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

Why EVERYONE should be using the RIP Trainer.

I don't know about you but I have cursed Mother Nature more than I care to admit these last few weeks. It seems like every time I go out to walk my dog I'm slipping on ice or stepping over mounds of snow that my lovely neighbors have left in the middle of the sidewalk. One day last week, Friday to be exact, I was out walking Pepper (my dog) after a rare attendance at Geoff's 9am Fusion. We had spent the hour bouncing back and forth between the RIP Trainer and Suspension Trainers working, well...everything. My core, glutes, and hamstrings were fired up and ready for the day. As Pepper and I were neared the end of our walk I slipped in a hidden patch of ice. My left leg slid forward, my right hand (leash hand) whipped back, my poor dog snapped to attention, but instinctively my body fought the urge to yard sale on the sidewalk and righted itself. Crisis averted. Why you may ask? The answer should be obvious, the RIP Trainer! 

If you are unfamiliar with the RIP Trainer it is a rather simple looking piece of equipment. Created by Peter Holman, former member of the US Taekwondo team as well as a Physical Therapist, he sought a way to train his clients and teammates to create and control rotational forces. The ingenuity of the product is recognized as soon as you place your hands on it. Core muscles are forced to engage to either allow for rotation or to prevent it. Just think "All Core. All The Time."  The RIP allows for 3 dimensional exercises to be completed in all the frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes, while providing an asymmetrical load. If that wasn't enough, balance and stability are challenged as you increase the difficulty of each exercise. With 85% of the body’s core musculature running on a bias, rotational movement is one of the best way to train and the RIP makes it happen.

To put a real life spin on this just think of what your body has to do when you….slip on a patch of ice, step out of the car, shovel, start a snow blower, throw a bag of salt over your shoulder, pick up uneven bags of groceries, or even your kids. You twist. You bend. You even prevent each of these from happening as well. Everyday life requires you to create and control rotational forces! The RIP Trainer prepares you for whatever lies outside the walls of CPC.

Don’t be fooled and think the RIP Trainer is just for athletes. It is a training tool for everyone, and with snow predicted for the end of the week and spring nowhere in sight it’s time you start thinking about training with it too. You’ll be glad you did.

SK

Make The Time

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and some good eats!  It's here: we’ve finally reached the holiday season. With Thanksgiving now over, we begin that non-stop, hectic "race" to Christmas. As we get into this crazy time of year our schedules can get a bit overwhelming, but that is NO excuse to miss workouts and eat like crap. This is the time of year where so many people drop off with their exercise programs and diets. WHY?! Why give up all the results you’ve EARNED? Whether you’ve been working towards your goals for a few weeks, months, or even years - this isn't a time to use lack of time as an excuse to throw all of that out the door. 

Don’t let the holiday season be an excuse! That's lazy. A workout only requires around one hour a day. There are 24 hours in a day which adds up to 168 hours a week. There’s simply NO excuse as to why you can’t take 3-5 of those 168 hours a week to get in a workout. You'll thank yourself for doing it. 

Need additional motivation? Come and talk with me. We'll get you set up. 

- SW 

The Importance of Potassium

As many of us know, what we eat will affect our exercise performance.  We often focus on the macronutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, and protein, but what about those micronutrients such as potassium and sodium?  In our society today, the typical American diet involves high sodium with very low potassium intake.  While both of these electrolytes are important in exercise, many of us consume too much sodium with too little potassium.  For optimal performance, we want to aim to keep our potassium-sodium levels as close to each other as possible or have potassium exceed sodium.  In short, without getting too scientific, potassium and sodium work together in sending electrical impulses to induce muscle contraction. When potassium and sodium are in balance, it can lead to better muscle contractions and thus, better performance. 

Now we know the effects of potassium, so how do we get it?  We get potassium from whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and some lean protein sources.  Some of the best sources of potassium are:

• Spinach
• Sweet potato/Potato
• Beans
• Bananas
• Salmon 
• Greek yogurt

There are many other great sources out there as well, but these are some of the best and most common.  Try adding in more whole foods to your diets and see how your performance can improve.

- SW

When you rush through it, it sucks.

I am a person that wakes up on a mission. I make lists and I like to get that list done before the day expires. If I don't complete that list I'm pissed. I evaluate what could I have done differently. Where was I off in my projection? Where did I made extra steps and become less efficient? Another question I regularly ask myself: when does efficiency make you suck?

I look at my productivity to find ways I could be faster, more efficient and crisp. I like the way I do things, but I certainly don't do anything perfectly. Quite frankly, I have never expected too - it doesn't exist. I understand that when doing a task you should do it with integrity, passion, and pride. Making sure that you devote yourself to IT; no matter what IT is. It leaves you with a sense of pride to say I did THAT. 

