New Year's...

Call me what you want - I don't like New Year's... and it's the same reason I don't like Valentine's Day (amongst other "celebrations").

Don't misunderstand me - it's not that I resent celebration, but these are simply the false constructs of a society, ultimately meaningless in terms of accomplishments. To use more specific examples - on Valentine's Day, the commercialized elements of our culture have put us in the position that if we're in a relationship, we're asked to step up and do things that we should be doing regularly - only we're supposed to pay double what we normally do, because it's a "special" day. Similarly, if you're not in a relationship, it can leave you feeling somehow lacking that on this "special" day, you don't have someone "special" to spend it with. On New Year's Eve, you head out on the road (with, inevitably, people who should not be driving), have what is usually a very mediocre evening, spend three times what you normally would, wait 2 hours for a cab ride home and wake up with a hangover and nothing to show for it.

Why?

Instead, I have a few suggestions for 2009.

• Don't make resolutions - set goals. Long term and short term, realistic, achievable, and meaningful - and then complete them.
• Don't wait for ONE day to show your partner how much they mean to you - do it every single day of the year, in one way or another.
• Don't wait for that ONE day to let your Mom or Dad know how much you appreciate what they did for you.
• In fact, simply don't wait for tomorrow to do what you can today... take advantage of the opportunity that every day can offer to make your life, and the lives of those around you, better!

Happy 2009, everyone!!

~Guy

Christmas communication

How was your communication this Christmas? Was it a challenge?
It’s interesting when we get together with family that we haven’t seen since maybe the last Christmas dinner…

As we challenge ourselves, our teammates and our customers – don’t forget that it shouldn’t stop there. We have the opportunity to challenge our family and friends. That even goes so far as to challenge our family that we don’t see as much as our immediate family.

A couple weeks ago I received an email from a cousin that I hardly see. A few years ago she moved east to live with her new husband and has since then moved a little closer now that they had their first child. Their plans are to move back to Van but time will tell when that will happen…

Anyway, in this email she was asking for some advice about loosing weight – she gained a couple pounds while she was pregnant and now that it has been a year she has decided to put herself out there and ask for help.

Systems – we all know them…

I emailed her back right away and gave her some words of encouragement along with a couple documents on nutrition and post pregnancy training. I also included a food log and asked for it to be completed for me to look at within a week…

I followed up with a phone call when she arrived in Van. We chatted about personal family stuff and then I dropped the bomb…’so, when are we meeting to workout?’

She laughed and said, ‘how about this weekend?’
‘No problem’ I replied, ‘I’m coaching circuit but Ill meet you at kits rec at noon on Sat’
The phone was silent….’I guess I’ll see you then’ she responded…

Saturday came and circuit was great. I blasted out the door and drove through the snow to get to her. I parked and picked up my cell – ‘I’m here’ I answered to her hello…
‘Oh, wow – I’ll be right there’ she said surprisingly.

Within 4min she came running across the street and we went inside the local gym.

We trained together for an hour – I did what we do everyday – safely pushed her outside of her comfort zone and supported her along the way.
The hour came to a close and I told her that we were done and that it was time to stretch…
‘Wow – that went fast and those exercises were fun!’ she said while she lay on the floor in a pool of sweat…
‘You did a great job Teal – lets meet tomorrow for another hour of something a little different’ I replied.

We did meet and we did do another hour of exciting exercises…We met afterwards and continued the process over lunch. We looked at her next quarter. Assessed her commitment levels and skill set. We developed a program and choose a long term goal along with a couple short term goals to help her get there.
She is now armed with the tools to help her achieve success. I will provide support and friendly challenge in the form of food logs and phone call check-ins.

This is just us doing what we do best….

Don’t think that our family and friends don’t need the challenge too.

It may be the best gift you can provide someone…Especially with the New Year right around the corner…

Will 2009 be great or life changing for you?

As we are in the final week of 2008, we ask the question to ourselves, to our family and friends and to our customers, what is our goal or resolution to make 2009 different than any other year. Will you want to make a significant difference in your life this upcoming year, will you want to do or try something you never thought possible, will you make that choice to chose your own destiny?

We are encourage by others to think about our plans, goals, achievements for 2009, but in the end it is your choice whether you make 2009 great or your make it life changing.

The definition of "choice" - consists of the mental process of thinking involved with the process of judging the merits of multiple options and selecting one of them for action.

Everyday we are surrounded by making choices - what do we eat for breakfast, will I workout today, what exercise will I give next. These are everyday choices that happen unconsciously. The choices that we make that allows us to sit down and think about things, are the choices and decisions that are sometimes the hardest which can lead to a uncomfortable internal fight. We may regret or be confused on what we choose and we make seek out advice but ultimately it is your decision, your choice.

So what will 2009 bring you? Will you choose to go through the motions and not change anything at all or will you choose to make it an unbelievable year, a turning point in your life that will make you become an even better person.

The choice is yours!

“There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it’s easy”

'Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus'

‘At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe,’ Hero Boy.

Veteran newsman, Francis Pharcellus Church who wrote, ‘Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus’ in 1897 said, ‘All minds, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.’ Most people think that ‘nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. They do not believe except what they see.’

In one of the final paragraphs of his editorial he stated, ‘Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus.’

