You're Part of Bigger Picture

A couple of incidences occurred over the last couple of days, one personally and one on a larger scale, that prompted me to write this blog.

First case: I was changing after a workout the other day at the rec center, and this guy comes in to get ready for his workout. Picture one of the jack-asses from Jersey Shore (no idea if this guy was Italian, and he definitely wasn't on steriods, but otherwise - you get the picture). Anyway, he puts himself at the end of the bench, then proceeds to change smack dab in front of the mirror, watching himself the whole time. To make matters worse, he pauses frequently to pose and flex.

Now, to be clear: we all know that we've done it (and don't you deny it). BUT: we do it in the privacy of our home, in front of our favorite mirror - not in public, flexing and making kissy faces at ourselves.

The second case is the one where a 19 year old whelp by the name of Brittney Simpson ran out and knocked down the Olympic torchbearer as part of her protest. Quite frankly, I'm getting sick of all the different special interest groups using the the Olympics as their own personal soapbox to grandstand some sort of (real or imagined) slight by the government, or society as a whole. In fact, people like Ms. Simpson take any sort of credibility and sympathy away from their cause - as of this writing, I have no idea what part of the Olympics she's protesting, nor do I care. I just hope they lock her ass up in jail for a couple of weeks for assualt.

The truth is, in both cases listed above the person forgot that they are part of a bigger picture, and in the end both wound up looking like morons.

To both parties, I would like to offer a little reminder: it's not all about you.

~Guy

P.S. Happy new year to everyone - wishing you all the best for 2010!!!

.short & sweet.

This time of year we are all in a hustle and bustle of the season. From Christmas party to a shopping spree we are commonly losing our minds and sometimes not even making it to our appointments.

We must slow down and take responsibility for our actions.
Eg. As simple as sending thank you notes…take the time to get them done. Something short and sweet will be enough and this will always go a long long way.

Remember, some of the best things in life are the little things…they are the things that sometimes mean the most…

Interestingly enough, it’s the little things that differentiates us from the rest!

What's Next.

With 2010 just literally around the corner, are you planning, goal setting and evaluating what is next to come in 2010 and are you taking the time to reflect what has happened in 2009. In our last week of 2009, have you achieve and accomplish what you set out to do this time last year?

I think it is important to remember that whatever you have done or will do, that your events, accomplishments, and goals are all building blocks to where you want to be (professionally ) and who you want to be. Not to long ago, a customer said to me that life is one big jigsaw puzzle and the things you do in life are all pieces of this puzzle that will eventually lead you to the finishing picture. At the time, you may not know why and where this piece of the puzzle fits but it will all come together and everything you have done will lead you to this.

Happy New Year, and may your dreams and aspirations be continued to be filled for 2010.

As I sit at my parents house in Calgary, staring at the Christmas tree, presents and stockings (which my wife stubbornly insists on calling "socks"... I mean seriously...), my thoughts drift forward to the few hours after Christmas finishes. It's in that time that, inevitably, we tend to feel that melancholic depression that sets in once the presents are unwrapped, the food is eaten, the toys are played with.

Why?

It's because, as a society, we look at this time of year as the ONLY time that we focus on "being good", showing "forgiveness", and open generosity. But why? Why do we limit ourselves and those around us this way?

I offer all of us, myself included, a challenge. Don't let this one time of year be the point where you think about others before yourself, where you make a point of seeing family, where you touch base with old friends. Don't wait for a time that's been corporately engrained in your head as "the right time".

On December 26th, continue to spread joy and happiness to all those around you the same as the day before. Do a random act of kindness, make a donation, call an old friend - and now keep that momentum going for 364 more days.

Merry Christmas, and happy holidays everyone.

~Guy

The Gleeson Family

An experience written by one of West Vancouvers newer coaches Natalie Anderson, a story about challenges, adversities, victories and how doing the little things in our rewarding job can go along way in changing peoples lives.
Thank you Natalie for sharing.

Goodbye...

No matter how many times I have had to say goodbye, it never gets any easier.

I met Shaun and Emma Gleeson in August of 2009, a lovely couple from England who I had the pleasure of training individually once a week.

They seemed like your 'average run of the mill' suburban family and I got along with them like a house on fire from the minute I put them on the bikes to warm up.

The first clue I had of their selflessness was when they sponsored me for the my very first adventure race in September. I was delighted and followed up with the token email and photograph.

Now I don't know what happened in October but there seemed to be a turning point in Shaun's thinking. It was Nutrition Challenge month and I encouraged both Shaun and Emma to enter. Shaun's ultimate goal was weight loss as this was directly correlated to his high blood pressure and for Emma, more about education and accountability, as she had done the challenge so many times before. However, this was Shaun's first and final experience. The nutrition challenge involved writing daily logs about food consumption, completing weekly fitness challenges and participating in events. Initially, Shaun was sceptical as he had to travel a lot during this time, but along with fellow trainers Richard and Dave we convinced both of them to do their best.

So week 1 down, 14 excellent food logs later and 7 delightful yet useless facts from Shaun - made reading and analysing every one of them tolerable!

Week 2: Emma was impecable with her logs, even calculating calories burned during each workout. Shaun on the otherhand was traveling in England, socializing with friends and working... in that order! I received a few late night emails... and to my surprise he was still sticking to the guidelines of the challenge. Shaun required very little motivation, he was so tuned in to succeeding he even ordered a salad in front of his mates.

Week 3: Shaun is back, he has booked in extra sessions to make up for his time away and is coming in on his 'off' days to do an hours cardio! This week both Shaun and Emma completed the 24th hill fitness challenge! A credit to them both, who suffer from back and knee injuries respectively.

Week 4: By this time Shaun is focussed, his eyes are on the prize. This man is getting super fit... In fact I think during the month of October he spen more time at IF then he did with his family. Everything was going so well for them both, it was falling into place.
I was training with Emma one night and I noticed she wasn't her usual bubbly, chatty self, I felt close enough to ask if everything was ok... and with a glazed look in her eyes, she replied, "Shaun's work wants him to move back to England in December." At this point I must admit I was very selfish - thinking, but I will miss you, who will I laugh and joke with? Not even thinking how hard it must be to uproot your family to another country. I put on a brave face and thought a lot can change in three months.

This weekend was the 10km Turkey Trot. Shaun and I were registered and I decided our game plan was a walk run combo as he had not run that far in 2 years since his injury.
Its race day and I let Shaun set the pace, '5 minute run 1 minute walk,' I say, trying to convince him it is a jog, not a sprint. We set off dodging and weaving fellow runners (thank goodness for those agility exercises). 5 minutes into the run and Shaun has set a steady pace and with dignity says "I don't need to walk, let's keep going!" So with no ultimate goal, other then to finish the race, I agree. At this point fitness was not the issue, it was weather his back and knees would hold up. 1 hr and 8 minutes later we crossed the finished line having jogged the whole way around without stopping. I was so proud of him.

