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Monday Morning Mojo: Purely Water

By Tom Tognoli | February 6th, 2012 0 Comments

Do you know what percent of our body is water? We BEGIN life as a fetus at 99%. When we are born, it drops to about 90%. Then the average human body settles in around 70%. So, from a simple physical perspective, we are all made up of mostly water!

Let me ask you a simple question – if you had a choice to drink from a body of water, which would you prefer – a river or a pond? Why?

Water in a river remains pure because it is moving, and it is generally agreed that the quicker it is moving, the more pure it is. When water is stagnating, trapped, or immobile, what happens? It collects a lot of crap and becomes polluted. Right?

So, what is the message we all can learn from water?

That it is critical for us to continue moving fast and forward if we are interested in improving. Otherwise we could be in danger of becoming idle, polluted, and turn into crap. It is interesting to note that as children, we are expected to grow and improve every year mentally, physically and emotionally. This is why we have different grades in school and have to improve each year to continue on.

Then we graduate and what happens? Most people’s growth process stops or slows down drastically. The unfortunate thing is when we stop growing, we don’t stay the same. We actually start to move backwards year after year.

What are you doing to improve every day in your F5 (Faith, Family Friends, Fitness and Finance)? Are you reacting to life or are you attacking and taking from it?

Let’s all make a commitment to keep in action, keep moving, changing, flowing – mentally, physically, and emotionally. It is going to help purify who we are. Let’s choose not to turn into crap. Let’s choose to continue to become more pure!

Side Note:
Be sure and drink lots of water since 70% of our body is made up of it and we don’t want it just sitting in our bodies stagnant like a dirty pond – purge the old and replenish with new fresh clean water every day.

Like most of you, one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2012 was to get healthier. Gino, JT, myself and a few others have been doing food and fitness logs that we text to each other EVERY DAY. Every day we send each other what we did to improve our fitness and we also include everything we ate/drank for the day, everything! It is amazing how much of an impact this little exercise has on our daily eating habits. I can tell you that a few people in the group have already had a massive transformation. If you are looking to improve in any area of your life, do the same with a group of friends or colleagues. It will have a huge impact.

Morning Mojo: Defying Gravity

By Tom Tognoli | January 23rd, 2012 0 Comments

He was a physically active, healthy, and positive person growing up. He played sports and was always very active right through college. Even after college he would play pickup games of hoops, go for an occasional run and talk about all of the great things he was going to accomplish in life.

Then it all started to happen. Like it does for so many people, it did not happen all at once, but gradually over time. One day he looked at himself in the mirror and did not recognize the person he saw. He had gone from being this positive, ambitious, fit and healthy young man who was going to conquer the world and turned into this normal middle aged, overweight, cynical guy with slumped shoulders, horrible posture and a frown on his face. Heck, he did not even take the time to trim that hair growing out of his nose and ears…he just did not care anymore. You know the kind of person I am talking about. It may even be you. We see it all of the time…unfortunately, it is actually more normal that not. It is called the gravity of life. Reality of it is it is also just plain old gravity itself. Keeping fit and healthy in the equities of our life does not get easier as we get older, it gets harder. There are the aches and pains, the responsibilities, lack of time, and hanging out with our other people who are letting gravity suck them to the ground as well that helps us justify in our own minds it is okay. Well, I am here to tell you it is not okay. People, just taking it easy is why we have so much obesity, alcohol and drug addiction, poverty, money problems and divorce. The most important stuff in life requires hard work.

Gravity is what keeps us on the ground physically, but it is also what can pull us down in all the areas of our lives. And, if we let it, gravity will pull us below the ground. I have talked with my trainer, Brad, about this for years. The mindset of most people as they get older is all about working hard at life until we can take our foot off the gas and chill…get the house paid off, kids through college, retirement…

“Ah…How sweet it is going to be…lazy days, vacationing, fine wine and food, and doing a whole lot of nothing”

Well, I am here to tell you we all need to change our mindset. I know firsthand things don’t get easier as we get older; they get harder in many ways. We actually need to work harder at all the equities of our life because there is no such thing as a status quo life. Either we are getting better or we are getting worse, but we are never staying the same. And, if we aren’t working at getting better every day, gravity will suck us into the ground. We can’t just set off into the sunset. It is not easier to keep off the pounds, it is harder…it’s not easier to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control, it’s harder…it’s not easier to keep connected with our kids once they are out of the house, it’s harder…it’s not easier, it’s harder in all the areas of our life.