I like to think that Santa Claus represents all that is good in the world, as espoused in the famous letter, and that Francis wrote the absolute truth when he wrote that the most real things in this life are the things we cannot see.’

‘This bell is a wonderful symbol of the spirit of Christmas - as am I. Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart,’ Santa Claus.

This holiday season... believe!

What a Year

What better night to write a blog as the clock ticks midnight. I look over at the clock and it is already December 25th. I still cannot believe how fast Christmas has come this year. I have already celebrated three Christmas’s already since I have worked at Innovative Fitness and I am in awe of how fast time flies. Sometimes we are always in play mode, working hard, training hard and always on the go. This is definitely true for me as I rarely sit down; rewind and reflect.
Now is the time to reflect the past year (2008). Are you happy with your personal development, did you accomplish your professional and personal goals for the year? When it is your turn to talk at the dinner table this year; maybe telling your family & friends about some of the challenges, adversity and victory you experienced would be great to share.
Now moving ahead and thinking about 2009, ask yourself, are you happy with your progress in 2008 and would you like to challenge yourself for even a more productive 2009. Use the next two weeks to reflect, goal set and plan out your next quarter. Challenge yourself or a teammate to something that you never thought you can do. Challenge yourself in all 5 spheres for the next quarter and you’ll be surprised at what you will accomplish. Step out of your comfort zone and set the bar high for the New Year.

Merry Christmas everybody and Happy Holidays!

Swimming Lesson

From the time I was about 5 years old, my Mom had me in swimming lessons.

I hated them.

In fact, for those first lessons, I think I sat on the edge of the pool and cried for 9/10 of them. I got over this little habit by the time my Mom enrolled me in the next ones (to her credit, she kept at it... I kept swimming until I finished Grade six), I actually took part in all of the lessons, and continued to climb the scale of experience until I earned my "Grey" swimming badge.

But I still hated them.

However, speaking to Josh last night I realized that swim lessons offered a very apropos allegory for teaching in general.

There are three ways to teach someone how to swim:

• You can get in the water with them, supporting them and holding them up - letting go for brief moments, but as soon as they struggle, grab them so they know that you're there. You can rest comfortably knowing that they are not going to drown... but at the same time, if they ever learn to do this on their own, it's going to take a long, long time.


• You can throw them in the water and walk away. The top students will learn to swim, and the rest... well, if you're lucky they won't ALL drown.


• Or: you can walk them to the edge, help them get down into the water - and let them know you're around in an emergency. Ultimately, they're supporting themselves in there but with the knowledge that someone is nearby if they get into serious trouble. Over time, they will learn to swim and get out of the water and onto the dock. Hopefully, they'll grab the next person who's terrified of the water and support them the way that they were supported - but they may also just walk off the dock, happy and secure in the knowledge that they can now swim.

Look at the way you've been teaching - are you setting others up to leave knowing how to swim, are you spending an inordinate amount of time in the water and still have a bunch of people hanging off your shoulders... or are the majority of your students drowning?

Motivation

The set of reasons that determines one to engage in a particular behaviour…

Extrinsic motivation (external inspiration) comes from outside the performer…

Intrinsic motivation (from within) occurs when people engage in an activity such as a hobby without obvious external incentives…

What motivates you?

Historically, one is motivated by fear, greed and or trust. Knowing this, which category do you choose to fall in? or, do you choose to think outside of the box and move against the grain to create your own set of standards/rules – really, the choice is yours and that’s the best part…rules (for the most part) are meant to be broken. Now it’s not like cooking or taking photos rules - there are no predetermined moulds for each of us and that’s why there are a few who don’t fall within the preset parameters of these said rules/moulds…

I am scared of that so I will do this…

I want that so I will do this…

I trust them so I will perform like this…

Intrinsically, why not be sure of yourself, accept and fear nothing…intrinsically motivate through these means and we will never fail. For what does failure look like from someone who fears no failure?

Extrinsically, why not look at the high ground and away from drama/low heavy feelings. Looking in the mirror may be the best extrinsic motivator out there…

When I was younger, I was angry – at what I’m not sure - possibly not understanding myself or my surroundings… As I age, I see with open eyes and mind – less in my way – being my biggest adversary has come and gone. I don’t need to prove anything to myself out of fear or anger…the days have passed where my inner demons have propelled me forward to crush my opponents in the dust and their failures…

It’s on a world level now – seeing only a fraction now, I realize (like many have before me) that there is so much more than getting ahead of my fellow man…

When I put my clicker on to change lanes only to have the car in that lane speed up, I smile and take a moment because it’s not their time yet. They are still travelling and they may or may not realize the truth in this lifetime…but they will because we all will eventually…unfortunately it may be too late for them…

Live each day and expect nothing.

Treat everything the way you picture success.

It starts with self – what’s your picture of success?

Are you ready?

At this time of year we hand out, send or receive Christmas Cards. Do we know why we do this? Is it because it is what you do at Christmas time? Is it a tradition? Is it the only time of year you can communicate with others that you might not do on a regular basis?

Do you know the history of the Christmas card? How the purchase of Christmas cards has grown to be such a commercial and money spender for Christmas shoppers.

