5 steps to get back into shape

1. Have a source of lean protein with every meal

Your body is like a car, it needs fuel to run, and that fuel comes in the form calories. There 3 sources that your body breaks down and uses as “fuel”: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

Of those three sources, protein takes the most energy to break down and turn into fuel, which boosts your metabolism. Having a source of lean protein with each meal will help you burn more calories in the run of a day. It will also help you repair muscle that you have broken down during exercise.

Examples:

• Fish – contain omega-3 fatty acids which also boost your metabolism.
• Lean Dairy – 1% cottage cheese, Low fat Greek yogurt
• Lean Meats – chicken, turkey, lean beef are all high in protein and low in saturated fats. Read the rest of this entry »

8 words I never want to say

photo by Erica Chan

“I wish I took better care of myself”

Those words scare the hell out of me, and in a world where there is a lot that is out of our control, this is one of the big one’s that we can influence and even prevent.

I never want to have to say those words and I never want anyone else to have to say them to someone they really care about.

Looks are a major motivation that drive a lot of us to get in shape. Our looks are something that we can see, improving our body image by shedding fat or adding muscle can have an effect us immediately by the confidence it will add, and all the benefits we’ll gain from looking and feeling better about our bodies, and it’s not something that is shallow at all.

Changing my body was the driving force behind my gaining of 30+ pounds of lean muscle and counting. That decision to change my body has had a positive effect on so many aspects of my life from relationships and business, to attitude and energy, that it’s hard to count.

But besides enhancing the quality of my life today, I know it will do the same for years to come. It will keep me around, and active, longer than I would have been had I not decided to make the change to a healthier lifestyle. And besides from benefiting the quality of my life, and how I feel about myself, it’s going to keep me in the lives of the people whom I care about infinitely more than anything else in the world, including myself. Their happiness effects me more than anything else, and I’m sure you’re the same. Read the rest of this entry »

Lessons Learned in the Boxing Ring

The challenges I have faced in life are much like the challenges I have face in the boxing ring. It’s just that in the boxing ring you’re held accountable by your trainer and the people watching the fight, whereas in life you are often forced to hold yourself accountable.

Here are some lessons I learned in the ring that apply to life as well.

1. Face your fears and go on anyways. There were so many times in training, sparring, or in an actual fight where I wanted to quit but I never did. I’ve tried my best to carry that over to life and have been successful in doing so, but far from perfect at the same time. The adversity I faced in boxing is in front of everyone, I was held accountable. My trainer could see if I was going to give up and I didn’t want to let him down. But why should life be any different?

You should want more than anything not to let yourself down.

“It’s not how many time’s you get knocked down, it’s how often you get back up and go forward that counts.”

This quote is attributed to a lot of people, but I’ll give it to Rocky Balboa.

2. Get out of your comfort zone. Most growth in life only happens when you’re out of your comfort zone. In sparring I had to try new things to become a better fighter, even if I was going to pay for it, I had to give it a shot. Life is the same way. There won’t be much growth if you just stick to the same old way of life.

In business you have to continually try new things and continually push your own limits. To grow mentally and spiritually you have to get out of what makes you comfortable and push yourself if you truly want to grow as a person. In the gym its the same thing. If you don’t push your body beyond what it’s used to, you’re not going to see any benefits.

We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are. – Max DePree

Read the rest of this entry »