Category Archives: Motivation

Mar 27 2014
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Fitness, Motivation, Nutrition

Every Morning…

This is my morning routine:

1. Meditate – Been away from it for a while. I’ve been missing the benefit of working on my ability to control my thoughts. I swear like every 15 seconds I’m off thinking about something else. I gently bring myself back. It’s amazing how difficult sunriseit is to hold one frickin thought at a time. Ugh. I have to start from the beginning. But that’s cool. I’ll work my way up from 8 minutes and to add 1 minute per week. Once the time is up I then hold the vision of my goals in my mind. I see myself living them.

2. Stretch it out – Joint mobility is critical to maintaining healthy movement patterns. I need better range of motion in my hips and shoulders so I work on it everyday.

3. Green Superfood – My daily dose of nature’s most nourishing, cleansing and potent superfoods. This antioxidant rich and carotenoid filled supplement is what I need for a healthy immune function and probiotic balance. Stir it up in 8 0z of water, chase it with 16 0z of water and I’m good! www.Amazinggrass.com

4. 50 Push-ups – I knock out 50 quick push-ups to get the blood flowing. And not fake, half-way push-ups either. Full-range. All the way down. All the way up. 100 coming soon!

5. Chase it with another 16 oz of water. That’s 40 0z of water in 30 minutes. More than some people are drinking ALL DAY. Give you kidneys a break and get your water intake up.

Make it a Great Morning!

Coach Parker

Jul 17 2013
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Motivation, Nutrition, Weight Loss

Fitness Failure: Deal With It

xmenJust because you think you’re gonna be successful doesn’t mean you’re actually going to be successful. That’s a trap. Pretending that you don’t have a problem staying consistent with your fitness workouts is a waste of time. Acting like Doritos and donuts are not your favorite foods is silly. You’re better off facing the fact that it’s likely you may fail and then come up with a strategy for minimizing the failure, working around it, or just simply surviving the failure. Life is about mistakes. If you want to win you got to know how to lose.

I’m usually a pretty positive minded guy. However, I’m a realist, first and foremost. We all have to face reality. Frankly, the idea that you can do whatever you “put your mind to” is bullshit – most of the time. They say that most people think they are above average. Most people feel that they’re smarter than most people. Think about that. That’s mathematically impossible.

If we’re so smart, why do we keep kicking ourselves when we fail to lose weight, get in shape, or keep the extra pounds off? We tell ourselves that if we can do anything we put our minds to then clearly we are either not focused or not working hard enough. We all want to succeed but are we all willing to put in the work to be successful?

Start by having a fitness failure plan. What are you going to do in the event of the failure? What’s your recovery plan? And how will you avoid this setback in the future?

Now don’t get it twisted. I’m not suggesting that you get all comfy with the idea of failing to meet your fitness goals. But if you’re comfortable with losing and failing then you’re a lost cause anyway. Losing weight, getting stronger, faster, and more athletic is a grind. It’s not a short-term process. It’s perseverance, focus, and determination. Author Jim Collins says “good is the enemy of great.” Don’t be satisfied with short-term gains. Keep pushing toward your goal.

Remember: Your fitness plan is less important than your fitness CONTINGENCY PLAN.

I’ll see you out there.

Jul 15 2013
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Fitness, Motivation

Weight Lifting: The Fountain of Youth

Like most trainers I enjoy working with competitive high school, collegiate, and professional basketball athletes. But I also discovered that working with senior clients is actually a lot of fun and very educationalsenior_fitness. We’re talking about clients 50 and over. We can’t turn back the hands of time but we can definitely slow it down. Because if we don’t do anything, we naturally lose physical function and become more susceptible to injury as we get older. This includes increasing the risk of falls due to a loss of balance, fractures because of lower bone density, and other debilitating problems.

Bones become more fragile as we get older due to a decrease in bone mineral content. We also lose lean muscle mass as we get older; a condition called sarcopenia. The decrease in muscle mass results in a decrease in muscular strength. Most people don’t realize that these processes begin as early as age 30. Reports show that 40% of women aged 655 to 64 years, 45% of women aged 65 to 74 years, and 65% of women age 75 to 84 years were unable to lift about 10 pounds.

As we lose muscle mass we also lose power. Power recedes at a faster rate than muscle strength when we get older. The problem is that power is necessary to complete most daily activities like walking, getting up and down stairs, and squatting.

We have seen significant increases in muscle strength, power, muscle mass, bone density, and general functional abilities in our clients that  regularly participate in progressive weight lifting programs. Clients also increase their energy and and resting metabolic rate when they train. Aerobic training and weight lifting are beneficial for older adults, but only weightlifting can increase muscle strength and muscle mass. We’re not talking about lifting 3lb dumbbells for a thousand repetitions either. Nobody got time for that. Heavy weight lifting is the fountain of youth.

Now get out there and get your weight up!

 

Jan 30 2013
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Motivation

A Better Man

I have an insatiable need to become a better me. Frankly, it’s a burden. I am often not satisfied with where I am at most stages in my life. It’s wild. I see the glass as half-full, which sounds good on the surface but I’m often trap in a never-ending endeavor to see the glass completely full. It never stops.

I think this is why I’m always looking for clues around me. I’m always looking for people who inspire me. People who lead by example. I just informed that one of those great people that I’ve had the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by recently passed away of cancer.

I coached his granddaughter. Oh how I envied her. She is a great kid, smart, beautiful, and strong. And when I first met her grandfather I immediately knew why this young lady was so well disciplined and graceful. She is the product of a great family and the model for everything I want to become as a father, husband, and coach. He was a coach and we both shared the love of helping others live their dreams and achieve their goals.

A strong, compact man with a firm grip and a level, commanding tone. I wanted him to be my grandfather. Even more, I wanted to be just like him someday.

Men like him remind me of how much work I have to do. I am honored and blessed to strap up everyday and keep striving. Thanks coach.

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