Well, Christmas cards originated in England over 150 years ago, when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. The Penny Post was established by the British government and gave the British population through a minimum charge of one penny for carriage and delivery between any two places in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Officially the first Christmas card was sent by Sir Henry in 1843. He requested John Calcott Horsley to paint a card displaying a happy family embracing one another, sipping wine and enjoying the festivities. On the card it said “ A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.

After the first Christmas card in 1843, the next one was not until 1862, when a printer Charles Goodall printed small desgins and wrote Merry Christmas on the cards. As printing methods improved, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from 1860 onwards.

In the late 1800 and early 1900’s Victorian children’s writer Kate Greenaway and illustrater Frances Brundage and Ellen H Clapsaddle designed elborated cards. For example, cards were decorated with fringe, silk and satin, some fit together like maps and puzzle and othere were pop-up cards. In the Victorian era, “trick cards” were the most poupular. It always featured some element of surprise by turing the page, pulling a string or moving a lever would be something marvellous revelled.

Today, as we have seen in the shops, Christmas cards show a variety of different scenes. From traditional religious pictures to ones that show winter scenes, jokes, or Santa Clause.

The evolution of Christmas card has grown dramatically. But the purpose behind the Christmas card has not change and that is the spreading of Christmas cheer.

When you hand out your next Christmas card to your customers, friends, and family you will now know the history on how this tradition came to be such a huge aspect of the holiday season.

Have a very Merry Christmas.

Accountability

In 1992, at age 38, Oprah Winfrey reached her heaviest, 237-pounds. Four years ago, she made it a goal to lose weight and she appeared on the January (2005) cover of her magazine ‘O’ at a toned 160-pounds. She thought she was finished with the weight battle. She was done. She had conquered it. She told friends that were struggling - ‘All you have to do is work harder and eat less! Get your 10,000 steps in! None of that starchy stuff!

Recently, Oprah has admitted to weighing in at 200-pupnds. On the taping of her January 5th show Oprah will be explaining how she came about with the idea for her January (2009) magazine cover. She said, ‘Why don’t we just tell the truth? Why don’t we just put my fat butt on the cover? Why don’t we just shoot that?’

In the upcoming issue, Oprah will have an essay that will explain her struggle with her out of balance thyroid and how her medical condition made her become afraid to exercise. Oprah added that she has a goal to be strong, healthy, and fit, instead of just losing weight this time around.

The most difficult challenge in accomplishing goals is simply remaining aware of them and staying on track. Honestly, how many times have you set a goal, started working on it with the best of intentions, and then a couple of days later you become conscious that it somehow slipped through the cracks?

When Oprah fell off the wagon before Bob Greene, her fitness expert, and friend, told her there are two sets of weight loss rules. ‘There's one set for just making the scale move," he said. ‘That just follows the laws of physics—you have to do x, y and z, and if you do them, the scale moves. But then there's the other thing ... what's going to keep you doing those things for the rest of your life? That's where it gets complicated.’

It’s true that the best of intentions will be dominated by whatever system you have in place. If you have no system, then either old habits or just plain confusion will dominate in the long run, regardless of your intentions and motivation. It takes goals and you need to tie them all the way down to the level of actions in the moment. But the real key is that it’s a fundamental part of your every day life. Without daily or sometimes even hourly refocusing on the most important goals, it’s just too easy to lose sight of your goals and get diverted.

Loyalty

Today was an emotional and exciting day for the city of Vancouver. Vancouver Canucks forward Trevor Linden officially announced his retirement today, 20 years to the day, after the Canucks selected the young superstar in 1988. For those who do not know much about Linden, let me tell you this. His dream was to play for the Canucks and when he got drafted he grew to be loved by the community and the Canuck organization which includes teammates, the CEO’s and managers. Stan Smyl at the time, played with Linden saw this young bright 18 year old with potential and became Linden’s mentor showing him how to be a leader within the organization. Hence, he is the only other Canuck to have his banner hanging up. What really made Linden stand out more than his contribution to his team on and off the ice, was his efforts in his community and his connection with loyal fans. It was evident in tonight’s ceremony that not only did he gain the respect from his organization but also from the community which he did so many great things for. A guy like Trevor is what every organization dreams of having. He is a leader who is hard working, loving, loyal to his brand, passionate and friendly. Linden represented his organization with pride from the day he got drafted, till the day he retired and I am sure he will continue to represent the organization that has shaped who he is today. There were many close teammates in his past that also came to join him on this very special evening. He will be always remembered and one of those few who will never be forgotten in Vancouver.

Fables

A scorpion and a toad were caught in a storm, and the log they were perched on was caught in the middle of a fast rising stream. The water was quickly threatening to swamp the small log, so the scorpion called out to the toad "Please, let me climb on your back when you swim to the shore!!"

"No," the toad called back, "You're going to sting me!"

"Why would I do that?" called back the scorpion, "For if I do, both of us shall die!"

The toad realized that this was true, so agreed to let the scorpion climb onto his back before he stepped off the log and started swimming to the shore. Halfway across the water, the scorpion raised his tail and stung the toad.

"Why?" cried the toad looking back at the scorpion, as they began to sink.

"I'm a scorpion..." came the sad reply, as they were both washed under the rushing water.

~ Guy

Making the (re)adjustment…

After taking part in a life changing experience, it may be hard for some to make that adjustment back to the norm. But does it have to be?

