It's Resolution Time

Resolution time. Yes, resolution time. It needs to be talked about NOW because truly making a shift in behavior requires weeks of preparation, communication, and execution. What is your resolution? What do you want to do differently? You can add a task to your list, or you can give something up. These behaviors can seem small, but I promise you, EVERY SINGLE ONE is an enormous undertaking. We're all busy, and nothing is ever solely about US. With that in mind, you need to communicate your intentions properly with everyone around you to ensure the right support and to avoid derailment.

Easy example: I would like to exercise 3 days a week. Ok, when? What time of day? Is your spouse willing to help with the kids on those days? What about days with no school? Or snow days? What's the backup plan? What about travel? If you go somewhere will you workout two days in a row before you leave? Or pack clothes for when you're there? Does everyone at work know you are unable to be at a meeting any earlier than 8:30 am? All of these things are NOT selfish to request! It's personal wellness and last I checked taking care of yourself takes a HELL of a lot less time and money than having someone take care of you once you're sick.

Another example: Putting money aside or increasing savings. This is not embarrassing! You can say no to going out for drinks, dinner, the Nordstrom sale or a charitable donation. Fuck the person who judges that decision or what you do with your hard earned money! If you have a desire to put away xx/month and choose a few things you will allow yourself to do for fun - then great. No one else has the right to question that. Communicate to your family, friends and kids. Anyone who falls outside that circle and gives you crap for your decision, well, that's a whole other topic.

The long and short of this: A failure to plan is a plan to fail. If you truly have intentions of changing behavior, yourself or what you contribute back it needs to be well thought out, realistic, measurable, attainable and carry a timeline. Anything else is not smart. The other huge takeaway - communicate your intentions to those you choose to keep in your life. They'll support you! As Dr. Suess says, "Those that matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter."

Happy Holidays
-GS

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

Health is a Continuum

Soooo  … some of you may have picked up on the fact that my schedule has been kind of insane lately. I knew this craziness coming. I’m one of the luckys ones in that I get to do something I love day in and day out so it's all good. This is NOT a complaint. My average workday has been 13.5 hours for the last 3 weeks. No, I don't mean that I'm at work for 13.5 hours doing bullshit or emailing meme's between my friends. I'm out hustling and it's fucking awesome! Of course when that’s done there is the tracking of everything before the day starts, after it ends, making phone calls when driving, and connecting with other CPC staff on the fly. All in all, my life is nuts and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But even when you’re doing something you love there are risks involved. You need to be sure you’re not losing sight of the big picture and that you’re taking care of yourself. The last being the most important.

I promised myself that I was going to be kind to ME this fall and not constantly place ME last. In order to do that, I knew I needed to do a few things differently. First, I'm saying "no" a lot more than I ever have. I like it when people are happy and I love to give so it's really hard for me to say “no” and not help someone out or not be a part of things. However, I am good to no one if I'm tired and worthless. We all need to stay efficient!  

Second, I personally hired my friend and colleague Tim to write an exercise plan for me. When my schedule gets insane I want to do what I am good at. I will stick with the lifts and movement patterns that are comfortable for me and not work too much on imbalances or weakness. When I am this busy, I lose the ability to objectively evaluate myself, so why add one more thing to my plate? Tim wrote me a plan, I will meet with him one-on-one 4 times a month, and I am accountable to him. I mean, I just publicly identified him as my coach, so if I get fat or hurt it looks bad on him. I can't do that to Captain Glutes - he works too hard for that.

