HAPPY BIRTHDAY CREATIVE CONDITIONING!

Thank you Meghan & Lloyd for the cake!

Happy Birthday Creative Conditioning!

Well today is/was Creative Conditioning’s 1^st birthday. I have a lot of people to thank for making CreCon an amazing place to call work, a second home and my dream.

The past year I have learned a lot about people, business, and life and I know that there is a lot more I need to learn as well.

I have seen so many changes in people who have embraced a healthy and balanced lifestyle. These changes aren’t just physical changes but changes in personality, confidence, enthusiasm, and openness. An openness to try something new, something you might not be good at and something that teaches you that you can learn and grow no matter what age and ability.

I have seen physical changes in strength, mobility, ability, muscular definition, body composition and more. Everyone who is putting in hard work in our gym and at home to make the right choices are growing by leaps and bounds. Consistency, intensity and the desire to never quit on yourselves is making you the people you are and the people I want to surround myself with.

Thank you to all of my previous clients & friends who I worked with in home and all over the city who believed in what I was doing and came along for the ride. Thank you to our new members who have become good friends at Creative Conditioning. I couldn’t ask for any better.

Thank you to all of those who helped with all the renovations for 3 months prior to opening including my parents Lorne & Irene Dyck, my outlaws (just kidding ;-) Stan & Angie Gren, Gerry and Lynn Bennett, Alex Jekat, Bert Viveiros You support and hours of lifting, smashing, carrying, rebuilding and polishing were the only way I was able to finish the picture I had in my head.

Thank you to Tammy Stewner for telling me “Hey Paul, I know this great place that’s up for lease. I drive by it every day. It would be perfect for your gym.”

I have to put a big thank you out there to Jesse Cox and Anthony Ferreira. They are two amazing coaches who care about our members and are dedicated to making people better each and every class they teach. We are lucky to have you guys.

The biggest thank you goes to my wife Lorrie for supporting my dream of building the place I had talked about for years. She has not complained about the 100hr work weeks, the reduced “us” time, my constant drive to make things “better” at the gym, or the 5am alarm clocks every morning… Ok maybe I have herd about the last one on a few occasions. Thank you Lorrie for being such a great help, support, and sounding board for my sometimes-dumb ideas.

Well year one is under our belts. Are we where I wanted us to be? I would have to say no. I have a feeling that we will never be there since I always want to learn more, do more, experience more, and pass it on. The better I can get the better we can help you to get.

I think this is going to be like training. Once you reach your goal you need to set another one because you want to see how far you can go. Thank you all for coming along for the ride (we aren’t done yet).

Happy 1^st Birthday Creative Conditioning!!!  

A weekend to remember

Well this was a weekend to remember. First of all I would like to congratulate everyone who participated in the Winnipeg Police half marathon and relay. No matter what distance you did I hope you had a great time (on the clock and even more with the experience.

Lorrie and I had signed up for the 1/2 marathon and were pumped for it. Being able to share the event with the crew from Creative was an exciting thought. It was several peoples first event and I wanted to be there for it.

Shortly after signing up for the half I found out tat my hero Dan John was going to be in town doing a seminar and knew I had to be there. Even if his seminar was about eating Ice Cream from a cone and not having it drip on you I would have gone!

"Reasonableness" was the theme and we listened, we learned and we enjoyed every minute of the seminar. I know there are a lot of coaches out there who can tell you what to do or write a program for you never having done or experienced what you are training for. Dan has "been there and done that" and it was awesome to hear the stories of what he tested, discovered, and failed at. Not everyone can do that. When you have been at the top of your game and are surrounded by the best, train with the best and are friends with the best there is nowhere to go but to the top.

We learned a lot at the seminar either from Dan's own experiences, and his clients experiences which range from NHL, NFL, MLB, College, & High school teams, to high profile individuals and even Navy Seals.

