Today I Will Make A Difference by by Max Lucado

Found this in my inbox this morning. It's a good reminder for me. In moving the gym, I have encountered a bunch of challenges; some large, some small and some that I'm convinced are totally unnecessary B.S. In dealing with all of it, I've been spending far too much time thinking and complaining about petty bureaucracy and the associated costs.

I needed this reminder. I hope you find it worthwhile, too.

For those of you who beat yourself up for not losing weight or for regaining weight or for not maintaining your exercise program, check out the third paragraph.


Today I Will Make A Difference
by Max Lucado

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble… I will get up. It’s OK to fail… I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

How Are Those New Year's Resolutions Coming?

We are now 8 weeks into 2009. How are you resolutions coming? Are you on target or have you given up on them? Spring is right around the corner. Are you going to be in better shape than last year? Will you be enjoying outdoor activities or will you still be complaining about your winter weight gain?

If you've fallen off the exercise wagon, now is the time to get back on.

If your workout routine is feeling stale, get a new one.

Set some reasonable goals for regular exercise and reward yourself when you meet them with a massage, facial, CD, DVD box set, a concert or a play, etc. Or, take the opposite approach and penalize yourself for missed workouts. Pledge not to watch your favorite TV show unless you've worked out a minimum of twice within the last 7 days or fine yourself $5 or $10 for each missed workout. To keep you honest and accountable, give the money to a friend, co-worker or your spouse for safe keeping. When you reach a certain dollar amount, let them decide where to donate the money.

It's Not Just About Calories Burned

I know I haven't been doing as much personal blogging lately. I've got so much on my mind with Body & Soul's upcoming move and I just don't have the time. Rather than temporarily abandoning the blog, I've been posting a lot of articles from other fitness pros. I hope you understand and find them helpful.

If you've been to No Pink Dumbbells before, you probably know that I'm a big proponent of cardio intervals over long, slow, steady state cardio sessions.

Below is an excellent article from Alwyn Cosgrove about the results of a study that compared low intensity cardio to high intensity cardio in regards to their effects on abdominal fat loss in obese women.

Here is a compelling excerpt:

The interesting thing was the researchers controlled the groups for total calories burned -- so they adjusted the duration of the high intensity group's workouts so that they didn't burn any more calories than the lower intensity group. So both groups burned the exact same number of calories (400 calories per session) - and obviously the higher intensity group exercised for a shorter period of time on those days.

This is where the results are interesting. Despite burning the exact same amount of calories over the sixteen weeks - the low intensity group did not see any changes in abdominal fat. The exercise program did not do anything. However the high intensity group saw a significant reduction in abdominal fat.

You can read the entire post here ==> Alwyn Cosgrove blog.

Wow! Check Out This Guy.

Step Away From The Cardio Machines, People!

I ran across a great blog post from Kim Ball the other day. It's the same things I'm always preaching but it appears that some people need to hear something from lots of sources before they're ready to believe it.

Check it out here ==> Aw, jeez...I'm gettin' annoyed

A Little Pollyanna Is A Good Thing

I just came across the article below this morning. Obviously, the concept applies to every aspect of your life but I started thinking about how it specifically applied to getting in shape.

Too many people sabotage themselves through their attitudes and beliefs.

"I'll never be able to lose this weight."

"I'm too busy to work out regularly."

"Healthy food is boring and bland."

"I'm too old to exercise."

"I joined a gym before but I stopped going. I'll just do the same thing again if I sign up."

"Healthy food is too expensive."

"Sure celebrities can get in shape. They can afford personal trainers and chefs; I can't."

If you believe any of those statements, they will become self fulfilling prophecies. There are people who, at one time, believed the same things but did succeed when they changed their attitudes.

None of those above statements are "fact." You're never too old, you don't need a personal trainer or even a gym to exercise, healthy nutrition can be very tasty, etc.

Your negative expectations have so much to do with your success or failure at anything in life. See how you can change your life by changing your attitude...


The Expectation of Something Good
By John Carpenter Dealey

Ernest Holmen once said "Today I live in the quiet, joyous expectation of good." That's good advice for all of us. Generally speaking, we find what we expected to get.

So, when you got out of bed this morning, what kind of day were you expecting? Each morning you have a choice of what you will focus on. Were you anticipating a marvelous day filled with many blessings? I hope so!

Read the rest of the article here ==> The Expectation of Something Good

10 Minute Workout

No time for a full workout? Perform the following circuit with no rest between exercises:

10 Prisoner Squats
10 Incline Pushups (or standard if you’re a pro)
10 Lying Hip Bridges
10 Slow Mountain Climbers (10 each side)

The circuit takes about 2 minutes. Repeat 5 times.

Too easy? Go for 12 or 15 reps of each exercise.

Too hard? Do fewer rounds and rest for 30-60 seconds after each completed circuit.

Let me know what you think.
.