Don't Reduce Someone Else's Success.

If I hear someone say "Well, [insert fit person's name here] can afford a trainer and supplements," one more time, I am probably going to have to punch a wall. Yes, I am talking about people who reduce someone else's success by pointing out that they can "afford" it. In their minds, people who can afford a personal trainer, healthy food, and various other health related things have no excuse to not be in shape. This mentality reduces an extraordinary amount of hard work and dedication to dollars and cents, as if you can go to the store and buy a ripped body

When it comes to fitness, as with any goal, there is a certain level of investment needed for achievement. Sometimes that investment is monetary. In fact, if you look at anybody who has named fitness or performance as one of their goals, they have most likely spent money on a gym membership or on accessories, workout clothes, etc. It's just a fact of life. Am I saying that being fit or an athlete means you have to drain your whole paycheck on fancy gadgets, gourmet food, and supplements? Nope. In fact, you don't need any of that stuff. But when someone else has set a goal and aimed a significant amount of resources towards that goal, let's try to be positive about their success. Let's not soak ourselves in our own bitterness. Focus on YOUR life, what YOU can do to reach your goals, and what kinds of resources (time, money, mental) you can allocate to them.


Savannah Steamer, Intern

Training Switch-Up- An Intern's Blog

Coach Lily's blog entry the other day inspired my topic for this blog. She explained how stepping out of your comfort zone in the gym can lead to benefits both physically and mentally, in the gym as well as outside of it. I happen to agree with her 100%, and I'd like to add on to her thought process a little.

Sometimes we can get caught up in the things that we are comfortable doing in the gym without really questioning whether we are actually making progress doing these things. We all have heard "Stick to the basics! That's the key to success!" While I do agree that the basics are extremely valuable tools in your arsenal, not everyone can progress day after day using this methodology. Eventually, you will hit a stagnation point where your progress will slow to a halt and your body will get worn down with little to show for your effort.

If you aren't making progress doing a certain program or a specific exercise, why keep doing it? Now I'm not saying that if your squat has stalled then do banish it from your program forever, but why not change up your exercises? Whether it be to switch to box squats for 6 weeks or to squat later in your routine with sub-maximal weights, the key is variation. Now I understand that this can be a tough decision especially if you have an attachment to a certain exercise (I have had to adjust my lower body routine away from squats due to knee pain), but you may be able to reap the rewards of a revitalized central nervous system as well as new found strength from other exercises.

If you've hit a plateau then switch it up and watch your motivation, energy, and possibly even strength go up!

Bryce Calvin- Strength and Conditioning Intern

Stress

While on my facebook and twitter accounts I read how stressed out people are and how rough life is right now for them. I don't doubt for a second that life is rough for some of you right now. We have all been there. We have all had low points in our lives. But not everyday is a bad day. You decideWe are the creators of our own stress.  Look I am aware that bad things happen but when they do YOU need to realize that the number of days we have on this earth are limited and is one bad thing worth the cost of one day of YOUR life? No matter what happens in your life it all has a purpose and will change your life in some way shape or form. Even when people consider a situation negative there is a positive within it you just need to be willing to find it. Everyday you need to work on keeping a positive outlook and try to help others do the same.

 

I was talking to a friend last night and it appeared that this person gets extremely upset when someone doesn’t like them or disagrees with them. My response was so what? Who cares what other people think? 7 billion people in this world can’t please them all. If you are sticking to what you believe in and staying true to your vision then why should it really matter what someone else says about you? Your time is so precious so don’t waste it on worrying or getting upset over one person who wants to talk bad about you. Other people can’t make you feel one way or another. We have to decide that ourselves. We decided our own reactions to any given stimulus. You have more control then you think. Nobody has that power but you. When you stress out you are doing it to yourself. If you live a life that isn’t inline with your values it will bring stress, gossip, sleepless nights, aggression and many other things. Life is life, get over it you can never and will never get rid of all the BS surrounding your life. Know your values and define them. If you are stressed you’ll never see what is around you. Most stress is because something is in violation of your values. You are accountable for fixing your own problems and if you don’t want to be part of the solution either live with it or be quite.

 

We only have weaknesses when we fail to address what we’re not good at. If you do not like what you see there’s a very simple one word solution CHANGE! Deteremine what you don’t want and determine what you do want. Write it down analyze what you wrote and put together a plan of attack. Don’t be lazy, stop making freaking excuses and stop being complacent with your boring life. Go live a little. To get where we want to be we need to become a little better everyday. Everyday keep striving to live the purpose of your life and nobody else's. YOU have to live life, do not just let life happen.  There’s a difference between living a life and letting life control you. Other people and situations do not make you happy or unhappy. You make the decision yourself. Enjoy the time here because tomorrow isn’t promised. Don’t let another day pass you by because you cannot get that day back. People always want more time, wish for more time but it appears time is the one thing people waste the most. Carpe Diem.

NB