One of the coolest things we talked about in the seminar was about how kids now are so over trained at such a young age that they burn out. Dan and his 4 brothers weren't allowed to play organized sport until they were in grade 9... Grade 9!!! They were able to play and be kids and decide what they wanted to do. By grade 9 they weren't burnt out, beat up or broken from training their asses off at a young age and his immediate family and cousins were all high level athletes or world record holders in different sports and played professional football in the NFL, Major League Baseball, and hockey in the NHL... It just made happy to think about the proper lifts we are teaching our youth and adults and not trying to run them into the ground every workout (there are some of those workouts that will knock you on your ass) but not all the time!

There are a few very important things I would like to share that I took away from the seminar and some of it I mention to people in classes here and there but this is a great place for me to put it out there.

1. Train smart: Pay attention, learn perfect movement and if you aren't there WORK FOR IT! Fast and hard are not the ways to go if you aren't headed in the right direction.

2. Leave something in the tank: Don't drive yourself into the ground every single workout. Keep it a challenge but remember you have a life outside of the gym too!

3. Keep working on mobility: As we all age we need to keep mobile because if we lose it, it will be hell to get it back.

4. Eat well and rest well. All the training you do in the gym doesn't mean shi* if you don't fuel properly and get enough sleep.

5. Support others around you: Its amazing how far a little "Good job" or "Looking great" goes for someone in training. We are all in this together. Even though our goals might be slightly different at the end of the day in class we are all like family and should support each other as such.

I missed running with all of you today but going to Dan John with Lorrie was amazing and whatever makes us better will make you better and we still have so much more we want to get better at. This all trickles down to you...

In the end this was a weekend I will never forget. We met some amazing people and reconnected with old friends. It was great having Chiropractors, Physio Therapists, Athletic Therapists, Trainers, and Coaches all sharing and coming together for this for one common interest and that to help our clients...

Thank you!

"Uncle Focker" workout

Well here is a workout post for "Uncle Focker"

150 Wall Balls 20lbs & 10ft height for men 14lbs & 8 Ft height for women
100 BB Backsquats @ 135# Men 95# Women
50 Pull Ups

For time...

Enjoy. It was a good one!

Paul

Strange Occurrence

Strange Occurrence...

Today I had some errands to do and ran to get a hair cut. I don't have anyone specific that I go to as a bad haircut is only bad for two weeks. My last semi consistent hairdresser had a lazy eye and even though I asked for the same thing every time it was always a little different (but that's another story).

So today I met Dee. She was outgoing, charismatic, and talked the whole time. Sometimes you end up with people who dint say a thing even if you try to strike up a conversation. I would prefer not to read their minds as they might be thinking "this is the one... He wont even see it coming. I'm just gonna take these sharp scissors...".

Anyways back to Dee. We talked about nutrition, her eating habits, her 35 year old bike with the coaster breaks and why gears on a bike are a good idea for cyclists. I told her that different wind conditions, hills, cadence goals, and intensities are reasons why you might want to switch gears. She stopped and said "Honey, can you see me riding up a hill?". I said "Why not. If you wanted to you could. There isn't any reason you can't, It would just take a bit of training and dedication".

I would have to say it was the best haircut I have ever had. Her personality was awesome and inspiring and she had a great outlook on life and passed it on to everyone. At one point a woman form Costco came in with a great personality too. She was loud and out there telling us about how awesome it was to have a Costco membership. Once she left Dee said "If that woman was a car salesman she would be rich, not because she is pretty but because of her personality".

When Dee was finished shaving my head she said thanks for going to see her and said something strange. She said "I am going to see you on TV. You are going to be in the news and you are going to spread something good in the world. I just know it".

I thought it was strange that she said that since we spent 15 minutes together. All I did was give her some tips on how to be a bit healthier and not write herself off about being a bit bigger and not being able to do certain things today but maybe down the road with some training she would surprise herself.

People write themselves off too soon when it comes to goals or seeing themselves in a light that they cant see at the moment. Think about yourself a year down the road with a great fitness program, a dialed in sustainable nutrition plan and happy because you feel good, look good, and nobody can take that away from you.

It made me think. Be who you are, be genuine, be what you want to be, and not anyone else. Good things will come. Do nice things for others and don't expect anything for it. Even a smile to someone having a bad day could have a positive effect on the rest of their day.