Weigh in day of the Nutrition Challenge: Now neither Shaun nor Emma won, as it was based on a cumulation of points. As cheesy as it sounds though, Shaun did win his own challenge. Neither one of them missed a log and Shaun lost the most amount of weight during the 4 weeks out of everyone that entered the challenge at West Vancouver IF.

And so I think, 'that's the end of that, back to reality now,' but I was wrong! Shaun continued to come in to the facility during every day 'off' and always made up sessions that he missed. We even decided to do the Chief Hike as it was one of his goals before he left for England, we unfortunatly had to pull out due to poor weather.

Richard and I continued to 'up' the intensity during each session, challenging him more and more. Shaun proved to be an excellent workout buddy, and I spent many a session working out beside him, while he danced his way through a squat press or reverse lunge bicep curl. Emma called it his midlife crisis music. We even had a few of our own 'Ashes' matches, Australia VS England in cricket with our makeshift half blue foam roller cricket bat!

The 10km Fall Classic was coming up and I challenged Shaun to complee it in under an hour, if he did I would buy him a vivianno from Starbucks, which he had religiously after his workouts at IF. And so one afternoon after his workout I had to buy him his viviano - he did it in 56 minutes. Good on you Shaun, it must have been those new running tights.

3 weeks out from their expected departure date and Shaun is booking extra sessions and Emma is rescheduling every session with me to fit it into their moving plans - Quote 'I can't miss my IF workouts!' Ironperson of December: Shaun Gleeson for his dedication, hard work and commitment.

Next challenge for Shaun was the 5km Santa Shuffle in under 25min! It was a fun event and I dropped a hint that Emma should bring the kids down for the 1km Elf walk. To my surprise, she did, 3 years at IF and this was her first and last event!

Donned with Reindeer antlers, I met the Gleeson's at the start line, we took some photos, complained about the cold weather and Shaun and I were off. Again I said, 'you set the pace.' And at the time I wish I could have taken it back!

So apparently this one was a sprint! It was an icy morning and Shaun sprinted off overtaking the social runners, his technique and form resembled a Kenyan completing a marathon. I grinned and ran along side him, thinking - he won't be able to keep this up. 2.5km into the run and we are still sprinting like we are being chased by the cops. In between breaths I manage to gasp, "your getting fast!" 27 minutes later we crossed the finished line - disappointed but not defeated. We spent too much time at the beginning trying to get past the pack.

As 1 of many send offs, Shaun, Emma, their two children Oliver and Ruby, Kate, Richard, Kati and myself went out to lunch after the Sanata Shuffle and relived their fond memories at IF. A couple of stories that stuck in my head:

Emma:
Quote: 'After I got home from my first session I cried, I said to Shaun, 'What have I got myself in to?' Now I can't miss a session, I love it. I asked for a medball for Christmas so I can still do my woodchops when I leave.'

Shaun:
Quote: 'I was sceptical, I didn't think I needed another person to push me, my first few sessions I had to go home and have a sleep on the couch!'

Dave, Richard and myself decided that we would make the last few weeks of the Gleeson's IF experience a blast. Dave did an awesome whiteboard workout for Emma which involved traveling around the world, en route to England - rowing to Australia, hiking up Ayres Rock with a backpack, just to name a few. I also had my first cardio core workout with Emma, while Oliver and Ruby played DS and drew in the corner of the facility. I lost count after 180 crunches, but chuckled very loudly when during a 30 second hold of a back extension on the floor, Ruby kindly slid a drawing right under Emma's nose, so that she didn't have to look up. I loved training Emma's cardio core hours, I use to do hours of research for new and challenging core exercises. My favourites were the worm, where your legs and arms are extened, lieing on the floor you must roll yourself from your stomach to your back without using your arms of legs, reverse v-sit on the lat pull down with leg drops (she hated this one) and V-sit kettle bell crunches - I had a killer ab combo for this one!

Emma got her revenge at Train the Trainer. She had written down every exercie I was to do and had all the equipment prepared, all while hollering at Shaun to 'watch the kids!' - who might be asking for a treadmill for Christmas this year! Shaun was much more leaniant, all I had to do was give him a nasty look and he asked, 'are you ok?' - he is much too nice to be a trainer.
By the last two weeks Shaun was dialled in to burning calories. So Rich and I did the 1000kcal challenge. In my attempt to have Shaun burn 100kcal, I worked out with him and had him on the treadmill at the highest level he has ever done... NICE. But I came in short at 987kcal. Not to worry, Rich had a crack at him 2 days later with 1000 and something kcal, nice workout both of them.

It was profiling week and Emma convinced me she didn't need to do it. Actually no... she flat out refused! However I convinced Shaun we should take his girth measurements just for interest sake. He lost over 10lbs in 3 months, and 6 cms from his waist, and after an office medical was told he could come off his blood pressure medication. I was so excited for him, he had worked so hard, there was no better reward.

After what I though was his last workout with me I gave him the Gleeson Gladiator Gauntlet whiteboard workout. Shaun had to reschedule his last workout with Rich and ended up with me. Unfortunatly the night before was his going away party and Shaun was not up to the slaying I preppared - having to dash to the bathroom on numerous occasions. He left me standing with the dumb bells a few times looking bedazzled because I didn't know where he was.

TOP 5 GLEESON MOMENTS:
1. Working out with Shaun and he is spottng me on the chest press and a drop of sweat from his forehead onto my nose..eeww gross!
2. Dave giving Emma thunderclaps for the Santa Shuffle, or slow handclaps as they are known to the Gleeson's - she hates being made a fuss over!
3. Shaun shouting profanities during peak of the hour and sometimes during the warm up if we were lucky!
4. Shaun's dance moves - there is nothing more to say about this...
5. When Emma suggests that the exercises I have chosen are not real, they are made up exercises - how rude!

Leaving Day: The Gleeson powerpoint is showing on the big screen, a poster on the door read 'goodbye Gleeson's, we will miss you,' a card is signed by all the IF coaches, a collage of photos has been printed and framed, and the IF waterbottles and jersey are prepped.

I turned down the music, stood on the small box and declared what a loss for IF it was to lose not 1, but 2 of its most valuable - not customers, but friends. Emma compared finding new trainers, like finding a new hairdresser - which I totally understand, which is why we got along so well. Nowhere else will they find a gym where they yell your name when you arrive. Emma and I both joked that she will arrive at her new training facility and announce in her propper Brittish accent, 'Hello everyone, I am here!' I've also jokingly mentioned to Shaun, that when he is back in Vancouver for business he should come back for a session, he boldy stated that he would like 2 hours in a row!

