Fitness and Exercise saved my life! I know it is hard to believe or imagine with many of the approaches of current fitness fads and gyms that exercise, fitness, healthy movement, working out or whatever you prefer to call it can be fun, manageable, not done in vain and lifesaving, but I promise you it can be and should be!

I myself don’t even wake up on fire and ready to eat broccoli and grilled chicken while I run and do push up’s all day ;}, but I do make it a priority in my life. I make the time for exercise because it’s my medicine and I made a promise to myself a long time ago that if I made it this far in life, I would do as many things as possible to stay healthy for myself and for those around me. I do this especially for my family and my clients who I consider my family. My relationship with exercise and fitness has taken on many roles over the years and I haven’t always exercised for the best reasons, but no matter what, exercise and healthy movement have always paid me back 100-fold and this is what I so passionately want to share with you. At this point in my life, sharing the insanely huge difference a healthy and positive life can have on your entire existence is my #1 goal and I speak from deep rooted personal experience on this!!

Here’s a snapshot of my story:

I really began to exercise and move more as a kid initially because I needed an escape from myself, my head, my emotions and my chaos. I knew that if I was doing something that kept my mind busy and engaged, I wouldn’t have to deal with all of the uncontrollable noise that was flowing in and out of my head consistently. I could control my physical movement, but I couldn’t control my thoughts, emotions and my feelings. Exercise was truly my escape in so many ways. I wasn’t very naturally athletic and often times sports would just add to my feelings of inadequacy and lack of confidence. Life was kicking my ass and I couldn’t find any way to gain ground.

I always had a powerful urge to overcome and to progress in life, but I never seemed to be able to sit still and concentrate on anything long enough to figure it out. In my day-to-day existence I couldn’t find a peaceful refuge, so I was always searching for something mentally and emotionally. Then I discovered the constant physical movement of exercise which gave me comfort because I was already in a state constant motion mentally, so I began to pick up different sports and physical habits. I was pretty good at Basketball and dribbling or any other sport that consisted of constant motion. My issue was I good during practice, but once it came to an actual game where something was on the line, I would fall back into my own insecurities of self-doubt and judgment which led to performance anxiety and mistakes almost always. I wasn’t necessarily scared or nervous I just couldn’t overcome my constant self judgement and doubt.

Exercise played a major role in me building up my confidence and using all of the emotional energy I had pent-up through physical exertion and achievement. I was fairly good at strength training and in my teens,  I used that as a way to start building some momentum in my life. It was one area where I could see progress and positive results when nothing else seemed to work. I was never really good at school because I couldn’t slow my mind enough to really focus, take notes, etc and I didn’t have any consistent discipline or responsibility which made it even worse for a kid who was definitely hyperactive. If it wasn’t for sports, my family and a deep-rooted drive to overcome and help those around me overcome I never would have graduated high school and still barely did with much help.

Life was always chaotic around me and I wanted so bad to take control of everything that it seemed I couldn’t take control of anything. My family life had no sense of structure or progress and I was the walking talking expression of this for most of my life. I was just living moment to moment with no sense of purpose searching for answers in all of the wrong places, but full of energy and never slowing down. I was literally out of control. One thing I have always done well is work and I believe this is because I am always on the move and full of energy. The problem was for the longest time my actions and my work would just go in circles with no sense of progress or meaning. Again, I think it was really just a way to move and diminish the constant damaging noise I was managing inwardly. Which did the job as a fairly healthy coping mechanism for a while.

Joining the Coast Guard was the best decision I have ever made in my life and I honestly don’t know if I would be on this earth if it wasn’t for this decision. Making the decision to join the Coast Guard was a natural decision for me because I always wanted to save the lives around me especially my family. The truth is exercise again saved my life and my career in the Coast Guard as I aspired to be a rescue swimmer when I joined. This pushed me to become a surface swimmer for the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless WMEC-624. This responsibility required me to keep up a rigorous fitness routine despite still having a lot of very unhealthy energy and influences around me. Having this responsibility allowed me to use my work ethic and dedication of saving others which was a natural fit and helped me to gain a sense of self worth and purpose in what I was doing.

Having made a few mistakes and creating hardship once again in my life during my first few months in the U.S. Coast Guard. I was still in a bad place emotionally and mentally and if I hadn’t been allowed to work as a surface swimmer and prove myself to the crew and my leadership I may have been kicked out of the Coast Guard. I believe this would have led me down a very dark and dangerous path. Unfortunately, getting in trouble meant I didn’t make it to rescue swimmer school, but I did manage to find another mission and move on with my career in the Coast Guard. Fitness again played a huge role in helping me to stay focused and on task as I attended one of, if not the most intellectually challenging enlisted rating A-Schools (specialty school). Marine Science Technician school.