As soon as I left and got into the car my phone rang. It was a reporter who wanted to sit down with me and interview me for an article...

Cycling officials needed!

Hi Everyone,

Could you please post the following information on your blogs, Facebook pages, websites, or forward this email to as many individuals on your contact list as possible. We need every possible outlet to get the word out.  It is likely some of you will receive multiple versions of this request but we need to act quickly as the race season starts in a month.  

Manitoba now has a Provincial Level Commissaire for road and cyclocross.  Arlene Woodcock completed this training this past month and I congratulate Arlene on this accomplishment. The goal for 2013, now that we have access to a local Commissaire trainer, is to increase our pool of officials. 

Those of you who have been around the community for many years, or even just a few years, will recognize how critical commissaires are to a smooth functioning race.  Likely you've also noticed how the same individuals man these posts from race to race.  The Manitoba Cycling Association, (OK -- I'll use the word), DESPERATELY needs more trained commissaires to officiate our races for our Road and Cyclocross events and Arlene is running a course aimed for both race disciplines over two Saturdays in April (6th and the 13th).  

Without Committed cycling officials there would be no races.   

So if you love bike racing or you love someone who loves bike racing and you are interested in helping out at races in an official capacity (or know someone who might be) please consider attending this course on April 6th and 13th.  You have until March 28th to declare you interest and further details on signing up can be found here:  http://mbcycling.ca/crossroad-commissaire-training-deadline-march-28th/

Cheers,

Kim Mitchell

MCA Road Coordinator

TWO WEEKS AWAY!

90 Day CreCon Challenge Tips... (keep checking in for more)

1. I always hear people starting a challenge by saying "I can do this for Thirty, Sixty, or Ninety days"... If you have that mentality going into something I would consider that a bad start. Think of this 90 day challenge as a way to set up some healthy habits that you can manage for the rest of your life... YES THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. 

Sure that's a long time but I think you're worth it. Don't you?

2. Different things work for different people. What you need to do is figure out what works for you. When you see a fitness model doing a certain diet (and I use that word as something that is a short term solution to a lifelong issue) and you try it but don't get the same results why is that???

You can follow the eating plan but only be getting in 2 or 3 workouts a week vs. the 6 workouts this fitness model is getting. Chances are they didn't start the "diet" when they were out of shape and before they became a model. They had been fit for years (and working their ass off at it) then tried something new or different to dial in their nutrition for their photo shoot (because they don't always look that ripped). 

Find a great nutritionist that won't pump you full of pills and get you healthy with your food choices and not chemicals.


3. PLAN AHEAD! This is a huge one. If you don't plan ahead for what you need to do then how is it going to happen? This means

• Having your gym bag in the car and ready to go at all times WITH YOUR SHOES!
• Plan you workout time and stick to it. Chances are if you feel like shi# and go to the gym, start your workout you will feel 100% better. Energy is infectious. GET SOME!
• PLAN YOUR MEALS! This means breakfast, mid morning snack, Lunch, Mid afternoon snack, Dinner and possibly an evening snack. Don't let yourself go hungry as you will gravitate to poor choices. If you have the good stuff around and readily available then you will probably make use of it. If you plan for it you will have it.  

New Years Rezo for Shezo

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Its that time of year. We are coming to the end of 2012 and entering 2013. I am hearing it everywhere. You know what I mean. At holiday parties, the mall, the grocery store, and especially at holiday parties.

"This year I am going to get fit"
"I'm going to stop drinking"
"I'm going to eat better"
"I'm going to try that ____________ (fill in the blank) Diet"
"I'm going to get more sleep" (That one sounds like me)
"I'm going to lose 50lbs"

THE NEW YEARS RESOLUTION...

How many new years resolutions have you made in the past and kept (or haven't kept)? I have learned that when I focus on one thing I get it done. When I think about doing ten things at once I feel like jumping off a bridge and none of it gets done.

Narrow down your resolutions to one or two of the most important things on your list and then focus on those two.