My challenge to everyone is every day you wake up make a commitment to make at least a small improvement in all the areas of your F5 (faith, family, friends, fitness, finance) and Defy Gravity. It may require some short term pain, but I promise the long term gain is worth it!!!!!!!

Defy Gravity!!!!!

Morning Mojo: Challenge + Crisis + Pain = OPPORTUNITY

By Tom Tognoli | November 21st, 2011 0 Comments

Why does life throw challenges and crisis at us, like the crisis we have all been dealing with for the last year?

Because that is the only way we will change. It is the only way we will rid ourselves of evil, bad habits, greed, ego and the wrong priorities. It’s human nature wanting to stay the course, not to rock the boat, and usually the only way we will change is if we are forced into it by some outside influence, i.e. financial crisis, death, illness, catastrophe. We have to look at the challenges of the last few years as an opportunity and as a way to re-prioritize what is important.

What has happened with most people these last few years is they are focused; no they are consumed, by what has been taken away and not focused on being thankful for what they have and the opportunities of tomorrow. Step back for a moment – the reason things get taken away, the reason life throws us challenges and crisis is because it is the only way we will wake up and quit overlooking those things which are really most important in life – our F5 (Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness and Finance). Challenge and crisis gets thrown at us because it is the only thing that will slap us in the face hard enough to get our attention. Think back in your life to a time of crisis – yes you may have lost something or someone. There may have been a scare in your life of some kind, and with that crisis a door opened. A new person appeared when you looked in the mirror, usually a better person, a more thankful person, a more humble person, a more caring person, and a person with better priorities.

In every crisis and in every challenge there is an opportunity. We just have to find it. But, until we let go of the pain and anger of what we have lost, and focus on all that we have which is really most important, the agony will not stop. And, once we do focus on what we have, life will be even better than it was before. This week and beyond, make a commitment EVERYDAY to give thanks and be grateful for everything and everyone you have in your life. Quit being consumed by what you have lost, or the pain will not stop and you will not be able to move forward towards accomplishing greatness. If you can do this, not only will the pain stop, but life will be better and you will be more at peace than ever before.

Remember, life is about who we become and how we grow when faced with challenge, with crisis, and with pain. It is what life is all about. It is why we are here. So step back and look in the mirror, who are you becoming?

This week is Thanksgiving – be thankful and be grateful for all we have in our lives. The rest is just “stuff.”

Morning Mojo: Capitulation

By Tom Tognoli | September 12th, 2011 0 Comments

It was March 6, 2009 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 54% to 6,469 from its peak of 14,164 on October 9, 2007 – a span of 17 months. Everyone’s stomach was in their throat as they watched their 401K’s and personal wealth vanish before their eyes. I can’t tell you how many people I know who cashed out at or near the bottom of the market because they could not take the pain and fear anymore. Unfortunately for them, it was at that exact moment, when the pain and fear was at its height, that instead of pulling their money out, they should have put more in.

If you watch a financial news channel like CNBC, you have heard them using the word capitulation a lot over the last few years. Capitulation is a term mostly used in finance and it simply means to surrender or give up. This term indicates the point in time when investors decide to give up as a result of falling stock prices in the market. Basically it is the time when the pain is so bad that no one can take it anymore and everyone throws in the towel and gives up.

Unfortunately for most, at capitulation in the financial market, or really capitulation at almost anything in life, is EXACTLY the moment when you should not give up. It is the point when you need to dig deep and push through the pain and fear. It is the point when most massively successful people in life and savvy investors like Warren Buffett make all of their money and grow their fortune. They have confidence and jump in to capitalize on everyone else’s fear and the fact that they have given up. It sure is easy to score when the other team walks off the field. Candidly, that is the point I think we are at today in the housing market, but that is for a different conversation.

You know what would have happened to those who panicked, gave up, and cashed out of the market on March 6, 2009 if they would have stayed the course on their long term plan and kept their money in? Instead of sitting back today looking at a 54% loss they would have experienced a 75% gain from the bottom, from the capitulation point. And that is as of today after the market has pulled back over 1,000 points in the last 4 weeks.

So, what does this capitulation have to do with a Monday Morning MOJO? We all struggle with different areas of our life at times – our F-5: Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness, and Finance. We may even reach capitulation in one or more areas. My challenge to you, is don’t give up. Dig deep when all hope seems lost and push through the pain and fear. If you can do this, instead of experiencing a significant loss you will experience a monumental gain only very few will ever experience. Just remember, capitulation is God’s way of seeing how committed we are and how bad we really want it.