The last piece is UP. You’ve all seen the small device I’m wearing on my left wrist. This thing is freaking awesome. Why? Because you can't hide! The device comes with an app for your phone and helps you get a  get a grasp on all aspects of your health - sleep, food, and exercise. Tracking food has been an eye opener. I am a person who tends not to eat when I get busy. This app has a detailed food log which doesn't just count calories it gives you a "food score". On a scale of 1-10 it rates how healthy the foods you are consuming are, gives your day an overall food score, and provides you with relative tips. Let’s take yesterday.  I got a push notification telling me that my average fiber intake over the last three days has been down. And asked “Do I want to commit to bringing my daily average back up to the recommended 38 grams?" Fuck yeah I do! Drink your green smoothie and treat your immune system properly Sullivan! Second, It tracks my daily movement. UP tracks my daily steps and relative intensity of activity for the day. I know what times of the day I am most idle and I can set alarms to go off when I have been sitting for longer than an hour straight. Finally, it tracks my sleep. Yeah … a huge amount of work needed here. I average 6 hours and 3 minutes of sleep each night, I wake up on average twice during that time, and I do NOT sleep as heavy as I once believed! These stats have helped me to curb my eating behavior prior to bed, to not watch TV prior to bed, and adjust to less of a water intake later in the day. Trust me: it's helping.

My message to you: Health is a continuum. Understand the mission now? I value all aspects equally and I know that excelling in one area will not make up for others. I am committed to being strong, lean, agile, rested, fed, hydrated, calm, caring, attentive, and fun - just to name a few. I have never believed that information is power but rather what you do with information is power.

I'm interested to see if any of you will invest a little more and take a deeper look at your wellness.

It's been fascinating from this side of things.

~Sully

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

What shoe are you?

My quick little blog post today is spurred by a question I got from a subscriber yesterday. I was asked about my opinion on minimalist shoes and making the switch from a traditional running shoe.  I thought this question may be one that a lot of you have so I will address it.  

A couple of things to think about:

The structure of your feet could play a factor in whether or not you should try a minimal shoe.  If you have flat feet, I wouldn't necessarily recommend you make the switch.  Our feet were made to absorb shock, especially while running. If your feet are without arches, then it's going to put increased stress on the foot, as well as knees and hips.  

If you are going to make the switch, make sure it is a gradual one.  Do not take your new Vibrams out of the box and go run a marathon; you will hurt yourself.  Your body adapts to new things, shoes included.  If you have never run in minimals, you need to wean yourself into it. Slowly let your body get used to the differences and adapt.  I think one of the biggest issues with minimal shoes, and the reason why they get a bad rap, is that people think they can just switch from one type of shoe to another. When they do, they realize they are sore or in pain and immediately blame the shoes.  It's not the shoes fault. The brain controlling the foot in the shoe is to blame.  Ease into it a couple miles at a time.  

Bottom line, we were built to run and to run with nothing on our feet.  Am I a proponent for either shoe type? No. I've used and liked both types. It's a personal preference if you ask me.  Below is a quick video that speaks to these points.  

Happy running!

MS

Be Inspired by Them. Motivated for YOU.

We all do it. We have those individuals, or find ourselves in situations, in which we are enamored by someone else. Whether it is their physique, performance, and/or accomplishments - it happens. I myself am guilty of this behavior on a regular basis. I'm a list maker - Type A. Still I feel myself getting wrapped up in the latest of things that I read or see: I want to win the CrossFit Games because I just watched it on ESPN 2, or I want to run a 3:40 marathon because he or she did, or I want to vacation in the Caribbean. Have you seen my skin?! I look like the underbelly of a deep water fish. The Caribbean Sullivan?? But really... is that what I want? Is that what YOU want?

I myself am a slender build and it's difficult for me to put on weight... Ok, now you know I'm bullshitting. I'm quite the opposite. I'm built like wrecking ball with a big ass and legs that make it difficult to buy pants. I work with a number of colleagues, whom I respect immensely, that have very lean builds and body types, muscular arms, and shredded abs. I find myself pushing towards THAT instead of embracing the fact that I might not have a 6-pack but I can squat a house. I find myself caught off guard by these thoughts and obsessing over physical aspects that were never important to me and I never wanted to accomplish in the first place. Why?