Keep in mind that you should have very specific goals and a way to measure them. I have been getting people to write down SMART goals at the gym. Things they would like to accomplish physically, mentally, or otherwise.

The key is to keep them

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time oriented

Write them down and keep them in a place where you will see them every day. Mark it on your calendar. The due date and a weekly count down (4 weeks until I run 5 miles).

Here was one of mine. I wanted to do a Muscle Up (gymnastics movement) without kipping. I can do 10 of them with the kipping motion (its like adding a bit of momentum to help get you up). I wanted to hit one with control and no kip... The goal was to get one done before Christmas.

It was Specific (Slow and controlled muscle up)
Measurable (either I did it or I didn't)
Attainable (Sure I could do it if I could do kipping)
Realistic (Well it wasn't like going to the Olympics or anything and doing it there)
Time oriented (By Christmas)

Now that I had the SMART goal I needed to work backwards and put in some technical time each day to get this done and learn from my mistakes. This took a little while and I actually hit my goal over a week before Christmas.

Once you hit your goal make sure to put another SMART one in there. This will help to keep you progressing no matter what area the goal is in.

Happy Training

Paul

September 2012 has arrived

Well... Its been a while since I have written on this blog. Things have been insane and amazing at Creative Conditioning's new training studio.

Summer is usually a slower time but we kept busy from the beginning of summer to the end and now with fall here there are several things coming into play.

Kids are going back to school and routine is about to come back into play again.



A few things we have going on at the studio are as follows...

1. More time slots are being opened up on the training calendar. What does this mean for you?
Well there will be more selection for time slots to train in throughout the week.

2. A couple more programs are coming into play. We are planning on introducing Yoga into our studio to balance out our high intensity training and conditioning workouts. At this time we are narrowing down our instructors and time slots for availability. The plan is to have 3-4 yoga classes a week.

3. Our nutrition planners have begun working on our first 30 day challenge for participants. Soon we will have a well balanced, high variety, meal selection plans for participants to incorporate into their lives. This is a plan that will get you to where you want to be and keep you there.

The one thing you have to keep in mind is that anything worth having takes time. This is not a crash diet to get you vacation ready in 30 days. This is a plan to get you healthy and ready for the rest of your life. This will be something that anyone can follow and if for some reason you cant then you just aren't at that stage yet to make the changes you need to.

4. New trainers will be joining us at Creative Conditioning. Check out the "Your Trainers" tab on the Creative Conditioning website over the next couple weeks and see who we are adding to our training team.

I am very critical of who will be training at Creative Conditioning and am not looking for people to just teach classes. The people I bring in to work with our students and community will be people I respect, trust, and admire as trainers and people.

Please post comments, questions or give us a call if you want to discuss what we are all about and why you should be training with us.

Have a great long weekend and see you soon.

Paul Dyck
204.421.8801
info@creativeconditioning.net.
www.creativeconditioning.net        

LAST OUTDOOR WORKOUT!

Hey Everyone,

Well here you go for tomorrow morning... This will be your last outdoor workout as Monday Morning will be at Creative Conditioning 970 Brazier St! Make sure to bring the usual with out as many layers. This will be the first official morning workout there and I am looking forward to it!

But for tomorrow you are still on your own and stuck outside...

1 Lap warm up around the park ALL TOGETHER. Go at an easy so you can talk while running...

2nd lap its every woman for herself! Push yourselves on this lap.

Starting behind the pavilion with your water and gloves for some more running fun.

1 Lap 15 Burpees

1 Lap 10 Burpees

1 Lap 5 Burpees

1 Lap 30 Push Ups

1 Lap 20 Push Ups

1 Lap 10 Push Ups

Core Work out in front of the pavilion.

Dead bug 30/side

Plank 2 minutes

Bicycle 1 minute

Crunches (elbows and knees coming together each rep) 30 reps

side bridge 1 min/side

Oblique crunches 30/side

And thats all ladies... Have a great workout.

Paul

P.S. for those of you not following the blog take 5 freakin minutes and sign up as a follower ;-)p

Wednesday May 23rd

Warm up 1 lap of the park.

