hard work

Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Get In The Zone

 

Prepare

Overthinking can be detrimental to your success as an athlete or actually in any endeavor you partake in. Instead, you need to learn how to "get in the zone."

How do you do that?

Preparation, of course!

Quiet The Devil On Your Shoulder

As a young athlete I used to be a nervous wreck on race days. I was so focused on the other racers that I was not even close to being in the present moment. My mind was cluttered with self-deprecating thoughts.

"I do not feel ready for this race." 

"That athlete is fitter/stronger/more prepared than me."

"I should have trained harder."

Be In The Moment

With the help of my coach, however, I learned how to think less and flow more. My coach broke the season down into 2 parts; regular season and race season. 

The regular season was focused on one thing--preparing our bodies and minds to be at peak performance. This meant we ran twice a day and hit the weight room three to four days a week. To sum it up, regular season was all about hard work. 

When it came time for race season, my mindset was completely different. I felt relaxed knowing that I had done everything I could possibly have done to get ready for this moment. Great things happen when people are in the zone, the present moment.

If you have been following my blog/newsletter, you know how strongly I feel about "doing the work". It was only after putting in 5-6 months of hard work that I was able to reach those higher levels of performance and have a positive, relaxed mindset.

It doesn’t matter what you are trying to accomplish in life, when you do the prep work, success will surely follow. 

I can help you with the hard work 310.251.7420

Image Credit: Len dela Cruz via Unsplash

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Lessons Passed On

 

Thank You

This newsletter is a personal shout-out to 4 guys. 

  • Ron Theberge
  • Frank Gramarosso
  • Al Carius
  • Ken Popejoy

Lessons Learned

All four of these guys were my coaches and each of them had a major impact on my life.  The list of lessons learned from them is too long to write.  But the lessons went well beyond the field. The majority of their teachings were to prepare us for real life: 

  • being part of something bigger than yourself 
  • dealing with hardships 
  • sacrifice
  • always conducting yourself properly  

Full Circle

My life has come full circle, I recently became my daughter’s assistant soccer coach.  Although these girls might just be 7 years old, it’s never too early to learn what it takes to succeed on and off the field. 

How I got so lucky to have these guys in my life I will never know.  But I thank them because their teachings and examples are about to be passed on to another generation!

Image Credit: Matt Jones via Unsplash

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Playing Favorites

 

A Passion of Mine

I know you are not supposed to pick favorites…but too bad, I did! I would venture to guess that you are going to be surprised at my answer. My favorite population to work with is not athletes or weekend warriors.  The Baby Boomer generation is where it’s at for me.  These silver foxes don’t deadlift 500 lbs. nor do they run a sub four-minute mile.  But they do deadlift 65 lbs. and push the sled. Now that gets me excited!

This generation is much different than mine and younger generations.  They understand hard work better than anyone I have ever met.  There is no self-entitlement or woe is me in their vocabulary.  They have a wisdom that comes with age, they know how to deal with adversity, and most importantly they understand that there is a process, and that process does not happen overnight.  There is a lot that can be learned from the Baby Boomers. 

Why I Love Baby Boomers

The reason I love to work with this population is because I get to see their lives change more than anyone else I work with.  We are able to hold back Father Time! They get stronger, better balance, better posture, denser bones, and more confidence in their physical ability.  Instead of living life on a very narrow street, so to speak, they’re trucking down the 405 freeway doing 75 mph.

If you have kids you understand the significance of milestones and how awesome it is to see someone do something for the very first time.  The problem is, those milestones that we once took for granted start disappearing because the body is starting to break down as we age.  At least a few times a month I get to witness breakthroughs.  Skills that they thought were lost just so happen to show up again -  strength, balance, conditioning, and confidence.  This is the best part of my job! 

My Challenge To You

I am challenging you to encourage your grandparents, parents, and friends that it is never too late to pick up a weight, walk around the block, go to a yoga class, and eat healthier.  

Image credit: Erik Taylor

 

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