PLEASE "like" our fanpage!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Life lessons from Muppets


I used to have a lot of books when I was a little kid. I always enjoyed learning to read yet another book. My mom used to sometimes read to me. I was reminded of one of those books just today as I was walking through the airport. Of course I managed somehow to apply a lesson to those of you on your fitness journey.

The book that I’m thinking of I honestly don’t recall the name or the particular characters. I’m pretty sure it was Sesame Street. That doesn’t matter.

The story featured colorful, keenly named Muppets walking through a museum. The museum was a museum of real life things; ordinary things. The cool part of the book was the end. In the end the colorful characters opened the exit door and there was a sign that said, “Everything else.”

That’s really cool.

I’m about to explain to you why most “programs” or “gadgets” don’t work and how I learned how to succeed on my fitness journey while reading children’s books as an 8 eight year old.

When I teach Boot Camp classes I’m always talking about “the other 166”. There are 168 hours per week. If you work out in a class 2 hours you still have 166 other hours that you need to worry about.

It doesn’t matter what you do in the 2 hours of working out if you mess up the other 166.

That’s where I draw in the example from the children’s book; you can only fit so much good in the walls of a museum (or an exercise program). The rest of the world (or your other 166) is what really matters.

Now let’s look at a diet program. Say you are on some silly diet where you eat this or that. Does the diet change your emotional state? Does it change you toxic environment? Does it exercise for you?

Does a treadmill get you complex carbs? Does the ab rocker give you needed protein?
Do you see what I’m saying? It’s not what you do within the confines of a program or gadget; it’s what ELSE you do.

It’s not what you see in the few hours in the museum, it’s what you see the rest of your life.

My thing is teaching Boot Camp. When I start teaching my Beach Body Boot Camp class on March 8th I’m going to attempt to focus my participants on all areas of their life to get maximum results. Working out is part of the process. It’s just one part. If you don’t eat right the working out if for now. Here are 10 steps to achieving maximum results regardless of what results you are trying to get:

1. Have a coach. Without guidance and accountability failure chances rise exponentially.
2. Do cardio at least 30 minutes at least 5 times per week. This is not a choice.
3. Do intervals. Without progressive intervals cardio exercise ceases to be beneficial.
4. Exercise in a functional manner. (Mainly body weight movements like push-ups, squats, jumping jacks and sit-ups) Do this 2-4 times per week for 30 to 60 minutes.
5. Smile at least once per hour all day every day. Laugh at least 3 times per day.
6. Avoid eating sugar, artificial sweeteners, enriched wheat, white rice and other processed foods.
7. Drink water and nothing else. Avoid caffeine.
8. Eat as many fruit and vegetables as you can.
9. Set and achieve at least 10 major goals per year.
10. Sign up for Beach Body Boot Camp March 8th!

The way that you look and feel is the sum total of the decisions that you have made every second of your life. You can’t be perfect. No even worry about that. Just do your best.

You CAN make programs and gadgets work. But only if you change what you do the rest of the time. Everything else…

No comments:

Post a Comment