2nd lap of the park TT (Time Trial) Record time

15 Burpees
15 Air squats (Ass to the ground)
15 Push Ups
15 Box Jumps
15 Dips
15 Tuck Ups (squat down jump as high and explosive as you can and bring your knees up to your chest)

As many rounds as possible in 25 Minutes!

Finish off with 5 min of core from Plank/Side bridge position. DONT DROP!

Use any combination you choose but stay up

Plank, Side bridge, Knees to elbows, Oblique crunch from side bridge, X-C Ski, Opposite knee to elbow, Push ups, Leg abduction HAVE FUN WITH IT!

The gym is almost done. One more inspector to impress. Cross your fingers. I hope we can be inside this friday!

Paul

Friday May 18th

Warm Up

30 Jumping Jacks
30 Air Squats
30 Mountain climbers
30 Squat Jumps
5 rounds of all four exercises.

Running 1 lap of the park (1.2 Miles)

Incline sprints at the foot of the bridge to the top x 10 Easy Jog on the way down.

Main Sets...

Set 1
10 Burpees Every Minute on the Minute for... 10 Minutes ;-) (Do it with a smile and it will feel easier)

Set 2
20 Hip Hikes (Per leg)
20 Deep Squats
20 Dips
20 Reps of Lateral Bounding
20 Sit Ups
As Many rounds as possible in 10 Min (Once again doing it with a smile makes it feel easier)

Enjoy the park as you are almost out of there.

Paul

Wednesday May 16th

Hey morning crew. Here is your workout. I am off the rest of the week in the morning to get some recovery before things explode next week, Enjoy...

Warm Up

Running 1 lap of the park (1.2 Miles)

Mixed Skipping 5 min

10 min double unders
1 minute on 30 seconds rest between sets. Count your double unders for each minute and write it down during the 30 second rest. Add up your numbers at the end for a total of...

Descending set 10 reps down to 1
10 Burpees (full burpees)
10 Air Squats
Superset the two until you hit one rep as fast as possible.

Same descending reps 10 down to 1
10 Dips
10 Box Jumps
Superset the two until you hit one rep as fast as possible.

Stretch out and have a coffee!

Paul

Friday Morning's DW 5-04-12

Friday Morning DW May 3rd 2012

1.2 Mile run @ Start of workout, 25 Min Mark and 50 Min mark

Between Lap 1 and 2 as many sets as possible
10 Burpees
20 Dips
30 Squat Jumps
40 Mountain Climbers
50 Air Squats

Between Lap 2 & 3
10 Pike Push Ups
20 Box Jumps
30 Modified Burpees (No Push up)
40 Sit Ups
50 Lunges (alternate 25/leg)

Finish with a final lap... When you hit the 25 min mark and the 50 Min mark no matter what set/rep you are on take off on that run!

Enjoy

Paul

Wednesday May 2nd Daily Workout

Here is Wednesday Mornings park workout.

Enjoy!

Warm Up with 10 min Mixed skipping

3 Rounds of
15 Partner Resisted Push Ups
15 Single Leg Squats
15 Full Chest to ground Burpees

5 Min Mixed Skipping
3 Rounds of
15 Dips
15 Single Arm Partner Rows
15 reps of Lateral Bounding (15/leg 30 total)

5 Min Double Unders
3 Rounds of
15 Box Jumps
15 Air Squats
15 Reps of Lateral Bounding (15/leg 30 reps total)

5 Min Double Unders then finish up with a lap of the park ;-)

Paul

Monday May 30th Workout

1 Lap around the park 1.2 Miles

5 ROUNDS OF...
10 Single leg hops on to the 1st step
10 Full Push Ups
10 Squat Jumps
10 Handstand Push ups (or pike push ups)
10 Sit Ups
10 Burpees

For time!

Post coments and time when complete and sign up as a follower please.

Have a great day

Paul

LAS VEGAS MARATHON 2012

LAS VEGAS MARATHON BABY!

Hey everyone,

It started as a suggestion early one morning at conditioning camp and it sounds like it has exploded into a group goal.

