Happy New Year! (it’s resolution time)

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first few days of 2023. Although I’m not a big proponent of annual resolutions, this time of year certainly lends itself to that process for lots of people. If you’re one of them, here are some considerations in your quest for self-improvement:

• Upgrade your pantry and fridge. Replace the high-sugar, refined, processed, and fried foods and snacks with healthier options like nuts, fruits, and veggies.
• Schedule your workout. You’re more likely to commit to a regular workout if you schedule it as part of your day/week as you would any other appointment or obligation.
• Train with a buddy to keep you motivated and accountable. Research shows that you’re more likely to stay on task if you workout with a partner, especially if he or she is more fit than you.
• Try new foods.  Experiment with new recipes and try to avoid stuff that comes out of a bag, package, or box.
• Get your sleep.  You’ll feel and perform better when you are well-rested. Aim for 7-8 hours of shuteye per night.
• Try a new activity.  If your current routine is getting stale, move on. Finding an activity you enjoy increases the likelihood that you’ll make it a priority.
• Take a break.  Set aside time in your daily calendar for two 15-minute breaks — one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Go for a walk, listen to music, or grab a healthy snack to improve productivity.
• Get more color in your diet. Try to include at least three colorful fruits and vegetables on your plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Colorful meals are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help fight illness and decrease inflammation.

Best wishes for a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2023.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Your thoughts?

WE BUILD STRONGER ATHLETES!

We provide motivated athletes with a simple, customized training plan to help them improve performance and reduce injury risk.

Happy New Year! (it’s resolution time)

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first few days of 2022. Although I’m not a big proponent of annual resolutions, this time of year certainly lends itself to that process for lots of people. If you’re one of them, here are some considerations in your quest for self-improvement:

• Upgrade your pantry and fridge. Replace the high-sugar, refined, processed, and fried foods and snacks with healthier options like nuts, fruits, and veggies.
• Schedule your workout. You’re more likely to commit to a regular workout if you schedule it as part of your day/week as you would any other appointment or obligation.
• Train with a buddy to keep you motivated and accountable. Research shows that you’re more likely to stay on task if you workout with a partner, especially if he or she is more fit than you.
• Try new foods.  Experiment with new recipes and try to avoid stuff that comes out of a bag, package, or box.
• Get your sleep.  You’ll feel and perform better when you are well-rested. Aim for 7-8 hours of shuteye per night.
• Try a new activity.  If your current routine is getting stale, move on. Finding an activity you enjoy increases the likelihood that you’ll make it a priority.
• Take a break.  Set aside time in your daily calendar for two 15-minute breaks — one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Go for a walk, listen to music, or grab a healthy snack to improve productivity.
• Get more color in your diet. Try to include at least three colorful fruits and vegetables on your plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Colorful meals are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help fight illness and decrease inflammation.

Best wishes for a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2022.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Your thoughts?

WE WILL HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER ATHLETE!

We provide motivated athletes with a simple, customized training plan to help them improve performance and reduce injury risk.

Happy New Year! (it’s resolution time)

Happy New Year, once again, and welcome to the end of the first few days of 2021. Although I’m not a big proponent of annual resolutions, this time of year certainly lends itself to that process for lots of people. If you’re one of them, here are some considerations in your quest for self-improvement:

• Upgrade your pantry and fridge. Replace the high-sugar, refined, processed, and fried foods and snacks with healthier options like nuts, fruits, and veggies.
• Schedule your workout. You’re more likely to commit to a regular workout if you schedule it as part of your day/week as you would any other appointment or obligation.
• Train with a buddy to keep you motivated and accountable. Research shows that you’re more likely to stay on task if you workout with a partner, especially if he or she is more fit than you.
• Try new foods.  Experiment with new recipes and try to avoid stuff that comes out of a bag, package, or box.
• Get your sleep.  You’ll feel and perform better when you are well-rested. Aim for 7-8 hours of shuteye per night.
• Try a new activity.  If your current routine is getting stale, move on. Finding an activity you enjoy increases the likelihood that you’ll make it a priority.
• Take a break.  Set aside time in your daily calendar for two 15-minute breaks — one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Go for a walk, listen to music, or grab a healthy snack to improve productivity.
• Get more color in your diet. Try to include at least three colorful fruits and vegetables on your plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Colorful meals are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help fight illness and decrease inflammation.

Best wishes for a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2021.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Your thoughts?

WE WILL HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER ATHLETE!

We provide motivated athletes with a simple, customized training plan to help them improve performance and reduce injury risk.