Don't get me wrong, I think that having this kind of stimuli in our lives is very important for consistent personal growth. Complacency can be the death of us all! Whether it applies to your health, profession, or relationships, complacency is the beginning of the end. So I welcome these stressors. I welcome these  in my life and these situations that cause me to push to be the best ME. I to need to remind myself constantly of that final point. Be the best ME!

We all fall victim to being caught up in what is popular or trending. I see so many of us waste time & energy, getting stressed and becoming distracted by someone else's accomplishments and/or their "highlight reel ". To borrow a quote from Will Smith: "Too many people spend money they didn't earn, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like". We see another person "happy" and we covet their life becoming jealous rather than inspired. Let's cut the shit. Seriously.

Ask yourself: what is important and motivating to YOU? Set some goals around what YOU want and allow yourself to be happy for others when they get what THEY want. Be inspired, not intimidated. It's amazing to let go. 

~Sully

To Roll or Not To Roll?

Most of you know that a good dynamic warm up, foam rolling and some light stretching are beneficial before and after exercising.You all have your own variations on these routines or techniques you apply to your pre/post workout regimen, which is great.However, I’ve noticed lately there are many of you who don’t have a pre or post workout regimen.I have two goals for this blog post. First, I want people that aren't doing any kind of rolling for myofascial release pre/post workout to start adding it in. Second, I would like to get people that have a routine to think outside the box and add some new techniques or focus on some new muscles groups rather than the usual suspects.

 

If you haven’t considered the benefits of rolling, here's the short version. Rolling is very much like a massage, it manipulates the tissues in and around muscles or joints to increase blood flow, increase oxygenation, increase flexibility, break-up muscle tissue (knots), and increase movement. During exercise all these tissues can get tight which is why you need to spend time before and after a workout "working out the kinks". Skipping this step subjects yourself to an increased risk of injury or limiting your ability to get better from an issue that has been a constant problem.

Many of us get stuck repeatedly rolling the same areas, which don't get me wrong isn't a bad thing. If you have a tight IT band then go ahead and roll the crap out of it, but a lot of us don't think to do anything other than the big things (IT band, quads, hamstrings, glutes). Everything is connected, a common statement that you might have heard around CPC before, and it's true. A lot of times that nagging tightness or soreness in your glute isn't coming directly from that area. You can roll the hell out of it, and it will feel better for a while, but may never go away. You need to look to other areas. Look to the lower leg for example. Our feet hit the floor first in the morning and are the last off of it at night (I didn't come up with that I stole it from somewhere). Many of us are constantly on our feet, if they aren't happy then that is going to work it's way right up the line. I want people to start thinking outside of the norm for your routines, in order to treat your ailments. You can roll virtually any muscle, and if you don't know how then ask.  

If you're looking for a more in depth look at rolling, I seriously encourage you to sign up for the Trigger Point workshop we have coming up here at CPC on Sunday, May 18th. It's open to the public, you don't have to be "in the field", and you shouldn't feel intimidated. The workshops are fun, informative and enjoyable. You'll get a lot out of it and most of all you'll probably learn how to fix some of those aches and pains.

- MS

Do You Really Know The Truth About BPA?

BPA: another one of those hot button issues that has been circulating for the past couple of years. We've all heard about it, know what it is, know that it's bad, and know what it can do to you. I'm sure most of you are like me and ran out and bought a Nalgene or 7 because they were sweet bottles that didn't contain BPA. A cool, functional, nearly indestructible, and safe water bottle, what more can you ask for?

I don't want to be long winded in my post here, my intent was more focused on passing along this article to you and get your feedback. Take a look at it, think about the following questions, and post some comments. I'm curious to see what people have to say.

1.  Were we all right in going out and stocking up on our Nalgene bottles?

2.  What have you done / are you doing currently to lessen your use or exposure to BPA products (aside from purchasing BPA "free" products)?

3.  Will you do anything differently after reading this article?

via Mother Jones -- The Scary New Evidence on BPA-Free Plastics

Cheers,

Mike

Why Weight?

