Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | You Don't Have To Be Perfect

I Speak From Experience

Being a perfectionist myself I find it a blessing and a curse.  I spend too much time making sure things are perfect because I care, so half-ass jobs on my part do not sit well with me.  The issue with things being perfect is that it slows down or completely stops momentum.  So, when it comes to your health and fitness, you need to care and make sure things are on point…most of the time.

Be Consistent With Food

Let’s first start with food.  Consistent good eating, i.e. healthy food, not overeating, but allowing yourself to indulge here and there is how you win.  Life can throw you a S*#t storm with work stress, family stress, travel, or you’re just on the go all time. 

How can one eat perfectly?  Well for most of us you can’t. A glass of wine to calm the nerves, a piece of chocolate to help you move on from the day at work, or in my case heading to Starbucks and getting Nature’s way to get amped and bring me some good old comfort are all ways we deal with the day-to-day grind.  These treats are all completely normal and all completely okay in the big scheme of things. 

The 80/20 Rule

As I posted in a video last month, it comes down to the 80-20 rule, 80% of the time be on target, 20% of the time allow yourself to have the stuff you love.  Remember that even if you are trying to maintain your current weight or even lose weight you can allow yourself some treats.  The secret…staying within the calorie range that allows to reach those goals.

The same logic applies to working out.  If you are 21 years old and you are in college, there is no reason why you shouldn’t crush every damn workout and I should know because I lived that life once.  But for regular people that work, that aren’t 21, who may have families, and are social, crushing every single workout isn’t a reality.  We must temper our expectations of ourselves and know there will be more ups and downs.  Lack of sleep, slower recovery time, and sick kids can swing the pendulum more there we care to admit. 

Adjust

Here again is where the 80-20 Rule can be applied successfully to your game plan.  If you are tired, beat up, or have zero to low motivation…adjust your workout.  In most cases, it’s better to do a little something like a light walk, stretch, or go on an easy bike ride, more times than not it will make you feel better anyways.  This is the 20%, yeah you didn’t get that planned strength training session in or go to that spin class but you still moved your body.  This again is a victory.  Consistency at work. 

Be Consistent

Good things happen when you practice consistent habits day in and day out.  As always remember that this is a marathon not a 100-meter sprint.  

Call today & I can support you with your fitness & nutrition goals 310.251.7420

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Lessons From A Legend

Al Carius

17 National Championships, 15 times runner up, “Coach of the Century” are just some of the accomplishments that Al Carius has made. Al sits on the Mount Rushmore of college coaches along with Wooden, Rockne, and Bear Bryant and he is still grinding away.  Al is a small-town guy that is humble and has his midwest roots firmly planted in the ground.  Al values your word, work ethic, family, and being part of something bigger than yourself.  But make no mistake, the jovial, always smiling, glass half-full guy lives to compete and compete he does with a career that spans 5 decades as head of the Men’s Cross Country Team at North Central College.

But as competitive as Al is, it’s the family atmosphere and the relationships that he has made along the way of his legendary coaching career that he is the proudest of.  If I had to describe Al’s coaching philosophy and personality, from what I read he’s a lot like John Wooden.  He’s made such an extraordinary impact on so many young men’s lives that it’s not even possible for me to put into words.

A Bump In The Road

In the fall, I got word that Al hit a bump in the road with his health.  While he and I hadn’t talked in a few years I knew that I needed to reach out to him.  I wanted to remind him of the importance of strength training, that he needed to run less, and that he needed to get himself into a calorie surplus so his reserves were full.  

On a Monday in September I called him. In this first phone call he reminded me why he is who he is - it’s not what he said, it was the energy in his voice, it was his attitude, I knew he was smiling the whole time while we were talking.  You see Al learned a long time ago if you control the six inches between your ears with a winner’s attitude and inner ability of dealing with adversity you can just about conquer any obstacle. 

Life Lessons

What happened next is something I didn’t see coming. He and I began speaking weekly, rarely about health or the team.  Our conversations have become about life. I sort of feel like I’m in an AP life class and these chats have become more important than any actual class that I’ve taken.  The week of Christmas he and I had the best conversation to date, we talked about what it takes to make it in life.  I told him I thought it was about outworking your competitors, your emotional intelligence, and taking risks. 

He agreed and then said I’ll raise you.  Success is much less about IQ and much more about your ability to deal with adversity.  He credited his success to getting knocked down to the ground and having the ability to get right back up.  “If you get knocked down 10 times you get up 11.”  Easier said than done but always such a great reminder. 

1%

Al stands at 5’9” and a buck forty, in no way a physically intimidating man.  But the tenacity that this man has shown in a career and life is something that very few people will ever reach and is somewhat mind blowing.  He is a 1 percenter and I have a direct access, how lucky I am!!

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Happy Holidays

I want to wish you all a Happy Holiday! 

This will be last newsletter of 2016, see you next year!  

Image Credit: Erik Taylor

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