Happy New Year! (it’s resolution time)

Happy New Year, once again, and welcome to the end of the first full week of 2020.  Although I’m not a big proponent of annual resolutions, this time of year certainly lends itself to that process for lots of people.  If you’re one of them, here are some considerations in your quest for self-improvement:

• Upgrade your pantry and fridge.  Replace the high-sugar, refined, processed, and fried foods and snacks with healthier options like nuts, fruits, and veggies.
• Schedule your workout.  You’re more likely to commit to a regular workout if you schedule it as part of your day/week as you would any other appointment or obligation.
• Train with a buddy to keep you motivated and accountable.  Research shows that you’re more likely to stay on task if you workout with a partner, especially if he or she is more fit than you.
• Try new foods.  Experiment with new recipes and try to avoid stuff that comes out of a bag, package, or box.
• Get your sleep.  You’ll feel and perform better when you are well-rested.  Aim for 7-8 hours of shuteye per night.
• Try a new activity.  If your current routine is getting stale, move on.  Finding an activity you enjoy increases the likelihood that you’ll make it a priority.
• Take a break.  Set aside time in your daily calendar for two 15-minute breaks — one in the morning and another in the afternoon.  Go for a walk, listen to music, or grab a healthy snack to improve productivity.
• Get more color in your diet.  Try to include at least three colorful fruits and vegetables on your plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Colorful meals are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help fight illness and decrease inflammation.

Best wishes for a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2020.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Happy New Year! (it’s resolution time)

Happy New Year, once again, and welcome to the end of the first full week of 2016.  Although I’m not a big proponent of annual resolutions, this time of year certainly lends itself to that process for lots of people.  If you’re one of them, here are some considerations in your quest for self-improvement:

• Upgrade your pantry and fridge.  Replace the high-sugar, refined, processed, and fried foods and snacks with healthier options like nuts, fruits, and veggies.
• Schedule your workout.  You’re more likely to commit to a regular workout if you schedule it as part of your day/week as you would any other appointment or obligation.
• Train with a buddy to keep you motivated and accountable.  Research shows that you’re more likely to stay on task if you workout with a partner, especially if he or she is more fit than you.
• Try new foods.  Experiment with new recipes and try to avoid stuff that comes out of a bag, package, or box.
• Get your sleep.  You’ll feel and perform better when you are well-rested.  Aim for 7-8 hours of shuteye per night.
• Try a new activity.  If your current routine is getting stale, move on.  Finding an activity you enjoy increases the likelihood that you’ll make it a priority.
• Take a break.  Set aside time in your daily calendar for two 15-minute breaks — one in the morning and another in the afternoon.  Go for a walk, listen to music, or grab a healthy snack to improve productivity.
• Get more color in your diet.  Try to include at least three colorful fruits and vegetables on your plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Colorful meals are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help fight illness and decrease inflammation.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Happy New Year! (it’s resolution time)

Happy New Year, once again, and welcome to the end of the first full week of 2016.  Although I’m not a big proponent of annual resolutions, this time of year certainly lends itself to that process for lots of people.  If you’re one of them, here are some considerations in your quest for self-improvement:

• Upgrade your pantry and fridge.  Replace the high-sugar, refined, processed, and fried foods and snacks with healthier options like nuts, fruits, and veggies.
• Schedule your workout.  You’re more likely to commit to a regular workout if you schedule it as part of your day/week as you would any other appointment or obligation.
• Train with a buddy to keep you motivated and accountable.  Research shows that you’re more likely to stay on task if you workout with a partner, especially if he or she is more fit than you.
• Try new foods.  Experiment with new recipes and try to avoid stuff that comes out of a bag, package, or box.
• Get your sleep.  You’ll feel and perform better when you are well-rested.  Aim for 7-8 hours of shuteye per night.
• Try a new activity.  If your current routine is getting stale, move on.  Finding an activity you enjoy increases the likelihood that you’ll make it a priority.
• Take a break.  Set aside time in your daily calendar for two 15-minute breaks — one in the morning and another in the afternoon.  Go for a walk, listen to music, or grab a healthy snack to improve productivity.
• Get more color in your diet.  Try to include at least three colorful fruits and vegetables on your plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Colorful meals are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help fight illness and decrease inflammation.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

21 Life Improvement Tips for 2016 (and beyond)

This is too good not to share.  Here are 21 “Life Improvement” tips from Bill Phillips, Editor-in-Chief of Men’s Health, that “will make you feel great today… and tomorrow.”