During this training I threw myself into working out almost every day and was voted the most inspirational in the class, earned the most fitness points in the class and really embraced fitness and healthy living as a lifestyle. This helped me to develop my own identity and sense of self-worth which I had always seemed to lack. As a kid I never wanted to just go with the flow. I wanted to set the example and work hard and stand out somehow and this was one of the first times I had been recognized by my peers for doing so. Maybe  I developed this drive as part of my insecurities or the feeling of not being able to overcome my family hardship. I don’t know if this is the case or not, but I did learn how to use my overpowering energy to my advantage in many healthy ways through fitness and healthy living.

Once I finished A-School I was sent to Baton Rouge La. my first primary duty station as a Marine Science Technician. Again, I found purpose and a path to use fitness as a tool and an asset in my life. I was asked to go to training and become a Unit Health Promotion Coordinator which I really enjoyed and embraced. I was lucky to attend training in Kodiak Alaska and I learned a lot. I earned the most inspirational award at this training as well. The instructor gave me The New Encyclopedia of Body Building by Arnold Schwarzenegger as my reward, which I still own and cherish today. The leaders who recognized my efforts in the U.S. Coast Guard really boosted my belief in myself and the possibility of helping others.  They changed the way I saw myself and inspired me to want to do this for everyone around me. At the end of the day I am the coach I am because I know what it feels like to have someone put faith and trust in you when don’t even have faith and trust in yourself. It can literally change your entire life and that’s what I aim to do for everyone I coach!

As a unit Health Promotion Coordinator I began to help many of my shipmates make healthier choices and design fun activities and workouts for my unit and our members. This really helped me to even further embrace my role as a coach and mentor in fitness and health. Over the next 3-4 years I would advance in the U.S. Coast Guard and begin to take on more of a supervisory role which I didn’t necessarily enjoy due to the lack of movement once again. I loved leading and coaching, but I wanted to see consistent results and progress which my job and the service in general isn’t necessarily built around. I still did my best and received the Enlisted Person of The Year award for my unit in 2013, BUT for some reason I still wasn’t satisfied with my level of impact on my shipmates and those around me.

This realization was a hard one and led me to look for answers and impact elsewhere. I sought out and took a personal trainer job in my off time to explore this option for my future. I quickly realized I could help more people and use my energy constructively teaching others about fitness and exercise and sharing the personal experience and benefits I had received through fitness and healthy living. At 28 I had finally found my passion which was coaching! As, I always do, I went all in and started college for exercise science. Despite my lack of success with school in the past I knew I could overcome my faults at this point with sheer effort and dedication.

To further develop my skills and knowledge I found the top fitness coaches in the U.S. and I began to follow them, study what they were doing and spend time with them and their teams. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do yet as I had already spent 10 years on active duty and had three years left on my contract, but I knew I loved coaching! I went back and forth for a while on my decision and in September 2014 with the help of my faith I decided I was going to be a full-time coach somewhere and own a gym one day. As a Fitness Professional I was finally changing lives in real time and it was the most fulfilling thing I had ever done. Exercise again had given me life when I couldn’t find it anywhere else.

Now, it’s 2019 and I have over 10,000 hours of coaching under my belt, a degree in Exercise Science, 11 certifications, a gym and more passion than ever before to change the world. Today, I can calmly and happily say that exercise and fitness has again saved my life!

I am not saying that fitness fixed all of my issues and allowed me to never have any emotional distress or pain, but it really is my medicine and it really helps me to manage all aspects of my life better and makes me an all-around better person. I still deal with many different weaknesses to this day, but my #1 medicine is fitness and I know that it can and will change your life if you decide to approach movement and exercise as an opportunity and benefit rather than an obstacle or burden.

EXERCISE IS
Healthy
Rewarding
Invigorating
Empowering
Motivating

It’s so many things for so many people and for me it’s been truly LIFESAVING!

 

We are almost halfway through 2018 and 241,920 minutes have passed us by. What has this year been like for you? Have you been on a few adventures, overcome a few mental challenges, learned something new about yourself or your family? The truth is time passes by at the same pace every day, but the way we experience this time is 100% up to our choices and our actions. Life is truly the most precious thing we have and all of these momentary experiences form our beliefs, consequences, challenges, achievements, relationships, goals and endeavors. We have the option to either take some of this time and use it to discover what it takes to build a dream life or we choose to struggle through each day continuously wondering what a good life would be like.

You may be asking yourself “Where does fitness play a role in this plan of building your dream life?” Let me tell you that it has everything to do with it. If you are unhealthy, tired, worn down and in pain you are going to start to believe that these difficulties are just normal and you aren’t capable of achieving much more, but this is a complete lie and it will limit your potential if you let it. So, don’t let it!

Every time you exercise, you increase your blood flow, your oxygen consumption, your healthy hormone production, your confidence, your sense of accomplishment, your abilities and your potential! By completing a challenging training program you start to build the understanding that you are capable of achieving great things and start to believe in yourself. This belief in yourself spills over into every aspect of your life and when harnessed will help you build your dream life.

