Get Over The Guilt

This is a story about chocolate cake and guilt.  

You eat a piece of chocolate cake and it taste incredible.  Then you decide to have a few more bites, and suddenly half the cake is gone.  You start feeling guilty.  You know you should have enjoyed the one piece but you couldn't control yourself and you ate more.  Now the guilt is driving in harder and you start the OH WELL attitude.  Screw it, you say as you finish the rest of the cake.

Moments later you lay down and begin massaging your belly.  A pain swells as equally as your stomach.  Your guilt grows larger and larger.  You begin feeling bad, really bad.  And your body feels awful.  You think you are a failure; and you start asking yourself how you got here?  Was it the pressure from work?  Stress building around you?

Just as you are about to fall asleep your phone rings.  You are invited to dinner with an old, long-lost friend, who is in town for the night but you have to say no.  Not only do you feel bloated and uncomfortable, but you also feel ashamed and shrunken--amiss of proper spirit for a dear friend.  And the guilt builds.  The frustration and anger blossom.

This is a story about chocolate cake and an old friend.

You eat a piece of chocolate cake and it taste incredible.  So incredible, in fact, that you decide to have another piece of cake.  But before you do, you grab a salt shaker and begin dumping a protective barrier of salt over the rest of the cake, ruining any chance of further consumption.  You don't want to make any bad decisions and you know you will if the cake stays within a forks reach.

The next piece of cake is placed as if it is the last in the world, one island amid a vast ocean of counter-top.  You approach it with awe and reverence.  The fork fits perfectly in your hand as you break the crunch of the top and glide through the soft body, finally, dancing the fork to your mouth.  Your eyes close and your shoulders sink as the first bite hits you.  Smoothing the cake out with your tongue and chewing slowly, a guttural voice of pleasure escapes your throat.

As you approach your last bite you realize the phone has been ringing.  The heightened tasting session apparently left your ears deaf.  You race to the phone, licking your fingers, and say hello to an old, long-lost friend, who is in town for the night, and you immediately invite them over.

The door bells rings.  You open the door to your old, long-lost friend, who has another cake in hand.

...     ...     ...

 
Guilt is an emotional warning sign to recognize when we do something wrong, or do something that shouldn't be repeated. Guilt either becomes a forced transition or a descending asteroid of unhappiness.  Either we obsess and the bad feelings keep going, ultimately leading to self-destructive behavior, or we forget about perfection and take control of the controllable.

The next time you feel guilty...

Accept Your Leading Action

Acknowledge the Guilt

Learn the Lesson

Move On

and

GET OVER THE GUILT!

In The Words of George Michael

My Mamaw Dixie is the spirit of our family. 

Mamaw is always whistling songs, thanking the lord, or smiling with the greatest of love on her face.  My fondest memories include her holding a Gibson guitar close, and singing the sweetest songs from the past. 

The following video is of her on our farm.  You can hear my family around her laughing and playing.  Her love and faith are tangible in this video.




I want you to move past the word Jesus for a minute.  My Mamaw has a faith that transcends her religious tone.  A faith which encompasses pure love as a motivator to life.

Faith is life's greatest connector and motivator.  It enables us to connect trust and loyalties with others, develop a larger perspective--through those relationships, develop values and subjugate meaning to our lives, and have hope, brightening our view of the world through a positive lens.

Faith is essential to happiness.  And faith goes beyond the confines of religious thought or dogma.  Faith is an attitude or philosophy toward life.

Faith is to your self what the muscles are to the body.  
It is the thing that makes you move forward.

Developing faith is a matter of practice.  Just as you exercise the body and muscles, so must you exercise and practice your faith.

In the words of George Michael:

Loosen Up

It was a beautiful day in Sun Valley.  Every season was at display.  Lush green fields reached into leaved branches of orange, red, and gold; and just as the mountains peaked snow held firm.  And there I stood, arms swinging in large circles, with a swim cap on, and goggles smothering my eyes, looking into a pool. 

I knew I looked the part.  In fact, I had the trendiest tri-athlete swimming gear on.   My audience, 2 old men hanging their chest and arms out of a hot tub, awaited anxiously for some action, or at least something to watch as they did absolutely nothing.  

My arms relaxed and I moved my toes to the edge of the pool.

I jumped in.  Don't get confused with diving in.  That I didn't do.  I simply went feet first, splashed a ton, and came to the top of the water to wade with the greatest of difficulty.

And he is off.  I started down my swimming lane in a freestyle form.  I dropped my head and kicked and reached forward, scooping through the water, and feeling like I was moving ahead soon to touch the wall. 