All was said and done, gifts exchanged, I got through my whole speech without breaking down. It was definatly the team huddle with the 'Lets break on Gleesons in 3... 1, 2, 3, GLEESONS' followed by a round of thunderclaps that did it for me! The tears rolled down my face and with as much dignity and courage as I could muster, I said thankyou and goodbye.

Special appreciation to the team at IF West Vancouver for your support. Rich and Dave my co-coaches, Kati for looking after Ruby and Oliver, Justine for giving me the freedom and opportunity to work with the Gleesons, and Josh for your advice.

Find Your Own Voice

How many times have you been sitting in an audience, listening to a speaker, and thought to yourself "Hm. I think I've heard these words before...?". What was the impact of this realization? Did you lose just a tiny little bit of respect for the speaker, because they're grabbing someone else's lines? Do you tune them out a bit because it's the vocal equivelant of a television repeat?

I do. For right or wrong, hearing the exact same words coming out of someone's mouth does all of those things.

But note: I said the same "words" - not the same "message". The reason this is an important distinction is because hearing the same message in different words often has the opposite effect - it reinforces everything that you've heard already. It adds to the significance of what's being said, because it's not longer a single, solitary person standing on a soapbox. Furthermore, different deliveries are going to resonate with different people, so the more ways that the same message gets out there, the more people are going to absorb what's being said.

So - going forward, I offer you a challenge. Don't allow yourself to become a mimic - take the way you receive information one step farther. Listen to what's being said. Understand the core message. Then share that message - but do it in your own way, in your own style, in your own voice.

I guarantee that even if it doesn't resound with every member of the audience (or any, for that matter), at the very least your sincerity and therefore, your credibility, will come through.

Nothing can destroy the value of a message faster than lack of credibility in the messenger.

~Guy

train the trainer

On Dec 10^th we hosted our annual Train the Trainer fundraiser event benefiting both the www.canuckplace.org/ and www.friendsforzambia.org/ The common bond between the two are they are for the benefit for children.

The event is 12-13yrs old and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years..

In November, the TTT board goes up. 2hrs from 6-8pm are split into 24, 5min blocks and are sold for 50$. The purchaser gets 5min per block they buy to do whatever training they see fit. With some rules: no food or alcohol. As the event approaches, the anticipation builds and spots are filled up one by one.

This year, we started our warm up at 5:30 and continued to mentally prepare what was going to be happening within 30minuts. Meyrick Jones of IF Portmoody was our mc and our music supplied some extra ambiance.

For 5-10-15min we can be trained very hard. There are some mean people out there! But all in all the effort is only major for 2hrs and the results are massive. With 3 facilities hosting, we were able to raise close to 47,000$ which will assist many children and benefit those in need.

Another opportunity to do something positive and helpful for the universe. For every action there is a reaction…It’s important to embrace every opportunity and be your 100%

2hrs

2000 calories burned

$1750 raised

$500 of it for a shaved head…priceless

www.youtube.com/watch?v=70M8j9JbPM0

IN THE PRESENT

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly."
-Siddhartha Gautama

We spend so much of our lives focusing and stressing on the past and the future that we tend to forget about the present. How can we grow and become better individuals if we only focus on what happened yesterday, or if we direct all of attention on planning for the future?

Looking back at on all of the experiences and adventures we have encountered in our lives, we must feel fortunate for each and every one. They have helped mold and shape us into who we are today and the paths we inevitably follow. As much as it is helpful to have your past guide you to make decisions about the future, so many of us dwell on what has happened in our past. It can be difficult to let certain things, situations and moments go, however, it becomes be extremely difficult to move forward and live in the present.

Furthermore, this can also be said about focusing so much on the future. Planning is one the keys to success. Although, when there is so much of an emphasis and focus on looking down the road, the present and your surroundings is lost. We need to pay attention to how being aware and in the moment affects us now more than ever, but will also affect us down the road.

Next time you get caught up thinking about what you could have done, should have done, or what you need to do, and what you should do, take a deep breath in, and open your eyes because you don’t want life just pass you by.

- Nina Mathers

Think Before You Speak

Back in university, while I was earning my acting degree (which has, so far, definitely been worth the money invested), I worked with a theater company. As someone who enjoyed the idea of special FX make-up, I actually apprenticed under the company's head make-up artist, and was able to put it to great use for characters like Ebenezeer Scrooge as well as many, many Halloweens.

Now, the head make-up artist and his wife used to love going to all sorts of conventions, including the Star Trek ones, because they'd generally walk away with the first prize for their costumes (the attached picture? Not either of them - but I needed an appropriate visual). Were they big prizes? Frankly, I doubt it - in fact, I have no idea what they won. Maybe it was just for pride... but whatever floats your boat, I guess.

Anyway, during one of the tutorials, they were showing the pictures from the most recent convention, where they were done up as Klingons. As per usual, the costumes were astounding - with the make-up being absolutely flawless. So good, in fact, that as I was flipping the pages I asked about one part in particular - the stage teeth. The crooked and somewhat discolored look was perfect for a Klingon.

"Where did you get those unbelievable fake teeth?" I asked her without looking up.

Yes. For those of you that have an uncomfortable feeling that you know where this is going - you're right.

"... those are my own teeth..." was her quiet response.

"Oh," I said.

Brilliant recovery? No. But what would you do? I followed that up by carefully scrutinizing a few more pages as I turned through the album in painful silence, before asking about the Borg costumes that came later and pretending I hadn't just put my foot so deeply in my mouth I was choking on my mid-thigh.

Regardless, I learned a valuable lesson at that moment, and use it as a metaphor throughout life - I try to pause for one moment and take as much in around me as possible before I speak. Or, in the immortal words of a caution sign my mother once put on my wall:

"Be sure brain is engaged before putting mouth into gear".

Words to live by.

~Guy

What’s it going to be today?

On the heels of feedback, maybe we need to break down our approach to delivering. Maybe we need to focus on one topic per day to make it easy and to make it a habit in terms of just delivering.

I was thinking of a new way to convey feedback or just another way to hold team mates accountable. Was thinking that it could be easy to have each day a different theme…

Humm, maybe even post your intensions on your cubby. So what does that look like?

Well, first thing in the morning, post a note on your locker. ‘today will be all about the team doing towels’ then, all day, call on team mates for towels. Eg. Have you done a load of towels yet today? Or, do you know how many towels are in the bathroom? Or, how many towels have you rolled today?