In the photo above I am at the base of a waterfall after hiking 10 miles into the Grand Canyon to the majestic Havasupai Indian Reservation with all of the gear and food I would need for 2 nights and 3 days. Do you think I would have ever been able to experience this amazing place without a good level of fitness or good health? No, I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the hiking, heat or climbing required. The way we experience this life is shaped by our daily choices and I choose every day to prepare my mind and body for life’s adventures and challenges!

We all know it is hard to maintain a physical fitness routine and also keep up with all of the other pieces of this health puzzle so, I am going to break it down into 7 different principles that are easy to understand and easy to apply in your every day life.

1. Invest in a fitness coaching program that takes a holistic mind, body and soul approach. Find a coach that will help motivate you based off of your deeper internal drivers with realistic and sustainable education, coaching and tools.
2. Focus on a lifelong health journey and try to learn as much as possible about the benefits and impacts a healthy approach to living will have on your quality of life for years to come. Sign up for our newsletter here to easily gain some of this knowledge!
3. Don’t chase someone else’s goals or images of what healthy is. Create and modify your own goals as needed.
4. Believe in the process and subscribe to at least 3-4 days a week of moderate to higher intensity physical challenges.
5. Love yourself and strive for balance. Even if you make 1 or 2 unhealthy choices occasionally. You can still win the long race!
6. Do exercises that will enhance the way you experience life’s adventures and move throughout the world = Functional Fitness!
7. TAKE OWNERSHIP of your actions and OWN YOUR OWN HEALTH. No Fitness Coach, Doctor, Dietitian, Psychiatrist or quick fix will ever help you if you aren’t willing to help yourself.

As always my friends Stay active, Stay healthy and Stay happy!

As a typical type A entrepreneur who tends to find himself mentally strung out and wanting everything to happen now and continuously, peace and patience are both very elusive traits for me. Because of this I have searched for a long time to find a way to overcome their absence. This is where I cultivated the term Peatience, which is the act of developing a sense of overall inner peace while remaining patient when you are anxious and overwhelmed. Being driven and curious can sometimes be a downfall because you start to over research, analyze and think things consistently, but this is where the work of developing Peatience can help you win each day!

Where are you today compared to Yesterday?

You are most likely moving forward in some form or fashion with your goals and ambitions even though it may not feel like it and you need to remind yourself of this by creating a to do list and marking things off as you go. You can use digital tools to make your to-do lists but, I like to put pen to paper at least weekly and then check my 1-year digital planner monthly to see how my overall progress is going? This will offer you sense of relief to see that you are moving forward!

Time Moves at The Same Pace Each Day!

There is no reason to worry about time if you are creating a solid task list and getting things done. Your 12 hour day will always be a 12 hour day, but your tasks will only get done if you create the plan and prioritize. Instead of saying well I have to get this done in the next few hours or days. Only focus on the most important task from your to do list and complete it. This will help you to manage your energy more efficiently instead of clock watching and getting stressed all the time about the lack or hours in your day.

Believe in Your Mission and Your Self!

There literally are 1000 ways to do most anything and just because the way you thought it should be done at the pace you had prescribed isn’t reality doesn’t mean you are failing. You started working toward this goal and have put in a lot of effort to accomplish it, now trust that it will pay off in the long run. Are you seriously going to throw out years of effort and sacrifice and give up? No, you aren’t so take a deep breath, sit back down, and get to work enjoying the journey to success!

Internal Peace Found in the Natural World Around You

I consider it vitally important to be alone with your thoughts in nature on a consistent basis to center your emotions and to get a gauge of your internal rythms and desires. Getting caught up in the competition of the digital world or the corporate rat race will always leave you looking at others and their progress instead of your own progress and accomplishments. This is the #1 killer of peace and patience. Slowing down to gain an understanding of your current mental state and your long-term intentions will help you to remain at peace and apply your energy where it’s needed most. I usually do this with a daily walk, hike, meditation or prayer.

By focusing on your daily effort, executing on the small manageable tasks and remaining aware of your progress you will have no choice, but to forget about your overanalyzing and anxiousness and discover this highly elusive made up attribute I call Peatience!

How do you show your spouse, children, and friends that you are grateful for their support and love? Feed them unhealthy foods, waste their time, stress them out consistently for no reason, and take their health for granted? If you wouldn’t do that to them, why do you so often do this to yourself? By being concerned for your own health and well-being you add value to every aspect of your life. Without your own health it will be impossible to enjoy life with those around you and the unfortunate truth is that you may even become a burden to them.

Suppose your family really wants to take a vacation together. Will you have the stamina and strength to travel with them? Will you be concerned about your ability to go on long walks or even hiking? How about enjoying the outdoors? Are you so out of shape that the heat or cold puts a strain on your body? This is the future you may face if you neglect your health and adopt unhealthy habits.