I can't turn my head to breath when I swim so I kept my head down and held my breath.  The wall never came! As my air went low and I came up to look, I realized I hadn't really moved at all.  I became a hamster on a wheel but in tri-gear in a pool.

My reaction: laughter.
My audience reaction: a nose twitch and slow blink.

Two hours later I dragged my pruned body out of the pool.  I had a blast attempting to swim.  I tried it all.  And failed at most.  But I didn't allow my pride to get in the way of a little awkward fun.

Because I didn't take myself too seriously I gave myself a chance to experience something new.  No one cared a lick if I was an amazing swimmer.  However, I'm sure they did wonder at times, when I stood motionless in the water looking confused, if I was peeing in the pool.

Who cares about what you look like or what you feel like?  Allow yourself the opportunity for fun.  Worse case scenario you make someone's day by being the biggest goofball and inspiring someone else to LOOSEN UP.

Treaded Grass

Living on a farm I spent many hours counting cows, checking fences, tackling calves, and herding cattle.  Calling in the cows from the hills, I quickly noticed a trend with their movement.  They always followed the same cow paths, moving along the path of least resistance.

In college I spent the last 2 years of my philosophy degree studying epistemology and metaphysics--big words, of course, and big ideas.  Essentially, I studied topics revolving around how we come "to know", what knowledge is, notions explaining our existence, and, ultimately, how we come to understand the world.

The knowledge I acquired from farm work and studying philosophy  have aided me in developing successful concepts for working with clients as a personal trainer.  Understanding how clients came "to be" and how they came "to know", while recognizing their "cow paths", provides me with the tools necessary for their success. 

Working with my clients I see the same trends expressed again and again.

• People love to do what they've done before.  
• People develop resistance to new forms of exercise and training.  
• People hinder their own successes through routine and habit.

We get stuck treading the same grass, following the same path, and we never adopt or try to find fresh fields to trample.

I encourage you to head for the tall, weeded, unexplored fields that surround you.  Let go of the worn, dirt-ridden paths you've been lumbering through and feel fresh grass on your feet again.

With my work, I too must challenge myself to find new paths daily.  The variety keeps me sane and I enjoy being a part of my client's exploration of the new. 


Any knowledge is a new path.  My clients are new paths for me. 

For the Soul

From all the activities we include in our busy lives few reward us with calm and peace.  I am fortunate to have the ability to do things in my life that offer me continued perspective, while being surrounded by the most beautiful landscapes and in the presence of great company.

***

6 am wake-up.  

Oatmeal and tea.

Lace up my hiking shoes.

Pick up Hans.

Drive to Stinson Beach.

Hike begins.

Today's hike began on a grey, mild day in Stinson Beach.  Looking up Mount Tamalpais, Hans and I set stride, climbing quickly to our first lookout.  

Being the man in front I always jump into a hike full pace.  In a few short moments of climb Hans and I found ourselves quickly drenched in sweat and laughing.  It had been a while since our last hike, and today was a catchup with one another; we had no intention of taking it easy or taking it short.  We hurriedly scampered up the mountain taking one trail into another.

Although the sun was not victorious, and the clouds were not low enough to pass, we did come across many beautiful spots encompassing hopes of light.  This particular photo shows San Francisco from Mt. Tam with a break in the clouds, highlighting the Bay and silhouetting the bridge.

Soon we came upon the entrance to Mount Tamalpais State Park.  We touristed it up with photos--why not?  And decided to keep climbing.

Moments later we found ourselves losing visibility and in the presence of a cloud.  The wind picked up slightly and we relaxed in its coolness. 

Then suddenly to our left stood an 8-point, massive Buck--30 feet off, broadside, staring at us, as the wind moved the grass around its feet and we all froze in wonder.

Like a dream.  Where the image is real but indistinct, the Buck moved it legs and began to walk away.  As it distanced itself and blurred into the white mist, one last image seared into my memory.  The Buck stood on top of the hill perfectly outlined and dark, with lightness consuming its peripheries.  So powerful the image, and so private the feeling.

Hans and I smiled in amazement, took a moment, and headed farther up the mountain. 

After climbing 2,000 feet to the Mountain Theater we decided to turn back.  While talking we stumbled into our next encounter.  But this time it was more prehistoric--at least in the way they moved.  A set of giant wild turkeys wondered the hillside in front of us; with no need to hurry, they grazed and moved tediously. 

All in all we hiked 11 miles in 3 hours.  We saw 2 bucks, a coyote, and two sets of turkey, and one incredible vista after the other.  And now I find myself at home refreshed, connected, calm, and fulfilling my desire to share.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and follow me.  I hope you do something similar for yourself.  Find a way to be in nature, be away from people, and sit in the calmness that is sprinkled with life, marvel at the layers of beauty, and be grateful for the chance to be exactly where you are.

iSport Headphone Commercial

 I recently shot a commercial for Monster Cable's iSport - The Athlete's Headphone.

