Fitness Tips

Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip: Back To School Enthusiasm

enthusiasm
 

Fall is upon us which means our girls will be heading back to school. This year, my oldest daughter Mychaela will be starting kindergarten. While this might be a scary transition for some children, the shared sentiment in our household is pure and utter ENTHUSIASM. 

Mychaela’s excitement for starting school is quite amazing to watch—not only does she have all of her school supplies packed and ready to go, she also has her outfit picked out for the first day. 

Enthusiasm is probably the most contagious of all emotions, one that can quickly fill up a room. Who doesn’t like to be around people who are excited about school, health, fitness, work or life? Enthusiastic people have a way of making the dullest activities enjoyable. 

Today I have a challenge for you. Whether you are starting a new project at work, heading to the gym, ordering a coffee, or shopping for groceries—do it with pure and utter ENTHUSIASM. Not only will you brighten your own day, you just might brighten someone else’s too :)

*image by Saparevo, Flickr

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip: Reflections of a 40-Year-Old

Fit at 40
 

Ahhhh the BIG 40!  I can’t believe I will actually be 40 on Thursday. My life thus far has been a whirlwind full of surprises, laughter, and tears. Without the love of my three girls--Molly (my wife) and our two daughters, Mychaela (aka Pumpkin), and Reagan (aka Rea Rea)--I wouldn’t be the man I am today. That’s why my 40th birthday and this blog post is just as much a celebration for them as it is for me.

While there are many lessons I’ve learned in my 40 years, the most important lesson I’ve learned is balance. Before the birth of our daughters, I used to get hyper-focused. An unfortunate side effect of having tunnel vision, is that I would often forget to take a look around and appreciate the here and now. 

My life now is a drastic difference from my single life. Days that used to be spent hanging with the boys, lifting weights in the gym, and competing are now spent playing with Hello Kitty dolls, rocking out to Taylor Swift, drowning in the color pink, and shopping with my girls. And guess what? I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. My girls have taught me to never take anything for granted, especially the small moments. 

So for my 40th birthday I want to give a special shout out my special ladies. You three keep me balanced, laughing, smiling, and always feeling loved and supported. Thank you.

 Love you, Babycakes & Daddycakes! 

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Compete With Yourself

kids running
 

Being the youngest of five kids, growing up in the quintessential blue-collar family, and spending a lot of time on construction sites with my dad and siblings taught me a lot about the importance of working hard and being competitive.

As the youngest sibling, I was always trying to keep up with my older siblings. I would try to carry more lumber than they did or race them around job sites. Everything became a contest for us. Even when I lost (I lost a lot), I never gave up. Losing just made me want to try harder. 

Being competitive has served me well over the years (even though it may have driven my family, friends and teammates nuts at times.) While you may not have a competitive bone in your body, I do encourage you to compete with yourself every day. Push yourself to be a little healthier, stronger, faster, and happier!

It doesn’t matter whether you are 16 or 86, every morning you have an opportunity to make your life better than it was the day before. If you only worked out for 20 minutes the day before, push for 30 today. If you only ate 2 servings of veggies yesterday, push for 3 today. The only person standing in your way from becoming a fitter, healthier you, is you. 

*image by Shanti Knapp

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