We were chatting about a group event that would be cool to do together and I brought up the Las Vegas Marathon. I have had a few clients do the event and said it was awesome. It was supposedly such a cool event that they wanted to return every year after.

Now most events start @ 7am and you are done by 9 or 11am (Depending on if you are doing a half or full marathon and your speed). This event starts @ 4pm for the full marathon and 5:30 for the half marathoners. You run down the fully lit strip with thousands of spectators cheering you on (are you in yet)?

This years race is December 4th and the early bird cost for the half is $130 and $140 for the full. Can you believe it? For only an extra $10 you can run a full marathon ;-)

This is a long term goal (14 months away from today actually) but a great way to get started and think about what you need to do to get there. The more people that we could get out the better it would be. Plant the seed and recruit friends and family.

I will be planning some weekly group runs to pump up the team. We dont want anyone waiting until 16 weeks out to start training (or 3-4 weeks like some people I know). Think about the results, gains, and fitness you can achieve by then.

Write it down and pin it up where you can see it "I WILL DO THE LAS VEGAS MARATHON (OR HALF) IN 2012"

The more you run it into that head and plan it the better the chance you will stick to your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Start small and go from there.

http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/las-vegas

Are you in?

Paul

Back At It

Hey Everyone,

I am starting to feel better after Ironman Wisconsin. I was doing some fun workouts and races afterwards but have just been feeling flat. I felt like I didnt have that extra gear but now that I have a rough idea of what next year is going to look like I have started putting some plans and training into action.

I have put together a weekly routine that I will be following and changing my schedule accordingly.

I Have planned 3 Runs a week (Sunday long, Tuesday some speed work, and Thursday a medium distance run at a faster pace with some strides to remind the legs what it's like to run faster).

I found that running longer for me = running slower. To not have this happen again I must keep to my focused workouts and not slack on them.

I will be swimming 3 x a week 2 times with Triathlon Manitoba on Monday's and Wednesday's and 1 other session on my own or with Masters. Getting faster in the water is my goal for this year and know I will need to bump up my pool times to do so.

3 strength/Metabolic training workouts a week is also on the schedule. Monday, Wednesday & Friday along with some time for Yoga.

I am still out biking but not as much as over the summer. I am down to 2-3 bike sessions a week and the volume is a lot less too. I try to commute and take the long way or ride to training appointments but sometimes that doesnt always work out with my schedule.

Now is a good time to sit down and look at what you have going on and what you can fit in where...

Here is a cool video I found on YouTube... There is always good stuff on there.

Keep moving

Paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_2eU1ykV3k&feature=topvideos_sports

Get Motivated

(Me at the end of "Menocross" started 60th place, finished 1st. Not bad for a second time racing this sport. There was no drinking and dancing at the finish line).

What are you doing this fall to spice things up... I am not talking about candles and satin sheets. I mean with your workout routine.

Now is a great transitional time to try something new, set some goals, and step out of that box.

I have decided to try cyclocross racing and it has been awesome. Lots of suffering on the bike in a zone that you aren't normally used to and a lot of fun to boot!

I have decided to set some goals for next year as I am not going long for Triathlon. I know I can finish an Ironman. I have four under my belt and I know where my weaknesses are.

The goal next year is to go shorter and faster. What are my specific goals?

5k under 20 min

10k under 40 min

13.1 miles (half marathon) under 1:30

How will I get there? I will be doing some lactate testing on my bike and run to see what optimal zones I need to train in. Finding you proper zones is critical to training otherwise you could be doing too much and not getting a lot out of it. Once these are determined you can start planning your program (Base, Build, and recovery cycles). I will still be doing triathlon so the workouts will be very speed specific and always keeping in mind that I will have another session tomorrow and not to burn myself out.

I have been training long for 3 years now. When you are doing long distance and putting in high mileage its harder to do the speed work. Sometimes when you have the time and you do the body says "what the hell are you doing to me?" If you train faster to begin with and get the body used to it it wont be such a shock come race day. The goal is to not train slow because you will race slow.