Capitalize…don’t Capitulate!!

Wednesday Wellness | Practice Perfect Technique.

By Tammy Parkinson | August 31st, 2011 0 Comments

Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964 in Cornwall, New York) is a retired American speed skater. She is one of the top skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal.

Once interviewed, she indicated she never trained for power or speed, but technique. If she perfected her technique, then when race day came, she always knew she would skate her best.

In our daily habits, are we perfecting our technique, or are we always hoping to win the race, by being faster and stronger at any cost?

I’ve learned that when we push hard to “win” we usually compromise safety and often can injure ourselves at a devastating cost.

If we can tighten up our finesse, our technique by how we train, such as running in better alignment with our body, or slowing down our yoga practice to stretch our muscles safely instead of “pushing” the pose, or even fine tuning our “practice” of how we order our meals at restaurants, then we will get into such a rhythm of technique that when “race day” comes, everything else will fall into line safely and efficiently.

Since I learned this “mantra” of Bonnie Blair, I have given great thought to how I train when I water ski, cycle, workout with my trainer and when I practice yoga. It was a powerful statement for me to train a different way…in all areas of my life. I hope this can offer you some insight to your daily habits as well and as some say… “slow down to speed up”!

Thoughts on Leadership: How to Turn Failure into Success

By Gino Blefari | August 25th, 2011 0 Comments

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career; I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over in my life. And that’s why I succeed.”
-Michael Jordan, 2006

Failure. We all experience it. Most of us see failure as a negative thing, which makes sense; it doesn’t feel good to fail. We all want to succeed and failure feels like a setback to that goal. What we don’t realize is that failure presents an opportunity to learn, grow and succeed. Check out Michael Jordan’s “Failure” Nike Commercial.

Michael Jordan is a fun example to look at. When most people think about this basketball legend, they’re not immediately thinking about how he didn’t make the varsity basketball team his sophomore year in high school. They’re not thinking about the times he lost the game-winning shot. They’re thinking about his achievements: six-time NBA champion, five-time MBA MVP, 14-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

Michal Jordan’s success was real. People like to say that he was born a “gifted” basketball player, that Mark Zuckerburg was born a technology genius, and that Martin Luther King was a born leader. What we fail to realize, though, is that none of these successes were born that way. No one is born to play basketball, create a social media phenomenon, or to be a legendary leader.

Turning failure into success is hard work. It takes dedication and vision. When I was a brand new realtor my first coach Tom Hopkins taught me an important philosophy on failure and rejection that has resonated throughout my entire real estate career. He said “I never see failure as failure, but only as a learning experience. I never see failure as failure, but only as the feedback I need to change course in my direction. I never see failure as failure, but only as an opportunity to improve my sense of humor. I never see failure as failure, but only as an opportunity to practice my techniques and perfect my performance. I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I must play to win!”

Learn from some of the greatest champions on earth how to take the reigns and turn losses into wins – adapted from Adam Appleson’s book, “7 Steps to Turn ‘Failure’ Into Success:”

Grin and bear it.
When Michael Jordan came across rejection, he met it by practicing more.
Take a time-out.
The greatest ideas were founded when men and women were away from their usual routines. Albert Einstein was on vacation in the Apennine Mountains when we wondered what would happen if a ray of light became imprisoned.
Assess whether your current plans are realistic.
If things aren’t happening as fast as you’d anticipated, by the deadline you set for yourself, the deadline may not have been realistic. Don’t be afraid to make new plans and pursue them.
Get support.
Have a team behind you to get you through the rough times and keep you motivated!
Play a game called “15 Ways…”
Grab a sheet of paper and brainstorm 15 ways you can overcome whatever obstacle is standing between you and your goals. The first five are usually pretty obvious, but the last 10 are usually a bit harder to come up with, and often surface the innovative solutions you hadn’t thought about already.
Pick a hero.
Every time you fail and want to give up, ask yourself what your hero would do, then go do it!
Go out and execute every day.
Commit to doing one thing for your dreams every day. You know the saying, “genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.”

True leaders do not fear failure; they know how to use failure to their advantage. Like Michael Jordan said, he has failed over and over again, and that is why he succeeds. Take chances and don’t be afraid to fail, it could be the secret to your success!