Your age doesn’t have to determine your physical abilities and health, but your habits will!

Two completely healthy people born the same year can have very different outcomes in their health and abilities as they age. For example: From the Age of 23, You and your best friend (let’s call her Jane) had completely different habits. Jane, over the years maintained an active lifestyle exercising most days. She followed an organic and un processed food diet, and maintained her happiness by being thankful for the small gifts in her life each day.

At 53 Jane may have some general aches and pains as would be normal with the wear and tear of years of exercise, but nothing debilitating. Jane’s blood pressure is within the healthy range. Her bone density and muscle mass is well above the average for her age. Her weight is within a healthy range. Her blood sugar levels are normal. Her coordination and balance has not gotten any worse and she isn’t taking any medications and has no immediate medical concerns.

You on the other hand, exercised sporadically, ate out consistently, and let the small stuff stress you out from the Age of 23. What state is your health and your body in now, 30 years down the road?

You face a very different reality at 53. Your joints, especially your knees cause you discomfort and pain most days. Your blood pressure is borderline-hypertension, your bone density is at the borderline of osteopenia. Your muscle mass is average for your age or perhaps even at the beginning stages of sarcopenia. You are 30-40 lbs overweight with pre-diabetes. And you haven’t done anything to test your balance and coordination in years due to fear of falling or injury. Your Dr. has prescribed blood pressure and diabetic medicine as well as recommended cortisone shots and knee surgery to relieve your knee pain.

Ok, I have put myself into this Predicament. How do I get out?

If you have come to the point where you are prepared to make the necessary changes and are ready to love yourself again, congratulations! This journey is lifelong so start to settle into the idea of a healthier, happier, and more vibrant you. The first thing you need to understand is failure while putting forth effort is expected, but failure due to lack of effort is disastrous.

Identify the things that you love most about your life. Specifically, your everyday experiences. Once you have identified these things you can start to identify what habits are tied to them. Are these habits healthy or are they unhealthy? I believe most all habits can be categorized as either healthy or unhealthy and to build a healthy life you need to build healthy habits. Tying healthy habits to the things that you love most and do daily will automate the habit development process and speed things up!

Review Your Progress and Habits Regularly

Without a gauge of your progress there is no way to know how you are doing. We can all expect to fall off the trail occasionally, but with regular check-ins we can catch ourselves quickly and get back on track. Over the years you need to remain aware of how your goals and intentions have changed and a regular review is the best way to reset and adjust. It’s ok to want to learn and work on something different or to have a new desire to understand more. I believe this is a true sign of you “growing wiser” instead of the cliché “growing older”.

With these new goals and intentions, you will need to review the habits that will be tied to them. So, once again ask the unhealthy or healthy habit question. As you do this over the years it is crucial to understand what long-term effects these consistent habits will have on your health. Even some good habits done in excess or without an educated approach can cause harm with flawed repetition.

Do You Live a Balanced Life?

Life is meant to be lived to the fullest and we are genetically engineered to enjoy almost anything, even unhealthy things with a balanced approach. Evaluating each habit will help you balance things out and avoid any long-term negative health effects. Take into consideration habits or things that you know are bad for you, but you are not going to give up completely. Instead, try to counteract them in some way. If you are going to drink alcohol, counteract this with drinking a lot of water, spreading your drinks out and avoiding drinking in excess. This process of counteracting can be applied to any unhealthy habit.

The bottom line is you are either going to help your body heal and grow or you are going to harm your body and speed up the process of breaking it down. Neglecting your health is like giving away your most prized possessions with no way to retrieve them. So, start loving your body, mind, and soul today with a healthier approach to your habits!

I am going to take a different approach with this post by writing from a pessimistic perspective, then provide ways to counter that perspective with practical and usable advice. I am currently on vacation in the Central American paradise that is Belize and we have been experiencing tropical storm strength winds and rain for almost 24 hours.

“I can’t believe I paid thousands of dollars to come this far trying to escape the 30’ weather to deal with rain and wind imprisoning me in my beachfront cabana! How can I possibly find some positive in this miserable situation?” Does that sound like something you would say? Let’s take a deeper look.

Challenge 1: Small spaces for a long time with people (Stir-Crazy)

When you’re rained-in with someone, it’s easy to drive each other crazy. We often turn to the conveniences of modern technology like TV or computers (the internet). I am with my girlfriend on this vacation and we had to figure out some way to deal with the weather-induced solitude. We could have just sat on our phones ignoring each other, complaining about the weather, the spotty internet service and how it is really dampening our vacation. But that would have been like paying money to complain and do what we can do anywhere in the world for free. We chose the optimist approach and sought out unique ways to enjoy our time together!

What do You Really Know About Your Spouse?