This is the first of a series of commercials I will be doing with them.  Enjoy!

iSport Headphone Commercial

Own Your Metabolism

I have two empty legs and a black hole for a stomach. 

In fact, most people are astonished at the quantity of food I consume daily.  Often I joke that I became a fitness expert so that I could eat as much as I'd like and not get fat.  I am lean, hungry, and eating quite often and I don't have a shred of guilt about it.  Because I own my metabolism.

I realize that my metabolism is unique.  But so is yours.  Grasping the concept of your metabolism, that it belongs to you, is key in your quest for health.  The focus starts on not changing your metabolism but changing your attitude in its relation to you.  You must own it. 

Most people develop a strong appetite when they are going through puberty and growing.  Hormonal changes in the body spike hunger signals and turn teenagers into Fridge Stalkers--always standing, door ajar, drooling into the white light....

The problem is that the occurring hormonal growth of puberty eventually stops, the activity lessens, environmental and emotional stress grow, and those developed eating habits perpetuate weight gain.  Somewhere along the way we lose control of our metabolism and become slaves to it.  We forget to be the masters.

The first step into owning your metabolism is to understand the following Metabolic Truths:

1) We consume calories.
2) We burn calories.
3) We store calories.

Our consumption of calories is based off of hormonal driving forces.  If we learn to manipulate our endocrine system, which is responsible for the production and delivery of hormones throughout the body, then we move into the direction of owning our metabolism.

Think growth and recovery.

The best thing about exercise and activity is that the body burns calories to sustain movement and function, and to recover and adapt over time.  If exercise becomes regular then the body becomes more efficient at utilizing calories for energy expenditure.

Create the expectation for the body to burn and it will learn to continuously be ready; your metabolism will speed up.

Oppositely, do nothing, continue to eat, and watch your body become efficient at storing calories in the form of fat.

The choice is yours.  Become efficient at storing your consumed calories or burning them.  Own your metabolism or become a slave to it.

Dead Toes

Being a trainer I run across aches and pains quite often in my clients.  My ability to understand these pains, diagnose them, and help people recover is widely important.  Thankfully, because I am so active, and I do deal with aches and pains myself, I have developed a deeper understanding with these issues, and I am becoming more effective with applying proper care.

Client: "My knee hurts."
Me: "Ok.  Dull pain?  Sharp pain?  And where is it hurting?"

Client: "When I lift my arm this way it hurts."
Me: "Ok.  Look at your elbow and wrist position.  Good.  Now drop your shoulders, rotate your hand..."

So much of what I do is introduce people to their bodies.  Beyond the science of energy systems, the musculoskeletal system, and basic physiology principles for training, nutrition, and performance, beyond all the noise coming out of classrooms and muscle magazines, I want you to take your body out on a date.  Get to know yourself, your body, how it feels, should feel, can feel, and wants to feel.

We were made to move.  Bio-mechanically, the diversity of movement within our anatomical reach is staggering and quite beautiful to watch.  Sadly, though, we have disengaged from our most primitive explorations--the discovery of our selves performing to survive and communicate.  So, when we get "hurt" or feel discomfort we immediately want to be medicated, numbed, bandaged--we want to be told what is wrong and not figure it our ourselves.

Take for example, my left knee bothering me for years.  It doesn't quite hurt.  But it feels alien at times, like it doesn't listen or come from me.  So, I've worked and worked, stretched, altered my training, rested, and did all I could, but to no avail; the same knee issue persisted. 

Only until recently, did I move into my feet and realize that my knee issues were directly related to how I use them.  My left foot had a few "dead" toes, and the outside of my foot was cold to the touch.  I wasn't engaging or using my foot properly, and this had been the case for years.  How then could I expect to fire properly out of my leg, if my foundation of movement was weak?  It all made sense, I had finally found the first domino.

The excitement that persist in my discovery of my "dead" toes and cold feet is quite nerdy, I know.  But I have something to work with now.  I can do this myself.  And I can hold myself together, naturally, for the long run.

Know that nothing empowers you more than making these types of discoveries for yourself.
There are no simple answers.
Develop a consistent dialogue with your body.
Constantly ask yourself questions and listen attentively.

Your body is forever changing, healing, and evolving to your lifestyle and requests.

Accidental Bear Video Q and A's

Watch Johnny Pearman Fitness answer tough questions for AccidentalBear:


Fitness Interviews 1 and 2.
Fitness Interviews 3,4, and 5.