Last year, a small group travelled to Cambodia in South East Asia and ran a half marathon. What they ended up achieving was far greater than just running a race – they experienced a culture and people with no possessions but who were as happy and or even happier than someone who one would see in the media with ‘all the toys’…

As soon as that group came home you could see it in their eyes – the effect seemed paramount and the change in state was obvious. Right then and there I personally committed to the destination for this year – as did a handful of others.

In the early fall, we put the package together and set the wheels in motion. Everything was going well but the world markets became unstable and this international event seemed to be slipping through our fingers. Quotes were high and interest was disappearing. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel and those who held tight to their dream were about to be rewarded with so much more than a run in the jungle…

As the days approached, the flights were confirmed and the bags were packed. We arrived in Asia in different times – some went early and some arrived at the last minute. We spent much of our time together and were blessed by informative guides. Tourism is a major source of revenue and even though one may feel like a walking dollar bill, the locals really appreciate us being there. The guides especially appreciate when we take the time and show an interest in their culture and history.

We did our best to soak up the centuries of culture – some tragic – some beautiful beyond words. The impression of this alone is unparalleled to many sights the world has to offer.

Besides enjoying the hospitality of a wonderful hotel, delicious food and exciting shopping – we were fortunate to be able to have a philanthropic level of our destination.

Many visitors have returned to places they travelled to with knowledge and skills to pay forward to these types of countries…most of these places understand that education and hard work will set them free or at least set them apart from their past – which can be pain and misery. Basic understanding of health can keep the death rate from skyrocketing. A simple cut on the leg can turn gangrene…a simple dentist procedure can lead to major complications resulting in loss of sight and or even death…

We were constantly surrounded by many who had nothing and those who seemed to be at their lowest point in life but seemed to be beyond that and more focused on being happy and or being respectful to one-another. Not trying to beat the man next to them or trying to get a leg up in any situation.

Now I’m no historian, but the Canada that we know is barley 200yrs old and we’ve managed to jump into the future and seem to be focusing on all the wrong things…

-work less and try to get more

-want want everything we see

-live beyond our needs/means

-separate ourselves from our family and ‘do it on our own’

- smiling and saying thank you because we have to…

Now I’ve only been to Asia 3 times in my lifetime so far, but believe me, it may not be the same for you or the same for anyone out there – but each time I have a harder time coming home…

How can one make the adjustment from one world to another? From one culture shock to another…

We are able to and we can. We have the choice everyday how we want to feel. I for one am sick of people complaining about their petty shit when there are problems in the world far greater than missing a massage appointment or dinging your car door – don’t get me wrong, I am from the West and I love having a car and clean water…but I am choosing more and more to appreciate what we can learn from others who have done it before…we must choose to learn from those who have already learned the lesson the hard way.

Sound familiar? It should because we are preaching this everyday – every play

-work hard get rewarded

-give more than you take

-pay it forward

-support personal reinvention through physical challenge, adversity and victory…

“What if you could learn from the world?"

ALOHA

Well first marathon complete! And what an experience it was. No words can express the emotions, the mental toughness, the 23 000 other runners and the beautiful Hawaiian scenery while running 42km!

This was the 35th Honolulu marathon, starting back in 1973 with only 167 runners entered ranging from 8 to 58 years old. This event has a huge Japanese influence being that one of the main sponsors is a Japanese airline. For example, in 2006, 62.5% of the racers were Japanese.

The Innovative group consisted of 7 dedicated marathon runners which for 5 of us, this was our first one. We were all a little nervous, discussing our race day strategies, with how much fuel to bring, who was running to music and who was carrying water... all the pre race 'nervous but excited jitters'

The race started at 5am, so wake up call was around 3am. Making sure we ate a good breakfast, got everything prepared for the race and met the group at 4:15am to head to the start line. We took pictures in our fabulous red short shorts and IF gear and headed off to the star line with the other thousands of runners. The gun went off, fireworks exploded, the tropical clouds opened and off we went... 26miles here we come!

Running with over 23 000 other runners in pitch darkness, tropical rains pouring down and winding our way around the streets of Honolulu, is a memory I will never forget. The first 12km of the race wove its way around Waikiki and then headed off to Diamond Head onto the highway out towards the urban areas of Honolulu and then back toward Waikiki again. The crowds, the supporters and volunteers were simply amazing. Being up at 5am to cheer us on in the pouring rain showed true dedication.

Personally I had a wonderful experience. Being that it was my first marathon, I had talked to a lot of people and researched the aspects of running 42km. There were two key points of advice that truly got me through this marathon.

First Key point: Walk through the Water Stations.
Now I know if you were going for a record breaking time this wouldn't be the case, but as this was my first and I honestly didn't know how my body would react, so I knew I had to do this. It was hard to walk through the water stations, as I never walk during a race but I knew that if I didn't give my muscles that quick rest, drink ALL the water out of the cup and take the time to refuel then I would be suffering badly in the end. This was the best advice I got and it worked! Yes runners passed me during the water aid stations but I soon caught up to them, passed them and felt strong.
Second Key Point: A marathon consists of two races. The first 20miles and the last 6miles.
This is so true. I felt strong for the first half of the marathon, eating my gel shots, taking the salt pills and walking through the water stations. However, as soon as that 20mile marker hit, you start to feel it. The legs were definitely starting to hurt, my stride had shortened, the sun was rising and you have 6miles to go. I knew this was where the mental toughness started to kick in. The miles started to get longer and longer and all I could think about is, 6miles - that’s it! Thankfully the mind is so powerful and you able to not think about the legs hurting but keep looking forward, take in the experience and focus on that next runner in front of you.