This way, you have let your intensions known but posting a note for all to see and you are following up with your focus. The final piece of the puzzle is offering help or ideas to those who may need help or those who just aren’t regularly performing the IF towel service. ‘can I help you roll those towels?’ or, ‘lets unload this dryer and refill with those wet ones’ or, ‘lets both get some towels on the rack’

So, what else could we focus on during the week? Maybe it looks like this:
Mon: team energy
Tues: towels
Wed: hellos
Thurs: fitness challenge
Fri: cleanliness

The daily tasks can be switched each week and even switched completely or replaced with more pertinent topics (ie. Profiling, event promotion, etc.)

The funny thing is that there are tons of topics we as a team need to be aware of and too many to list that we as a team need to be holding each other accountable to..

So, what’s your daily focus?

Team bonding

What is bonding? Why is it necessary? Does it work?

The definition of Human bonding "is the development of a close, interpersonol relationship between family members or friends. Bonding is a mutual, interactive process, and is not the same as simple liking. Bonding typically refers to the process of attachment that develops between romantic partners, close friends, or parents and children. This bond is characterized by emotions such as affection and trust. Any two people that spend time together may form a bond. Male bonding refers to the establishment of relationships between men through shared activities that often exclude females. The term female bonding is less frequently used, but refers to the formation of close personal relationships between women"

Obviously, when you are bonding with co-workers this bond created is based on trust and respect. As our job is so personalized and hands on it is rare that we actually get to “bond” besides the work place.

However, when the opportunity arises, it is amazing what a difference it makes.

This past Saturday night, the West Van IF team had an ugly Christmas sweater gathering. We started off at Robson square by skating in our ugly sweaters around the rink and listing to live carolers.

We then made our way to Joshy J's place for a potluck dinner and games. The food was delicious, the setting was spectacular, charades was a lot of fun and the awards were classic.

It is great to be social with your co-workers that you spend every work day with. Even though we naturally have fun and change and challenge others every single hour, it is great to take that fun outside the work environment and get to know everyone a little better. We bonded, we laughed, we talked and we found out my about our co-workers.

Today, the team was energized, we reminisced about our Christmas gathering and we worked hard for one another. We are now even more that before a tight team that doesn't want to let each other down.

Team bonding works!

Consistency is Key

I had a great conversation with a client today about a recent adjustment to their training program. After experiencing back pain for the fourth year in a row this fall, the invididual decided to add an additional (third) training session in the facility about a month ago. Four weeks into the new approach, he hasn't felt this good with his back in years, and his general flexibility is also way up.

When he was most surprised that one extra session had such an immediate and effective impact, I told him that it was a matter of consistency and routine. By adding an additional session, not only was he burning more calories and improving fitness overall, he was bridging the time between the original sessions when his body would recede into negative habits and posture, as opposed to the increased strengthening we were now working on. The benefit was more than just adding 33% more during the week. It maximizes growth and continuity of progress so less time is spent undoing the damage of daily rigours and stress so we can spend more time and effort improving.

Many people underestimate the importance of consistancy and routine. I often think of one of my roommates on these situations. Though very aware of health and fitness, working in the bar industry leads her to drinking and partying a regular five to six days a week. The seventh day she eat and drinks very consiously and well, takes many many vitamins, and pats herself on the back generously for "balancing" her life. So where is the problem?

She continuously frets about her appearance in a bikini (it's December, get over yourself) and body tone yet rarely (one or twice a month) finds her way to the gym, based on the idea that she does a lot of walking at work. And her diet? Frightful the majority of the time, and overcompensating the rest. Though by weeky total standards she may be close to fine, on a daily basis she's a complete mess. What good does it do to be the world's healthiest person one day a week when the other six days are spent eating greasy appetizers and boozing in excess? Further more, if she's still unhappy with herself and her health, why does she not change her routine?

The bottome line is this; What you do most of the time is what will affect you much more and last longer than what you do some of the time. Consistency is what makes the difference between constantly fighting to find balance in a hectic life and fine tuning a weekly routine
each day to maintain optimal levels of satisfaction and well being. When a routine fails to produce the desired results, a change is necessary. But that change must come in the form of positive habits as opposed to one time solutions or knee jerk reactions and instant crash diets. Think about it... would you rather build a healthy lifestyle based on positive habits, or fight hard for ten days every two months taking necessary risks to make up for poor choices. Everyone slips up once in a while, but its the routine that saves us from the exception. When the exception becomes the norm, there is no direction or order to bring the individual back on track, and efforts to make up lost ground are wasted spinning wheels in mud and undoing bad habits instead or moving forward and improving our health, allwoing us to do the things we want to do while feeling and performing the best we can.

Until the Buzzer Sounds...

November 26th, 1994, at a Region II semi-final for the local division II high school football championship. Plano High East High School Panthers are trailing behind John Tyler High with just under 3 minutes remaining. What follows is a summary of the last 180 seconds.

3:00 - Plano East scores a quick touchdown to bring the score to 41-23. They follow up with short onside kick, which John Tyler High fumbles - Plano East recovers on John Tyler's 44 yard line.

2:34 - A quick pass by Plano East quarterback to his receiver, and they gain 26 yards to be brought down at the John Tyler 18 yard line.

2:24 - John Tyler's defence blitzes Plano East... the Plano East quarterback scrambles, and dumps a pass off that is miraculously caught by his running back and run to within 11 yards of the end zone. John Tyler holds them back for the next two plays, and on the 4th down and with 5 yards to go... Plano East completes a pass for a touchdown. Conversion: good. Score: 41-31.

1:24 - Another onside kick, another fumble, another recovery. Plano East runs a screen pass, and takes it to the 12 yard line where the receiver steps out of bounds and stops the clock. Complete pass on the next play, but miss the two point conversion - score is now 41-37.

0:45 - Again, an onside kick by Plano East. And yes - John Tyler High fumbled it once more, allowing Plano East to gain possession at midfield. Miss the first pass, then on 2nd and 10 they complete another screen pass in the face of a hard blitz, and take the ball to John Tyler's 22 yard line.

0:24 - A 22 yard pass... complete. Into the endzone, make the conversion - score is now an unbelievable 44-41 for Plano East!!!

The crowd is on their feet!! This is possibly the most incredible comeback in football - with 3 minutes left, the team scores three touchdowns and two conversion to go up by 3 points!! John Tyler's coaching team and players are too shocked to be embarrassed or angry - what the hell happened? Special teams? How could you fumble the ball 3 freakin' times??!!! Plano East is jumping for joy - the "never give up" attitude paid off... their sideline is ecstatic! They know they've made history!!

Plano High's kickoff squad heads out - they are the heroes, having successfully completed not one, not two, but three onside kicks... they are going to be remembered forever, not only in their high school, but the town, the record books, on youTube... FOREVER.

With the last 11 seconds counting down, they finally kick the ball as far as they're capable. John Tyler receiver Roderick Dunn actually catches the ball cleanly at the John Tyler 3... and starts running it back. At the 20, he cuts sharply to the sideline, and then cuts back downfield just before stepping out. He reaches the 50 yard line, and Plano East still hasn't taken him down... to the 40... the 30... the 20... the 10...