Now I am just having fun with training and doing a bit of everything... Its nice to be free from a strict schedule (which actually wasn't very strict).

What are your goals?

Happy training

Paul

Tuesday September 20th Trail Run Canceled

Hey Everyone,

Due to today's constant rain (and an injury I sustained) there will be no run this evening at Birds Hill Park.

Normally I would still go and see if there were any brave souls that have chosen to come out and enjoy the trails but having finished an ironman just one week ago I am better off not pushing through a run and hurting my calf further.

Sorry for the late notice but I was waivering on having the run and chasing people on bike. The past few runs in the rain were solo runs for me anyways...

PLease post if you have any questions, concerns and coments. I hope to see you out next tuesday @ 6pm Birds Hill Park Stables.

If you decided to go and run anyways please let me know by sending me a pansy text or e mail :-)

Sleep it off

Hey Everyone,

Its amazing what some extra sleep can do for the mind and body. after bailing on my 2 workouts and getting a solid 7 straight hrs of sleep last night I feel great today!

After feeling terrible, sick, or run down its always a good idea to ease back into your workouts slowly. The faster and harder you come back the better the chance you are going to get injured or sick.

Keep in mind that fitness is a lifetime journey for a lot of us. Its not about how quick you can get there then fall off the wagon again. Take you time follow the plan and you will be there in no time... After being sedentary for 3, 5, 10, or 20 years is 2 years of hard work all that bad? Yes and no. Sometimes you feel like you are getting nowhere (thats when its time to change it up) or ask yourself if you are really doing all that you can do the meet your goals.

I hear people saying all the time that they have tried everything to get fit but it must be their body that just cant lose the weight... NOT TRUE!

1. Are you making a 100% honest effort to your goal/goals? Look in the mirror and ask yourself that. See what the answer is. Some times it changes when you look at yourself rather than just asking yourself.

2. Are you getting in your workouts? 2 a week isnt going to cut it... 3 a week is not going to cut it. If you want to get FIT you need to put in the work. That for most people is 6 days a week with one rest day.

3. Are you eating too much? How about enough? I always tell people "you can work out 7 days a week for 3hrs a day and not lose weight if you are still eating too much. Remember you need to create that defecit to drop the pounds. Sometimes you just need to tweak your eating habits other times you need a complete overhaul. Either way this is boing to be a big part of your success rate. You cant just start exercising and continue to eat crap. If you do you may still make some positive gains but just think about how much faster you can progress when you make the changes you need to now instead of 6 months after you start exercising. Sit down with a nutritionist or dietician and see what you need.

On the other hand if you are not taking in enough calories to support yourself (exercising or not) your body can go into starvation mode and keep what it has (fat/mass) or start to break down precious muscle tissue to supply itself with energy. You dont want to go this route.

With my Ironman training I am eating 8-9 times a day and am maintaining 165lbs @ 6'0" and a body fat percentage of 5% My eating habits stay close to the same all year around as I keep active all year around. The amount of food changes when my training volume decreases. You cant do less and still eat more and stay the same!

Yes you do tend to eat more when you are training more but you cant restrict yourself from taking in some extra calories to support yourself. If you deny yourself thos extra calories you are not fueling your body for the recovery it needs to take after your workout and before the next one.

4. Are you getting enough rest? Sleep is just as important as training. If you dont let yourself recover you are just letting yourself break down. The more you do that the more you are prone to injury and burn out. Rest can be sleeping, just laying down, sitting reading a book or relaxing in the hot tub. You need time to relax and recover.

Personally when I am done a long or tough training session (2.5hr Run, 5+hr Bike, Longer brick workout) I will take in some recovery food (mix of carbs and protein to start the rebuilding and regenerating process), take a shower, and the best part lay down for a nap 30-60min Once I get up from that maybe a light stretch and I feel like a million bucks.

Everyone recovers differently so find what works for you and plan it in to your day.

Keep Training

Paul

Check out this video 48hrs in the life of Tim Don a top level Triathlete. This guy is insane. Who ever said it would be great to train as an athlete full time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BaDYnpTA2Y