The finish line slowly approaches and the crowd starts to cheer you on to those last 500meters. I crossed the finish line, my emotions hit me and the wonderful feeling sets in that I have just completed my first marathon.

We all waited for everyone to come in and celebrate the victory, take pictures and go and receive our marathon T-shirt. An amazing experience and I am so grateful that I got to share it with 6 other wonderful people, who supported and encourage me the whole way.

Thanks Josh, Justine, Cory, Devon, Valerie and Lex – Congrats to you and yes WE DID IT!

Habits

New Year's Resolutions are a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year’s Day, and remain until fulfilled or abandoned. The concept, regardless of creed, is to reflect upon self-improvement annually.

Do you want to achieve success and avoid failure? Success, and failure are simply habits, and the good news is that good habits are just as difficult to break as bad ones. You don’t believe me? Would you stop brushing your teeth for one month if I were to pay you fifty dollars? Probably not. How come? Because good habits are just as difficult to break as bad ones! Motivation is the ignition that gets us started on the road to success and good habits are the fuel that keeps us making progress. Just as bad habits left unchecked snowball and lead to a downward spiral, good habits escalate and lead to an upward spiral. Each good habit we gain frees us to focus on bigger and better things

The truth is life does not just happen, and success is not an accident. Your life and success are a result of your daily habits. Successful people have successful habits. Did you know that 90% of normal behavior is based on habit? That is amazing when you think about it - you can reprogram any aspect of your life at anytime if you choose to do so. No one drifts to success. It is the result of clear choice and successful habits today that create the tomorrow you desire. If you want to improve the quality of your life you must embrace habits that produce quality results. Quality is not an act, but a habit. Negative habits result in negative consequences; successful habits in your life will produce a steady stream of positive rewards.

Change takes an instant to occur and time to mature. You can turn your negatives into positives by changing your habits now. How much time does it actually take to change a habit? The most common response is 21 days. Studies have shown that if you practice a new habit for an average of 21 days or longer in some cases, it actually becomes easier to do the new habit then it is NOT to do the new habit.

This is just a baseline. For any habit you want to change you must ask yourself how long you've owned that habit. Some habits will take longer to change depending on how long and how often they have been practiced. The important thing above all will be to remain committed to establishing new habits that build a better future and not falling back into old habits that will only produce the same unhappiness and failure that you may be trying to move away from.

Your actions are product of how you think as all actions flow from your mind and from thought. Habits are those automatic behaviors that have their roots in your thought processes somewhere. Understanding that habits are a result of repeated behavior is powerful for you because therein lies your greatest hope and victory for positive change: Reprogram those automatic habits! If you are to make excellence a habit, you must thoroughly examine your actions and see whether they match what you desire. If they do not, you must make the choice to respond differently than you have in the past.

‘Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit,’ Aristotle.

Center of Attention

I just finished watching a documentary about Destiny’s child. For those who don’t know who they are, Destiny Child is one of the biggest selling female groups of all time, selling 40 million records worldwide. They have racked up enumerable industry awards, accolades and platinum or gold records. It was not just one individual who created the groups success, rather a team effort. When each of the young talented ladies contributed their talent, they were unstoppable in the late 90’s and into the new millennium. Now, what happens when a group member wants to be in the spotlight more than the other members… Drama. This creates tension from all group members and the fighting begins. The fighting to steel the attention. In the long run this is what caused members in Destiny’s Child to seperate. In order to be put in the spotlight, an individual must try to put themselves above other members or teammates to make them stand out. Being in the spotlight means that the attention is drawn to this particular person. Another example of this was Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neil in the L.A. Lakers. Kobe Bryant was in the spotlight and loved being the hot shot in the team. Shortly after, O’Neil signed onto the Lakers and was getting equal attention. He was also put in the spotlight through media, fans and the teammates. Kobe did not like this and thought having O’Neil on the team took away from his attention and soon after they separated to different teams. The take home message is make the team or group the centre of attention, not just one individual. Groups are remembered as groups, not individuals and teams are remembered as teams.

Confessions of a (True) Non-Runner

Well, I did my first marathon this last weekend, and I have to be completely honest with myself - I am a bad long-distance runner.

Give me a 10km, and I'm alright... not elite, by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm okay... in fact, even up to a 1/2 marathon I can at least pull off sub-2 hrs.

But boy, this body does NOT like running on pavement for longer than that. I tried pacing myself and going by what felt comfortable, but this race strategy failed miserably... by the time I saw the first marker (5 miles), I realized I was off my target pace by a good 2mins per mile. And being the runner that I am... this was time I wasn't going to get back.

But in the end, I felt great - fortunately, this was not my first humbling in endurance sports (no, that happened when I tried my first triathlon), so my expectations were fairly broad... and all I can do is what I am constantly telling customers to do:

• Until you've done one, you have no idea what your goal should be - because it's all relevant to yourself, not to others.
• You're not going to know how your body reacts to the stress until you've actually gone through it.
• When you've completed the first... well, THAT'S when you start setting timing goals.
• Finally - regardless of where you finish, think of all the people that have never (and ARE never) going to start, and take pride in being a member of a relatively select club.