When I cut grass at the golf course, I wanted the greens to roll crisp and true. When I commercially cleaned carpets, I never left a job site with a spot on that floor. When I made sandwiches at the deli, every piece of lettuce was hand selected and certainly never just tossed on the roll and thrown in a paper. In all the jobs I've had (yes there are a lot more,) I have found it less "work" when I poured in that level of pride and walked away knowing that my job was an extension of what I had to give. 

Lately, I have found myself increasingly irritated with the lack of integrity placed into things by people. From a prepared coffee to a sandwich. The greeter at the storefront to the front desk attendant at a hotel. Waitress to electrician. Comcast Rep to the trash guy. I really don't get it. You're gainfully employed and earning a living. More importantly YOU filled out the application! It's not my fault you're tired or stressed. Or that you're hungry or hung-over. It's your job. Do it well, do it with integrity, and stop making it suck for everyone around you. I have never understood rushing through something to be left with doing nothing. Anyone? 

Rushing through life hoping that by chance at the end of tomorrow it's going to be different. Guess what? It's not! It's what you do right now that writes the script and allows you to find happiness. Oh yeah, It's not anyone else's fault, issue, problem or concern either. It's YOUR issue - OWN IT. That life you are unhappy with, complain about, and rush through everyday like you're going to escape it - you are the one making it suck. Slow down, face it head own, and devote your entire self to it, whatever it is. Trust me, do that and you will find joy in everyday you are given.

~Sully

Not enough time in the day to workout?

Not enough time in the day to workout?

You hear it all the time, "I don't have time for that; I have kids, work, school, etc." You're right, not everyone has time for an hour workout when it takes 10 minutes to get to and from the gym. Add in eating before, changing clothes, traffic; sometimes we're looking at a two hour ordeal to get in that workout that you sometimes don't really even want to do.

First - if you don't have time to go to the gym and truly don't, nobody wants to hear you bitch about it. Do something around the house - garden, clean, go out for a walk with the kids or just a brisk walk by yourself. That's a "functional" workout for you; it doesn't always have to be weights and running. I'd rather see you post a picture of yourself raking the yard as opposed to a picture of you squatting an insignificant amount of weight, with terrible form, while having a stupid duck face. But I'll leave that topic for another day.

Second - back to doing something you don't want to do. Why? I don't like to run, so I don't. Ever. Forcing yourself to the gym to do something you hate to do will make it seem like you have even less time than you really do. Funny how you find time to watch "Game of Thrones", check Facebook or find time to complain about not having time. Do something you actually want to do like hiking, biking, swimming, golf, tennis or anything active that's enjoyable. You'll find time for that.

Third and last - you don't always have to work out for an hour. Do a half hour blast, split your runs up, quick ride on the bike, mobility/Trigger Point session - anything is more effective than sitting on your ass especially if that's what you have to do for your day job. 

Move more, get out, and stay active.

CW

IIFYM ... what?

What’s this new flexible dieting or “IIFYM” trend?

There are so many “diets” out there like Atkins, Paleo, and Gluten free, that I could go on forever. One of the newest diets taking social media by storm is “flexible dieting” or “IIFYM”, which stands for “if it fits your macros”. “Macros” is short for macronutrients, which consist of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. In short, this diet states that you have a set amount of calories based on your level of activity each day. You must try to eat X amount of carbs, fats, and proteins that total up to your daily calories, giving you the flexibility to treat yourself. Instead of regularly eating clean and then binging one or two days a week, this diet is encouraging people to eat clean and enjoy a small treat on a regular basis if they feel the need. However, this is quickly becoming one of the most misunderstood diets today. 

People automatically think that on this diet, you can eat junk food such as donuts, Pop-Tarts, etc. because “it fits your macros”. You may see people posting pictures of themselves eating donuts, ice cream, and other unhealthy treats, yet they are ripped. What you don’t see is that they’re eating a strict diet on a daily basis while leaving room to treat themselves. Do you really think that someone could just eat these treats on a regular basis and still look the way they do? No! It’s impossible to eat junk food throughout the day and have a healthy balance of fats, proteins, and carbs. 

My thoughts on this diet? 
I think the concept of eating a balanced diet of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates is great. We need to have all three to have a well balanced diet. Do I think that eating poptarts and other processed crap is good? Absolutely not! It’s good to treat ourselves once in awhile, but do it the right way. Don’t go for those processed snacks because all of the artificial stuff is doing more harm than good. Eat a well balanced diet and do what works for you; don’t let all of the social media images get in your head because a certain diet worked for someone else. What works for them may not work for you!

- SW