And into the end zone.

Final score - John Tyler High School 47. Plano East High School Panthers... 44.

PLAY.

EVERY.

DOWN.

...because it isn't over till the buzzer sounds. Ever.

~Guy

Make your intensions known

I want the straight goods. I want feedback…I can handle it…

Well, maybe not. Quite commonly, our teammates are always saying these things and in reality, they can’t take the straight goods or the straight feedback.

Now, the wvan leadership group learned something very valuable this past quarter and it now it just seems like common sense.

Don’t give feedback without a solution.

Ok, lets break this down…don’t give feedback without a solution! That’s it! Wow, what a concept but think about it. Transfer it into everyday life and think how amazing the outcome can/ could be. The straight goods accompanied by a solution.

What this does, is positions the deliverer of the information in a place of understanding and a place of caring. It means that not only do you care enough about that person to provide advice (constructive feedback) but you care so much that you are offering a solution that may make the transition to their resolution…wow, that’s amazing!

Now, we just need to say thank you and execute the feedback and carry out the solution!

No seriously, if you give feedback, get into the habit of offering a solution too, it may even make you more comfortable with delivering said feedback. God knows, we ALL need help with this and the reason is quite simple. It takes confidence to continually deliver the straight goods and perseverance to be consistent versus just giving up on someone.

Think Twice

In your day, your week, or your month things happen. There are issues, events or actions that brighten your day and make you feel good about yourself or there are other times where certain things/events/actions knock your confidence, make you think twice about something, and/or second guess yourself. But the reality is when these negative things happen at these times, the best solution is to get over it and move on. I feel that sometimes, as human beings, we dwell on the negativity when in fact; life is too short to get hung up on the negative side of life.

I had the privilege to attend the Canucks Place “Lights up the Hospice for the Holidays” event tonight. The children that attend this hospice are those that are fighting for their lives every single moment of the day. The small negative upsets that may occur in our day are nothing to what these children are going through.

The event was a celebration of the start of the holiday season. Filomenia Nalewajek (the CEO of Canucks Pace and a customer of ours) paid tribute to the wonderful volunteers, including the gardeners that spent weeks erecting the lights for the benefit of all. She also thanked the sponsors and the community that constantly help towards running this Hospice. I found this event a very moving occasion, to see the joyful faces of some of the children, being amazed by all the lights while listening to the Bach choir sing Christmas carols. It makes one truly realize how special this organization is. The people who are involved are one of a kind because they care so much about the families and children who are in these difficult situations.

When we get tied up with our day to day problems it really means nothing compared to what these children and their loved ones are going though. It puts reality into life.

Who Is...

...the biggest loser?

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this show and it's concept. See, on the one hand, it's inspirational to see people push , excel and recreate themselves... but on the other hand, there are some inherent problems with the message it sends out...

1) People think THAT's how they should train - with no concept about what goes on behind the scenes (like progressions, adaptations, medical supervision, diet control, the hours and hours that they actually work out every day).

2) The training itself - I'm sorry, I don't care how you've progressed, 280lbs should not be pounding on your knee joints while you do 8mph sprints on the treadmill, nor should it be jumping onto a plyo box with a bosu, and you definitely shouldn't be doing wheelbarrow walks on a treadmill - in fact, it's frankly irresponsible of the program to show that.

3) Finally, the follow up - how so many of the contestants put all the weight back on once they leave. There are few people who can sustain, long term, that type of dramatic weight loss... the show does nothing in terms of teaching proper habits.

Ultimately, we need to be be willing to stand our ground. Whether we're being told what "looks better" by the producers, or having a customer demand we do something because "they saw it on t.v." - stand by your education and training.

The best analogy I've heard? If there was a documentary on television about brain surgery, do you think the doctor would modify or change his procedure because it make for better television, or because a patient saw a radical technique on "Grey's Anatomy"?

As ridiculous as that sounds, its what happens every time we go against our training and judgement to make others happy.

Remember: you're the professional.

~Guy

Make a new ending

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
- Maria Robinson -

I had a great conversation about a week ago with another coach that wanted to know what it was that affected the change in my perspective regarding 'work' and my professional career. She knew that my early years at IF consisted of drinking, partying and living from pay cheque to pay cheque and so what she wanted to know was, what caused the change? My response to her at the time was that it came about after I had actually left to pursue other opportunities in China, which is something that I've shared and written about before, and how that gave me a chance to distinguish what was really important and what wasn't. Now, I'm not saying that any of that changed but, as I thought about the conversation more and more over the past week I started to realize that there was more to it than just that and it's something that I'm really seeing even more clearly now.

Looking back at all the different goals and personal plans that I've set throughout the years what's quite apparent to me is that the biggest changes I've experienced are when I've really stepped outside of my comfort zone. Conversely, the times that I become stagnant or complacent is when my goals and plans are only slightly modified or changed from what I would normally do. For example, putting my hand up and stating that I wanted to move towards being a manager (which was when I first joined the Kits team) and take on more responsibility was the cause of me actually progressing and developing professionally. The next big jump would've been when I started thinking about actually owning or franchising a facility of my own and told the current manager what I was going to be doing and taking off his plate because that's what would help me to grow. Most recently, I've been trying to focus on becoming more of a driver that seeks opportunities rather than waiting for them, and although it's been somewhat difficult I can tell you that it's slowly becoming easier and easier.

So how does this all tie-in together? I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that we can all try and tell ourselves that we're going to change, or that we're ready for a change but until we're ACTUALLY ready to change what we do in a significant way we can't expect significant results. It's no different than someone that wants to come in and see major changes in their body composition but is only willing to make minor modifications to their lifestyle and the choices they make....we all know that doesn't work so why do we do the same thing? It's not easy, but we all have the ability to start today and make a new ending.

- Paul -

..self, team, operations, customers..

When we walk through the door at the gym we are on. We are on-display and on-show for all who have eyes and or any observation skills whatsoever…teammate or customer…

What does that mean? It means that everything we do will be seen and every action has a reaction.

So basically we (self) need to help each other (team) by following the systems (operations) in order to provide the best service for our…customers.

In order to lead by example, we must all choose efficiency to be able to produce at a high level throughout the day.

If we are personally working out during a busy time, be flexible with the use of equipment and stay out of the way of your team and customers. Allow their experience to be the best it can be. Why not leave your ipod in your bag and interact with the team and customers too. It’s so fun to have coaches jumping in for parts of sessions or providing additional energy during sessions.

