk balls (10 for 100 cals), 2 carmels (80 cals) or 11 pieces of candy corn (70 cals 0 fat).

So, you can indulge yourself, just do so wisely! Happy Halloween!!

You Can, You Can, You Can!

It seems to me that we hear, or say, the words "I can't" all too often. Being a personal trainer requires a can do attitude not only for myself, but for my clients as well. Regularly I get excuses for why something can not be done (weight loss, a particular set or exercise). To which I typically say "can't or never" is not in our vocabulary.

The most difficult thing for me is not always having the right words to motivate someone to take the next step. Encouraging them that weight loss is indeed possible, that they do deserve to live a healthier life, that its possible to accomplish their goals, etc.... To some degree it all comes down to one question, what is it that you want?

If you are waiting for success to find you, you will be waiting for a long time! Success will not come knocking nor will it chase you down. If you want it bad enough you must seek it out, take that next step to accomplish what we all too often say we "can't" do. YOU CAN, YOU CAN, YOU CAN!

The course of this last year I have taken several steps to accomplish what I want, and admittedly they have not always felt as if they were the right ones. In pursuit of success I move forward only looking back long enough to learn from the mistakes of my past. It is the pursuit however that keeps me moving forward, I keep reading, learning, listening and most importantly seeking not just happiness and success here in this world, but everlasting peace and happiness spiritually.

So, what is it that you want? What's keeping you from taking that first step? Please feel free to share some dreams and desires, and as always let me know if I can help in any way. Make a move your success is out there waiting!

Onward,
Josh

Where does the time go?

Are you overwhelmed?

Are you too busy?

Too tired?

Too frazzled?

Me too!

Sometimes life is just crazy. I feel like I'm juggling so many balls that with one misstep everything is going to come crashing to the ground. I don't really like living like this but sometimes it is just the way life is. The biggest problem for me is that I want to do everything well. I want to ace every test, please every client, spend quality time with my family and sometimes with friends, make a new post on my blog, have a quiet time, etc. It turns out that this is too much to fit in to any given day and sometimes it is more than I can fit in a whole week! I'm frustrated because when I am this busy I never do anything as well as I want to, as well as I am able, and I don't like living like that.

So what does this have to do with fitness? Not much (though its true that your gym time is usually the first thing to get axed), but it does have to do with life. I always say, "things will slow down after I...." I have recently come to the realization that nothing really does slow down unless you put on the brakes and say, "Whoa! This is just too much!" I think its time to simplify a bit. It is time to prioritize. I know that many/all of you are too busy and often overwhelmed with all that MUST be done. Turns out, many of those things are by choice and some of them DO NOT have to be done. The trouble is deciding which is which. We just cannot do everything and live the life that we were intended to live.

With that I ask you, what do you need to let go of? What do you need to say no to? What priority has slipped to the bottom of your list that needs to move back to the top? These are important questions. It's time we (I) gave them some serious thought. Any comments? Please share and I promise by the next post I'll be much more calm!

Here's to living the best life possible (I don't think that translates into the busiest life possible).

Cheers!