How do we do it?

Obviously, there are many ways to contribute . . . one of them is to start asking “WHY??”

We’re an intelligent species (theoretically). With this gift of ‘critical thinking capability’ we tend to ask, “HOW” . . . and move forward in:

• discovering
• constructing
• engineering
• modifying
• teaching

And it’s all well and good, because, hey, if we can ‘come to understand’ we’ve got even greater potential to create change!

The challenge, though, is that we seem to get fixed on ‘HOW??!!’

. . . And often fail to ask, “WHY??”

“WHY????!!!!”

WHY are we discovering/constructing/engineering/modifying/teaching all that we are?

“Contrary to conventional wisdom, no food or nutrient has an acid or alkaline effect on the body because of some quality inherent in the food or nutrient. Rather, the acid/alkaline effect of foods and nutrients on the body are determined by their variable and highly specific effects on the various fundamental homeostatic controls . . . ” and their functioning capacity in each unique individual. (p. 117, The Metabolic Typing Diet)

In other words:

Essentially, ‘prescribing food’ to an individual because the food will (supposedly) have a specific effect on the body is backwards. It’s the functioning biochemistry of the body that determines how the food/nutrient is ‘viewed’ and utilized, NOT the food itself.

It is my opinion that we look too much to the external, and how we can ‘force influence’ on the human body, rather than looking at the big picture and understanding/utilizing how things function from the inside-out . . . and perhaps we should start looking at things from the perspective that’s 180 degrees removed from the current point of view.

Personal Trainer NYC
Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor

• depleted soil producing substandard fruits and vegetables.
• food sources (animals) that are eating food from substandard soil, thus rendering their product less nutrient dense and therefore, substandard.

I also appreciate the fact that finding good food is difficult because we live in a world chock-full of . . .

• food sources that are contaminated with pesticides, fungicides, hormones, antibiotics, heavy metals, etc.
• genetically modified foods.
• food sources that are treated inhumanely.
• {insert any/all socially discussed food disgruntlements here}

In a nutshell, it’s difficult to find high-quality food on our planet — whether it’s because of lack of abundance, or because it’s ‘out of our price range.’

But what if we did have good food available to us? What if we did have ready access to organic, locally grown, high nutrient density produce? What if we did have access to humanely-raised, untainted, healthy animal sources from land and sea. (Hint: If we look hard enough for it, we do! )

Would it still make more sense to you to get your protein from a container of powdered, purified, manufactured protein, when that same (dare I say better?) protein can be attained just down the street, provided by a source which delivers ‘as mother nature intended’?

Why are we so quick to disregard food sources as viable when they’ve existed on the planet for eons?

And why are we equally quick to turn around and recommend manufactured food (in supplement form)?

Is that not ironic?

Personal Trainer NYC

The MOST important part of helping others (and helping ourselves!), I think, is in Effective Listening — with the coach listening (and hearing!) the client, and the client listening to his/her body.

We can force our will on the client/on ourselves to be sure, but the ‘will’ will have little to no long-term effect if it’s not in alignment with our purpose and our unique physiological/mental/emotional functions.

Personal Trainer NYC

(Interesting way to open a post on a site dedicated to ‘heath and fitness’, isn’t it??)

I battle with it all the time.

There’s so much I feel like sharing.  So much I want to share, with the off chance that I help just 1 person, 1 time and it makes their life better.

Then learning about ‘how to run a business effectively’ gets in the way.  You learn what works best vs. what doesn’t.  You learn: “I think you should do things this way — not that.”

You learn to stick to one specific topic – your area of expertise – and make the website about that because this builds relevance in the eyes of your readers (and the eyes of Google), and keeps everybody coming back for more . . . presumably because they ‘like’ you, and, well, because they know what they’re going to get.

The thing is, for me, being a coach encapsulates so many different areas of interest, information and knowledge to pass on, that it’s hard for me to pick exactly what to write about!

Stick to exercise?  Nutrition?  Health?  Psychology?  Lifestyle?  Enlightenment?

Short posts?  Long Posts?  Anecdotal posts?  Technical, scientifically-backed posts?  Use thoughts I ‘own’?  Or employ the work of fellow professionals and friends?

Does it matter, as long as the purpose is served?  (That purpose being: helping others to have better lives, with the hope that ’sharing my perspective and expertise’ becomes contagious, enabling me to reach and help a growing web of people.)