We decided to use the intimate quality time together to get to know ourselves and one another a little better. With the mindset muscle manual as our guide we began to explore the questions and answer them on our own. We then discussed them together. This was really fun and enlightening as it gave us a chance to see the questions from each other’s point of view and opened up new ways of communicating as a couple. The introspective questioning process also gave each of us a chance to look deeper into what we really want and need in our lives to be content.

Challenge 2: The Rain Makes It Difficult to Enjoy the Beach and Sea

“The rain is so cold, it hurts, and it weighs you down. I just want to get under the covers and hide until the sun comes out. I can’t deal with this sad weather on a beach. This is just so annoying.”

Where does this perspective leave you? Being upset about something you cannot change no matter how hard you try is simply the act of giving away your most precious commodities, your time and energy!

Dancing in The Rain

I brought my GoPro and set it up to video the storm as it rolls in to capture the beautiful imagery from the rain, lighting and clouds. That storm will never be seen again but we will have the video and pictures of it and this vacation forever. Thunderstorms can be more powerful and energizing than a sunny day in many ways if you capture and acknowledge its beauty. Yesterday before dinner we went walking/running on the beach in the rain. It wasn’t 100% planned the first time, but it turned out to be fun and we created a memory to hold onto as we chased each other back up to our cabana.

Challenge 3: This was my Vacation to Explore Belize and Relax in the Sun

“There is nothing to do in this rain. I can’t wait to just sit on the beach with my Pina Colada and be waited on while I bask in the sun. Uhhh, thinking about it just upsets me even more. When will the rain stop?”

You are not the only person who is being affected by the rain. To gain some perspective, get out of your own head and take into consideration how it affects everyone around you as well.

It’s not all about you!

Belize is a popular tourist destination and we are here in the peak season which means most of the local residents are working in or supporting tourism. How do you think they are being affected? Their lively hoods are based off people enjoying the beautiful beaches and weather here. We decided to bring school supplies for the local school and are planning to take a trip to give it to the local children to give back. The resort Beaches and Dreams has been gracious enough to coordinate and help us do this. It is important to remember how blessed we really are and how we affect those around us with our actions and attitudes.

In times of discomfort and challenges you have two basic options. To be positive and push through looking for possibilities or to be negative, shut down and focus on the obstacles. This one decision will determine what your life looks like as the years go on. So, take it upon yourself to cultivate sunshine in your heart and your energy will always be brighten the day!

As you get older you start to do less physically and fear more of what could happen if you tried to be physically active and challenge your body, but this is exactly what you need to avoid, getting sedentary! Yes, you are likely going to have some limitations and your body isn’t as strong as it once was, but there are still many opportunities to stay active and strong if you are looking for them. The more you use your abilities and your body the stronger and more functional you will remain. So, let’s discuss some of the ways to stay active and healthy and the benefits of regular exercise and healthy habits.

Bones and Muscles Get Stronger Together

You can improve your chances of avoiding falls, bone breaks and injuries by performing resistance and power training of some form. This could be done with machines, free weights or body weight exercises like push up’s or TRX back rows. When you begin a resistance training program to challenge your muscles and build them up with proper rest, recovery and adequate nutrition they will grow bigger and stronger. In turn your body will build bigger and stronger bones to carry this added muscle. This is why Dr’s prescribe weight training for women with osteopenia or osteoporosis. With stronger bones and muscles, you can get back out on the ski slopes or pick up that running routine you’ve been missing!

Strong Foundations Start in the Feet

There are many different factors at work when your body is trying to balance itself out and to improve these through exercise you need to work on all of these factors, but we will discuss a few of the key components that you can easily address when working to improve balance. How well do you control your center of gravity? Do you feel strong and stable when you are standing still? How are your feet positioned? Are they providing a wide enough and strong enough foundation for the rest of your body? Work on maintaining a wide, but comfortable foot position when you are standing and walking. If you have problems with a lack of feeling in your feet or weakness you can improve this. Strengthening the feet can be done with exercises called short foot training.

Short Foot to Strengthen the Feet and Increase Blood Flow

-Take off your shoes and put your foot flat on the ground.

-Flex your foot raising the arch while keeping the toes flat on the ground

-Hold for 3 seconds and repeat. Check out the following link for a video. https://youtu.be/BaeYzFdI51c

Proper Posture Let’s You See Where you are Going        

How is your posture? Are you leaning forward, back or to the side when you stand up? This can be pulling you off of your center of gravity? Work to improve posture by finding a blank wall and backing up against it. Have your heels 6 inches away and your back and butt against the wall. Test behind your neck and lower back to ensure there is less than 2 inches of space between the wall and your neck or back. If there is a 2+ inch gap in either location you need to improve your posture.

