Extreme Weight Loss

The other day someone asked me what my opinion of gastric bypass and other surgical, and non-surgical, forms of extreme weight loss were.  My response was/is not a very positive one.  I do believe it may be the last resort and possibly necessary for some people to go through with a procedure like that as a last resort, but I think they those cases are pretty rare.  Although these cases may not be so rare as our society continues to puff up like a tick.  

There are several things to take into consideration when talking about these drastic procedures. The person's health and degree of obesity prior to, the persons motives for such steps, the health implications, the restrictions or guidelines following the procedure, and lifestyle changes that may take place before during or after.  If you are not willing to take these things into consideration and follow all of these aspects of such a procedure, then I don’t think you should have such a procedure done.

With regards to these procedures I think people fall into three categories:

Legitimate need: There are people - be it a reasonable health condition or lifestyle conditions - who do need such a thing. If a health care provider believes that your life depends on it, then I would tend to agree and be for it.  

Non-Need Structured: These people are those that in my opinion don’t need a procedure just a good swift kick in the pants to make lifestyle changes.  None-the-less they do go through with it, but follow all of the guidelines and suggestions for making the most of it.  They still make some better lifestyle choices in an attempt to better themselves and become an all around healthier person, with the help of the procedure.

Non-Need Unstructured: Unfortunately, this is where I think the majority of people fall.  They get the procedure because they are lazy and don’t want to do much work to get themselves to a better place.  It’s the quick fix that everyone is looking for nowadays, the magic pill, the overnight cure.  These people also continue their awful habits after the procedure which are the reason they got into this situation in the first place.  Losing weight yes, becoming a healthier person and adopting some lifelong wellness habits, not at all.  

In short - sack up, do the work, and make some serious life changes if you want to lose weight and/or become a better healthier version of yourself.  Don’t look for the quick fix, you’re not doing yourself any favors.

-MS

If you want to smile, you have to stop thinking about yourself

My day-to-day life is crazy. I am constantly trying to balance everything so that I may continue to kick ass at CPC and also lead a "normal" life outside of work but always seem to be thrown a curve ball. Stress is not something I am a stranger to. When I decided to open a business, I knew I was going to be stressed and have to pay my dues.

Tomorrow I ride with some friends. I will be joining a few thousand riders this weekend in the Pan Mass Challenge - a 192 bike ride to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Research facility. I went out for a ride yesterday afternoon just to make sure my bike was working how I wanted and as I peeled away from the mountain of work I had in front of me, and my mind began spinning with the 1000 other things I should be doing with that 45 minutes, I began to smile. Some of the happiest times in my life are making OTHER people smile. It brings me pure joy to do it. Truly. Whether it is getting them a creative gift, sending them a handwritten note, doing something they can't (like riding a bike for those battling cancer), swinging a hammer to build a house, collecting food and supplies for those devastated by Mother Nature -- it doesn't matter. None of the times  I have volunteered has been ideal for me personally or professionally, but I do it because it is not about me. It's about doing something for someone else because you can.

There are many different ways to approach it. Pay it forward, random acts of kindness whatever it may be. If we all start to act a lot more selfless vs. selfish, we will all benefit. We will all be less stressed, smile a whole hell of a lot more and have each others backs. I know I don't do any of this perfectly but for the next 72 hours. I'll be riding my bike because I am physically able, and it is going to make a difference. That pile of work is still going to be there on Monday morning.  

-- Sully

You Do You

“Your biggest challenge isn't someone else; it's the ache in your lungs, the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells, "Can't" But you don't listen, you push harder. You hear the voice whisper "Can," and you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you are.” -Unknown

One of the biggest factors that can interrupt fitness or life, in general, is competition. A lot of the times it is drilled into people’s minds that they need to be better than the person they are up against. While competition is a dynamic aspect to life, it can backfire. Competition can shy people away from even getting into a gym because the competition seems too intimidating. Be open to failure, not closed to trying. On the contrary, competition can push someone to injury by trying to keep up with the guy next to them. Be motivated, not presumptuous. Instead of always challenging yourself against someone else, focus on the competition within yourself. Focus on being better than who you were yesterday. Not just physically, but mentally. Challenge your body, your mind, your character. Fitness is a very personal thing, so it should be treated accordingly. Everyone has a different body, goal, expectation, or training style. The distraction of others can cause us to lose what we stand for or believe in. We begin only to see ourselves in comparison to others around us. Let others be that motivation and push, but never your reason for thinking you “can or can’t” do something. Be faster, be stronger, work harder, eat healthier than YOU did yesterday. 