All too often I hear men and women saying females shouldn’t be lifting weights. Why not!? Nothing upsets me more than hearing those uneducated on the matter chime in with their misguided opinions. Not only should women be lifting weights, but they should be in the weight room more often than their male counterparts.

Here’s why:

Testosterone vs. Estrogen:

Many women that I have trained in the past are very apprehensive about picking up a dumbbell because they don’t want to become “muscle-y.” With the proper program and guidance, there is no way this would happen. In laymen’s terms, testosterone is far more superior to burning fat AND building muscle in comparison to estrogen. That is why men “bulk up”. Why is this important? Purely based on hormone composition between the genders, it is much harder for women to build muscle and therefore burn fat. Females simply don’t have the testosterone for that to happen. So in short, these effects won’t happen overnight! Relax, don’t listen to infomercials from SALES PEOPLE, and start incorporating some weight into your regimen.

Burning Calories:

It is fair to say, that a main reason a majority of people want to work out is calorie control. Most people want to feel great, be lean, and achieve overall health. Allow me to blow your mind with these next few sentences. At rest your body is burning calories. Muscle requires more calories to sustain itself than fat does – a lot more. A cheap and easy way to burn off those unwanted love handles: PUT ON SOME MUSCLE! 

Muscle? But I like cardio. Then get your ass in gear and stop moving at the same miserable pace as Betty White on the treadmill next to you. Higher intensity burns more calories. Higher intensity what you ask? ANYTHING! Speed, hills, resistance, intervals - the list goes on and on.

The evidence is all there. This isn’t abstract thinking, this is a professional relaying facts. The easiest way to feel better and move better is by working hard. Don’t hold yourself back, get yourself into the game and see what an amazing machine your body can be and will become. Get into a boot camp, or under a bar, and start sweating.  

The Economics of "Diet"

The Economics of "Diet"

Mike put together a great recap on a “diet” last week and so I am going to “piggy-back” on that regarding the economics of a good diet.

As Mike pointed out there are many diets that come and go in the media and many scientists and dietitians refer to the "Mediterranean diet” as the pinnacle relationship with food. Many people draw attention to the rich concentration of omega 3’s and Omega 6’s that come from fresh fish or the use of extra virgin olive oil. With all of this information at our fingertips Americans did what Americans do best… We tried to create shortcuts. We developed supplements that contained high concentrations of omega 3’s and Omega 6’s to try to circumvent the positive behaviors of this culture rather than the detail of their food. So by copying this diet in our “American way” why are we still so fat and unhealthy? What are we missing? I believe It is the economic side of things.

The average American consumer spends 7% of their gross income on food. The average Mediterranean inhabitant contributes greater than 20% of their gross income on food…  We are blind to the fact that individuals that live in this region eat FRESH FOOD. They are not concerned with spending their money on a ridiculous cable bill so that they don't miss the season premiere of Homeland rather they use this money to invest in their health and wellness. Typically living in more confined spaces with little to no cabinet space because they do not purchase foods they can sit on the shelves and are full of preservatives. Every food item in which they place in their mouth was purchased within just a couple days. As we continue to question why as a nation we are so sick and unhealthy? We need to recognize that as a nation we are spending so much of our gross income on medicine and hospitalization to treat rather than spending to prevent…

Let's look at the Mediterranean “diet” (or way of life). Take your annual gross income and multiply it by 20%… THAT number. Yes that HUGE Number is what you should allocate to your food bill. It seems absolutely astronomical to spend that much money on food but really as we continuously bitch over the cost of whole food ingredients and organic vegetables and fruits… Is it really that expensive to continuously invest in yourself? I don’t believe so.

I am totally comfortable being a self-preservationist and investing in my well-being. I’m also completely okay about having no idea what happened in this past season of Dexter. Comcast can bite me I have food to buy…

Please be aware that I am in no way trying to solve the socio-economic constraints of poverty stricken areas. This is simple in reference to statistical averages and does not apply to everyone!