So for everyone out there who, like me, have battled against your own traitorous legs to finish an endurance event (and will continue to) - let's give ourselves a collective pat on the back, and continue to encourage each other to get across that finish line, however long it might take us.

"Amat victoria curam" - victory favors those who take pains. Believe me - by this definition, I am victorious every time I do one of these races...

~Guy

lady di

as the alarm goes off, I roll over the look at my watch - 5:04am...no big thing, that's a sleep in, except we haven't been getting up this early for well over a week now.
a knock on the door and an light early breakfast arrives. we need to get a little food in us before we head to the temple to begin the half marathon - one of the many reasons the group from west van innovative flew half way around the world...
we all pile into the van...the sweet smell of cambodia is alive and well. the darkness is being lifted by a soft glow from the morning sun. the streets are not as busy, but one would never really feel this because of the tuk tuks, mopeds and civilians doing their thing - really, this happens all night long.
a short drive we arrive with another couple thousand runners - we are all starting at angkor wat, one of the wonders of the world (when you please visit, you will know why)
the 3 coaches lead a group warmup with temples as our backdrop. we all have chips on our shoes for the race. lucky for us because as we are warming up the start gun goes off! - time to go!

it would take me hours to write only some of the short stories from our experiences thus far - we will prefer to share these face to face, but I will do my best to bring light to one of the best feelings for a coach with a brief look into a moment in time during the race..

months back, dianne was challenged to come to cambodia, she was thinking that she would run the 10km and see some temples - she was a little off in thinking that would be the case. we had just finished the 10km fall classic in ubc less than a month ago and coming this far only equals challenging oneself to the half marathon

the start gun went off and we all made our way through the mass crowd and over the timing mats. I was by her side and our pace was light as most of the field ran away from us. with temples all around and many children cheering this was it - she was starting on something way out of her comfort zone.

'we are doing ten and ones di', I repeated.
'ok', she replied. she was uneasy and was out of her element. her stress level was high as she changed her pace throughout the first moments of the run.
'nice and easy', I said, 'we will take this slow'

before we knew it the first ten minuets we up and we had to now walk for one minute.
'lets not stop', she asked, 'I can still run'
'nope, lets stick to our plan', I replied...

we kept this pace and started to reel in other runners. the kilometers were passing us by and di's stress level was disappearing. as the first hour went by the mileage was getting into new territories for di. we had done our training by time in vancouver - the heat was not there and the half marathon was not as real as it was right now.

the ten and ones worked so well. there was only one moment were my hand grabbed hers to start her up after one of them and as we roughly had two more to go, I suggested that we skip the last one and run straight through. it was at this moment when I told her, 'you know, it's ok if you are emotional at the finish line - I cried when I ran across the line after the half ironman'
'no, I'm not like that', she said between breaths, 'Ill be fine'
'It's ok di', I smiled back at her...

we were now getting so close, the crowds had been huge the whole way - kids running with us with no shoes - cambodians lining the roads with their hands out trying to touch us as we ran by. the sun was out and as we passed elephants, pigs, frogs and pure culture we pressed on...

'we're almost there', I shouted, 'it's only a light warmup run at the gym until we are done'
she was working so hard during this race - way out of her comfort zone, but she was tough and driving this thing home.

the finish line was right in front with a slight right turn - the crowds were massive and the cheering was intense...

with twenty meters to the line I fell back and cheered her on, 'go di!, you can do it, go, go!'

she sprinted across the line with her arms raised high. I ran through and right up to her. tears were streaming down her face and her arms wrapped around me, 'nice work di, you rock', I said, 'amazing job'




it was at that moment - to experience such a victory through someones eyes is the most powerful thing in the world. to be honest, words can't really describe it - and I will not sit here and try to type it out...


the whole group had their own success - no injuries only beautiful memories

that story is only the tip pf the iceberg of this destination

please ask and we will all share - one of the greatest times in our lives..

'way to go di - we knew you could do it!'
xoR

Anywhere in life before you are about to take on something huge like writing an final exam, purchasing a home, interviewing for a new job or running a race, you are always thinking – did I prepare enough? Am I ready? Will I know the answers? Will I finish the race?

The night before something big, your mind is racing a mile a dozen, trying to remember everything you need to know for what you have prepared months for. Did you prepare the right way, do you know the answerers, and will you make a mistake and lose your chance…

The feelings that you might feel are what I like to call nerves, and it is very common for people to experience varying degrees of the “Pre-Race jitters” or anxiety before taking on something big. Scientifically, the responses are due to your “flight or fight response” by preparing the body for action. Your sympathetic nervous system is responsible for these nervous feelings and releases adrenalin into the bloodstream. This action by the nervous system is helping the body to achieve its peak performance as well as a survival mechanisms. Symptoms that one perhaps experiences could be diarrhea, intestinal cramping, tremors (“shakes”), sweating, palpitations, nervousness and irritability. Sometimes these symptoms may become so great that they go beyond the nuisance stage and performance suffers.