If we are open throughout the day, be sure to limit nonworking computer time to a minimum. With a small number of computers, be sure to give first priority to those who need to do their job. By all means, if there is work to do please go right ahead, but don’t wait to be asked to get of facebook so someone can write a log.

Lastly today…if we cook, we need to clean. If you clean as you cook there will never be a mess to deal with or hinder someone else from working on their recipe. Don’t rely on others to consistently clean up after you and be sure not to fight feedback when you are called out for leaving out your gear.

Our little ecosystem is always in a state of controlled chaos. Be sure to do your part and help versus get in the way of the product.

IF you don’t know how that works, please ask ;)

Vision to a Reality

“A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.”
Ralph Lauren

Today, I went and visited the brand new Port Moody facility. I had seen it from the outside in June when Kris and MJ first signed the lease, however seeing it all done and in action is a different story. I can truly say how amazing the facility is and how excited I am for not only the PM team but also for the whole of the IF family.

I was truly in awe of the new facility. The location, the big full length windows surrounding the gym, the amazing space to be creative in numerous exercises and agilities, the brand spanking new gym equipment and amenities and finally the great owners/coaches that have poured blood, sweat and tears into making this new facility.

I think after seeing the new gym today, it made me realize that anything is possible. In just less than a year, Kris and MJ have been able to put their vision into a reality. It took hard work, it took planning, it took hours and hours of meetings, signing papers, and proposals and today that hard work has been rewarded. It is a true test, that if you put your mind to something, if you "keep to it" no matter how tough it may seem and how much beyond time you put into it, you will eventually succeed. It takes patience, it takes experience and it takes growth on all counts, but in reality, anything is possible.

Congratulations Kris and MJ!

What motivates you?

What motivates you to do great things, to push yourself, to push others, each and everyday? We are all faced with challenges - sometimes we choose them and sometimes they choose us. Regardless, we all rise to the occasion, but what is it that truly motivates us?

Everyone wants the most out of life – out of every moment. We all want to grow, to develop, to be successful and to happy – what motivates us to achieve these goals? Do we do it for ourselves, do we do it for others, do we do it to gain praise and acknowledgment?

Being aware and conscious of what motivates us is important. Recognizing whether we our being selfish or selfless in various situations is key to understanding more about ourselves and how we face challenges.

Where do you find your motivation to achieve what you’re looking for?


-Nina Mathers

Useless Unless They're Used

Picture if you will, someone who wants to build a house. They go to the local Home Hardware, and pick up the lumbar, the shovels, the saws, the nails, the joists, the concrete for the basement, the drywall, the insulation, the exacto-knives, the hammers, the hardwood, the nailgun, screws, bolts, carpet, paint, shingles... and so on.

Then they head over to their plot of land, and spend an hour digging a hole where they plan to put the basement. After the hour's over, they head back to their crappy little apartment, and forget about the land for a week. The next week, they head back - the hole's almost been filled in by local kids, the weather... whatever. So they spend an hour to re-dig the hole... and go back to the apartment, only to return a week later to find that the hole looks almost exactly the same as the week before. They continue to do this for twelve weeks - and then go back to the Home Hardware, insisting that they deserve a refund... they bought all of this crap, and after three months, they STILL don't have a house.

Well, that's what happens when we people go into a gym, hire a trainer, get the heart rate monitor, get a fitness assessment, get outfitted at the local SportChek, have a program designed for them... and then put in the effort to improve themselves for a single hour a week. Then they come back to their trainer, and say "Why haven't I lost any weight? You must not be doing your job!".

Well, they're right about one thing - the trainer's not doing their job. Not because they haven't given the person all of the right tools - but because they let them believe that the answer lay in those tools.

It never does. The answer lies in only one place - ourselves. And if we fail to recognize that, or to point it out to people - then we aren't doing our jobs.

The formula is simple - but executing it is hard. The sooner people realize that there's no such thing as a free ride... the sooner everyone starts moving ahead.

~Guy

choices

**imagine a cool photo of a sign with arrows going every which way**

What’s with people and their excuses? Let’s get real folks! You can have that excuse back because we don’t need it…besides; we are buying any over here…

I want to write about people and their excuses but instead I will share some ideas about choices.

We all choose what we do, how we feel and why we do the things we do. Period.

Let’s review that..

Someone says, ‘you make me so mad!’. That person is choosing to feel that way in that moment.

Someone says, ‘I am out of shape and Ill never be fit’. That person is choosing to be that way and deciding for themselves that they are the way they are.

Someone says, ‘I can never do that’. Well guess what, you never will because you are choosing to keep your personal bar low.

Have you ever had a bad day that just kept getting worse? Like bad things just kept happening to you? Well, I’m personally a believer in the universe and that we can actually attract negative things to ourselves. Conversely, I also believe that we have the ability to attract positive things and that it is as easy as choosing that to be the way. I’m sure you are all aware of ‘the secret’ so we won’t get into it here, but if you haven’t heard of that, open your mind and pickup the book (or rent the dvd!)

Along with choices, we also have the ability to attract and or repel positive or negative aspects of life.

Personal example. Stay with me here. When I was little, I would heal quickly from cuts, bumps and bruises. So much that as I aged that mentality stuck with me and to this day, I say out loud, ‘I’m a fast healer’ and it’s true. I rip the healing process up and only one time has this not worked to plan and that’s with my knee…I figure the timeline is just longer but I still say, ‘for what I do with my knees, they sure heal fast and keep me going!’

A prime example of choosing something and attracting a positive outcome…

Next time you stub your toe in the morning and or spill your coffee or get into a traffic jam…step out of the situation and choose to be alright with it. Choose to be happy and not let that control be taken away from you. soon you will be able to take on bigger choices and choose to be more than you hold yourself back from being! Remember, we are the only things holding us back…

Goals or To Do Lists

Day in and day out we hear ourselves, our coworkers or our family members ask about goals. What are your goals for 2010, what do you have planned, what are your going to do in 2010?

However, how do you define what a "goal" is, complared to setting a "to do list."

For example:
I am going to run the Sun Run.
Is that a goal? Or is that something you are going to do.

I am going to run the Sun Run in Sub 40min.
Is that a goal? Or is that something you are going to do.

I am going to earn $xxx in 2010?
Is that a goal? Or is that something you are going to do.

There is a significant difference in what your goals should be in 2010 and what you are actually going to do in 2010. A Goal “involves establishing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-targeted objectives. It can serve as an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that participants have a clear awareness of what they must do to achieve or help achieve an objective. On a personal level, the process of setting goals allows people to specify and then work towards their own objectives — most commonly financial or career-based goals”

As 2009 is coming to an end, November is a prime time to set your ‘to do list” and your "goals" for 2010. However, remember to truly ask yourself… is this a “goal” or is this something that I am just going to do in 2010.