Everyone is after a different goal; instead of trying to chase someone else’s go out and achieve your own.

- Amber

Check Your Ego

Being able to identify your strengths and weaknesses is extremely important in life, as well as within a training setting. If you and your coach are able to identify something as a strength, it will allow you to push the envelope and become more aggressive on the exercise. This is because as a team you both can ensure you have the correct motor pattern (I.E. your natural movement is safe, correct, and using the proper muscle groups at the proper times). Inversely – if you and your coach are able to identify something as a weakness, the training style will be much slower to allow for internal and external feedback to help build that movement pattern into a safe, effective habit.

This is a very important concept because it allows for the most effective training to maximize your time training and help get you to where you want to be. A big component of this is being able to check your ego at the door, and realize that you aren’t going to be able to do everything perfect the first time. It takes a very long time to break the terrible habits and postures that Western Culture puts us in, and THAT IS OKAY. You don’t have to load every single movement pattern every single week to see a result.

Sometimes in order to PROGRESS your training, you first have to REGRESS your movement patterns. If you try to build a house on a faulty foundation, it will crumble to the ground. Why then will you load aberrant movement patterns to their maximum capacity and jeopardize something much more important – YOUR HEALTH.

Surrounding yourself with the correct people and minds is extremely important in general – and especially with your health. It is okay to admit to other people – and yourself that you don’t know everything about a topic. If it is not something you spent years studying, no one expects you to be a master in the subject. Find the correct people to help put you into the right positions to succeed, not give you a cookie cutter program without ever looking at how you move or present. Once you have found those people, check your ego at the door and let them help you. Listen, collaborate, and watch your body transform into exactly what you want it to be. 

TM

They’re Deadly for a Reason

I do not consider myself a particularly religious person but I would say that I am spiritual one. Understanding the difference between the two may be difficult for some but not all. There is one overwhelming aspect of religion that I grew up with and has carried with me for all my adult years. The Seven Deadly Sins. Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth, Pride, Lust and Envy. I truly believe that constant self reflection is necessary to not fall victim to any of these fatal flaws - yes they're fatal.

I want to reflect on Envy for just a moment. What is it to be envious and what is it to be jealous? I'm not saying I'm dead on, but it's my blog post so tough shit. This is the way I look at it. In my opinion, it’s not bad to be jealous. It’s not healthy to allow it to consume you but it is not good be complacent and let life pass you by. To me jealous means I care, it reminds me to push and to live everyday with my very best self forward. It's the fear that a worthy competitor will take the next stride in front of me, my lifting partner will get one more rep, or a colleague will get published before I do. To be jealous is to look at someone and WANT what they have but you COULD have it. You just weren't willing to sacrifice and go through pain to get it. It wasn't important enough for you to be uncomfortable. Do be jealous might mean you let yourself settle and accept your current situation because quite frankly you didn't give a fuck. So, what is it like to be envious?

Envy is all consuming. Envy will paralyze you with negative thoughts. Envy is to look at another person and be CONSUMED with jealousy that they are more *blank* or that they have more *blank* than you. They may have better cheek bones or thicker hair and that makes you envious of their beauty. They may have been born into a wealthy lineage or had a trust fund and you didn't. They have a genius level IQ or are the height you wish you were. Envy is to not just want but covet something that you have ZERO ability to change. The thoughts running through your mind no matter how hard you push, how badly you want something, and what you're willing to sacrifice can change that fact. THAT is envy! It is an ugly, all consuming and life altering state of mind. Be careful my friends - this is a question you may have to ask yourself more than you want to admit. "Am I jealous or?.. Oh shit! I'm envious!" Scary realization but not a dead end. We are are all blessed with amazing qualities and making sure we are thankful for our true character and what makes us beautiful is to be happy with yourself. 

I am a competitive son of a bitch and I need to reflect on that daily. As I said, I am not a religious man but I have my outlet to "pray". I have the place in MY life where I can connect inside my own head and be at peace with me.

To quote one of my favorite artists: "This is my church / This is where I heal my hurts / It’s a natural grace / Of watching young life change / It's in minor keys / Solutions and remedies / Enemies becoming friends / When bitterness ends / This is my church." He was speaking about the recording studio. I am speaking of CPC. It's not just a place of business or where I see my friends - It’s my outlet. It’s where I find MY peace. 

The realization is that we are surrounded by temptations daily that will pull us in towards those seven deadly sins. Being in touch with who you are and remain damn proud of the beautiful things you contribute to everyone else's lives will help keep you away from at least one... 

~Sully