Ahwatukee StrengthLab Personal Training 480-612-7726

The biggest obstacle that we face in reaching our personal goals isn’t our genetics, careers, money, family or relationships… it’s ourselves. If you want something bad enough you need to make it happen by following through with a game plan and remaining positive throughout its pursuit. You need to shut down the voice in your head that speaks so negatively and doubts so loudly. Reprogram that negative inner-voice to say things that support your goals, endeavors and wishes. The voice inside your head isn’t some unknown negative critic that has taken over your thoughts without your permission… it’s simply you being negative.

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This is an event that takes place from sun up (7:13am) on Saturday, December 5th – to sun down that same day.  You can ride it solo or in teams of 2 or 4 riders.  After coming off the Ironman AZ (triathlon) I’m going to be enjoying the simplicity of this event and the contrast of winter in the desert.  It’s a cool event and you should come out and check it out.  Bring a lawn chair and some drinks!    

http://dcbadventures.com/dcb/DCB/Dawn_to_Dusk.html

The Ironman Triathlon is this Sunday (11-22) and it starts at 7am for the age groupers; that would include me.  The professional triathletes start at 6:50am.   I will be out on the course for at least 11 hours and the pros will finish under 10 hours in case you’re interested in coming out and checking out this very special event.  If I recall there’s only about 30 official Full Ironman events world wide.  It’s a very labor intensive, time consumptive and expensive endeavor… so I plan on savorying the day.  I’ll be happy to be on the starting line that morning without any injuries!

We may not know why or how… but we’re here on this planet and that leaves us with two choices.  You either become productive and positive reaping the rewards of positive behavior or you become unproductive and negative reaping the consequences of your negative behavior. The choices are minimal and the options are limited; I guess that makes choosing the correct direction just that much easier then, right?

I’m nearing 20 years of personal training and without a doubt the largest macro-nutrient responsible for the weight crisis in this country is fat. Replace high fat foods with Organic Vegetables, Organic Fruits, (very lean) Proteins (little to no red meat), various Grains, Legumes and supplement with a high quality Essential Fatty Acid (Omega 3) product. Simplify your food! The more complex and copious the ingredients in your meals, the more room for excess calories, fat and various toxins to sneak into your diet. Read your labels carefully. Know the ingredients in your food. Eat out less often… and keep your foods simple and as nature designed them.

To exercise for a life-time, with a balanced approach, you need to learn and understand the basics of strength training. Strength training is required just like pouring a concrete foundation for a house is required for the house to last a life-time. All to often, we are inclined to simply start moving to whatever the latest infomercial is selling or local gym or personal trainer is exhorting, without realizing that the foundation of all movement is a strong and balanced body. Learn how to approach and strengthen your body correctly… and you’ll be on your way to a life-time of health and vitality!

Human beings are fighters by nature… living and remaining alive is a tough job and we’re often reminded of this when we hear bad things happening to good people. We’re faced with challenges from extreme weather, diminutive insects that spread diseases such as malaria and accidents we can’t even see coming.  When we were young we were often fooled into believing that life was safe and secure, but as we grew older we realized this was only an illusion projected onto us by those who loved us and cared for us. To live well, is to fight for life. Are you fighting the way that you should? Are you forcing “father time” to take from you… or are you merely giving your health away?

Remember, the Fitness Trainer you choose will and does make a difference in your success. Ask these questions when looking for a qualified personal trainer: can you afford their price on a monthly to yearly basis? What’s the experience they claim to have? Will they still be a personal trainer 6 months from now? Were they a personal trainer 6 months ago? Do they have a degree “within” the field of fitness, as well as a personal training certification from ACSM or NSCA? (Important to note here: there are currently over 350 personal training certifications available and very few hold any credibility within the fitness industry). The prevalent “ACE” certification is one of the easiest and least expensive certifications available today within the fitness industry and is considered low quality within the profession. The letters “CPT” merely mean certified personal trainer… certified by whom? Do they have liability insurance?

You see, there’s vast differences between personal trainers; please do your research. Typically, the larger the health club, the more inexperienced and less paid the personal trainers, while on the flip side, it’s one of the most expensive venues to receive personal training services; there’s simply a lot of overhead to cover and too many hands in the financial cookie jar. Effective personal training takes years to acquire, there’s a craft to this profession, as there is with most. An extended and varied education within the field of health and fitness, long term exposure within the industry, solid athletic experiences and active (on-going) participation in athletics is very important within a quality personal trainer.

Pessimism has protective values; when things don’t go our way it simply confirmed what we expected would happen in the first place. The downside to pessimism is it keeps us stagnant at best and it often leads to a boring and declining over-all enjoyment level in our lives. Optimism, on the other hand, comes from successes in challenges sought and eventually met, big or small. Without the presence of mind to push forward with a new challenge periodically, we don’t even come close to performing at the best of our abilites. Being a pessimist gives us the delusion of being safe and comfortable, but ultimately it robs us of our greatest successes in life which would have led us to greater confidence in our abilities and greater enjoyment in our lives had we simply challenged ourselves.  Think positive and challenge yourself… it’s generally worth the effort.

If you’re going to reach your goals in a timely and efficient manner you must be equipped with the right information; there’s a lot of confusing and conflicting health and fitness information (and opinion) cluttering up the airwaves and more importantly… people’s minds. An exceptional fitness trainer (and most are not) will cut the path clear of these obstacles, making the path as smooth and straight as possible. There’s a level of craftsmanship to nearly all activities in this day and age and this vocation is no exception. There’s very few right ways to approach fitness that will last and be enjoyable for a life-time.