Next Sunday I am running my first marathon and yes, I would say I am nervously excited for this race. I have analyzed whether I have prepared enough, will my body survive, have I done enough LSD runs, tempos and hill climbs, will I be mentally tough if it starts to hurt. From previous competitions, the biggest thing I have learned is to be positive. It is good to be nervous, but always think positively that you have prepared and are ready to take on this challenge.

Here are some tips that I have found help me:
1) Come race days it is important to establish a routine – eat at the correct amount of time before the race, keep hydrated, prepare how much time you need to get to the race, package pickup, and warm up etc..
2) be mentally prepared, do not think it is foolish to take a moment to close your eyes and rehearse your race. Your mind is so powerful and can help calm those anxiety feelings.
3) Remember to breath and relax your muscles to take away unwanted tension.
4) Listen to your body, as it will provide you with feedback to the state of your SNS system is in, i.e. HR, breathing rate, sweat rate or tremors.
5) Lastly, nutrition, eating right and being consistent in what you normally eat will help calm your nervous feeling and make you feel good and strong before the race.

As the famous Winston Churchill once said “Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."

Stay tuned for next weeks “after race experience!”

The Holiday Fitness Challenge: Will You Step Up To It?

A customer sent me an article written by Tom Venuto last year – I saved it and have sent it to all my customers this year asking them to partake in the ‘Holiday Challenge,’ and I would like to share it with you. As of writing this, there are just under 5-weeks until the end of the year, why not step up your expectations, step up your standards, step up your nutrition, step up your training, step up your action and step up to the ‘Holiday Challenge’ when you finish reading this, and just see what happens!

Media reports say that most people gain between 5 and 10 pounds of body fat in the 6-weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the average amount is much more modest, just over a pound. However, even modest holiday weight gain may be cause for concern. A study by the National Institute of Health, found that this seasonal weight gain, even just a pound, is usually not lost after the holidays; it simply adds to the ‘weight creep’ that ‘sneaks up’ up on us as we get older. Whether it’s a pound or ten pounds, have you ever asked yourself why holiday weight gain happens at all – here are some common answers we’ve all heard:

‘I’m too busy over the holidays to work-out as often as usual.’
‘I have at least three parties to attend, and then there's Christmas and New Year's, so it's impossible to stay on a diet.’
‘No one can tell me not to enjoy myself over the holidays, so I'm just going to eat whatever I want.’

These answers all have a few things in common. First, they assume that it’s an either/or proposition – you can either get in better shape or enjoy yourself, but not both. Stated in reverse, you can either deprive yourself of holiday enjoyments, or gain weight, but it has to be one or the other. The truth is, either/or thinking is a very limiting form of thinking.

Second, these are all excuses or rationalizations. For example, ‘I'm too busy’ is always an excuse, because I have never known someone who was too busy to make time for his or her highest life priorities. The problem is most people do not make exercise or eating healthy a priority. We all have the same amount of time - 24 hours a day - but the way people prioritize the use of time is the difference between success and mediocrity. And remember, words mean little, actions reveal a person's true priorities.

Third, none of these are the real reasons most people gain weight over the holidays to begin with. The real reason is because an intention was never set for the opposite: to get in better shape over the holidays. Most people set a ‘goal’ to get in worse shape over the holidays. It's not consciously set, of course, as few people would intentionally set out to gain fat. They simply do it by default. In their minds, they accept that it must be just about impossible to stay in shape with everything going on over the holiday season, so why bother? Once the decision has been made, then the rationalizing continues:

‘Why should I deprive myself?’
‘Family is more important.’
‘Worrying about diet and exercise during the holidays is neurotic.’
‘I don't care if I gain a few pounds, I'm going to enjoy myself anyway.’
‘It's only these two or three weeks that I let myself go wild.’
‘I'll start the first week in January and lose the weight then.’

As a result of this ‘negative goal-setting,’ they expect to work out less, eat more and gain a few pounds, and they don't seem to even consider alternatives. What would happen if you set an intention and a goal to get in better shape? What would happen if you decided that it was not an all or nothing proposition, and that you could enjoy the holidays and all it has to offer and get in better shape at the same time? And, what if you decided that your health and your body were the highest priorities in your life, because you realized that you couldn’t enjoy anything else in life, including family or holidays, if you don't have your health.

The idea that you can either enjoy the holidays or stay in shape, but not both, is dangerous and limiting. It's dangerous to your social life, your emotional life, and your physical life. Life is not an either/or proposition; it's a matter of balance. Success does not mean going to extremes. Success can be a simple matter of re-examining your beliefs, rearranging your priorities, setting goals, changing the questions you ask yourself, re-evaluating your expectations and acting in accordance with all of the above.

Your expectations will become your reality. What are you expecting? Are you expecting to be in better shape after holiday parties, celebrations, banquets, dinners, and desserts? If not, then why not? What's preventing you from enjoying all of the above and still getting in better shape? Do you have a limiting belief which dictates that it's one or the other? Could it be that you never set a goal, intention or expectation to do it? Could it be that you're rationalizing or making excuses? If so, then I challenge you to change it this year, and then keep the change, for the rest of your life!