Listen... And trust

It's not often I do this but today I will use the example or a fellow coach (AL) and a situation that manifested over the past weekend. My purpose in using this unnamed coach is not for singling out but rather a very relevant example for serious subject.

Eight coaches from Kitsilano took part in the Haney to Harrison Relay, a gruelling 100km one-day event held last weekend.Heading into the event, AL had complained of lower leg pain (shin area) during training runs and extended sessions in the facility. In the week up to the event, when questioned about tapering and even possibly sitting out the event due to a small but nagging injury, AL replied that he just wanted to get through the H2H as well as this weekend's Fall Classic at UBC before shutting down his running for the year. In his words the pain was manageable (not getting better, not getting worse), and he decided to push forward. As teammates, we trusted his judgement and focused on the race.

The day of the race, AL ran the second leg. Without a compression sleeve on the leg, in cold weather, AL set off for his 13.5km. While waiting for him at the second exchange, a race marshall alerted our next runner that AL was encountering great difficulty and drove him out to see AL. Upon meeting AL, our next runner saw a limping, wincing coach trying to push through the pain and clearly losing the battle. Our next runner offered to take the baton and get an early start to relieve AL of his pain and duty for the day, but AL was determined to finish. After passing off at the exchange, our runner took off and AL sat down to get some relief. When he tried to stand up again ten minutes later, he could put NO weight on his right leg without intense pain. What happened!!?

A stress fracture on the tibia (shin bone). A injury that often starts with nagging pain and with each and every impact on the leg becomes worse and worse until... No more weight can be put on the leg, followed by a MINIMUM of eight weeks off from all running and impact. (goodbye running season, hello ice packs.)

The frustrating aspect of this injury is that it is very preventable. Overload/overuse injuries exhibit many warning signs (nagging and persistent pain, discomfort) and are fairly simply remedied (rest, physio exercises and controlled resumption of activity) when addressed EARLY ON. The longer they are allowed to progress, the worse they become, and in this case, by pushing too hard too far for too long, the coach practically begged for a stress fracture, and is lucky to hobble away with just that.

So where was the failure? Two basic ideas... ATTENTION: By ignoring the obvious warning signs over and over, the coach ignored his body and didn't trust advice from teammates who were looking out for his best interest as an individual (and had much more experience in running and running injuries). During the event, the coach ignored obvious pain km after nasty km, and though admirable for wanting to finish, only hurt himself even more physically (not to mention the team's total time in a relay race). NO coach should ever allow this pattern of behaviour from a client, on so many levels, so it is just as inexcusable to do this to oneself. The coach felt the pain in their body, but ignored it. The coach was given suitable advice from teammates, but ignored it. The coach is supposed to trust the systems in place and and the people around them but... You get the picture. TRUST: between yourself and your body, yourself and your fellow coaches, yourself and your clients. If your coaches aren't able to trust you are taking care of yoruself properly, they will lose faith in you as a teammate (not to mention an injured team member is as useless to the team as they are to themselves). A coach who puts themself in danger and blatantly forces an injury upon themself will accordingly lose the trust of their clients, and is probably putting them in similar danger. A coach is supposed to be an example and standard of the work they preach and demonstrate. Should a client take nutritional advice from an overweight coach who has trouble controlling their calories? Hell no. Should the same client take training or running tips from a coach who can't listen to his own body? Hell no again.
Trust and attention are two of the fundamental aspects of training, and work in so many directions. From clients to trainers and back, between trainers and their teammates, between everyone and their own body... Ignoring obvious signs repeatedly raises serious concerns about trust and the purpose behind those decisions (Will AL trust his doctor for rehab? Will he stop next time his body is in pain?), and only makes a manageable situation worse, until it becomes a fairly serious injury. At this point his clients and teammates will question his method for training others as well as himself, and wonder if they can trust he'll listen to them when they raise their concerns.
-Luke Purm

Taking a break and starting fresh.

We all know that making the right decisions inevitably make a difference. However, the road getting there can be quite lengthy and challenging.

Looking back almost a year ago now, I was forced to re-evaluate my training, my racing and how I was treating my body. It’s difficult when something you work so hard at does not want to cooperate. I was exhausted and I was in constant pain – I felt defeated. Although, I kept thinking to myself, “It will get better, just keep going”, and so I did.

I’m not someone who is ever going to stop. I want to be able to run, ride, swim, ski and do absolutely everything I possibly can until I truly can’t. As we all know, if we continue to push without any give, there comes a point where our bodies will eventually just shut down. Mentally I wanted to continue, but my body knew that I needed to take a step back.

It was not an easy decision to just stop and take a ‘time-out’. However, I knew that it would be the most beneficial thing for me to do. I’m incredibly thankful for the guidance and support of those around me. Their direction and assistance has been tremendously helpful. I truly would not have been able to do it without them. Furthermore, I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to recognize what my physical and mental strengths and weaknesses are during this process. I know what I need to focus on. The process has been long, painful and testing – however, I’m grateful for everything that I’ve learned along the way.

And so now, I start a fresh new journey… I look forward to new challenges and obstacles.


Nina Mathers

November 11th

How many of us took today as a holiday, and spent the day catching up on housework, chores, reading, cleaning, eating, sleeping... and so on?

More importantly - how many of us took the day to reflect on what it is meant to honor? Not nearly enough, I'm sure.

This day is not a "celebration". This is not a day that should be taken lightly, nor should it pass without a proper amount of recognition. This is a time to put your political beliefs aside, and recognize the contribution of the men and women who have made the ultimate commitment, in some cases the ultimate sacrifice, to do what they believe was right - protecting both our own country, and the people of other countries unable to protect themselves. And while you may not agree with it - never disregard the depth of this undertaking.

It is my sincere hope that someday, in the not too distant future, there will be no need for a military. That we won't be sending the young men and women of our country, some barely old enough to vote, into foreign lands where they are not wanted, often to be criticized and vilified by people at home. However, I hope that we, as a country and as a species, never fail to honor and recognize the sacrifices made by those before us to protect that most fragile human right: freedom.

If you haven't yet done it - please, take two minutes of silence. For while we need to evolve and advance....

We must never forget.

~Guy

..if you can help a teammate - do it, if you need help - ask!..

Success. The more successful you become the bigger target you are...and the easier it is to hit. Being at the top is lonely and definitely not easy. In fact, in business you are working more & making less (in terms of billable hours). Ensure you have a strong foundation so that you can enjoy the success that much more..

2009 has been another big year for everyone. Personally I have been making strides/ having success in many forms of my professional career with regards to mentorship, leadership and team personal inventory understanding. Continuing to raise my awareness of management and ownership mentality has provided a taste of what’s behind the curtain many times. For this I am grateful and appreciative of those willing to spend time to continually mentor and lead me in the right direction.