Wednesday Wellness: If there’s a will, there’s a way

By Tammy Parkinson | May 25th, 2011 0 Comments

Come up onto my soap box with me while I write this
Wednesday Wellness! It’s a funny perspective…

Have you ever gone to someone’s house and you “had” to eat what they made. I mean you had to eat ALL the appetizers, drink the wine, have the desserts, hey, they “made” you have seconds! REALLY? Were you in a Jack Bauer scene from “24” and your host tied you up and forced it down your throat?!

OK, maybe that’s a little extreme, yet so often I hear how when one dines out or goes to a game or someone’s home they are “forced” to make unhealthy choices.

How often have you felt like you were disrespectful if you didn’t eat everything someone made for you? Let’s put the perspective on the other side of the kitchen. How often have you hosted and noticed what everyone ate, how much they ate, if they had seconds, if they took 2 bites or 20 bites? Were you upset with them if they didn’t try every item and finish everything twice? I bet you barely notice what others do; you’re just happy to have company.

We so often make excuses for our own choices. We like to blame others for the inability to stay true to our commitments.

Here’s another one…

When you are traveling, is it true that there is NO WAY you can get any physical activity in during your trip? Were you chained to your chair only to be let free for bathroom breaks and sleep?

OK, maybe that too is extreme, yet how often are there opportunities to walk the stairs, walk during breaks and lunch, maybe sneak in 20 minutes at a hotel gym…even every OTHER day?

Again, this is a choice of what other duties take priority over your silent commitments to your health.

I know this comes out a little rough, but maybe because there’s a little bit of truth to this!

Take a step away and see these two circumstances without emotion. You are at someone’s home and all the food looks like it came from a Southern fried restaurant, not a vegetable to be found. Did you consider offering to bring a salad or a healthy appetizer to help out your host (as well as yourself!?) Did you consider the notion of having a couple bites, to manage your saturated fat intake so you were able to nibble, but not over do it?

How about when you traveled, did you check out the hotel’s gym, or even more basic, bust out a few lunges, some pushups and a few bathtub dips in your room?

The old saying, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.” is so appropriate here!

The best strategy in situations like this is to think about your priorities before you get to the potential debacle! Consider how you could come out with your “best case scenario” and commit. The end result is you will feel healthier, happier and even more solid in your commitment to your health. You can talk it out with your favorite fitness professional or your favorite fitness friend! There are many ways to navigate in tough waters ~ just think “how” instead of “can’t” or “won’t”. You’ll come out ahead every time.

Thanks for sharing the soap box with me! Have a great week and strategize on healthy choices in any situation!

Wednesday Wellness: The choice is yours

By Tammy Parkinson | April 20th, 2011 0 Comments

As some of you might know, my favorite little treat is a chocolate covered peanut butter malt ball. I love them! Now, hey, I’m human and if you put 10 in front of me, I’d eat all 10! So, how I work it is when I am at my favorite grocery store, Whole Foods, I buy one. Yep, one. So, I was at the checkout and the cashier was giving me a hard time (in a fun way) about only buying one, so I told him I buy one at a time, but I do this nearly every day! The cashier then enlightened me that at the end of the year, I could pile up 365 malt balls to show how much I had eaten! Wow, now that was depressing! I quickly bantered however that if I piled up how many vegetables I had in the course of a year, I could fill up a room (or two!). When I put that in perspective, it didn’t seem so out of balance; especially when I add on the hours of workouts each week I am dedicated to.

This is life, we make small choices every day which we don’t think mean much, but when we make the choice say to go for a 10 minute workout, thinking it won’t add up to much, in the course of a year that’s over 60 hours of training and could equal as much as 10 pounds of calories burned!! The flip side is when we choose NOT to workout, thinking it doesn’t add up, that could potentially tack ON 10 pounds in the course of a year!

These little choices appear every day. How many nibbles do you have of your kids’ leftovers (every day)? Do you conversely take the time to workout to balance out the added calories? How often do you leave a meeting early, learning a little less than your coworkers? How often do you take steps 2 at a time instead of one at a time? There are so many paths we can take towards health, vitality, healing, energy and so many paths we can take towards sickness, obesity, lethargy and laziness.