1. Get out of bed an hour earlier. (Shhh. Don’t wake your smartphone.)
2. Drink an 8-ounce glass of water within 8 minutes of waking up in the morning.  Pound another after your shower.
3. Start a protein-at-every-meal routine.
4. Learn a new word every day. Bonus points if it’s not English.
5. Take the long way to work.  Obey the speed limit!
6. Say “Nice job” to a young person.
7. See how fast you can run a mile.
8. Buy a vegetable you don’t recognize.  Maybe even eat it.
9. Read a poem.  Anything by Langston Hughes, W.B. Yeats, or Marshall Mathers will do.
10. Send a postcard to somebody, anybody.
11. Call your mom.
12. And call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a year or longer.
13. Book a flight to a city you’ve never seen.  You’ll sort out the details later.
14. Sit quietly for five minutes, without distraction.
15. Argue the other side.
16. Compliment your wife.
17. Better yet, do something you know she’ll appreciate, just because.
18. Strike up a conversation with a stranger.
19. Say thanks — and be specific.
20. Turn the TV off at 10 p.m.  Extra credit if you pick up a book.
21. Smile like you mean it, even if you don’t.  Because then you will.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

The One-Percent Rule

You’ve probably heard of the 1% rule (or something similar).  It’s all about accountability, responsibility, and self-improvement.  The 1% rule means you should try to be 1% better today than you were yesterday — in the gym, at practice, as a competitor, at work, at home, and in life.  But improvement involves (requires) change and change requires work.  Basically, there are three types of change:

• Steady-state change
• Incremental change
• Quantum change

Steady-state change is about maintenance.  Although there is little or no change, work is required.  For example, if you want to keep your house looking a certain way, you have to do dishes, wash clothes, vacuum the floors, etc. on a regular basis… and that’s just to keep it looking the same way, day after day.  The same applies to your strength & conditioning and sport-specific skills.  You need to commit yourself  to working out and practicing just to maintain your level of performance — consistency is the key.  Failure to work will invariably lead to a decline in your performance (and the appearance and condition of your house).

Incremental (small-scale) change is the key to improving performance.  This is the type of change to which the 1% rule applies.  Incremental change is realistic and attainable.  It obviously requires effort, but incremental change also encourages progress.  If managed properly, incremental change can lead to significant results.  As with steady-state change, incremental change requires consistency and discipline.

• Healthy Weight Management.  If your goal involves losing a few pounds, break it down into a reasonable weekly or monthly goal.
• Diet and Nutrition.  To improve your diet, don’t completely overhaul your eating habits all at once.  Try changing one thing per day (or week) — for example, eliminate one sugary drink per day or add an apple every day.  Then, aim to change (add or eliminate) more things over time to create better habits.
• Strength and Conditioning.  In order to improve your strength and speed — or your overall level of fitness — you must do something differently than you’re currently doing.  That usually means increasing the overall intensity level of your training (more resistance, sets, reps, and/or volume).
• Sport-Specific Skills.  Want to improve your ball-handling or shooting?  Find some new drills, instead of  — or in addition to —  the ones you’re currently doing; and commit more time and effort (more repetitions) to your skills practice.

The new year is a time of change for lots of people.  My first blog post of 2013 referred to new year’s resolutions.  I’ve read that most people give up on their new year’s resolutions by the end of January, and that trying to accomplish too much, too soon (unrealistic goals) is the primary reason.  Challenge yourself, but take “baby” steps, and you’ll find the change process much more manageable and attainable.

Quantum (large-scale) change takes time, and is the result of lots of incremental change.  Regardless of your goals, it’s unrealistic to think you can make huge gains in performance in a relatively short time.  If you want to achieve big things, you need to do diligence to the incremental change process.  Be aggressive and realistic.  And be patient.

What will you change, and how will you improve, today?

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Happy New Year! (it’s resolution time)

Happy New Year, and welcome to my first blog post of 2013.  Although I’m not a big proponent of annual resolutions, this time of year certainly lends itself to that process for lots of people.  If you’re one of them, here are some considerations in your quest for self-improvement:

• Upgrade your pantry and fridge.  Replace the high-sugar, refined, processed, and fried foods and snacks with healthier options like nuts, fruits, and veggies.
• Schedule your workout.  You’re more likely to commit to a regular workout if you schedule it as part of your day/week as you would any other appointment or obligation.
• Train with a buddy to keep you motivated and accountable.  Research shows that you’re more likely to stay on task if you workout with a partner, especially if he or she is more fit than you.
• Try new foods.  Experiment with new recipes and try to avoid stuff that comes out of a bag, package, or box.
• Get your sleep.  You’ll feel and perform better when you are well-rested.  Aim for 7-8 hours of shuteye per night.
• Try a new activity.  If your current routine is getting stale, move on.  Finding an activity you enjoy increases the likelihood that you’ll make it a priority.
• Take a break.  Set aside time in your daily calendar for two 15-minute breaks — one in the morning and another in the afternoon.  Go for a walk, listen to music, or grab a healthy snack to improve productivity.
• Get more color in your diet.  Try to include at least three colorful fruits and vegetables on your plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Colorful meals are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help fight illness and decrease inflammation.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?