Improving Posture Exercise for Forward head lean and Upper Cross Syndrome

-Stand with heels 6 inch away from wall

-Have your shoulders, head and butt against the wall

-Ensure your chin is tucked with your eyes looking straight ahead, keep your ribs down avoiding tilting the chest up. Hold this position for 3 minutes to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the upper back and neck.

We have only discussed two factors that can contribute to poor balance, but these two are easily fixed with consistent awareness and practicing these exercises to improve them. At Triaffect our training involves every physical factor that plays a role in balance and coordination to ensure we improve our client’s ability to do anything they desire without limitations.

Breathing Free and Easy

How well do you breathe? Are you constantly breathing shallow, congested or dealing with sinus problems? This can play a role in your ability to perform every day tasks and exercises. You should work to find remedies for this congestion and improve the quality of your breathing. On average we breathe 19-30,000 times a day and when done incorrectly it can affect all of your physical abilities. One breathing exercise I like to encourage my clients to add into their lives is the WIM HOF method.

WIM HOF Breathing

-Find a comfortable place and lie down. Start breathing and counting out 20 or 30 breathes deeply in and out from the stomach.

-Once you get to the 20^th or 30^th breathe just exhale and relax holding your breathe as long as possible until you have to breathe again.

-When you inhale after holding your breath hold that 1 deep breathe for 10 seconds and use your diaphragm to push air into your head. Repeat the process 2 more times.

There are many benefits to this and it can help you breathe more efficiently and therapeutically if practiced regularly.

Your home air environment and the cleanliness of your home can also have a major impact on your respiratory system. Having your home deep cleaned can make a big difference in helping you breathe better over time. What about going outside and getting some fresh air? Go for a walk, drive to the park and sit on a bench, or walk around your yard to help with clearing your sinuses and helping you breathe better. Just by breathing and getting more oxygenated blood into your body your systems will run more efficiently and smoothly.

Run to The Water!

We all know our bodies are at least 70% water, but are we getting enough this crucial element to keep us hydrated and healthy? One thing I see with many of my aging clients is their lack of fluid intake and especially water. This happens for many reasons, but as you stop drinking water your body stops signaling you to drink water as an adaptation. You probably enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, a soda with lunch, tea with dinner and maybe a glass of milk somewhere. This can be a major problem for your kidneys, liver and muscles as they need water to operate properly. Tea and coffee are also diuretics which can dehydrate you even more. A 5%-8% decrease in total body water can cause fatigue and dizziness which obviously exacerbates any problems you may already have. I suggest purchasing a water bottle that can keep your water cool and close by for an easy reminder. This may seem like a small thing, but it really can make a big difference in your abilities.

Start right where you are Sitting!

Even if you are chair bound or have major physical limitations a little movement can improve your physical abilities, relieve pain, and help you to do more if practiced and progressed consistently. One of the easiest ways to get started is just going through some basic chair exercises and stretches.

Basic Chair Stretch and Mobility Exercise Program

-Leg Kicks- Focus on using the thigh muscles to kick the foot out in front of you and hold for a 1 count return to the stratring position and repeat 8-10 times.

-Knee Raises- Sit up straight and focus on flexing your hips to lift your knee and foot off the ground for a 1 count. return to the strating position and repeat for 8-10 times.

-Front shoulder stretch- With your thumbs up lift your arms until they’re even with your ears and lower to the starting position and repeat 8-10 times.

-Rolling your shoulders- Pull your shoulders back toward the chair and down and then lift them up and push them forward and down, return to starting position and repeat 8-10 times.

-Foot and Ankle stretches- Write out 5-10 letters of the alphabet with your feet. Do this with each foot 3 times.

-Hand stretches- Make a fist with your hand and squeeze, then spread your fingers as wide as possible and hold. Repeat 8-10 times.

These exercises may seem basic and easy, but they can be a great starting point to get you going!

No matter what don’t let a number, limitation or ailment stop you from seeking out opportunities to keep moving at any age. Your body and mind are machines that need to be maintained and used to stay functional and healthy. You are the only one who can keep them going so, use this knowledge and these simple techniques to keep you moving healthily and happily for many years to come!

Let’s discuss why being consistent will get you much farther than success! Who here has never failed in life? If you said yes, you can stop reading and move on with your boring day… Now that all the failures are still reading we can get down to business.

How did you overcome your past failures? Did you consistently work to improve and achieve more or did you just focus on being successful? Reality is the only way to eventually be successful is to be consistent first. There are 7 games in the World Series and NBA Championship for a reason, the most consistent team wins even if they aren’t considered the most “successful”!

I have always loved the Michael Jordan quote “I’ve missed 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed”.

Each day is your shot to build a rewarding and healthy life and the more shots you take seriously the more wins you will have. In my 33 years that means I have had 12,045 shots. By consistently applying maximum effort and maintaining an unwavering positive attitude success has become my reality. Below are a few tips to help you make it yours!