Does it matter, as long as all that I do comes from the heart . . . and that it’s always being presented with the best intentions regardless of how readers react to it?

Of course not!

So, I need to get to writing then.

Writing about: Nutrition.  Health.  Lifestyle.  Psychology.  Exercise.  Enlightenment.

Writing long posts.  Short posts.  Anecdotal posts.  Scientifically-backed posts.  ‘Borrowed’ posts and my own posts.

All these topics.  All these presentation styles . . .

All that matters is that it’s transparent, and that it’s dedicated to helping others to enhance their lives mentally, emotionally, spiritually and, of course, physically . . .

Because that’s what my purpose and passion is all about.

And, amazingly, it may continue this way for an indefinite amount of time.

Life’s been a whirlwind for the past year, and an outright hurricane for the last few weeks.

To summarize:

Business was doing well.

Professional and personal growth was really taking off with the assistance of incredible new friends, mentors, clients and my ever-supportive family.

Family was planning move to Colorado and was selling NYC home to do so.  (But home wasn’t selling after 6+ months.)

Career opportunity and adventure of a lifetime appear out of nowhere . . . and my supportive wife tells me to jump on it.

The house gets an offer.

Career opportunity becomes an offer.

Instead of moving west to Boulder, I’m now east, across the Atlantic, on the continent of Africa, living in Morocco.  (That’s crazy to write . . . and crazier to read! )

My supportive wife and family will be here in a few short days.

And we’ll be here until . . . well, we’re just going to take that one-day-at-a-time. 

Regardless of all this change, and regardless of the fact that ‘My Personal Trainer NYC’ is now being written from another continent, I’ll still be here to serve you as much as I can.

And soon, I may even be able to help you in French or Arabic!

Thanks for reading!

You’ve received the message here many times on this site.   You may have even picked up on it via my training philosophy that’s shared over on the website of my coaching business.

The message?

If you want optimal fitness and a body that looks and feels amazing, you’ve got to start with health first.

There’s just no way around it, whether you merely want short term, significant results or if you want results that last a lifetime — you’ve got to start with health first!

Health cultivated by quality nutrition.

Health elevated through stress management.

Health derived from a strong, positive mindset.

Health nourished thorough quality movement.

Health fostered by being fully in the moment, right now.

You know all of this . . . because you’ve heard it all before.  (Not to mention the fact that it’s pretty common sense, right?)

But at the end of the day, knowing it and knowing how to implement it are two different things.

And that’s where I’ll turn this post over to my friend and colleague, the UK’s very own Jon Le Tocq. 

In his article below, he discusses the ‘New Rules For Health and Performance’ and the importance of health coming first . . . and through his delivery, he provides a list telling you the exact steps you can take to get the health, looks and performance that you desire.

It’s a great read, a great perspective, and a clear action plan that will help you get your health and fitness on track now.

Enjoy!  And Take Action!!

The New Rules Of Health And Performance

Jon Le Tocq (13 January 2010) What I am about to tell you may seem strange and in direct opposition to what you think you know, but remember this:

I have used these methods to maintain a body fat percentage of 5% on myself, help a lady lose 120lbs in 7 months having tried all the ‘famous’ diets with no success and restore the health of everyone from regular sports fanatics to stressed out business men who were heart attacks waiting to happen!

Also, if you are reading this with excitement at the thought of finally being able to drop body fat, it is clear that what you think you know doesn’t work so listen up!

Here is a list of actions you must start climbing to quickly develop a lean, athletic body and restore your health, dramatically reducing your risk of common ‘affluence diseases’ such as diabetes, heart disease and various cancers which are often non-existent in areas which no access to the Western diet.

The truth is that whilst anyone can drop a few pounds quite quickly, long-term astounding, life-changing results can only be achieved when optimal health is achieved FIRST.

Too many people miss out on this fact while searching for the quick-fix fat loss method.

You must become aware of the following:

1) The media will glamourize whatever will sell newspapers and magazines regardless of the effect on your health. These journalists have not thoroughly researched studies that often contradict the random advice thrown around about nutrition, and using them as your main reference source for fat loss advice is like getting a dentist to fix your car.

2) The medical profession is controlled by drugs companies and is under so much pressure that those who do want to know and dish ou the truth about nutrition simply do not have the time to offer advice and planning which will truly make a difference to you. It is easier, and unfortunately more profitable in many cases, to simply prescribe another pill or shot of insulin.

