Friends; Some will come, most will go!

Have you ever doubted yourself?

                          Searched for a purpose?

                                                     Longed for inspiration?


As most of us putter through our lives with a sense of emptiness we often seem to neglect what's most important to us - family.


Maybe it's because we always expected them to be there. As result we tend to place them on the back burner for insignificant things like catching up with extracurricular activities or hitting up Starbucks with people that often aren’t around when you need them the most.

"Wait... so what does my family have anything to do with my success in fitness?"

Easy...

Friends may be there when you start to doubt yourself, but ONLY your family will MAKE SURE you get whatever it takes for you to succeed!


You can pick and choose your friends - some will come, most will go but family you're stuck with! They'll always be the only one's that are there when you need them the most!

Call my bluff??

On Friday July 22, 2011 one of my good friends Sarah-Beth risked her life to save her nephew Bronson by offering up part of her liver and donated it to little 2 month old Bronson in an effort to save his life!


Now how many of you would do that for a friend you've known for two months?


Sarah's act of heroism is nothing short of amazing. She works full time, commutes to school afterwards with hopes of becoming a Holistic Nutritionist AND plays recreational baseball. She put her life on hold to save someone she barely knew and didn't have to think twice about it! In fact, if you were to ask her before the surgery why she was doing it her response was simple;

"He's my nephew"

With such a simple statement you knew how much she cared about little Bronson. She put more love into those three words then most of us will feel throughout our life time!


For more information on Sarah-Beth's incredibly moving story click HERE to be redirected to her brother-in-law's blog.


This week i have a challenge for you guys! It may sound easy but for some it's harder then others; Step back and look at who you are spending your hours with... are they worth your time? Then be sure to thank those who mean the most to you! Even if it's a simple "Thank You"... Because even something as small as that can make someones day!


Remember saying anything is better then nothing!


So in the words of my good friend Sarah-Beth Nettleship;

"He's My Nephew"

I Just Don't Have Time

Lately I've been meeting a lot of new people with a lot of different personalities. I love watching people transform their bodies and helping them feel better about themselves as much as the next guy but you guys need to choose your words wisely when associating with fitness junkies. Most of us love to motivate beginners and offer suggestions but hearing excuses like;

"I would workout but I'm too lazy."

… Really?!?! What am I suppose to say to that?

OR

"Life’s too short to worry about my looks."

Dude, I never once said you should be a model? All I ask is that you take care of yourself so you CAN live your "short" life.

Then there's my personal favorite;

"I just don't have time!"

I assure you buddy, all you have is time!!!

 

Call my Bluff?

"Oh God! Again with the bluff calling?!?!"

:)

Believe it or not, the only thing everyone has in common is that we all share the same 24 hours. It’s how we spend those 24 hours that makes us unique.

Let's go one step further shall we?

The expected total hours of sleep one should get a night is 8 (I'm not stupid; I know you’re not getting your 8 hours but I feel generous). So 8 x 7 = 56. The average total hours a week spent at work or school is 40, don’t worry I didn’t forget about the commute; give or take 2hrs a day for 5 days… 10 hours! Then there’s all those errands you have to do i.e. laundry, shopping, cooking, cleaning etc. we’ll say you spend about 10 hours a week multitasking those puppies. Also, I know you all love your families/ friends and spending time with them is important. I’d say most of us spend at least 2 hours a day socializing with them so that’s another 14 hours a week. Last but not least there’s your Spiritual time - whether you’re religious or not you should be spending one COMPLETE hour a day focusing on yourself each week for a total of 7 hours… Savvy?

“Bro, you lost me at sleeping 8 hours a night!”

Well let’s do the math. There are 168 hours in a week. The average person spends;

56hrs sleeping

40hrs at work/ school

10hrs commuting

10hrs on errands

14hrs with loved ones

7hrs on meditation/ praying

Add them all up for a whopping total of 137 hours a week spent on things that you’re “required” to do.

That assumed formula leaves you with 31 hours a week of free time that you currently WASTE watching TV, looking for Casey Anthony, Googling the Royal Wedding, creeping on Facebook or retweeting celebs, etc!

Now I'm not going to tell you how to spend your 31 hours but hear me out. If you worked out for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week that still gives you 21 hours a week (that’s 3 hours a day!) in free time for gaming, movies, TV shows, sports or even better; READING MY BLOG… *wink*

Numbers don’t lie my friend; the time is there you just need to find it! I cannot stress the benefits of a healthy lifestyle enough;

YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF!!!

So in the words of my good friend Nelson Mandela;

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!?!

Over the last couple of months I've been overly observant in peoples abilities (or in-abilities) in receiving compliments.



Humans are a funny species. Not in like a "ha-ha Dane Cook" funny - I mean we constantly worry about how others are going to view us and let their opinions literally run our lives!