1. Just keep seeing the good and potential in all situations.

This is a personal reminder as much as it is a social reminder. You are going to get down on yourself and frustrated with your situation from time to time, but it is crucial to see past this and look for the positive potential hidden within. No matter how difficult and challenging a situation may be there will always be something to learn and use in the future if you are looking for it. Keep this mindset and you will always have a fighting chance.

Expert Tip: Remember you control your attitude and your reactions to hardships!

2. Trust the Process

Everything that is transformative, and groundbreaking takes a lot of effort and preparation ahead of the actual breakthrough. This is what consistency is all about. If you always back out instead of pushing forward you will never achieve anything in life much less ever consider yourself successful. Great experience and knowledge of a specific process or subject is where you can find these gems that have often been over looked, overcomplicated, or never discovered.

Expert Tip: Each step closer should be a celebrated act of consistency!

3. Have A Childlike Curiosity

There are a few mesmerizing humans who manage to remain consistently obsessed with a single task and produce amazing results. One trait that they often display is the love of learning, discovering and fixing problems. Their enthusiasm rivals that of a child with a new interactive puzzle. They just sit for hours and stare and tinker until they figure out the only way the pieces could fit to solve the puzzle. This may be one of the greatest assets you could have if you are aiming to create a service or a product that will actually fix issues our society is dealing with.

Discovery Question: What could you learn about all day without getting bored or wanting to quit?

4. Share Dreams

You never know when someone standing right next to you is holding a piece of the puzzle you have been searching for the entire time. Sharing your ideas is the only way to pull this puzzle piece out of them. You need to realize that 2, 3, or 4 consistent minds are stronger than 1. At times you are going to get tired and burnt out, so it is important to have help if you want long term success. It is hard to stay consistent by yourself over a long period of time.

Discovery Question: Who amongst your circle has traits that you lack or you could benefit from?

5. Tunnel Vision

It’s easy in our digital age to listen to the naysayers and doubters around you. It’s also easy to look at other’s “success” and think I will never achieve that, but you have to stay consistently dedicated to your mission. All of the most “successful” people consistently only worry about their mission and how they are going to achieve it. Your belief in you is what ultimately will make others believe in you as well!

Expert Tip: Turn off the social media and news!

Now that you know 5 traits to help you remain consistent and to get ahead, you can make your Facebook video teaching everyone how to be successful and make millions with your rented Ferrari and $2,000 dollar Versace wallet! Just kidding, but you can remain consistently dedicated to achieving anything you set your sites on!

If you like our motivation and insight this is only a snapshot of what you will receive when you sign up for our coaching programs. Get a free consultation today at www.Triaffect.com

It’s Tuesday at the office lunch table and you have finally emerged victorious over your battle with the Monday blues to recap your wonderful 2 days of bliss known as the weekend, but what about the other 5 days of the week? Are they not meant to be lived to the fullest? Let’s look at the numbers: 7 > 2. The verdict is in. A 7-day weekend is better than a 2-day weekend, but how could we possibly have a 7 day weekend every week?

Follow Your Purpose and Passion

Figure out a way to make a living doing the things that make your soul sing and each day will become a gift just waiting to be unwrapped. One way to do this is to use the connections you have made in your current career. Inevitably many of these connections will have family and friends who are either doing a job you are interested in or could be potential clients or customers for you in the future. Find a local mentor who has a job you are interested in and reach out to them. Let them know you just want to learn more about their professional experience. A good mentor will provide you with an opportunity to identify what kind of credentials and experience are needed to get a job and help you find the opportunities to acquire one.

Fail Fail Fail

There’s only one way to learn how to do something new and that is to try new things. A majority of the time this means you are going to fail and that is great. Life is meant to challenge and force you to grow, not just acquire one skill and settle for mediocrity until your final days. Success only comes to those who stay dedicated and keep trying no matter how hard something is or how many times they fail. Keep pushing on and you will become stronger and more experienced with each attempt and that is what we like to call a win/win!

Get Real with Your Expenses

It’s easy to mindlessly purchase things just because you have a few extra dollars laying around or because it is on sale, but what if this money was being set aside to give you more freedom? Let’s say you created a budget and discovered you could literally live off $15,000 a year and had a salary of $28,000 a year? You could put the extra $13,000 into a savings or retirement account, but based on statistics, most American’s don’t even put 13% of $13,000 into their savings and retirement funds. You are much more likely to buy a bunch of stuff you will be bored with in a year or don’t even have time to use. If you create a budget and manage to save $13,000 dollars you could take at least 10 months off work to build a new life or just enjoy your freedom. That’s when you can really make changes in your approach to every day life!

Be Grateful For The Life You’ve Designed

You are living a life that you have been the designer of so, either be grateful for it or build something you can be grateful for. With a clear picture of what you want, you can easily take the steps needed to design your ideal life. The secret to moving forward is remaining aware of what you do and don’t want. Designing a happy and fulfilling week is simple, all you have to do is choose to work for and build the week you desire with every single decision.