Giving

At Innovative Fitness we are constantly “giving”. Not only do we give to our customers and our team, we extend our support by giving to charities we believe in and support those in need. A prime example of our community coming together and giving was this past Friday ‘Train the Trainer’. We raised over $15,000 in West Vancouver for an amazing charity in which Canuck Place encourages each child to ‘embrace life’ and believes in enhancing the quality of whatever time a child may have left by empowering them to live fully and joyfully. These children are unfortunate due to their life threatening illnesses and it is extremely hard on the families. Sometimes I forget how much we really do make a difference in the community by giving. Also, by us supporting such a great organization “Canuck Place Hospice”, this allows a great service to be provided to ill children in the future.

Within our jobs we are constantly giving to eachother as well as our customers. There is a wide spectrum. IF has done such a great job at developing local leaders in the community that sometimes we forget how much we are giving since it begins to feel natural to many of us. Here are some prime everyday examples on how we give in our everyday life at work. Passing our knowledge to teammates as well as customers, challenging a customer or fellow coach to provide them with growth, supporting teammates through hard times as well our customers, little things etc. That being said lets continue to give and share. What are you doing outside your workplace to give to the community?

Some ideas:

• Bring a homeless person a meal
  
• Feed the birds at the lake
• Pick up litter if you see it on the street
• Volunteer at a local event
• Give a compliment to a stranger

Poor Losers

You know those people who get scored on, but then argue over and over and over that the shot didn't go in, until a few people either agree with them or everybody just quits arguing because it's easier? You know how frustrating it is to be a part of a game like that, and how embarrassing it is to see someone behaving that way?

I feel like that right now, watching our country's leaders squabbling like schoolchildren, watching this "Coalition of the Unelected" trying to seize power through political wrangling and constitutional niceties - frankly, it makes me furious.

This is not a partisan rant, mind you - to me, the specific parties and their platform are irrelevant in this case. No, what makes me so incredibly angry right now is that Stephan Dion, who DID NOT WIN the election (minority or otherwise), is now on the verge of declaring himself Prime Minister.

Yes, it's an inherent flaw with our multi-party system, and yes, we always run the risk of having a minority government as a result... and frankly, maybe I don't like the way the Conservatives are handling the economy, maybe I don't like Stephen Harper himself, and maybe I wish someone else had won in the first place.

None of this is pertinent. In the end, Harper and the Conservatives were (mathematically) voted into power, and thus they are the ones leading the country - if we don't like it, we can vote them down in the next election. But potentially having people running our country, who didn't win the election when they were playing by EXACTLY THE SAME RULES... well, that's an absolute outrage.

Now, many of you may be thinking "Who really cares, it doesn't affect me"... to you people, I ask if you thought the same thing when the media caught wind of a few people who were having their mortgages go into foreclosure in the States 6 months ago? Believe me, this entire debacle in our government has the whole world thinking that Canada's a potentially incompetent country that can't take care of their own backyard, let alone help the rest of the world. This has the potential to seriously affect our economy, which will affect your jobs in the end, and for this you should be equally outraged and concerned.

The last thing we need in this time of instability is political bickering and school yard nonsense. We need our leaders to let the duly elected party run the country. We need to show the world that we are stable. We need to let our democratic process, whether we like the results or not, run its course.

We need our leaders to start acting like leaders.

~Guy

viet - crazy (amazing)

Do you know how good you have it?
Probably you do – or maybe you have no idea…
Similarly – the only way to feel true happiness is to feel sadness or you never know what good health is until you have a sore throat and then get better.

As our group arrives in Vietnam we are instantly immersed in its culture and hustle. Even at 2am the streets are crazy and so full of life. The French culture is very prevalent and one can see the influence throughout the city. Conversely, one can see the impact of the war on the population and the pain which is mirrored in the community…

But how can I really comment? Not even 24hrs into this adventure I am not and should not be allowed to pass judgement.

But really – do you really know what you are missing if you have never seen anything else? The kids at the orphanage really had no idea how bad they have it because they have never know anything else…but the older kids (7yrs old!) have seen it – either through some form of media or an outside influence.

We were all caught off guard when we met these kids face to face. How the simple toys we brought put a smile of their faces or the way they seemed to be able to play with homemade toys like a plastic bottle with a ribbon attached…

The most painful observation is being driven back to our 5star hotel where we are treated like royalty and are so obviously separated from the real streets of Saigon.

So far this destination amazing – this will truly be a multi-level adventure and all of us will experience personal growth in one form or another…time will tell.

From experience – I look forward to this and look forward to sharing this with anyone interested to listen.

Gotta go, the knock at the door is telling me that the cold beers and cheese has arrived. Ill put down my blackberry and slip off my sandals to enjoy the company in the joining room.

Stand by and looking forward to the next update – from Cambodia…

25 days still Christmas, can you believe it? Personally, I love the holiday season, the Christmas songs, the lights on the houses; Christmas tress, dinner parties, Christmas cards, chocolates, mistletoe… and the list could go on. It is a wonderful time of year to spend with your family and friends to celebrate the holiday season.

The holiday season will probably be a lot different this year for a lot of people, due to the economic situation we find ourselves in. However, it will be more important to be grateful and thankful for the things you have. We all have certain traditions with the ones closest to us and these traditions are so important especially with the current financial situations, with layoffs and cutbacks.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year and we all need to remember what this time of year is all about and what it means to us. We may not go to as many Christmas parties, receive as many presents or go away on a last minute holiday; these are things that are not as important as spending time with your family and friends.

Embrace this holiday season, be smart and be grateful for what you have.