We spend thousands of dollars for a piece of paper and experiences throughout university or college just to come out more scared and confused then we did when we were filling out the applications!


I went away to school and I loved it! I met some of the best people I know today and I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. But the second I got home it was like I had never left! The only exception now was I was viewed by others as an adult - a real one! With responsibilities and all that fun stuff!


Funny though, I didn't feel like an adult! Maybe I was still hung over from the goodbye party the weekend before?


After about an hour of soul searching (slash napping) I realized I had no choice. The real world was waiting for me with jobs, taxes and that "R" word again; responsibility.


Years later what happened? Well... Life happened! It all sort of fell into place. I got a job and fell into the hustle bustle of the 9 to 5 lifestyle; Stress level always at a ten, deadlines always appearing out of no where, rushing around trying to accommodate everyone, always finding room to disappoint someone due to lack of commitment! The list is endless, but hey "that's life" isn't it?


I don't know about you but I don't want my life to pass me by anymore! I don't want to wake up someday when I'm 50 and have to ask myself:

"WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!?!?!"

I want to enjoy the little things! Press pause on my thoughts and watch my life fall into place instead of over looking opportunity with "I cant’s" or "I don't have the times".


They say it take ten days to build a habit. Which means if you want to install something new in your life you must do whatever it is for ten consecutive days in order for it to become a habit. With that in mind here's my challenge:


For the rest of the year (yes YEAR) take one hour a day without a cell phone, TV, iPad, satellite, microwave or dishwasher and use the complete 60 minutes to just think about you! Your life, your goals, your ambitions and your career! You'll be amazed at what you will discover about yourself!


So in the words of my good friend Classified;

"If you’re not happy when you’re broke you won’t be happy rich. Don’t spend your whole life unhappy trying to capture it!"

Free Meal Plans for Everyone

So ever since I trashed the Canadian Food Guide it has come to my attention that some people are upset.

Why wouldn't they be?! I've left them without what they seek the most - guidance!

... i know I'm a terrible person!

I forced these folks to think for themselves, aimless seeking advice on just what foods they can consume that will shred those stubborn pounds without a single drop of sweat from a workout!

... Well, good luck on your endeavors people! Let me know how well that workouts out for you!!

I guess I should thank them really because they've honestly inspired this entire post. After suffering from a mild case of writers block I decided to toss these people a bone and offer some assistance.

"free meal plans for everyone?!?!?!?!"

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Sorry... You're a funny though, but I was leaning towards a list (yes, another list) of ten foods that should be added to your daily diet in order to ensure your workouts are effective so you see results;

10. Apples;

9. Extra Lean Ground Beef

8. Blueberries

7. Cottage Cheese

6. Broccoli

5. Eggs/ Eggwhites

4. Garlic

3. Quinoa

2. Fish (salmon/ tilapia)

1. Spinach

"Garlic, really?! 'Quinowhatta'?!?! Man you're speaking another language here... AGAIN!!!"

My bad... Its pronounced "keen-wha" and I promise to elaborate on each food in my next post just so there's no confusion!

Until then in the words of my good friend Biggie Smalls;

"if you don't know, now you know"

The 180 Rep Shoulder Challenge

Nothing forces your muscles to grow more than change!
 
"I thought what's why I was working out, to change!"
 
A lot of people workout for a lot of different reasons but changing your routine causes muscle confusion which will promote greater results in less time.  
 
One area people seem to struggle with is their shoulder, so I came up with a solution excerise that targets all three heads of the muscle, making them look fuller - faster!  
 
I call it "One Eightys", or on paper; "180's" and it goes as follows:
 
Take a lightly weighted dumbbell and superset front, side and seated reverse raises for 20 reps  totalling 60 reps per set and then repeat for 3 sets.
 
"Dude; I have NO IDEA what you just said!"
 
... Okay I'll make it even easier...
 
A "rep" means "lift" in gym rat language.
 
A "set" is how many lifts you do at one time. Depending on your program each set could have up to 15 reps... In this case we have 3 sets of 60 divided into 3 excerises.
 
Recommended Weights:
 
Beginner Male: 5lbs
Beginner Female: 2.5lbs
 
Intermediate Male: 10lbs
Intermediate Female: 5lbs
 
Advanced Male: 15lbs
Advanced Female: 7.5lbs
 
Set One:
Front Raises x20
Side Raises x20
Seated Reverse Raises x20
 
No breaks between exercises - one right after the other. Rest for 1-2mins between sets and then repeat for two MORE sets which add up to 180 reps!
 
"clear as mud there chief"
 
GREAT!! Now add this into your shoulder routine and promise your shoulders will HATE it but I guarantee results!
 
So in the words of my good friend Mr. Chow from the movie The Hangover;
 
"Are we gonna do this thing or what?