What Diet is Best?

What diet do you follow?  What do you think of this diet?  Is this diet healthy?  These are all common questions that we get at CPC, all of which are good legitimate questions.  Contained in what follows, I hope, are the answers to these questions, in my humbled opinion.  Since I've been somewhat labeled the "Food Guy" (just to put it out there, in writing, I'm not a chef) around here I figured I would speak on the topic after I got asked one of these very questions just the other day.  No, I'm not telling you who asked me the question so don't ask.

To start lets look at the definition(s) of Diet.

1.  the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.

2.  a special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons.

The definition that I like the most is #1.  A diet by all intents and purposes is boiled down to simply, the food that we eat.  There is no name attached to said diet, it's food, that you cook/prepare, and then consume, that's it.  In the "true" diet world there is no Paleo, Atkins, South Beach, Mediterranean, etc. With that being said, what I think your diet should consist of is a diverse group of wholesome, natural, unprocessed, and unrefined foods.  Know where your food comes from!  Buy locally if you can. Stick with organic and non-GMO when possible.  Cook at home, eat out less.  Stay away from gluten if you want or need to.  This is what your diet should reflect and consist of.  If you want to eat something then eat it! If you have a craving don't ignore it -odds are you actually need what you are craving.  More often than not our bodies are smarter than we are, or than we think it is.  Listen To It!  All your diet should be is you paying attention to, being conscious of, and being consistent with what you are eating.  

Diets in the socially accepted sense and definition are really only meant to be short term quick fixes for vain aesthetic hang-ups that we have about our bodies.  "I want to lose 15lbs" sure the South Beach Diet may work.  "I want to get rid of my muffin top" - yes, Atkins may be able to help that.  "I want six-pack abs" Paleo might be able to help you get them, but did cave men have six-packs?  I don't know, I would think not, even if they did you couldn't see it under all that hair.  Anyway, all these diets do is make you change your eating habits for a short time until you see the results that you want.  Once this happens odds are you forget about the "diet" and go back to your normal eating habits, and guess what you put weight back on, you sprout the muffin top again, you trade in the six-pack for a keg again, and in most cases it's even worse then when you went on the "diet" to begin with.  We were not meant to eat this way (yo-yo effect), and it's not healthy to eat this way either.  

Diets also restrict calories or whole food groups a lot of the time. "Carbs are the enemy". Well yes, refined sugars and crap like that is, but our body needs them (from good sources), they're a fuel source.  Ever try driving your car without gas?  It doesn't work very well. If you don't trust me then try it, just don't call me when you need a ride.  "Fats are so bad for you, they'll clog your arteries" true to some extent.  If we eat a diet high in fats and cholesterol we do increase our risks for heart disease, but we also need fat.  Our brains use fat for normal mental function. It's true look it up.  I can go on and on but you get the picture that I'm trying to paint, you need to eat everything. Our bodies need this stuff to work and function properly!

Another tip: We are all different, and what works for one person might not work for the next.  One way of eating isn't going to affect each person in the same way.  What you need to do is try things and see what works for you. Pay attention to what you are eating and how it makes you feel.  Half of the battle is just establishing a healthy relationship with your food, by that I mean, what you are eating, when, what combinations, how much, where, why you're eating (hungry, bored, craving) etc.  Trial and error it up, see what works. It's not going to happen over night so don't get discouraged - it's a process.  

That's pretty much my take on dieting. I could go on but I'm not a nutrition expert so don't hold me accountable for any dieting disasters. I'm just giving you some tips that I think are helpful and useful. Moral of the story eat GOOD food, stay away from the crap. If you have a big butt, so what, don't look to a diet to try to fix it. Embrace the butt (figuratively....or literally - your call) and be happy with who you are. Unless the butt is causing serious health issues then yes, get rid of it.  Stay away from the stereotypical diet trends and just work on your overall relationship with food.  

Any questions, comments, problems? Let me know. You know where to find me.