There are many things we discuss daily and lessons repeatedly being taught. Our expression ‘saying the same thing many different ways’ is powerful because it seems that the messages come through at different times and sometimes the message needs to be repeated frequently for they really stick...

Notably, last week had many take-aways and I wish to share some of my thoughts.

Make yourself available – if a teammate needs you, be available. Period. Find the solution. Recently I was asked to meet by a coach who was fed up with me. Many things I regularly did frustrated them, so much that they had ill feelings towards me. Solution – communicate and time with, immediately. When we spend time together, we develop trust based relationships. Enough said.

Make it about them – if you are busy and thinking about many things, don’t wait to be engaged by a teammate or customer. Take all opportunities to engage and make it about their experience. High team and customer morale is vital. Not paying attention will cause suffering within any relationship.

Anytime something goes wrong or there’s a problem, look at yourself first. Ask yourself; what could I do in this situation to provide the best solution? How do I learn from this and what’s my plan to share what I’ve learned?

Think/ plan/ share/ execute (can refer to anything)

Recognizing and communicating everything – coaches / customers. What I’m doing (for me and you), why I’m doing this (for me and you) and how I’m going to make it better (for me and you)

As tasks increase and we take on additional focuses, we need to be prepared to dial up our sensors. It’s inevitable that when taking on more and more, there will be a breakdown. The team is watching and looking for leadership.

Finally…

Don’t fight anything someone comes to you with because of any of the above listed has been executed poorly. Seize the opportunity to produce the best possible solution. And if you don’t know, ask!

Lady Di Strikes Bike!

The unimaginable has happened! I just got word (I am away on vacation) that I won the fitness challenge. I am incredibly happy and I can’t believe it. Thank you so much Emmery – who read all those food logs and Richard, and Josh, and Kate, and Katie and Chelsea and Josh and Justine…who all had a part in supporting me and the other participants in this challenge. Kate asked me to write a few words for the news letter so here is a quick attempt!


The nutrition challenge

For the month of October, which included Thanksgiving and Halloween (just saying)
I committed to myself and to Innovative to do the Nutrition & Fitness Challenge. I was tired of my muffin top creeping over my jeans and after my long fun summer of BBQs, restaurants and sitting by a friend’s pool drinking Sauvignon Blanc, I was ready. The scale had reached a new high and my regular routine of working out 3x a week at Innovative with the odd run on my own was not enough to check the balance – so to speak.

I think the key here is that I was ready.

I have to make a plug for Innovative here. The Innovative team is so supportive and truly dedicated and I felt that I had and incredible amount of genuine support to succeed in the challenge. Each trainer was prepared to put in time and went over and above the call of duty to do so. It was truly touching. THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS.

I started the cleanse a few days early – it didn’t count…but it got me in the habit of not having a glass of wine, doing a food log and thinking about how I was going to change my eating patterns. It was a big adjustment and although the food logs were very helpful there were many nights I would finally settle into bed and just be falling asleep only to jar myself awake and remember that I had to file my food log.

The parameters of the cleanse were narrow but we were encouraged to follow them with common sense. For me…my enemy is flour (and wine). No one can take down a Panini like I can and perhaps no one enjoys pasta like I do (I was probably Italian in a past life). Anyway…I challenged myself to “think outside the sandwich” and took wheat off my list. I also read that Wayne Dyer lost 80 pounds by removing sugar from his diet. He didn’t even drink juice, so I lowered my fruit intake a lot and only ate berries on my sugarless oatmeal in the morning to prevent me from feeling sorry for myself. Wine I sadly discovered was the equivalent of eating a half-cup of white sugar.

The loss of flour was really helpful in so far as I started eating salad with a bit of protein for lunch. I also stopped ‘sink eating’ (eating while I was cooking dinner for my kids) and I started eating small amounts of ‘legal food’ several times a day, (Hummus, vegetables, linseed bread, rice crackers, grilled steak etc.). I did not eat past 6:30pm. If I was truly dying I would make a big bowl of air popped popcorn and spray it with my new best friend …a $34.00 bottle of spray balsamic vinegar stuff. 50 squirts=10 calories!

I didn’t realize until I was almost all the way through the challenge that I
1. Ordered as much food in a restaurant as my husband, and ate it all.
2. Ate so late
3. Ate so much flour
4. Found sugar in so many unlikely places
5. Ate large meals and then starved myself till the next one
6. Ate what I WANTED not what I NEEDED
7. Could avoid butter and fat more easily than I thought.

I think what I noticed more than anything was the things I wasn’t having rather than the things I was having. I had many a dinner of No Dessert and many an outing with No Wine and many a dinnertime with No Butter etc. The nutrition challenge was one thing, but on top of it was the Fitness Challenge! 9 tasks to be completed with a trainer. 24 th street hill run, figure 8 run, 10K run, 3 official races, 3 bike challenges.

Every weekend there was a running race. My friend Virginia, without me even asking, supported me in my running. Thanks Virginia!

I thought it was great that the challenge started out with a 5km. We did the Run for the Cure. No problem. It was a good warm up. The Turkey trot was fantastic because after Thanksgiving dinner who doesn’t want to get out and move some of that gravy off your butt. The challenge included a local 10 km and then there was the fun and amazing sea wall run…the James Cunningham. The biking challenges were ridiculous. I never bike. I dusted off my mountain bike, filled up my tires, found one of my kid’s bike helmets and was off. I absolutely hated it…at first. But after I rode the Stanley park ride…I could see myself attempting longer rides. I thought I was going to bloody well die doing the Cypress ride but thank god Tracy told me that getting up to the highway was the hard part and that the ride up Cypress was gradual and wasn’t the killer. Had she not told me that, I might have thrown in the towel after riding to the top of 21st Street. I can’t tell you how good it was to get to the second look out. I literally couldn’t believe I did it; the ride home was a great reward. Actually…I would do it again.

I learned something really important and really interesting:
Exercise is about strength, and health and food is about weight.

That means if you want to lose weight….of course it is a good idea to exercise but you aren’t going to lose weight by only exercising. You are going to lose weight by changing how you eat.
I also learned that weight loss is not fast. It is infuriatingly slow but it is steady. I just kept thinking about how long it took to put it on. Watching what you eat as well as exercising is obviously the key. Upping your fitness routine tightens you up and shocks your body into working harder. I think I was at a plateau and my body was used to my fitness routine- so adding some extra challenges was a good idea to bump me into a new zone. (wow…that really sounded athletic!)

I think the greatest thing about the challenges was that in the beginning I hated every single one and at the end of each one I loved them. I surprised myself. I couldn’t believe I actually could do these things and to tell you the truth…after a few of them, I even called my Mom.

Thanks to all the trainers and friends that supported me.
What’s next?