Stop waiting for a specific place on a calendar to enjoy your life and get to work living 7 days a week!

If you like our motivation and insight this is only a snapshot of what you will receive when you sign up for our coaching programs. Get a free consultation today at www.Triaffect.com     

It’s easy to think “I am just one person and my actions aren’t going to make a difference. So, why strive to change the world?” Well, if you change the world for one person you are changing the world. The decision to act and make a change in your life is going to affect everyone around you. Let’s say you have 1 spouse, 3 kids & their 3 spouses, 3 siblings, 6 cousins, 5 friends, 2 coworkers and 1 boss. That’s 24 people that are affected or influenced by your actions. Now if those 24 people have 24 relatives and friends and make changes in their lives that’s 527 people affected. Quickly you will have had an impact on hundreds of thousands of people (24 x 24 = 576 x 24 = 13,824 x 24 = 331,276). Don’t take for granted your ability to make an impact on this world.

Lead By Example

When you decide to work on really making a difference you will receive so much resistance that it becomes comical, but remember that’s just icing on the cake as you succeed day after day. You must be seen before you will be listened to. To make honest, lasting, realistic changes in yourself and the world you have to become this change. It is extremely difficult to have someone see themselves differently, but it makes it a lot easier when you show them how. Work on being the person you want the world to learn from and grow with. You have been given great power with great responsibility. Don’t let another opportunity to show the world a better more harmonious way to succeed slip away.

Focus on Possibilities

There are going to be many obstacles, challenges, tasks, slips, trips and falls along the way and that is ok. Just get up and keep moving forward no matter how big or small your steps are. Nothing can overcome a faithful, disciplined, dedicated, passionate and excited believer headed toward their destiny. Will there be days, weeks, months of doubt and fear? Yes. These are the opportunities to look outside of the tunnel vision that you have fallen into and seek the next steps that must be taken. Sometimes you have to be forced to grow and become more and these are those times. Focus on your next possibility and explore it each and every day until you are back on your way.

Believe and You Shall See

How far would you go if you believed your work was leading you to a glorious and magnificent level of living that will forever change the way you, your family, friends and all of mankind will experience their time on earth? This is what will drive you to keep tearing down wall after wall on this journey of the soul that never ends. It’s time to believe that you are going to see, hold, feel and experience every level of beauty that this life has to offer. This is the truth if you are willing to sacrifice and believe in every step along the way.

Let your hopes, dreams, and desires be the building blocks for your thoughts and actions. Believe deeply with every ounce of your soul and you will Change the world!

 

It’s 9 days into the New Year, are you still doing what it takes to become a stronger, healthier, more dedicated and focused person? Or is tomorrow going to be your day? What if I told you tomorrow doesn’t exist. How would you think about today? Would you put it all on the line working hard in this moment to make the most out of every second? This is called living and working in the present, and it is all we have. You can’t work on yesterday or build tomorrow without starting today.

Stay on Your Path!

Before you get distracted and pulled away from your intended tasks of the day, set some boundaries with your coworkers, boss, and yourself to make sure you don’t spiral out of focus. Set a 20-minute timer and work in intervals on and off. This will help you get into a zone and stay dedicated to one thing at a time. What are your 3 most important things that need to be done today? Do these things first. Even if you have some other tasks that showed up in your email this morning. Priorities aren’t priorities if they are flexible.

Follow Through!

This is something many of us fail to do when it comes to our own dreams or goals. When it’s work or something our “boss” tasked us with, we get it done, but when it is something we want to do for ourselves we sacrifice and put it on the back burner. You are your boss and your dreams and goals are the #1 thing that should be important to you. Is a tired, stressed, neglected and unsuccessful person going to be a great worker, spouse, friend or parent? No. You can’t consistently neglect yourself and expect to be the best version of you. Don’t end another day as a defeated mediocre shadow of the wonderful energetic being you are.

What are you doing today?

Living in the present moment is complicated and challenging especially in the digital age. We always have a computer within an arm’s reach and that isn’t always a good thing as it can distract us from completing the tasks that bring value to our lives. Close your eyes right now and think about 10 tasks you completed this week. Were these accomplishments mindless habits, tasks you created, or tasks created by someone else? How did these tasks add benefit to your life? Were they detrimental in any way? Be intentional about the tasks you choose to complete.

Building your life from the end to the beginning will make it a lot easier to choose the steps it takes to get there each day. Wouldn’t it be exciting to know where you are heading rather than just saying “I don’t know, wherever my bank account sends me”?

Before your New Year’s Day motivation turns into a Valentine’s Day disappointment take 1 day to write down a detailed plan of how you will achieve your dreams and goals (think big). Identify these steps to help you maintain your focus today because tomorrow will be too late!