3) Often the truth has been covered up in order to protect what are very lucrative industries. The government heavily relies on donations from food and drugs companies and often could not afford to lose the backing of entire industries. The truth mysteriously disappears in a lot of these cases.

This is an express guide to give you something to work from. The three points above should illustrate that there is a huge amount of science and critical issues to consider but as you don’t have time for all that, make sure you do all you can to implement the steps below.

Results will be achieved much quicker if you can work with a health and fitness professional who understands the mechanisms behind these steps so please seek one out as soon as possible.  (Continue Reading . . . )

___________________

Thanks for reading!

YOUR Personal Trainer NYC

Those words began my relationship with a client that’s been with me for over 6 months (and 60 pounds lost!) . . . and the amazing thing was she admitted to me just days ago that she’d never fully opened herself up to me.

6 months plus of trust, heart-to-heart communication and success without fully ‘letting go’.  It was an understandable decision on her part because, as she explained, she was protecting her heart against the end of our 1-to-1 time together.

But I couldn’t help thinking, what would have happened if . . . . ?

What would have happened if she’d fully opened herself to freedom?  To the moment?

How much more should she have accomplished?

How much more fulfilled would she feel?

The point here isn’t to focus on anything negative.  To the contrary, it’s to find enlightenment through her incredible journey which very well could have been (and could become) that much more incredible!!

The fact is, nothing in life is guaranteed.  Nothing is permanent.

So if you’re going to make a decision to do something, give ALL of you to it!!

Why not, right?

The worst that will happen is you’ll ‘fail’ to achieve your goal and end up where you are, right now.  (And that’s okay!   You can just choose another direction.)  But if everything goes as well as planned, you might just end up with everything you wish for . . . and more!!

All you’ve got to do is allow yourself to be open to the process.  Be open to putting your heart, soul and all that you believe in on the line.

Are you ready to commit to that, here in 2010?

The choice is yours.

The New Year’s upon you and the ‘tradition’ of setting goals from mundane to magical is well under way.

What do you want to accomplish?

What MAGIC do you want to make happen?

Are you ready to give ALL of you to the process?

Let’s get started!

YOUR Personal Trainer NYC

Can You See The Forest Through The Trees? Are You LIVING Your Purpose?

As 2009 closes, I find myself (like most people) reflecting on the past — the past year, the past decade . . . the course of my life so far.

It’s been an amazing journey, with this year being one of the best yet, filled with the laughter of my daughter and my newborn son, international travel, growing business, support from my wife, new relationships and incredible amounts of personal and professional growth.

And I just topped it all off as I was going through old personal files on my hard drive . . . and stumbled across the original copy of a letter I’d written to my family and friends as I was preparing to uproot my life by leaving the Twin Cities and moving to NYC:

. . . we’re on this planet to LIVE — to discover and to utilize to our fullest ability whatever gifts we’ve been given, so that we can live truly happy lives and contribute to the many lives we encounter. . .

I have been gifted opportunities to meet people and influence them through the world of personal training.  This career forces me to be the best I can be while allowing me the privilege to motivate and to teach by sharing my education and example with others.  My wish for you during this holiday season and for the rest of your life is as follows:

1.  Discover your purpose in life (or continue to develop that purpose if you’ve already successfully found it).
2.  Believe in that purpose.
3.  Face all your fears, take risks and don’t quit when pushing onward is difficult.
4.  Wake up every morning, thankful for another day, and LIVE each day so that you don’t wake up the next with regrets of not having accomplished what you desire.
5.  Strive for and achieve success!! (on your spiritual terms)

What struck me about this letter?  The message I delivered was a less refined, but very similar version of what I believe today.  It probably shouldn’t be surprising at all.  But when life is busy swirling around you, it’s easy to lose sight of your overall purpose and current place in life — akin to the phrase ‘you can’t see the forest through the trees.’

And it’s nice when we can be reminded of the path we’re on, and discover that we’ve managed to stay close to it, and cultivate it, for a prolonged period of time — especially when there’s growth and success attached to it!!

Have you taken the time to reflect on your purpose lately . . . or ever?  What drives you?  What do you want?  What does your heart tell you?

Now is as good a time as any to reflect on it, isn’t it? 

So, go do it . . . and then act!  And may those actions bring you fulfillment in 2010 and beyond!!

Happy New Year to you!  Thank you for all of your support!

Your Personal Trainer NYC