Now I can tell you I am savoring each delicious daily malt ball, and to be honest, I did take some time out during the holidays when I wasn’t having any treats at all, so my malt ball pile might be a little smaller; but I do try to be more focused on the nutritious food I eat and the healthy choices I create in my life. This isn’t always easy, it isn’t always without struggle, but it is a lifestyle and one I hope all of us can dedicate a little attention to; one which needs patience and daily care.

Wednesday Wellness:24 hours of being dead

By Tammy Parkinson | March 30th, 2011 0 Comments

The other day I read a joke where the Doctor was asking his patient, “What works best in your schedule: 1 hour of exercise a day or 24 hours of being dead?” I laughed, but what a powerful statement and one that really isn’t that funny!

We all have this option, but we fool ourselves into thinking it won’t happen to us. There are thousands of studies about the importance of exercise and increasing the quality and longevity of life…yet so many of us choose to believe it’s not that important!

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a minimum of 30 minutes (vigorous) exercise 5 days a week. Nearly 70 % of American’s don’t get this in! That is tragic!

If there was a way you could carve out even 30 minute of light exercise, you’d be ahead of most of the nation! Not only will you create a healthier body, but a healthier state of mind!

I know it’s hard and I know our days are already so crammed packed. But let me ask you: What you have time for, exercise several times a week, or 24 hours of…well, you know…

Wednesday Wellness: Perfectly Imperfect

By Tammy Parkinson | March 23rd, 2011 0 Comments

Why is it so hard for some of us to admit that we aren’t perfect? Why do we expect ourselves to be excellent at something we’ve never even tried before?

As a trainer, I’m used to people saying to me, “Oh, I’m terrible at balance.” Or, “I must whine and complain more than any other client you have!” And I always assure them, no, you’re not terrible at balancing–that’s why you’re practicing. And no, you’re not whining and complaining; what you’re doing is hard because it’s new and you’re not expected to do it “right” the first time out. Yet we continue to have these unrealistic expectations and sometimes, if you’re like me, you can take it to an extreme and truly beat yourself up for not doing it “right” or doing enough of a given activity. (As though there was some measured amount and the “enough” police are on the lookout for me!)

In order to be perfect, it would mean we reached the pinnacle of what we are doing–there is no more room for growth and there is no error. Which is of course IMPOSSIBLE. When I meet a client for the first time, I try to assure them that I expect them NOT to understand what I’m saying, to ask questions and to make mistakes. Just like I tell my 8-year old daughter–homework is for learning and for making mistakes so we can keep practicing and learning. Training is homework. Life is homework. The challenge I have is in applying that to myself…

If you’re at all like me (anal retentive with perfectionist qualities, and in denial that you’re a perfectionist because you’re not perfect yet!), you struggle to accept that you are exactly where you are supposed to be at any given moment. And that life is messy. Not everybody shows up; not everybody does it my way; not everybody sees it my way; and each day is meant to be different than the preceding and following one. Grrrr….I’ve been a salmon swimming upstream my whole life fighting (literally) this truism of life.

It’s only been since I started “practicing” yoga (I love that we call it that!) about a year ago that I began to see the beauty of making mistakes, of falling down, of striving to be better for oneself but not necessarily to “prove” anything to anyone else. That is why yoga is a called a practice because we never arrive at a destination. Instead, we “practice” in order to do the act repeatedly so as to gain skill. And one day may be “easier” or “better” than the next, but we are taught to just let it be. Tall order for this girl! But I’m learning, slowly, gently, that it is indeed easier to be perfectly imperfect and at ease in my own skin, rather than itchy and scratchy because I never QUITE do it good enough.

I used to live my live by the credo, “I’m not enough.” You could truly fill in the blank with any word and it would describe me. As of late, I’ve adopted the motto, “I love myself the way I am, and still I want to grow.” –Jai Josefs

Try it on for size. Be perfectly imperfect. You might just find that you like it.

Written by Stacia Carney
Body Firm Certified Personal Trainer

Posts Tagged ‘fitness’

Monday Morning Mojo: Purely Water

Morning Mojo: Defying Gravity

Morning Mojo: Challenge + Crisis + Pain = OPPORTUNITY

Morning Mojo: Capitulation

Wednesday Wellness | Practice Perfect Technique.

Thoughts on Leadership: How to Turn Failure into Success

Wednesday Wellness: If there’s a will, there’s a way

Wednesday Wellness: The choice is yours

Wednesday Wellness:24 hours of being dead

Wednesday Wellness: Perfectly Imperfect

Gino on success

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